Things improved in terms of winning percentage for Aurora teams in Week 2 of the prep football season, as locals posted a 6-5 record after an opening mark of 4-7.
Some of that had to do with less head-to-head matchups, though there was one as district rivals Aurora Central and Hinkley squared off Aug. 31 at APS Stadium.
The Thunder got two touchdowns from quarterback Gabriel Ocampo and a 2-point conversion from running back Caden Vu to hold a one-point lead in the fourth quarter — in its quest for the program’s first win since 2019 — but Christopher Perkins scored three of his four touchdowns in the final quarter for the Trojans, who prevailed 34-15 on their Homecoming.
Three Aurora teams — Eaglecrest, Grandview and Regis Jesuit — remained undefeated after two weeks and all looked impressive in Week 2 victories.
Coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders followed up a big opening win over Valor Christian with a 36-33 victory over Kennedy Catholic from Washington State Sept. 2 at EchoPark Stadium. Running back Anthony Medina had another big game for the Raiders with four touchdowns to go with 214 yards rushing.
Coach Tom Doherty’s Wolves pulled away from Fossil Ridge for 38-13 victory Sept. 1 at Legacy Stadium. Quarterback Liam Szarka was on the mark in the passing game as he racked up 327 yards through the air along with four touchdown strikes. Xay Neto accounted for two of the scores, while a long one went to Nate Denton — who had 146 yards receiving — and another short toss went to Dominic Henning. Donovan Vernon added a rushing touchdown for the Wolves.
The most lopsided victory for Aurora teams in Week 2 went to coach Mike Schmitt’s Eaglecrest team, which posted a 40-3 road win over Horizon Sep. 1 at Five Star Stadium. Joe Steiner threw four touchdown passes — two to Zavion Gamble — and Burke Withycombe and Cam Chapa scored on the ground for the Raptors.
It was a costly contest, however, as the Raptors lost the versatile Withycombe to significant injury.
Cherokee Trail (1-1) got in the win column with a 24-0 road shutout of Rocky Mountain Aug. 31 at French Field in Fort Collins. Ian Lee had a fumble return for a touchdown and Carson Pierce caught a scoring pass from Tyson Smith in the Cougars’ victory.
Overland also evened its record with a 32-14 win over Prairie View Sept. 1 at Stutler Bowl that featured three touchdowns from Jarrius Ward, who is likely to miss the next game — the Trailblazers’ clash with rival Smoky Hill for the Wagon Wheel — after he was ejected in the final minutes for his second personal foul.
Senior Talil Seals-Fisher rushed for a touchdown and passed for one for coach Kyle Reese’s Overland team.
Vista PEAK Prep dropped to 1-1 with a 38-30 defeat against Brighton Sept. 2 at APS Stadium. The Bison faced a double-digit deficit in the second half and rallied before falling short. Owen Packer had rushing and passing scores for Vista PEAK Prep, while Marcel Evans Jr. and Isaiah Watson picked up rushing touchdowns.
Rangeview’s quest for a first victory saw a good start that included two touchdown runs for William Gregory and another for Keith Jones in the first half, but the Raiders (0-2) wouldn’t score again in a 35-21 loss to Westminster Sept. 1 at APS Stadium.
Knyle Serrell had a 60-yard touchdown run and 177 on the ground total for Gateway (0-2) in a 21-8 loss at Northglenn Aug. 31, while Smoky Hill scored for the first time, but dropped to 0-2 with a 48-7 defeat to Rock Canyon Aug. 31 at EchoPark Stadium.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports