Preps recap: Saints march on, Devils and Huskies fall
In the first round of the Colorado 8-man state football playoffs, Vail Christian cruised to a 46-14 victory in their matchup against the No. 14 seed Pikes Peak Christian on Saturday afternoon at Battle Mountain High School.
On the other side of the bracket, Sanford took down defending champion Sedgwick County 36-18. The Cougars had won the previous six state titles, an all-class Colorado record for football. The win sets up a rematch between the Indians and Saints from earlier this year. Vail Christian defeated Sanford 36-22 on Sept. 24. Saint’s coach Tim Pierson described the game as a turning point for his club in an interview earlier in the week.
“We knew they were one of the top programs in the state,” he said when reflecting on his team’s mindset going into that first matchup with Sanford. “We came out on top that day.”
The win proved to the coaching staff that their group and this season were special, and that the rest of the state needed to be on guard.
In other prep football action, Battle Mountain fell to Glenwood Springs, 48-14, on Friday night. The Huskies finished their 2021 campaign in third place in the 3A Central West League with a 3-7 record.
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Eagle Valley fell to Palisade, 46-20 on Friday night as well. The Devils ended the year 3-6. At 8-2, Palisade finished the season atop the 3A Central West League.
Class 4A Region 6 Volleyball
Eagle Valley volleyball was also in action Saturday, facing off against Elizabeth and host Niwot, the No. 6 ranked team in the state.
In the first game, the No. 19 seeded Devils made quick work of the Cardinals, winning in straight sets.
Niwot, boasting a 22-3 record, would prove too much, however, in the deciding final match. After a 25-16 opening game Cougar victory, the Devils hung with Niwot throughout the second game, narrowly losing, 25-23. Niwot finished the sweep with a 25-9 win. Next week, they will bring their 17-game winning streak to Colorado Springs as state tournament play commences. Eagle Valley completed the season with a 13-8 record.