Top 4A Games of Week One

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The season is just weeks away from kicking off, 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 top games of the first week in the 4A classification while also mentioning five other exciting matchups.</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">Erie at Vanguard (FL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Erie Tigers will open the season with a trip to Florida to take on a talented Vanguard team. It is no secret that Florida is a top-three state in the nation for football talent, putting significant implications on this game for the Tigers. One of Colorado's best athletes, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='143622' first='Blake' last='Barnett'] </strong>(2024 QB), will be leading the charge for the Box State boys. Barnett has committed to Kansas State next year to play for the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few of the other standout players joining Barnett are Washington State commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251219' first='Jackson' last='Cowgill']</strong> (2024 DL), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='143644' first='Mason' last='Cowgill']</strong> (2024 TE), <strong>Alex Sweeney</strong> (2024 WR), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='503780' first='Kaveh' last='Meredith'] </strong>(2024 WR/DB), and <strong>Noah Garcia</strong> (2024 WR/DB). In addition to the seniors, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='503796' first='Gavin' last='Lusk'] </strong>(2025 RB/DB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='404978' first='Cooper' last='Lettis']</strong> (2025 LB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='503793' first='Ronin' last='Ward'] </strong>(2025 QB/ATH), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='757121' first='Braylon' last='Toliver'] </strong>(2026 RB/SS) will have the opportunity to compete against a tough Florida team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Vista Ridge at Legend (5A)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like many early matchups, Vista Ridge will play against a program from a different classification. The Wolves graduated some of the state's top talent in the 2023 class but have the potential to reload with a roster full of extraordinary athletes. One player that has managed to garner buzz and raise his stock value is Colorado newcomer <strong>Samuel Endicott</strong> (2024 WR), who recently moved to Colorado Springs from Virginia and quickly earned his first offer from CSU-Pueblo following an outstanding camp performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Endicott will join <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='143643' first='Wesley' last='Wright']</strong> (2024 CB/WR), <strong>Nayshawn Hall</strong> (2025 RB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251321' first='Isaak' last='Walker'] </strong>(2025 WR), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='205808' first='Kobe' last='Dooley']</strong> (2026 WR/ATH). The Wolves have <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='404989' first='Zayden' last='Stevens'] </strong>(2025) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251318' first='Benjamin' last='Noblitt']</strong> (2025) in the quarterback room, allowing Vista Ridge to become one of the state's tougher passing attacks to stop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Legend is a team with the potential to shock the 5A classification this fall. Even though a few key players graduated, the program is returning a good amount of starters with significant experience under their belts. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='451354' first='Cruz' last='Garcia']</strong> (2024 OL/DL) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='669296' first='Logan' last='White']</strong> (2024 OL) will help to lead the charge alongside guys like <strong>Brian Doyle</strong> (2024 WR), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='547626' first='Jeff' last='Baca']</strong> (2024 ATH), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='404988' first='Champ' last='Jones']</strong> (2025 QB/ATH), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='475378' first='Jaden' last='Lawrence']</strong> (2025 RB).</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">Harrison (3A) at Widefield&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harrison is a 3A program that fell in the first two games of last season by a combined score of 70-0, with the season opener being a 26-0 loss to Widefield. The Panthers went on to win their next eight games by a combined score of 260 points for and 60 points against before falling to Durango in the postseason. Widefield had one regular season loss before falling in the playoffs to Skyline. Even though these two teams are in different classifications, both are playoff-caliber programs with postseason expectations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Harrison Panthers will look toward players like <strong>Carlos Preciado</strong> (2024 RB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='716230' first='Jazari' last='Spencer']</strong> (2024 RB), <strong>Maurice Martin</strong> (2025 ATH), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430352' first='Darion' last='Marion']-McGraw</strong> (2025 ATH).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Widefield Gladiators add former Harrison standout <strong>Tj Washington</strong> (2024 ATH) to returning players like <strong>Paul Mitchell</strong> (2024 QB), <strong>Landon Deal </strong>(2024 OL), and <strong>Isaiah Ray</strong> (2024 CB).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Other Big-Time Games</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Montrose at Palmer Ridge | Thursday<br>Mountain Vista (5A) at Heritage | Friday<br>Pomona (5A) at Thomas Jefferson | Friday<br>Broomfield at Longmont | Friday<br>Mead at Windsor | Friday</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->