Wins were tough to come by for Aurora football teams in Week 2 of the season, in which area teams finished 3-8.
Two of the wins came on the opening day of the week Sept. 4, as Rangeview and Vista PEAK Prep rolled to lopsided victories.
Coach Kyle Reese’s Bison were in action in Week Zero and continued to improve in its third straight contest, as they improved to 2-1 on the young season with a 69-14 victory against Overland at Stutler Bowl. Vista PEAK Prep (2-1) got a monster game from senior Tyrone Smiley, who rushed for 177 yards and reached the end zone three times on the ground, while he also had a return touchdown.
Canaan Barthlow upped his touchdown pass total to six over the past two weeks as he connected once with Isaiah Watson and also with Joshua Gallien, who took back a fumble for a touchdown as well. Tayshaun McClain’s interception return score gave the Bison points on defense as well. The Trailblazers (0-2) got the scoreboard twice on long touchdown runs from junior Elijah Hargrove.
Rangeview picked up the first win for new coach Chris Lopez and evened its record at 1-1 with a 49-7 defeat of Lakewood Sept. 4 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium. Senior Kylen Mack piled up 109 yards and had two of Rangeview’s five rushing touchdowns, while the others went to junior Braylen Wiley, senior Kemariahe Brown and senior quarterback Tyson Tuck, who also added scoring tosses to seniors Ben Blanco and Keylen Mack.
Also able to even its record at 1-1 was Cherokee Trail, which handled ThunderRidge 21-11 Sept. 5 at Legacy Stadium. Coach Justin Jajczyk’s Cougars were led by senior Logan Posey, who rushed for 237 yards and scored touchdowns in each of the first three quarters. Junior Corbin Cole had an interception and junior Jace Garza a fumble recovery to bolster the defensive effort, which also saw junior Nico Mavromat make 13 tackles.
Grandview’s tough slate of competition to open the season continued with a Sept. 5 trip to the North Area Athletic Complex to face Ralston Valley, which was simply too much for coach Tom Doherty’s team to stop in a 42-21 defeat. Senior Blitz McCarty found junior Matthew Schimberg and senior Julian Savaloja with touchdown passes, while senior Chris Blanks added 119 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Wolves (1-2).
Eaglecrest dropped to 1-1 on the season with a 25-13 loss to Fort Collins in a road contest at Fossil Ridge High School. Sophomore William Brinkman rushed for a touchdown in the first quarter to put coach Jesse German’s team in front, but the Lambkins scored 25 straight points before the Raptors got into the end zone again in the fourth quarter.
Aurora Central fell to hot starting Highlands Ranch 42-12 at The Stadium at Redstone Park, which dropped coach Chris Kelly’s Trojans to 1-1 on the young season.
Smoky Hill could not sustain the momentum from a Wagon Wheel game victory in the opening week, as coach Brandon Alconcel’s Buffaloes dropped to 1-1 with a 44-16 loss at Douglas County. Seniors Michael Amohfrimpong and Joseph Cooks got into the end zone for Smoky Hill, which couldn’t overcome four turnovers.
Three area teams — Regis Jesuit, Gateway and Hinkley — remain in search of their first victories as the season reaches Week 3.
Regis Jesuit (which had already had heavyweight matchups with Cherry Creek and Valor Christian) welcomed in Brophy Collegiate Prep from Arizona to Lou Kellogg Stadium for another test Sept. 5. Coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders (0-3) fell 44-18 despite sophomore Luke Rubley’s touchdown pass to senior Tyler Henry, while junior Benjamin Bacon and sophomore Joe Pron rushed for scores for Regis Jesuit. Pron finished with 125 yards of total offense (115 rushing, 10 receiving) and Rubley threw for 131 yards.
Gateway tallied 26 points in a road contest at Greeley West Sept. 5, but coach Rashad Mason’s team dropped to 0-2 on the campaign with a 34-26 defeat. The rematch from last season was closer, as the Olys fell by 26 points in 2024.
Coach Shawn Barnett’s Hinkley team encountered a difficult Skyview team, which dealt the Thunder (0-2) a 71-0 loss in a contest played at Aurora Public Schools Stadium.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
