2016 WEEK 4 A-TOWN FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
CHERRY CREEK (2-1) VS. GRANDVIEW (2-1)
Sept. 23, 7 p.m., Legacy Stadium
Live game stream, here
BREAKDOWN: The fourth A-Town Game of the Week — presented by the Aurora Sentinel and StreamItSports — pits a pair of fierce former Centennial League rivals against each other when Grandview plays host to Cherry Creek at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Legacy Stadium. The game, which is Homecoming for the Wolves, will be live streamed free of charge, presented by The Aurora Sentinel and StreamItSports, with Marty Cesario on the call. The two programs have been split into new conferences by realignment, but made sure to retain the matchup in non-league play. Between league and Class 5A state playoff matchups, the Wolves and Bruins have met 13 times since 2006, with Grandview owning a 9-4 mark in those meetings and has taken five of the last six games in the series, including a 28-20 victory in 2015.
CHERRY CREEK (2-1): Coach Dave Logan’s Bruins have rebounded from an opening week loss to Regis Jesuit with two straight victories, including a 28-3 win over Arapahoe in a Week 3 contest on Sept. 16. Cherry Creek got an efficient performance from sophomore quarterback Alex Padilla, who completed 19-of-24 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, both to junior WR Dimitri Stanley. Stanley finished with two three touchdowns in all and 133 yards of total offense (120 receiving, 13 rushing). Freshman RB Jayle Stacks had the other score for the Bruins. For the season, the Bruins have found much more success through the air, as Padilla has thrown for 534 yards and four touchdowns (all to Stanley), while they’ve averaged just 3.3 yards per rush on 99 attempts. Senior RB Trey Windham leads the team with 186 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Defensively, Cherry Creek has been stout as usual and has yielded 11.7 points per game. Senior DL Jonathan Van Diest, a University of Colorado commitment, has recorded a pair of sacks and has racked up 17 tackles. Senior OLB Chelon Willingham leads the way in stops for the Bruins with 22, while three players all have interceptions for Cherry Creek.
GRANDVIEW (2-1): Coach John Schultz’s Wolves topped Chaparral and Murrieta Valley (California) for a 2-0 start, then suffered their first loss to rival Eaglecrest since 2010 with a 36-29 defeat at the hands of the Raptors on Sept. 16 at Legacy Stadium. Senior RB Hayden Blubaugh led the way for Grandview with 140 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns, while senior QB Gunnar Lamphere found sophomore WR Amaris Duggan with a touchdown pass to round out the Wolves’ offensive output. Lamphere, coming off a six-touchdown performance on Grandview’s trip to California, was intercepted three times by Eaglecrest after throwing six touchdown passes without an interception in the opening two games. He has thrown for 451 yards with nearly half going to junior WR Gunner Gentry, who has 16 catches for 221 yards thus far. Blubaugh has seen his rushing totals drop in the past two games after a 234-yard effort against Chaparral, as he went for 171 yards against Murrieta Valley before 140 against Eaglecrest, while he has reached the end zone six times with three rushes and three receptions for scores. Defensively, the Wolves have allowed 85 points the last two weeks. Junior S Luke Laflam tops the team with 20 tackles and returned a fumble for a touchdown against Eaglecrest. Junior LB Thomas Jenkins has gotten good penetration thus far and has three tackles for loss among his 18 total stops and five different Grandview defenders share the team lead with one sack apiece.
Week 5: Grandview has another rivalry upcoming in a short week, as the Wolves meet Cherokee Trail at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at Legacy Stadium in another A-Town Game of the Week. Cherry Creek moves on to face another former Centennial League rival, Valor Christian, at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at Stutler Bowl.