Week 4 in Colorado high school football brings one of Thursday night’s first real heavyweight matchups, and it arrives in Aurora with two unbeaten teams still trying to prove they belong among the state’s best.
Cherokee Trail and Eaglecrest meet at Legacy Stadium with both programs sitting at 3-0, and both opening 5A Centennial League play under the lights. It is also a meeting of two teams that cracked this week’s High School On SI Colorado Top 25, with Eaglecrest checking in at No. 22 and Cherokee Trail right behind at No. 23.
The Raptors got the better of this matchup a year ago, winning 27-14.
Cherokee Trail has rolled through its first three games, capped by a 31-7 win at Rocky Mountain, and the Cougars have won those three contests by an average of 34 points. Junior quarterback Bryson Peterson has been a major reason why, throwing for 10 touchdowns and 659 yards already. He has gotten plenty of help from Evan Smith and RJ Stanley, who each have 10 catches and have combined for 357 yards and seven scores.
Eaglecrest has also looked sharp early, winning its first two games convincingly before having to grind out a 17-14 win over Erie on Sept. 4. Junior tailback Clyde Surrell has been central to the Raptors’ offense, rushing for 284 yards on 58 carries with two touchdowns.
Follow High School On SI correspondent Buck Ringgold (@Bucks_Ballpark) for live updates and scoring from Aurora as the game unfolds.
In Other News...
Colorado May Have Found A Key Piece To Protect Julian Lewis
Colorados recent push on the high school recruiting trail has started to show up where it matters most, in the trenches. The Buffaloes have made a bigger commitment to building through prep prospects, and that effort got a boost with four-star offensive tackle Dewey Young at the front of their 2027 class. ESPN analysts singled out Young as the Colorado commit most likely to help sooner rather than later, which fits the broader need to keep the pocket cleaner for quarterback Julian Lewis.
Youngs path to Boulder also gives the commitment some added weight. He had family ties to Michigan State and had several other programs in the mix before choosing Colorado, a sign the Buffs had to win a real recruiting fight for a player they view as part of the offensive-line rebuild. For a program trying to strengthen protection up front, landing a tackle with early-impact potential is exactly the kind of step that can shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Leaving Colorado Would Take More Than Florida State Interest
Deion Sanders has Colorado off to a 2-0 start in 2026, a welcome change after last years 3-9 finish and another reminder of how quickly he has reset the tone around the program. Even with Florida State looming as a possible opening, the situation is not as simple as a nostalgic reunion. Sanders has built real footing in Boulder, where the fit has centered on control, confidence and a staff structure he helped shape.
Florida State is expected to search for a new head coach after the firing of its athletic director and the likely departure of Mike Norvell, which naturally puts Sanders in the conversation. But any move would have to clear more than one hurdle, including his Colorado buyout, the history of FSU passing on him before, and the question of whether he would walk away from the autonomy and salary he has in Boulder. The interest is real enough to keep the speculation alive, but the path from rumor to reality still looks complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Just Lost A Key Recruiting Stage At A Tough Time
Colorados home opener against Northwestern comes with an unusual recruiting wrinkle, because the game is being played on the road and there will be no official in-state recruiting visits at Folsom Field. Under NCAA rules, those visits are tied to home games, so the Buffaloes lose one of the most visible chances to sell prospects on the full campus experience at a time when every detail matters.
Recruits can still attend the Northwestern game on their own, but the standard visit setup Colorado usually leans on is off the table for this date. The good news is the Buffaloes will get that stage back for their next home game against Texas Tech, when the program can again bring prospects into the building and show off what Saturdays in Boulder look like at full volume. [Read more 🡒]