Week 4 games to watch in Colorado

The second half of the 2020 fall football season kicks off this week, and the pressure is on for teams to finish strong and have a shot at the eight-team playoffs. Each week features new marquee games that will determine frontrunners for conference titles, undefeated teams looking to avoid a loss, and others trying to hang on for a playoff spot. That trend continues in Week with many games that have quality teams facing off with each other. Here is a look at the top games on the schedule for Week 4, which kicks off Oct. 30. Legacy vs. Fairview, Class 5A, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Yes, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22561" first="Liam" last="O’Brien"] is second in Class 5A with 901 passing yards and is putting up big numbers in Fairview’s air-raid offense, but the defense has been the story for the Knights. Through three games, Fairview has given up just seven points. They are strong on the back end and the secondary has done a good job getting eight interceptions so far. [player_tooltip player_id="22645" first="Jay" last="Barry"] leads the team with three and [player_tooltip player_id="22672" first="Grant" last="Page"] has two from his corner spot. [player_tooltip player_id="22583" first="Liam" last="Huber"], a versatile defensive back who plays a hybrid role in stopping the run and pass, leads the team with 23 tackles while also playing wide receiver on offense with nine receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. All of that, and we haven’t even mentioned defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="22529" first="Brayden" last="Wood"], a top-10 prospect committed to Kansas State. Their task this week will be to contain Legacy running back [player_tooltip player_id="153703" first="Braelon" last="Tate"]. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior can slip by defenders at his size, shows great patience in allowing his blocks to be formed, and has the quickness to get to the edge. He has 393 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, but he is also good in the passing game and leads the team with 10 receptions. Look for offensive linemen Jake Chopyak to anchor a strong unit up front that has opened up running lanes for their star running back. Both teams enter 3-0 and the winner will be in sole possession of first place in the 5A North League. Montrose vs. Palmer Ridge, Class 4A, Oct. 30, 6 p.m. Palmer Ridge has looked like the juggernaut it’s been of late once again this year, even in the move up to Class 4A. The offense is stacked with talent. Quarterback and CSU commit [player_tooltip player_id="22533" first="Luke" last="McAllister"] is throwing the ball all over the field for 761 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has a talented wide receiver group that includes Boise State commit [player_tooltip player_id="22527" first="Kaden" last="Dudley"] (10 receptions, 160 yards, 1 TD), Pittsburg State commit [player_tooltip player_id="22560" first="Marcellus" last="Reed"] (9 receptions, 309 yards, 3 TD), [player_tooltip player_id="22673" first="Anthony" last="Costanzo"] (7 receptions, 141 yards, 5 TD) and tight end [player_tooltip player_id="22595" first="Cameron" last="Jones"] (7 receptions, 115 yards, 3 TD). The offensive line is stout with juniors [player_tooltip player_id="22684" first="Alec" last="Falk"] and [player_tooltip player_id="22675" first="Connor" last="Jones"] anchoring a big, physical unit up front. They face their biggest test so far in Class 4A when they travel to face a top-10 team in Montrose. The Indians have a strong run game that features plenty of backs, but the main three will be Trent Blundell, Tayne Ila and Keagan Goodwin. Keep an eye on lineman [player_tooltip player_id="22659" first="Raul" last="Martinez"] to lead an athletic front that will try to get their backs free in open space as well. No. 7 Montrose will host No. 2 Palmer Ridge for this critical league game in the 4A Western Slope League. Fountain-Fort Carson vs. Pueblo West, Class 4A, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Another battle between undefeated teams in the top 10 in Class 4A pits a pair of run-first offenses in Fountain-Fort Carson and Pueblo West against each other. [player_tooltip player_id="22588" first="Q" last="Jones"] is one of the top running back prospects in the Class of 2021 and is a leading rusher in the state for Fountain-Fort Carson with 704 yards and 12 touchdowns. He shows a great burst getting up in the hole or to the outside on stretch runs, is shifty and can make defenders miss in the open field, and durable handling the heavy workload he gets. On defense, the team has a strong linebacker unit with senior Nick Neely, a division III prospect, and [player_tooltip player_id="62220" first="Tai" last="Faavae"], a promising sophomore. Both have great size and are instinctive players who can play downfield and get in the backfield with five combined sacks between them. The Pueblo West offense has a three-headed backfield from its junior class putting up big numbers so far. [player_tooltip player_id="58951" first="Jeremiah" last="Sanchez"] leads the group with 341 yards and is a quickster at 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds. Hunter Johnson is another back with speed and has 255 rushing yards. The third back is Cole Brinkley with 224 yards. Leading the way for them up front is [player_tooltip player_id="22609" first="Alex" last="Osborne"], a