CHSAA Football Playoff Brackets Set for November 13

The Colorado High School Activities Association has released the brackets for the 2026 state football championships. First-round games for Classes 5A, 4A, and 3A take place on Friday, Nov. 6, unless otherwise noted. The Round of 16 contests for all classes are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 13.

In Class 5A, the top-seeded Cherry Creek High School, which holds a 9-1 record, will host the winner of the No. 17 Cherokee Trail at No. 16 Heritage game. The No. 1 seed plays at 7:30 p.m. in the first round. No. 2 Valor Christian (8-2) will face the winner of the Legacy and Horizon matchup. No. 3 Mountain Vista (9-1) is set against the Arapahoe and Fairview winner. No. 4 Fort Collins (10-0) hosts the Riverdale Ridge and Northfield victor.

Class 4A features a strong field of undefeated and near-undefeated teams. No. 4 Monarch (9-1) and No. 6 Ponderosa (10-0) both advance to the Round of 16 as hosts. The No. 1 seed, Roosevelt (9-1), will face the winner of the Montbello and George Washington game. No. 3 Broomfield (10-0) hosts the Longmont and Vista Ridge matchup. No. 5 Loveland (9-1) plays the Durango and Columbine winner.

In Class 3A, two teams have perfect records. No. 1 Palmer Ridge (10-0) and No. 5 Evergreen (10-0) are both set to host Round of 16 games. The Palmer Ridge squad will face the winner of the Pueblo South and Berthoud contest. Evergreen hosts the Sierra and Pomona winner. No. 2 Holy Family (9-1) plays the Silver Creek and Windsor victor. No. 4 Mead (8-2) faces the Cañon City and Rifle winner.

Class 2A action is limited to the Round of 16, with games primarily scheduled for Saturday. No. 1 Elizabeth (9-0) hosts No. 16 Weld Central on Friday at 7 p.m. No. 4 Delta (9-0) plays No. 13 University on Saturday at 1 p.m. No. 2 The Classical Academy (8-1) hosts No. 5 Coal Ridge on Friday at 6 p.m. No. 3 Wellington (8-1) faces No. 19 Pagosa Springs on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Class 1A also begins in the Round of 16. No. 1 Meeker (8-1) hosts No. 16 Dayspring Christian on Saturday at 1 p.m. No. 2 Denver Christian (9-0) plays No. 15 Cedaredge on Saturday at 1 p.m. No. 3 North Fork (8-1) hosts No. 14 Rye on Friday at 6 p.m. No. 4 Burlington (8-1) faces No. 13 Platte Canyon on Saturday at 1 p.m. The times for the Yuma at Centauri and Limon at Wiggins games are to be determined.

Several notable first-round matchups occur in the lower divisions. In Class 5A, No. 9 Ralston Valley (7-3) hosts No. 24 Castle View (4-6) at 7:30 p.m. In Class 4A, No. 16 George Washington (9-1) hosts No. 17 Montbello (7-3) on Thursday at 6 p.m. In Class 3A, No. 12 Pomona (6-4) hosts No. 21 Sierra (7-2) on Saturday at 4 p.m.

The brackets reflect the standings after the regular season. Teams with the same seed number in different classes do not play each other in the first round. All game times are local. The full schedule includes 40 first-round games across the five classification levels.