Week 5 games, players to watch in Colorado

Just two weeks remain in the regular season, and the pressure is on for the top teams in the state to finish strong with a playoff spot in their grasp. There are a number of games pitting undefeated teams against each other this week across multiple classifications, and even though a number of other games have been lost this week due to COVID-19, there will be some great high school football games in Colorado for Week 5. Here is a look at the biggest games on the schedule for this week. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Windsor vs. Broomfield, Class 4A, Nov. 5, 7 p.m.</span></strong> The marquee game on Thursday night features No. 9 Windsor taking on No. 6 Broomfield, both entering the game with 4-0 records. A win for Broomfield secures the league title while a Windsor wins puts them in the driver’s seat heading into the regular season finale next week. Keep an eye on the defenses in this game. Both have been stout and have some NCAA prospects to watch. For Windsor, they have two linebackers leading the team. The two leading tacklers for the team are [player_tooltip player_id="56045" first="Conner" last="Waite"] (34 total tackles) and [player_tooltip player_id="22610" first="Hunter" last="Peck"] (32 total tackles). Waite has an offer from Dickinson State at the NAIA level while Peck has shared offers and interest from NCAA Division II and III programs. Wait is a bruiser at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds and does a good job shooting the gap and getting in the backfield for stops and quarterback pressures. Peck is also built well at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, and he can fly on the field and moves well in space. They will look to keep the Windsor defense strong, which has given up eight points or fewer in three of its four wins. For Broomfield, they have a linebacker prospect to watch as well. [player_tooltip player_id="22597" first="Hall" last="Edmonds"], another 2021 prospect who is receiving offers and interest from NCAA Division II schools, is effective against the run and the pass. He covers the middle of the field in zone coverage and does a good job reading the quarterback to get in passing lanes, and he has great closing speed to play downhill. Another prospect for Broomfield is kicker [player_tooltip player_id="40901" first="Matthew" last="Eich"], one of the top kickers in the entire state who has come through in the clutch during his career and routinely puts the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Holy Family vs. Lutheran, Class 3A, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.</span></strong> Two high scoring teams with undefeated records meet in Class 3A, and this could be a wild shootout. Holy Family is putting up 45.7 points per game while allowing 11.5 points per game on defense, but they face its toughest test of the season in Lutheran, who is putting up a whopping 52.5 points and 530.8 yards per game. Holy Family’s offense is strong and has one of the top prospects in the state in offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="22531" first="Cord" last="Kringlen"]. The Boise State commit is punishing people up front, and that has been rewarded with a big rushing season so far from junior running back <strong>Trevin Johnson</strong>, who had 645 rushing yards and nine touchdowns so far. The key to slow down the Lutheran defense will be on defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="60914" first="Justin" last="Trostel"], an athletic linebacker with three interceptions and 14 tackles, and if the team can get more quarterback pressure from sack leaders <strong>Brady Samaras</strong> and <strong>Benito Hernandez</strong>, that will be a plus. The explosive Lutheran offense starts with quarterback <strong>Clayton Jacobs</strong>, a 2022 prospect who stands tall in the pocket and has a strong arm push the ball down the field and hit short and intermediate throws with a small window to throw in. His reliable receiver core includes <strong>Brody Donahue</strong> and <strong>Michael Pacheco</strong>, both of whom can run after the catch, and a big home-run threat in <strong>Colton Thewes</strong>. On the ground, Lutheran has a two-back system in [player_tooltip player_id="22736" first="Dorian" last="Pacheco"] and <strong>Ryan Kenny</strong>, and they are shifty and show a great burst of speed to get up to the second level and break runs. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Florence vs. Colorado Springs Christian, Class 1A, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.</span></strong> A big game that may ultimately decide the 1A Tri-Peaks League title, there will be three running backs in this game to pay close attention to as 4-0 Florence faces 3-1 Colorado Springs Christian. For No. 3 Florence, they have two running backs they lean on heavily. [player_tooltip player_id="22658" first="Owen" last="Busetti"] is the big back at 6-foot and 220 pounds and does most of his damage between the tackles. He will lower the shoulder and does not shy away from contact, and he also shows a nice stiff arm move to break tackles. The other back for the Huskies will be <strong>Jacob Kennedy</strong>, a smaller back at 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds with great speed to get to the outside, but he too will lower the shoulder and force contact on defenders. The two backs have combined for 815 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Colorado Springs Christian has a workhorse running back putting up big numbers with <strong>Joe Dunn</strong> so far. