Because of Friday’s snowstorm, first-round games were moved to Saturday, Sunday and Monday

CHSAA STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS>> HOW THE FIRST ROUND PLAYED OUT IN CLASS 5A AND 4A

Class 5A

No. 20 Cherokee Trail beat No. 13 Castle View, 25-7: Senior running back Noah Collins’ short touchdown run gave the Cougars (5-6) a 25-0 lead in the third quarter, which was more than enough for CT to claim its first playoff win in three years. Castle View (7-4) didn’t get on the scoreboard until there was 7:54 left in the game, as the Sabercats were denied a second consecutive trip to the second round of the state playoffs. Next: Cherokee Trail at No. 4 Columbine (9-1), TBA

No. 14 Arvada West beat No. 19 Fort Collins, 59-29: The Wildcats left no doubt in their first playoff win in six years, scoring five straight touchdowns to take a 35-0 lead with 2:29 left in the second quarter and cruising from there. Jaxon Pyatt got the run started with a 1-yard plunge, Jaiden Green followed with a 49-yard scoring run and Logan Duhachek found Jaiden Nichols for a 28-yard pass to cap the five-TD burst. Adrian Symalla also ran in TD in the first half to help A-West (7-4) break a four-game postseason losing skid that dated back to 2018. Jack McKeon’s short run put the Lambkins (6-5) on the scoreboard late in the second quarter, but they never seriously challenged after that. Next: Arvada West at No. 3 Ralston Valley (9-1), TBA

Class 4A

No. 17 Loveland beat No. 16 Doherty, 45-14: The Red Wolves scored 38 unanswered points to close out the game and continue a late-season surge that’s seen them turn a 1-6 start into four straight wins and a fifth consecutive appearance in the second round of the state playoffs. Doherty went ahead 14-7 on a passing touchdown late in the first quarter, but Loveland (5-6) shut the Spartans (5-6) out the rest of the way to secure the road victory. The Red Wolves were particularly dominant in the third quarter when they forced five takeaways (four interceptions, one fumble) on all five of Doherty’s possessions. Next: Loveland at No. 1 Dakota Ridge (9-1), TBA

No. 9 Grand Junction beat No. 24 Longmont, 59-29: Senior quarterback Will Applegate hooked up with Mason Anderson for a 50-yard pass on the first snap, setting the tone in the Tigers’ (10-1) first playoff win in 11 years. Applegate ran in a pair of TDs as Grand Junction took a 43-15 lead into the halftime break, then hit Anderson for a long scoring pass early in the third quarter to bury Longmont (3-8) for good. Next: Grand Junction at No. 8 Ponderosa (7-3), TBA

No. 13 Rampart beat No. 20 Grand Junction Central, 40-7: Camden Bruns ran in a pair of touchdowns, Brody Wieben added a TD run of his own and Justus Derickson returned a fumble for a score as the Rams (7-4) scored 33 unanswered points en route to their second playoff victory in as many seasons. Grand Junction Central (4-7) took an early 7-3 lead before Rampart took control with four straight TDs to close out the first half. Next: Rampart at No. 4 Palmer Ridge (9-1), TBA

No. 12 Vista Ridge beat No. 21 Highlands Ranch, 35-8: The Wolves (7-4) claimed their third playoff victory in four seasons, riding a strong defensive performance to a resounding win over Highlands Ranch (5-6). The loss brought an end to the Eagles’ first postseason trip since 2019. That was also the last time Highlands Ranch won five games in a season. Next: Vista Ridge at No. 5 Broomfield (9-1), TBA