AURORA | A look ahead at some of the key games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports between Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2017:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
• The Class 5A boys state soccer playoffs open Oct. 26 with eight local teams in action, half at home and half on the road. Home games come at 4 p.m. at Legacy Stadium with Grandview home to Fruita Monument, while Rangeview welcomes Cherokee Trail at 4:30 p.m. in an all-Aurora matchup, Hinkley’s first playoff appearance since 2013 begins with a 6:30 p.m. game against Rocky Mountain at Aurora Public Schools Stadium. Regis Jesuit also has a 7 p.m. home contest against Pine Creek. Eaglecrest (3:30 p.m. vs. Far Northeast Warriors at the Evie Dennis Campus), Aurora Central (6 p.m. vs. Legacy at North Stadium) and Gateway (6:30 p.m. vs. Fort Collins at Fossil Ridge High School) all play on the road.
• The volleyball dual match schedule comes to a close Oct. 26 with a handful of matches involving Aurora teams on the slate. Most of the matches involve EMAC teams, including Gateway playing a 6:30 p.m. home match against Hinkley.
• Week 9 of the prep football season begins Oct. 26 with a trio of games, headlined by a Mount Wilson League showdown between Eaglecrest and Ralston Valley at 7 p.m. at Legacy Stadium with the league title essentially on the line. Smoky Hill is the home team at Stutler Bowl against Boulder at 7 p.m. and Hinkley visits EchoPark Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Rock Canyon.
• Friday Night Lights for Week 9 is set for Oct. 27 with a handful of games involving Aurora teams. Cherokee Trail has a 4 p.m. Mount Evans League matinee against Mountain Vista at Legacy Stadium, also the site of a Mount Massive League matchup of Grandview and Arapahoe at 7:30 p.m. Vista PEAK visits All-City Stadium at 7 p.m. to face Thomas Jefferson in a key East Metro League contest.
• The Class 5A state cross country meet runs Oct. 28 at the Norris Penrose Equestrian Center in Colorado Springs. Two Aurora boys teams (Grandview and Overland), two girls teams (Cherokee Trail and Grandview) and individuals from Eaglecrest, Gateway, Rangeview, Regis Jesuit and Smoky Hill will compete. The 5A boys race begins at 9:20 a.m. and the 5A girls go at 10:40 p.m.
• Overland plays host to a gymnastics regional Oct. 28 as the Trailblazers welcome in a number of 5A and 4A teams seeking to advance to their respective state meets.
• The volleyball regular season concludes with a variety of tournaments, including the Rangeview Raider Classic Oct. 28. Besides the host Raiders — the likely EMAC champions — Eaglecrest is in the field among locals, while Castle View and Fruita Monument (Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, in 5A RPI) are also on hand, as well as a number of teams that need help in the RPI such as Fairview and Arapahoe. Grandview plays at the Cheyenne Mountain Tournament and other city teams are spread out in other places.
• The Class 5A boys state soccer tournament continues Nov. 1, with first round winners set to play again for the right to make the quarterfinals.
