Five Aurora Teams Enter State Playoffs

The Colorado High School Activities Association released the 2026 Class 5A football playoff bracket on Nov. 1. Five schools from the Aurora metro area advanced to the postseason. The tournament structure divides the 24 participating teams into four quadrants. Each quadrant produces a winner for the semifinals scheduled for Nov. 28.

In Quadrant 1, No. 17 Cherokee Trail (5-5) plays No. 16 Heritage (5-5) in the first round. This game is part of the Nov. 5-6 slate. The winner advances to face No. 1 Cherry Creek (9-1) in the second round on Nov. 13. Cherry Creek holds a 9-1 record and received a first-round bye.

Quadrant 2 features two local teams in the opening round. No. 12 Regis Jesuit (6-4) hosts No. 21 Fossil Ridge (5-5) at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 6. No. 5 Grandview (7-3) received a bye in this round. The Regis Jesuit or Fossil Ridge winner will travel to Grandview for the second round match on Nov. 13. No. 4 Fort Collins (10-0) also holds a bye in this quadrant.

Eaglecrest sits in Quadrant 3. The No. 7 Eaglecrest Eagles (8-2) earned a first-round bye. They will wait for the winner of the match between No. 23 Chaparral (5-5) and No. 10 ThunderRidge (7-3). That game is scheduled for Nov. 5. The second round game for Eaglecrest is set for Nov. 13.

The remaining teams in the bracket include No. 2 Valor Christian, No. 3 Mountain Vista, No. 6 Legend, and No. 8 Grand Junction. All four of these schools received byes in the first round. The first round games without byes are spread across Nov. 5 and Nov. 6 at various venues including North Area Athletic Complex and All-City Stadium.

The quarterfinals for all four quadrants are set for Nov. 20. The semifinals will be played on Nov. 28 at the location of the higher-seeded team. The Class 5A championship game is scheduled for Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. The venue for the final is Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins.