AURORA | For the first time in the 2024 prep football regular season — which is drawing near the midpoint — city teams finished with a combined winning record in Week 4.
On the heels of a Week 3 performance that saw just two teams win out of 10 that played, the win column included six Aurora programs — Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Rangeview, Regis Jesuit and Vista PEAK Prep — against five losses.
The Raptors and Bison were victorious for the third time in four weeks, while the Cougars and Raiders (Rangeview) reached the .500 mark and the other Raiders (Regis Jesuit) and Wolves earned their long-awaited first wins of the campaign.
Best of all, two of the local victories came on Homecoming, beginning with Eaglecrest’s 17-7 victory over previously undefeated Denver East Sept. 14 in front of a packed house at Legacy Stadium. Senior quarterback Joe Steiner rushed for two second half touchdowns on a night in which he picked up 191 yards on the ground and sophomore Trey Patton kicked a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter as coach Jesse German’s Raptors moved to 3-1.
The other Homecoming win went to Rangeview, which prevailed in a local matchup against Smoky Hill Sept. 20 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium.
Coach Chris Dixon’s Raiders got two defensive touchdowns in the opening half — one on a fumble return by senior Brandon Jones and another on senior Mario Hayes Jr.’s pick-six — to go with two rushing touchdowns from junior Tyson Tuck in a 28-9 victory. Coach Brandon Alconcel’s Buffaloes (0-4) played its most inspired game of the year and got into the end zone for the first time on a rush from senior Trent Littlejohn as well as a safety forced by senior Lee Scott.
Vista PEAK Prep extended its winning streak to three games after an opening defeat with a 35-20 matinee victory Sept. 20 at Denver’s All-City Stadium. Coach Mike Campbell’s Bison got a massive ground day by junior Tyrone Smiley, who racked up 264 yards rushing and two touchdowns and he also caught one of the three touchdown passes from senior quarterback Carson Campbell. Senior Larry Mosely and junior Isaiah Watson also scored.
After three straight one-score losses, Grandview (1-3) earned its first victory in style with a 42-17 victory over Rock Canyon Sept. 20 at EchoPark Stadium that started with a 21-point opening quarter. Coach Tom Doherty’s Wolves got two rushing touchdowns apiece from senior Caleb Llamas and junior Chris Blanks (who racked up 146 yards), while junior Blitz McCarty threw two touchdown passes to senior Kyler Vaughn, who accounted for 112 of McCarty’s 164 yards through the air.
Also a winner for the first time was Regis Jesuit, which went on the road Sept. 19 and rolled to a 35-14 victory over Fossil Ridge. Coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders (1-3) got two touchdown passes and 247 yards through the air from freshman quarterback Luke Rubley — who found senior Garrett Reece for both scores — while senior Joe Pron rushed for two touchdowns. Regis Jesuit also scored defensively when senior Jojo Hernandez returned an interception to the end zone.
Cherokee Trail piled up a season-high in points scored and allowed a season-low on its way to a 37-6 victory over Rocky Mountain on Sept. 20 at Legacy Stadium. Senior quarterback Tyson Smith threw touchdown passes to seniors Brandon McCullough and Cade Brook and senior Noah Collins rushed for two scores for the Cougars.
Aurora Central played its Homecoming contest Sept. 19 at APS Stadium and put on a second-half rally before falling to Greeley Central 20-13. Coach Chris Kelly’s Trojans (1-3) got 289 yards of total offense from sophomore quarterback Markell Perkins, who rushed for a touchdown and also threw a scoring pass to Darian Fitzgerald.
Gateway had a 12-0 lead in its Sept. 20 visit to Adams City, but the hosts rallied in the second half to edge the Olys 13-12. Coach Rashad Mason’s Gateway team got touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Westin Rayburn to sophomore Jeramiah Stark and freshman Jake Brock.
Overland ran into a hot Arvada West team in a Sept. 20 visit to the North Area Athletic Complex and fell to 1-3 with a 42-0 loss to the 4-1 Wildcats. Coach Tony Lindsay Sr.’s Trailblazers got 54 yards rushing from senior Jarrius Ward, but were shut out for the first time on the season.
Hinkley dropped a 55-0 visit to Timnath Sept. 20, as coach Dennis York’s team fell to 0-3.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
