League play has proven to be difficult for Aurora football teams in the early stages, as the city’s 11 programs finished a combined 2-9 in Week 7, which marked the fewest amount of wins in any week so far in the 2023 season.
The only Aurora-area programs to walk off the field as winners were Eaglecrest — which prevailed in a head-to-head matchup with another local program, Cherokee Trail — and Overland.
Full Aurora Week 7 scoreboard and highlights, here
Coach Mike Schmitt’s Raptors (6-1 overall, 1-1 in Centennial League) battled with the shorthanded Cougars — who were still without a large slew of injured players — and prevailed with an outstanding defensive effort in addition to a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Joe Steiner to tight end Logan Ryan. The second connection came on a short pass in the fourth quarter that Ryan skied to bring in with one hand before he hit the ground.
Cherokee Trail — which forced six turnovers, including two interceptions from Cayden Sweets — got a late touchdown pass from Tyson Smith to Carson Pierce to make it a game. Coach Justin Jajczyk’s Cougars are now 3-4 overall and 0-2 in league play.
Overland stretched its winning streak to three games with a 27-0 shutout of Northglenn in Metro North play Oct. 5 at Stutler Bowl. Jarrius Ward rushed for 200-plus yards and scored three touchdowns of 81, 30 and 42 yards, while Talil Seals-Fisher threw a scoring strike to Kamaur Allison for coach Kyle Reese’s Trailblazers (4-3, 2-0).
Grandview had a Centennial League showdown with Arapahoe Oct. 5 at Legacy Stadium and ended up on the short end of a 30-16 decision. Coach Tom Doherty’s Wolves (5-2, 1-1) got touchdown passes from Liam Szarka to Xay Neto and Kyler Vaughn (which came on an alert play when he caught a ball that deflected off a defender) and went into halftime tied but were kept off the scoreboard in the second half.
In its first game in Lou Kellogg Stadium since the completion of renovations, Regis Jesuit held the lead over undefeated Pine Creek in a Southern League clash into the final minute until the Eagles scored a touchdown to earn a 21-17 victory. Peyton Lindell threw touchdown passes to Anthony Medina and Jaden Thermidor and Jack Manthey had a fourth-quarter field goal that gave coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders (3-4, 1-1) the advantage into the final minute.
Rangeview trailed by 21 points at halftime in an Oct. 5 Front Range League South matchup with Horizon, but rallied to within three before it dropped a 24-21 decision. Coach Chris Dixon’s Raiders (1-6, 0-2) got 138 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Jah Alexander plus another touchdown from Kevin Prosser.
Vista PEAK Prep dropped to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in the 4A Southeast Metro League with a 55-23 loss to Ponderosa Oct. 4 at APS Stadium. Coach DaVaughn Thornton Sr.’s Bison had two receivers — Kyron Chiku-Martinez and Larry Mosely — go over 100 yards and catch touchdown passes from Canaan Barthlow.
Knyle Serrell rushed for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game to put Gateway ahead of Denver South in an Oct. 4 I-25 League matchup at APS Stadium, but the Ravens scored 48 unanswered points to win 48-14. Serrell finished with 169 yards of total offense and a score for coach Rashad Mason’s Olys, while Tim Austin also rushed for a touchdown.
Aurora Central visited defending 4A state champion Broomfield and dropped a 48-7 contest to put it at 2-5 overall and 1-1 in league play. Ka’Mari May threw a touchdown pass to Jeremiah Briscoe to get coach Chris Kelly’s Trojans on the scoreboard in the third quarter.
Smoky Hill faced a Cherry Creek team celebrating its Homecoming in an Oct. 5 Centennial League contest Oct. 5 at Stutler Bowl and dropped a 47-0 decision. Coach Brandon Alconcel’s Buffaloes now sit 1-6 overall and 0-2 in league.
Hinkley got a rushing touchdown from Gabriel Ocampo, but lost a 49-6 contest to Widefield Oct. 5 at APS Stadium. Coach Dennis York’s Thunder moved to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in I-25 League play.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