big tackle at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds who is receiving offers from division III programs. Fountain-Fort Carson averages 346 rushing yards per game and Pueblo West averages 354.7 rushing yards per game. Whichever team can get its run game going will have the greatest chance at getting the win Friday night. Palisade vs. Green Mountain, Class 3A, Oct. 30, 6 p.m. Another big game on the Western Slope pits a 2-1 Palisade team ranked No. 8 trying to stay alive in the playoff chase with No. 7 Green Mountain, who is perfect at 3-0. [player_tooltip player_id="22696" first="Kevin" last="Sjogren"] is a top-30 prospect in the Class of 2022 and a physical linebacker for Palisade. He has the size at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds and finds the football, resulting in his 33 total tackles through three games. The offense for Palisade is a true triple-option offense with senior quarterback Gabe Harrison leading the way. His quick decision making is key for the offense to thrive, and he is a great runner who has 734 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in the run-heavy offense. Aaron Harris, an offensive line prospect we featured from the Western Slope, is having a good season so far up front. Green Mountain has some intriguing prospects putting up good numbers and solid film in 2020. [player_tooltip player_id="22606" first="Allen" last="Ortiz"] is a rangy, athletic wide receiver and defensive back. On offense, he has 16 receptions for 409 yards, and his defense is just as strong with 29 tackles and two sack. Up front is [player_tooltip player_id="22617" first="JJ" last="Armstrong"], a two-way lineman who is big and uses his hands well to stay on blocks on offense and get off linemen on defense. Keep an eye on Kyler Yarnell, a versatile linebacker who flies all over the field as well. Pagosa Springs vs. Lamar, Class 2A, Oct. 31, 2 p.m. Two undefeated teams ready to make a statement in Class 2A, which is strong in the top 10 this fall. Perhaps the top prospect to watch will be Lamar’s Damian Antonio Ramos. From his running back spot, he has 286 rushing yards, 144 receiving yards and three total touchdowns, and he is a ball hawk in the secondary with three interceptions. A big man who is wrecking plays on defense is Devyn Kincade, who has a team-high 32 tackles, two sacks and three caused fumbles on defense. One more disrupter to watch is defensive back Greyden Martinez, a lengthy player at 6-foot-3 who can play the run well and has 23 total tackles. This Lamar defense will be tasked with slowing down a Pagosa Springs offense that has put up at least 42 points in all three games so far. [player_tooltip player_id="60908" first="Dylan" last="Tressler"] is the feature back with 623 yards and five touchdowns, and he is a smaller back who can handle a big workload. Quarterback Grant Aucion is just as dangerous with his legs and has 300 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. When Aucion does go to the air, he has a big receiver in Mitch Lewis at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds to throw to. This offense can hit some big plays and is explosive averaging 469.6 yards per game so far. Wray vs. Holyoke, Class 1A, Oct. 31, 1 p.m. Despite Wray being ranked No. 5 and Holyoke ranked No. 7 this week, both teams are legit contenders in Class 1A. And they meet with undefeated records in a big game this Saturday. Holyoke is led by Miles Spraque, a Mr. Everything type player. The quarterback has put up 254 passing yards, 256 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns on offense. As for defense, he is a physical linebacker built well at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds with 22 tackles. Two linemen to watch in this game are [player_tooltip player_id="22716" first="Cade" last="Killin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="58944" first="Aidyn" last="Shafer"], both of whom are prospects ranked in the top 100 for the Class of 2022 by Prep Redzone Colorado. Wray has its own Mr. Everything quarterback with Tyler Collins. He is accurate and can take some shots down field, but his legs are relied on plenty in this offense. Collins has 585 passing yards, 433 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns. He has a pair of big-play receivers to throw to in Junior Arambula, a speedster at 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds with 261 receiving yards, and Bryant Schoenthal, a big receiver at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds with 202 receiving yards. While Limon and Strasburg get most of the attention in Class 1A, this game will be one of the biggest in the classification during the regular season. Others to watch Fleming vs. Peetz, Class 6-man, Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m. Dove Creek vs. Sanford, Class 8-man, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m. Granada vs. Cheraw, Class 6-man, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Centauri vs. Ignacio, Class 1A, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Meeker vs. Cedaredge, Class 1A, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Valor Christian vs. Castle View, Class 5A, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Berthoud vs. Severance, Class 2A, Oct. 31, 12 p.m. Resurrection Christian vs. University, Class 2A, Oct. 31, 7 p.m. Holly vs. Crowley County, Class 8-man, Nov. 2, 4 p.m. *Note: All games and start times are subject to change