Top 1A Games of Week One

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The season is just weeks away, bringing a sense of eagerness to programs and the fans as time approaches. The first set of games has some heavy-hitting matchups slated for late August, many of which are highly anticipated.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This article will briefly preview three of the most intriguing games of the first week in the 1A classification.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Thursday, August 24th</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Highland at Wray</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highland was a team with a roster consisting of few seniors, putting them in a position to see significant growth this fall. Wray finished as the 1A state runner-up after falling to Limon, Colorado's most winningest program. Highland will return <strong>Issac Desantiago </strong>(2024 WR/DB), <strong>Dante Palmer</strong> (2024 OL/DL), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1506389' first='John' last='Bingley'] </strong>(2025 QB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1507948' first='Ira' last='Sittner'] </strong>(2025 LB/OL), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1621653' first='Brogan' last='Palmer'] </strong>(2026 DE/TE).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wray is in a position where several key players from last season have graduated. However, the Eagles bring back <strong>Ben Harms </strong>(2024 DB/WR),<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='268211' first='Casey' last='Midcap'] </strong>(2025 QB),<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='744157' first='Samuel' last='Meisner'] </strong>(2026 LB/RB), and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1311126' first='Aaron' last='Tena']</strong> (2026 WR/DB).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Denver Christian at Banning Lewis Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Denver Christian Thunder are a promising team with a roster full of potential. They will be led by <strong>Nathan Buehrer</strong> (2024 QB),<strong> Luke Booysen </strong>(2024 RB),<strong> Calvin Davidson </strong>(2024 WR),<strong> Diego Pellegrini </strong>(2025 DE/OL), and<strong> Ben Pereira </strong>(2025 LB/RB).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Banning Lewis Academy is another team with impressive talent among its ranks. The Stallions will look to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='143641' first='Ben' last='Early'] </strong>(2024 TE), <strong>Sam Bell</strong> (2024 QB), <strong>&nbsp;Joseph Bjegovich</strong> (2024 RB), <strong>Julian Laderman </strong>(2024 OL/DL), and <strong>Liam Kitzmiller </strong>(2024 ATH) to lead the stampede this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Friday, August 25th</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Wellington (2A) at Estes Park</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wellington is a young 2A program in the early stages of its legacy, while Estes Park is a team that enters this fall loaded with experience. With Wellington entering its second season, the Eagles will return playmakers like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='534428' first='Cash' last='Altschwager']</strong> (2025 ATH), <strong>Canyon Brede</strong> (2025 LB/DL), <strong>Isaac Dunkin</strong> (2025 LB), <strong>Ian Allison</strong> (2026 LB), and <strong>Tanner Grey </strong>(2026 QB).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Estes Park Bobcats will be loaded with 2024 players, including <strong>Ryland Reetz</strong> (2024 QB), <strong>Jose Gonzales</strong> (2024 WR/ATH), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251275' first='Kaiden' last='Smith'] </strong>(2024 WR), <strong>Calvin Larson </strong>(2024 DL/OL), <strong>Matthew Asche</strong> (2024 WR).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->