Week 9 Football Previews

Week 9 Football Previews are sponsored by: "Watts Property Group"

Pueblo East vs Pueblo Central (Thursday 7pm, Dutch Clark Stadium)

East (7-1, 6-0) put themselves in the driver’s seat last weekend to win the league title, after coming back from a 21 point deficit to defeat County 32-21.  Senior Justin “Baby J” Robles delivered an incredible performance in the victory.  He led the team with 12 total tackles, had 2 interceptions, and added a scoop and score on a fumble that he caused himself.  While this win put the Eagles in sole possession of first, they must still win their final 2 games to be outright league champions.

The young Wildcats of Central (3-5, 2-4) are looking to play spoiler in this crosstown matchup.  They have lost consecutive road games, and are ready to get back to Dutch Clark.  In last week's loss to Canon City, freshman Sonny Vigil led the team with 134 rushing yards and their only score.  Chance Gallegos contributed 13 tackles as well.

This is the only game in town on Thursday night.  Make sure to go check out the veteran Eagles take on the young and developing Cats!

Pueblo West vs Cheyenne Mountain (Friday 7pm, Pueblo West High School)

Pueblo West (6-2, 4-0) made a statement last week against Mesa Ridge, winning by a score of 35-7.  Quarterback Chase Harrison led the way with 205 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.  

The Cyclones now face the other undefeated team in the 4A Mountain Plains league, the Hawks of Cheyenne Mountain (6-2, 4-0).  With a win, Pueblo West would guarantee themselves a league championship.  If Cheyenne Mountain wins, the league title would come down to the Cheyenne Mountain vs Mesa Ridge season finale.

Despite the even records, we believe Pueblo West comes in with a slight edge.  The 10th ranked Cyclones have faced a tougher schedule up to this point.  They will also be at home, protecting their field on senior night.  Despite the on paper edge, the Cyclones must play their winning brand of football to ensure they come out as league champs on Friday night.

Pueblo County vs Falcon (Friday 7pm, Pueblo County High School)

Despite last week’s loss to East, County (7-1, 5-1) is still in a position to secure a first-round bye in the postseason. Currently ranked 8th (Top 8 seeds receive a bye and host their first game), the Hornets will need to defeat the bottom two league teams to finish the season.

The Falcon Falcons (0-8, 0-6) are up next to head to the Mesa.  While County should overmatch them, their main concern may be the health of QB Brody Harrison.  The senior leader has been excellent all year, and was unfortunately knocked out of last week’s game.  Freshman Brody Eve and running back Brady Ware would be next in line to handle quarterback duties if Harrison is unable to go.

Pueblo South @ Lewis Palmer (Friday 7pm, Don Breese Stadium)

South (5-4, 4-3) is coming off one of the biggest shockers of the season.  Discovery Canyon came to Pueblo and pulled off a 27-20 upset.  South has seemed to follow up every loss with a win this season, and they will try to do the same against Lewis-Palmer (4-4, 4-2) on Friday night.

Despite the loss, South is still in the playoff hunt and has a chance to take 3rd in the 9 team league. LP is currently in 3rd, so this matchup should be a good one.  The Colts are currently ranked #19 while Lewis Palmer is ranked #20.  

In last week’s effort, MJ Molina threw for 381 yards and 3 scores.  Israel Allen caught two of them to go with 9 catches on 95 yards, and Senior Landen Cordova reeled in 7 grabs for 141 yards and one score.

Pueblo Centennial @ Palmer (Friday 7pm, Garry Berry Stadium)

The Bulldogs (1-7, 1-4) continue their road stretch, as they head to Springs to take on the Palmer Terrors (5-3, 3-1).  

In last week’s game against Thornton, Centennial was led on the ground by senior QB Augustine Sena, who had 91 yards on 18 carries.  Freshman Mark Chorak also contributed to the offense, going for 34 yards on 7 touches.