GREENWOOD VILLAGE — The Massey Ratings require a recalibration.
Utah’s Skyridge entered Friday’s game against Cherry Creek as the No. 20 team in the nation, while the Bruins were ranked No. 93.
But the Bruins made those computerized rankings look buggy. They used a fast start and a furious finish to smoke Skyridge 51-28 at the Stutler Bowl, avenging their lone loss last season in the process.
It was Cherry Creek’s third victory over an out-of-state team in as many weeks, after hanging on to beat Cardinal Mooney (Florida) on the road two weeks ago and dominating Millard North (Nebraska) last week.
The performance against Skyridge suggests that Cherry Creek, owners of five of the last six Class 5A titles, is more than just a juggernaut in a flyover football state. This year’s Bruins — whose highest national ranking entering Friday among the three major services in Massey, MaxPreps and Rivals was No. 58 — have the size, speed and talent to play with just about anyone.
“This was a game for everyone who underestimates Colorado ball,” said Cherry Creek star running back Jayden Fox, who had three TDs and over 200 yards rushing. “They say we’re not a football state, we don’t have good enough athletes — but this game showed this program has those athletes, those star players.”
No, the Bruins aren’t a national heavyweight like Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, Bishop Gorman or Southlake Carroll.
But they possess a blue-chip frontman in defensive lineman Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais, a Washington commit who is a Navy All-American. They have one of the most dynamic running backs in Colorado in Fox, a UConn pledge who went scorched earth on Skyridge. And they have a slew of other Division I recruits around those headliners.
No wonder Cherry Creek’s had a tough time finding in-state opponents to fill out its non-conference schedule.
Fox was nearly untackleable in open space on Friday. When he got even the slimmest margin of daylight, he took off. While senior quarterback Brady Vodicka tossed three TDs and sophomore Elijah Cromwell was a complementary ground threat, Fox was the unstoppable star.
The Cherry Creek defense also set the tone early with interceptions by Michigan State commit Braylon Hodge on the game’s opening drive and then a pick-six by fellow senior linebacker Tate Matthews on the Falcons’ second drive. That gave Cherry Creek cushion for when Skyridge’s QB, Division I prospect Kaneal Sweetwyne, caught fire in the third quarter.
“The game started for them a little bit like the game started for us last year in Salt Lake,” Cherry Creek head coach Dave Logan said. “Their quarterback is about as good as we’ve seen in a long time, and so we tried to change up fronts, coverages, disguises. We made some plays early and we needed them, because that’s an excellent team.”
With those two interceptions and Fox’s first carry in between leading to a 32-yard score, Cherry Creek went up 14-0 just 65 seconds into the game. The Bruins never looked back, despite Sweetwyne settling into the game and engineering four scoring drives to keep the Falcons from getting boat-raced.
Alijah Landrum-Hamilton’s slick moves on a screen pass led to a 40-yard TD, and Fox added on a 75-yard TD burst as Cherry Creek took a 27-14 lead into half. On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Bruins marched the field, capped by Louisiana Tech pledge Vodicka’s 16-yard TD pass to senior tight end Ty Goettsche (BYU).
After Skyridge made a third-quarter push and cut the score to 34-28, the Bruins used a field goal, a clutch defensive stop, and a 65-yard TD run from Fox to put the game on ice. On an outside zone play, Fox shed several tacklers and outran the Falcons’ secondary to quiet the Skyridge sideline and fan section, which had been energized up to that point.
“We started to feel like we won, but we had to remember, we have to play for 48 minutes,” Fox said. “… We went out in the fourth quarter and did what we did at the beginning of the game.”
By the time another Matthews pick set up Vodicka’s TD pass to senior tight end Anthony Betti, making it a 50-burger with 4:29 left, the game had turned into a homecoming celebration for Cherry Creek.
Can any Colorado team beat the Bruins this year? Odds seem slim.
After a bye, Pine Creek is the Bruins’ final non-conference challenger, a team the Bruins beat 21-14 last year. After that, Cherry Creek’s Centennial League slate should offer a challenge or two, but also more than a few running clocks.
Valor Christian is widely viewed as the one team with the athletes and muscle in the trenches to keep up with Creek, but the Eagles have lost four straight to Logan’s Bruins since 2020.
Judging by Cherry Creek’s first four weeks, Valor or anyone else in Colorado will need to play nearly perfect to beat the Bruins, as Legend almost did in a 13-10 loss in last year’s championship. Cherry Creek’s lost only three in-state games since 2019: the 2023 championship to Columbine, and league games to Grandview in 2022 and Arapahoe in 2021.
“This (4-0) start shows what we can do,” Tate Matthews declared. “All teams should be watching out for us coming up.”
Good luck, Colorado. Skyridge will send you its tattered battle plans during its long trip back to Utah.
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