A look at the best high school football matchups across Colorado in Week 5 of the 2023 season.
Valor Christian vs. No. 4 Ralston Valley : Valor Christian 42, vs. Ralston Valley 41 , Nov. 26, 2022
Don’t let Valor’s record fool you. While the Eagles are a 29-point second-half comeback vs. Fairview away from an 0-4 start, all three of their losses have come against top-tier teams on the road: Rabun Gap-Nacoochee in Georgia, No. 2 Pine Creek and No. 6 Regis Jesuit. Things get no easier this week with yet another away matchup against a top-10 team.
The Rock Canyon defense has shut down all comers so far this season, allowing just 21 points total through four games. Now comes a chance to prove it’s the genuine article against a fifth-ranked Warriors team that was a stop away from taking down No. 3 Columbine last weekend. A potential matchup to watch: Rock Canyon cornerback Abraham Chitwood vs. all-everything senior Charlie Eckhardt .Last meetingAfter losses to No.
An unbeaten Lutheran squad that had to grind out a win over Pueblo East last week goes up in class to face a Montrose team that loves nothing more than to do battle in the trenches. In taking on the 4A Red Hawks, the Lions will look to do what fellow 3A contenders Green Mountain , Roosevelt , Thompson Valley and Holy Family did before them: Take down a big dawg.
After sitting idle last week, Mead welcomes a Durango team that humbled the Mavericks badly a year ago. Durango has won three straight since a Week 1 loss at Farmington, N.M., scoring 141 points in a string of routs. But Mead brings an explosive offense to this rematch, and it isn’t the ground-and-pound Mavs of recent vintage, either. With junior quarterback Christian Hiner slinging it, Mead is averaging 196.7 pass yards per game.