AURORA | Week 7 of the prep football season shuffled the deck a bit, but eight Aurora teams currently remain in the Class 5A playoff mix.
Coming off its big 24-9 win over rival Grandview on Oct. 11 that pushed its record to a city-best 6-1, Cherokee Trail rose from No. 3 to the No. 2 spot with 98.571 points, jumping over ThunderRidge (98.286) for the position behind No. 1 Ralston Valley (100.857) in the 5A wild card standings released Monday by the Colorado High School Activities Association.
The Cougars — who just joined the Denver Post media poll at No. 8 — have two games remaining in the regular season against Eaglecrest and Overland.
Gateway (5-2) lost the Anvil to Rangeview in a wild 25-24 contest on Oct. 12 and dropped a few slots in the wild card standings, but is still second among Aurora teams at No. 13 with 90.571 points, putting the Olys a slot ahead of No. 14 Grandview (4-3) with 89.143.
Regis Jesuit (3-4) gave Chaparral a challenge before falling 28-21 Oct. 12, but the Raiders rose four places to No. 21 in the wild card standings thanks to the continued successes of teams they’ve lost to.
Rangeview’s four-game winning streak has it sitting at 4-3 and in the No. 25 position in the wild card standings, a spot in front of Overland with 82.714. The Trailblazers (4-3) posted a 36-15 victory over Eaglecrest (4-3), Aurora’s biggest dropper as it went from No. 20 to No. 28.
Smoky Hill lost to Cherry Creek 35-7 to fall to 3-4, but remains in the playoff mix at No. 29 with 80.286 points.
Aurora Central (No. 46) and Hinkley (No. 50) remain out of the playoff mix. The Trojans posted their second win of the season on Oct. 13 with a 32-6 victory over Adams City.
In 3A, Vista PEAK (1-6) sits in the No. 34 position in the wild card standings in its first varsity season.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
CLASS 5A WILD CARD POINTS (THROUGH WEEK 7)
AURORA | Wild card points in Class 5A through week 7 of the football season as released by the Colorado High School Activities Association. The top 32 teams at the end of the season qualify for the playoffs. Aurora teams are in bold and uppercased:
1. Ralston Valley (6-1), 100.857 points; 2. CHEROKEE TRAIL (6-1), 98.571; 3. ThunderRidge (6-1), 98.286; 4. Arapahoe (6-1), 97.714; 5. Fountain-Fort Carson (6-1), 96.429; 6. Pomona (5-2), 95.000; 7. Chaparral (6-1), 94.571; 8. Columbine (5-2), 94.429; 9. Brighton (6-1), 93.714; 10. Cherry Creek (5-2), 92.143; 11. Valor Christian (5-2), 91.857; 12. Chatfield (5-2), 91.429; 13. GATEWAY (5-2), 90.571; 14. GRANDVIEW (4-3), 89.143; 15. Grand Junction (5-2), 88.714; 16. Rock Canyon (5-2), 86.571; 17. Mullen (4-3), 86.286; 18. Fort Collins (4-3), 85.571; 19. Horizon (5-2), 85.571; 20. Thornton (5-2), 84.429; 21. REGIS JESUIT (3-4), 84.000; 22. Fairview (4-3), 83.571; 23. Lakewood (4-3), 83.286; 24. Douglas County (4-3), 83.143; 25. RANGEVIEW (4-3), 83.143; 26. OVERLAND (4-3), 82.714; 27. Legend (4-3), 81.000; 28. EAGLECREST (4-3), 80.857; 29. SMOKY HILL (3-4), 80.286; 30. Legacy (3-4), 80.000; 31. Castle View (3-4), 79.143; 32. Mountain Vista (3-4), 78.143
Outside of playoffs: 33. Denver East (3-4), 77.714; 34. Heritage (3-4), 76.857; 35. Mountain Range (3-4), 76.571; 36. Westminster (3-4), 76.143; 37. Highlands Ranch (2-5), 74.429; 38. Prairie View (2-5), 71.571; 39. Boulder (2-5), 70.857; 40. Fruita (3-5), 70.500; 41. Fossil Ridge (2-5), 69.714; 42. Northglenn (2-5), 69.571; 43. Arvada West (2-5), 69.286; 44. Bear Creek (1-6), 67.429; 45. Rocky Mountain (1-6), 66.571; 46. AURORA CENTRAL (2-5), 65.714; 47. Poudre (1-6), 64.857; 48. Lincoln (2-5), 60.000; 49. Doherty (0-7), 57.143; 50. HINKLEY (1-6), 56.857; 51. Palmer (0-7), 55.714; 52. Adams City (0-7), 49.286
Regis could be the playoff surprise if they can get their offensive coordinator out of their way—- Great talent— but Nolan might be the worst in 5A