Week Five Rundown: Saturday Games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The fifth week of the season has concluded with a ton of excitement throughout the state.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were contests between top-ranked teams, match-ups between top-scouted players, and performances by under-the-radar athletes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This article will provide a brief rundown of the attended games from Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong>Denver West Cowboys (2-2) at Denver North Vikings (3-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><em>Final Score: 14-6 Denver North</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday morning's match-up between the Vikings and the Cowboys was another game added to one of the longest-standing rivalries in the history of Denver Public Schools, dating back to around 120 years ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Denver North scored the first points in the second quarter on a pass connection between <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251260' first='Frankie' last='Dardano']</strong> (2024 QB) and <strong>Hamadi Abdikabir</strong> (2023 CB/WR) with 3:16 left to play in the half. The Vikings followed that with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Dardano to <strong>Lorenzo Guerra</strong> (2024 WR/LB) with 4:16 left in the third quarter. Denver West put together a scoring drive that was capped off with a touchdown run from the goal line by <strong>Ahmed Hussein</strong> (2024 RB/LB) with just over five minutes left in the game but was unable to complete their two-point attempt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday's win over Denver West marks the fifth-straight win for Denver North in this historic rivalry, with Denver West's last win coming in the 2015 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Other Standout Vikings</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fernando Ayona </strong>| 2023 DT/G<br><strong>Michael Vann</strong> | 2024 FS/ATH | 2 INT<br><strong>Gabe McInnis </strong>| 2024 WR/DB<br><strong>Eli Espinoza </strong>| 2024 RB/OLB<br><strong>Amar Curtis</strong> | 2024 DT/OL</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Other Cowboys Spartans</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Christopher Munoz</strong> | 2023 WR/TE<br><strong>Benjamin Chacon Jr </strong>| 2023 OL/DL<br><strong>KJ Chase</strong> | 2024 QB/DB<br><strong>Donevin Garcia</strong> | 2024 RB/OLB<br><strong>Robert Wiitke </strong>| 2026 WR</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong>Aurora Central Trojans (2-2) at George Washington Patriots (4-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><em>Final Score: 35-23 George Washington</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday afternoon's contest between Aurora Central and George Washington was an exciting game with playmakers all over the field. The game started with a tough back-and-forth between the two teams, with the Trojans putting up the first points on a field goal that was kicked by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='62240' first='Nicholas' last='Portillo']</strong> (2023 QB/K) with 4:06 left to play in the opening quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Patriots scored the first touchdown of the game on a run by <strong>Marquavious Lee</strong> (2025 RB/OLB) with 9:08 left to play in the second quarter, which was the first of five lead changes in the quarter. On the kickoff following the Patriots' touchdown, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='22754' first='CaiReis' last='Curby'] </strong>(2023 RB/DB/ATH) took it to the house on an 80-yard return to put the Trojans back on top and take a 10-7 lead. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150479' first='Marcellus' last='Honeycutt Jr']</strong> (2023 RB/DB/ATH) scored his first rushing touchdown with just under six minutes to play in the first half. Less than four minutes later, Curby scored his second touchdown, bringing the score to 17-14 in Aurora Central's favor. George Washington was able to drive down the field and score on another rushing touchdown by Lee with one minute left to play in the half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Honeycutt Jr scored the first points of the second half on a rushing touchdown that gave the Patriots a 28-17 lead over the Trojans with 6:39 left in the third quarter. The Patriots managed to keep the Trojans out of the endzone after a tough series and took over deep in their own territory with just under two minutes in the third quarter. After taking a handoff on his own five-yard line, Honeycutt Jr broke free and ran 95-yards to score his third rushing touchdown with 1:15 left to play in the third quarter, giving the Patriots a 35-17 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aurora Central would go on to score the game's final touchdown on a quarterback keeper by Portillo, cutting the deficit down to 35-23 late in the fourth quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Other Standout Patriots</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150482' first='Silas' last='Evans III']</strong> | 2023 WR/S<br><strong>Damari Washington</strong> | 2023 WR/S<br><strong>Jarai Vaughn</strong> | 2023 OT/DT<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='303220' first='Jude' last='Marino']</strong> | 2023 OL/DL<br><strong>Zepphion Johnson</strong> | 2023 DE/OT<br><strong>Semaj Jimerson-Brown </strong>| 2023 C/OL</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Other Standout Trojans</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150211' first='Simeon' last='Veasley']</strong> | 2023 RB/LB/ATH<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='247205' first='Lorenzo' last='Johnson'] </strong>| 2023 OL/DL<br><strong>Jesus Garcia</strong> | 2023 OL/DL<br><strong>Brandon Weatherford</strong> | 2023 OL/DL<br><strong>Makai Unitt </strong>| 2024 DE/WR<br><strong>Christopher Perkins</strong> | 2024 RB/DB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->