Colorado High School Football Top 25 State Rankings (Sept. 2, 2026)
The early-season spotlight in Colorado high school football lands on a familiar matchup right away: Cherry Creek and Ralston Valley are set for a rematch of last year’s Class 5A championship game, a 56-28 Bruins win.
Cherry Creek enters that showdown after a week off. The Bruins had opened the year with a win at Chatfield two weeks ago, and they carry a 28-game winning streak into the rematch.
Ralston Valley, meanwhile, is coming off a shutout of Castle View to open its season. That gives the Mustangs a quick chance to answer last year’s title-game loss.
Another top Colorado team is headed into a major test as Valor Christian, now 2-0, travels to face California power Mater Dei.
Here is this week’s High School On SI Colorado Top 25 rankings:
Valor Christian looked sharp in a 46-9 win over Nevada’s Faith Lutheran. The quarterback-receiver connection between Titus Huard and Jackson Coleman was the engine, with Huard throwing for 296 yards and Coleman accounting for 194 of them while also scoring three touchdowns.
Valor now heads to Mater Dei on Friday, Sept. 4.
The Bears handled New Mexico’s La Cueva, 29-10, behind a big all-around performance from senior Zak Crisler. He caught seven passes for 100 yards, made eight tackles, added a tackle for loss and intercepted two passes on defense, then went 3-for-3 on PAT kicks.
Montrose has already piled up 94 points through two games, including 54 in a 54-14 win over Grand Junction Central. The next challenge is a road game against another ranked team, Palisade.
Ralston Valley tuned up for the Cherry Creek matchup with a 31-0 win over Castle View. Senior Levi Rillos, a Wyoming commit, did a little bit of everything: 112 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, two catches for 28 yards, a 43-yard completion, an interception and a blocked field goal.
Monarch had the week off and will return to action this week.
The Titans opened with a narrow loss to Grandview, leading 24-21 in the fourth quarter before a late touchdown pass flipped the game into a 28-24 defeat.
The Badgers made it two straight home wins by beating Rye, 28-14. They now head into a stretch of three road games and won’t play at home again until early October.
Golden had to dig out of an 0-2 hole, but came away with a 43-39 road win at Arapahoe. QB Marquise Reese sparked the comeback with 316 passing yards, three touchdown throws, 95 rushing yards and the game-winning 11-yard run with less than 10 minutes left.
The Grizzlies were dominant in a 50-0 shutout of Discovery Canyon. Taushaun Lago stood out on defense with nine tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. The challenge gets bigger this week with a road trip to Palmer Ridge in a matchup of Top 10 teams.
The Panthers bounced back from their opening loss to Monarch with a 64-14 win over Thomas Jefferson. Isaias Sierra caught three first-half touchdown passes, and Rylan Berger added three rushing touchdowns while also recovering a fumble that helped set up a score.
After putting up 48 points in their opener, the Mustangs kept rolling in a 41-17 win at Rock Canyon. Senior quarterback Colter Espinoza was again the driving force, throwing for 416 yards and five touchdowns. He’s now up to 11 passing touchdowns on the season.
Columbine responded to its opening-week loss to Fort Collins with a 21-13 win over Mullen. The Rebels leaned entirely on the run, with all 309 offensive yards coming on the ground and junior tailback Colby Martinez accounting for 133 of them. Columbine heads to Hawaii this week.
Forge stayed hot with a 49-17 win over Kent Denver, one week after scoring 55 against Fort Lupton. The ground game carried the night, producing 256 rushing yards and five different backs reaching the end zone, with Jack Widdifield scoring three times.
The Wolves have started 2026 with two strong road wins, the latest a 28-24 victory over Legend. The winning play was a 40-yard touchdown pass from Lander Wise to Blake Richmeier, who finished with six catches for 135 yards and two scores.
Up Next: vs. Fountain Fort Carson on Friday, Sept. 4
The Longhorns opened with a 35-28 win over Roosevelt, fueled by three fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Joseph Klatt.
Palisade is also unbeaten after two home wins, including a 45-20 victory over Lewis-Palmer. The Bulldogs got 100-yard rushing efforts from three different backs: Aidan Shiao with 139, Carter Hayward with 105 and Adyn Cassidy with 102.
Hayward added two touchdowns, went 6-of-6 on PATs and kicked a 34-yard field goal. This week brings a road trip to Montrose.
The Knights rolled in their opener, beating Westminster 44-6. Ki Ellison threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns and added 77 rushing yards and another score.
The Cardinals have outscored opponents 86-14 through two games, including a 35-7 win over Alamosa last week. Ryker Atkins ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, while Ronin Lundgren returned an interception 75 yards for a score.
Up Next: at Banning Lewis Academy on Friday, Sept. 4
The Broncos followed a 42-point opener with another explosive night, beating Middle Park 49-0.
Broomfield came out on top in a 62-43 shootout against Holy Family. Slater Saunders passed for 257 yards and three touchdowns, while Brody Reidle ran for 160 yards on 27 carries and scored twice.
Even in the loss to Broomfield, Gage Gunderson turned in a huge night for Holy Family, rushing for 193 yards on 22 carries and scoring three touchdowns.
The Lambkins already have two ranked wins on their resume. After knocking off Columbine, they beat Windsor 49-14. Junior quarterback Jace Garcia has thrown for nearly 670 yards and six touchdowns so far, including four scores and 359 passing yards in last week’s win.
The Indians had a rough start, falling 14-13 to Wiggins in their opener.
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Brent Key Knows This Georgia Tech Opener Wont Feel Like Home
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For the Buffaloes, the backdrop matters because so many of the faces on the roster have roots close to the game site. Colorado has 17 listed players from Georgia, including former five-star quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis, which helps explain why this one figures to look and sound a little different from a normal road trip. Even with the home crowd on hand for Georgia Tech, the atmosphere is expected to have a familiar edge for Colorado, and that is part of what makes this opener worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
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Joseph Williams is another name worth watching as the pieces come together, giving the Buffaloes a potential second pillar on the perimeter. Even so, the bigger question hanging over the offense is less about talent than timing and fit, because the promise of a young quarterback and a new system only goes so far until the pieces around them lock in. For Colorado, the 2026 offense may end up being defined by how quickly those expectations turn into something more concrete. [Read more 🡒]