The 10 must-watch football teams along the Front Range

The 10 must-watch football teams along the Front Range this season

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

August is here and football is all everyone is talking about. With good reason. High school teams across the Denver area are gearing up for their opening week, and Colorado Community Media’s coverage area is vast (to put it lightly).

From Arvada in the northwest to Parker in the southeast, and the towns and suburbs in between that make up the Denver area, our reporters have a lot of action to cover. And, there’s no shortage of dominant schools, state champions, elite quarterbacks and more.Ahead of the 2023-24 season, we spoke with schools and coaches as well as our cadre of sportswriters, photographers and freelancers to determine our 10 must-watch high school teams of the season.

First, a disclaimer: with so many great teams, this list was di cult to put together. And with our two dozen community newspapers, this list could have gone way beyond just 10 teams. ere’s a method to the madness, though. e teams, coaches and players who were referenced most by our expert sources were compelling. We did our best to highlight the best in our coverage area – north, east, west and south. One interesting takeaway, too: e dominant teams are not the only captivating teams. ere are countless reasons to watch any number of teams in the area.

Before we reveal our top 10, here are a few testimonies from our experts on teams around the metro area:

“Mountain Vista could also have a breakout year,” sports photographer Paul DiSalvo told me of the Highlands Ranch team. “ ey have maybe the best QB around in Austyn Modrewski.” “Another one I would throw in is D’Evelyn in 2A,” said Dennis Pleuss of Je co Public Schools.

“ ey won the 2A League 1 last year, and they are always in the mix for a conference title in 2A.” “In some areas, a better-than-.500 season may not mean much. But it may signal the beginning of a new era in Fort Lupton,” said CCM’s Steve Smith. “ e Bluedevils were 5-4 a season ago, which marked the rst time in nine seasons that FLHS won more football games than it lost. e last time that happened (2013) was also the last time FLHS advanced to the state playo s. ey’ll be worth keeping an eye on.”“I also want to note that LPS Centennial Stadium has been built at Arapahoe Road and Colorado Boulevard, which will be a great thing to highlight this coming season,” said Heston Mosher, a local freelancer for our newspapers. e new sta- dium will host Littleton, Heritage, and Arapahoe’s football teams this season. “Lots of fun to talk about, but in the end, the nal will probably be Valor Christian versus Cherry Creek, with Cherry Creek winning AGAIN,” DiSalvo said.

But the teams play the games for a reason. So, here is who to keep an eye on this fall (in no particular order).

Cherry Creek Bruins (Greenwood Village)

2022 record: 12-2, 5A state champions

Week 1: August 25 vs. Ralston Valley

What to watch for: Can the Bruins keep up the tear they’ve been on?

Cherry Creek has all the bragging rights. ey’re coming o their fourth straight 5A state championship, including a hard-fought victory last year over Valor Christian. A big question is how will the Bruins replace star running back Carlson Tann? He was dominant last season and helped rally the Bruins in the second half of their championship win. But they can be beat. Last year, Cherry Creek did lose two games. But when it comes to Cherry Creek, just sit back and enjoy the show.

Valor Christian Eagles (Highlands Ranch)

2022 record: 11-3, 5A state runnerups

Week 1: August 26 @ Regis Jesuit

What to watch for: Can Valor Christian get over the hump this season? e Eagles lost just two games early last season before going on an undefeated run to the state champi-