Top 5A 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 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 --> <p><strong>Denver East at Smoky Hill</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A significant number of players from both teams have shown tremendous skill and development during the offseason, making this an enticing match to start the season. This game will have a plethora of potential prospects on both teams, making it a prime game to have slated on the early end of the schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Denver East, players like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710194' first='Landen' last='Holloway']</strong> (2024 LB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='504785' first='DJ' last='Crowe']</strong> (2025 DE), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='404966' first='Deion' last='Giles-Ray']</strong> (2025 DB), and <strong>Elijah West Duah</strong> (2025 RB) are a few must-see athletes on the Angels' rosters. The Buffaloes will have <strong>RJ Hines </strong>(2024 CB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='218868' first='Bailey' last='Bujanda'] </strong>(2025 OL), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='404998' first='John' last='Bass Jr']</strong> (2025 ATH), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='547660' first='Zion' last='Brake']</strong> (2025 QB) helping to lead the charge for Smoky Hill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Friday, August 25th</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ralston Valley at Cherry Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Ralston Valley Mustangs are preparing to kick off the fall following an impressive 2022-23 season that ended in an overtime battle against Valor Christian. Cherry Creek will head into this season with the goal of winning its fifth consecutive state title. This week one matchup will feature two of the top four programs in the classification, easily making it one of the more anticipated season openers for fans and scouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ralston Valley will be led by <strong>Logan Madden </strong>(2024 QB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='143637' first='Peyton' last='Knoebel'] </strong>(2024 OL), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='381231' first='Tyrese' last='Johnson']</strong> (2024 DE), and <strong>Jack Moran</strong> (2024 DE). Knoebel and Johnson committed to Air Force, while Moran committed to Colorado State. The Bruins have a roster loaded with talent that will feature USC commit<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='381193' first='Hayden' last='Treter']</strong> (2024 OL), uncommitted <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251220' first='Angelo' last='Petrides']</strong> (2024 LB), Iowa State commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='385132' first='Andre' last='Burton'] </strong>(2024 OL), and Purdue commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='323104' first='Maxwell' last='Parrott']</strong> (2024 OL). These are just four of the handful of players on the roster with futures at the Power 5 level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Saturday, August 26th</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valor Christian at Regis Jesuit</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Valor Christain Eagles will enter the 2023-24 season following their third consecutive season as the state runner-ups, making them one of the more powerful teams in the state.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles will have Princeton commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='381192' first='Asher' last='Weiner']</strong> (2024 QB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='146073' first='Alexander' last='Jordan']</strong> (2024 DE/TE), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='143630' first='Gabe' last='Sawchuk'] </strong>(2024 RB/ATH), and <strong>Blake Kirschke </strong>(2024 LB)<strong> </strong>among the ranks of Valor Christian's returning starters. Regis will look upon Penn commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='146078' first='Lawson' last='Douglas']</strong> (2024 DB), <strong>Jaden Thermidor</strong> (2024 RB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251272' first='Albert' last='Medina']</strong> (2024 RB), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='404992' first='Peyton' last='Lindell']</strong> (2024 QB) to help lead the charge for the Raiders this fall.</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>Rock Canyon at Poudre | Thursday<br>Fossil Ridge at Loveland (4A) | Thursday<br>Arapahoe at Legecy | Friday<br>Chatfield at Cherokee Trail | Friday<br>Las Vegas (NV) at Pine Creek | Friday</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->