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior is great in misdirection runs and can find the hole and hit it quick, and he shows good a good mix of speed and power that translates to big runs and yards after contact. Dunn has 527 rushing yards and three touchdowns in three games played. Whichever team can get its run game going will have the best chance to leave the night sitting in first place in their league. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Legend vs. Pine Creek, Class 4A, Nov. 7, 1 p.m.</span></strong> They have only played two games due to a COVID-19 quarantine, but Pine Creek looks like the juggernaut they have been in Class 4A. With big wins over Chaparral 17-7 and Doherty 59-14, the Eagles are flying high into their second road game of the season. [player_tooltip player_id="22522" first="Beau" last="Freyler"] is flashing on both sides of the ball. The Iowa State commit is leading the team in rushing yards with 168 and two touchdowns while catching a team-high nine receptions for 102 yards. On defense, he is flying all over the field in the secondary with 11 tackles. In front of Freyler on defense are two stout linebackers in [player_tooltip player_id="22682" first="Gavin" last="Whetzal"] and [player_tooltip player_id="22878" first="Logan" last="Noble"] who have great speed and show an ability to dissect plays quickly. Hosting Pine Creek are the Legend Titans, the No. 7 ranked team in Class 5A. Legend has allowed just seven points on defense this season, making them one of the top defensive teams in the entire state. Defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="22580" first="Jaxon" last="Muma"], an NCAA Division II and III level free safety, has great range and good hands which has helped him intercept four passes so far in the secondary. He also leads the team with 23 total tackles. The linebacker core for Legend is also strong with the trio of <strong>Melo Castro</strong>, <strong>Caleb Bouldin</strong> and <strong>J.T. Alexrod</strong> leading the way. The offense is also effective averaging 42.7 points per game and feature some intriguing players that including: offensive lineman and Northern Colorado commit [player_tooltip player_id="22579" first="James" last="Betschart"], quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22637" first="Kalen" last="Shoemaker"] and wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="22639" first="Blake" last="Doud"]. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Crowley County vs. Fowler, Class 8-man, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.</strong></span> This should be a fun battle in 8-man football between No. 7 Crowley County and No. 2 Fowler, one of three games in the classification that pits teams ranked in the top 10 against each other. Crowley County does its damage on offense running the ball. Leading the way is senior running back <strong>Adam Schultz</strong> with his 675 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in three games. The versatile senior is also having a good season from his linebacker spot with 40 tackles and an interception and forced fumble. <strong>Tach Brewer</strong> does not throw frequently, but when defenses go all-out to stop the run, he does a good job finding big plays to his receivers over the top, and he also has 22 tackles on defense. Another junior defender with good numbers is <strong>Brandon Geringer</strong> with 24 tackles and a sack. Fowler is 4-0 and has one of the top prospects in 8-man football ranked by Prep Redzone Colorado. [player_tooltip player_id="56039" first="Jackson" last="Bates"] is a home run threat with 338 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 13 yards per carry. His speed has been an asset on defense which has him with 21 tackles and an interception he returned for 45 yards. Splitting carries with Bates is dual-threat quarterback <strong>Damian Romero</strong>, the team leader with 383 rushing yards. In the passing game, he is completing 65 percent of his passes and has 319 yards and eight passing touchdowns. Romero is also a factor in the passing game on defense with his two interceptions. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Others to watch</span></strong> Moffat County vs. Delta, Class 2A, Nov. 6, 6 p.m. Cherokee Trail vs. Grandview, Class 5A, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Longmont vs. Loveland, Class 4A, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Ponderosa vs. Montrose, Class 4A, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Green Mountain vs. Evergreen, Class 3A, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Canon City vs. Pueblo South, Class 3A, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Mancos vs. Dove Creek, Class 8-man, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Sedgwick County vs. Merino, Class 8-man, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Conifer vs. Palisade, Class 3A, Nov. 7, 4 p.m. <em>Note: All games and start times are subject to change</em>