The final week of the regular season was lean on wins for Aurora area prep football teams, as only Cherokee Trail ended victorious.
The Cougars — one of four Aurora area teams to qualify for the Class 5A state playoffs — defeated Smoky Hill 35-7 in a Centennial League finale at Legacy Stadium Oct. 30 to complete a 4-6 regular season.
Cherokee Trail got two passing touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Bryson Peterson — one apiece to sophomore Rayshon Stanley and junior Jordan Mitchell — while Owen Newell piled up 130 yards rushing and crossed the goal line twice for coach Justin Jajczyk’s squad. The Cougars (4-6) added a defensive score when junior linebacker Nico Mavromat returned a fumble for a touchdown.
Coach Brandon Alconcel’s Buffaloes — who finished the regular season 2-8 — got on the scoreboard in the third quarter on a nice drive that culminated in a touchdown pass from senior Jayden Hopkins to senior Eduardo Rodarte.
Set to join Cherokee Trail in the postseason is Grandview, which dropped a 52-15 Centennial League finale to Cherry Creek Oct. 31 at Legacy Stadium in a game in which the Wolves were missing some key pieces. Senior Blitz McCarty (290 yards passing) and sophomore backup Lander Wise each threw touchdown passes for Grandview, while sophomore Tim Arnold III caught one of the scores and had 134 yards receiving, while senior Theo Bird hauled in the other touchdown. Senior Noah Galvez knocked through a field goal to round out the Wolves’ scoring.
Eaglecrest’s regular season came to a close with a 28-23 loss to Arapahoe Oct. 31 at Littleton Public Schools Stadium. Quarterback William Brinkman rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown and twice found senior Quincy Clayton with scoring passes for coach Jesse German’s Raptors, who finished the regular season at 6-4.
Regis Jesuit tried to end the regular season with a bang, as it took a double-digit lead at halftime over Legend Oct. 31 at EchoPark Stadium. That advantage disappeared in the final two quarters, however, as the Titans scored 28 unanswered points to deal coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders a 42-28 defeat. Sophomore quarterback Luke Rubley threw for 284 yards and accounted for all four touchdowns for Regis Jesuit (5-5) with two touchdown passes apiece to sophomore Colt Jones and junior Cade Filleman (112 yards receiving).
Rangeview piled up 30 points on the scored at Mullen Oct. 31, but couldn’t keep pace with Mullen in a 52-30 defeat. Coach Chris Lopez’s Raiders (5-5) did the majority of their scoring on the ground, as senior quarterback Tyson Tuck rushed for a pair of scores, while seniors Kylen Mack and Kemariahe Brown also reached paydirt in addition to a field goal from senior Caleb Granger. Tuck threw for 204 yards as well in a 237-yard contest.
Vista PEAK Prep lost a 59-35 shootout with Legacy Oct. 30 at APS Stadium that saw senior quarterback Canaan Barthlow throw for 367 yards and five touchdowns for coach Kyle Reese’s Bison. Barthlow connected with seniors Isaiah Watson (163 yards receiving) and Joshua Gallien (126 yards receiving, plus an interception on defense) for two scores apiece, while sophomore Esai Saez hauled in the other scoring strike for Vista PEAK Prep, which finished 4-6.
Aurora Central’s season came to an end with a 19-14 road loss against Denver North. Coach Chris Kelly’s Trojans finished at 5-5 and with their most wins since an eight-win 2021 season.
Gateway’s 3-7 season came to a conclusion Oct. 30 as coach Rashad Mason’s Olys dropped a 41-6 visit to Cheyenne Mountain. Junior Lyric Wynn accounted for Gateway’s touchdown and had 117 yards rushing.
Overland finished the campaign without a victory, as Northglenn picked up a 53-0 win over coach Tony Lindsay Sr.’s Trailblazers Oct. 30 at Stutler Bowl.
Hinkley is the only team with a game remaining in the regular season (a Nov. 6 home game against Littleton), but coach Shawn Barnett’s team remains looking for its first win after a 62-0 defeat by league-leading Holy Family.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
