AURORA | Week 1 of the 2026 prep football season didn’t prove quite as successful for Aurora area teams as Zero Week, but produced plenty of results of note.

Eaglecrest, Gateway and Grandview kept the momentum going from wins the previous week and all moved to 2-0 with gritty road wins, while Cherokee Trail and Rangeview posted impressive victories in their first action of the season.

The most eyes were on the matchup of Grandview and Legend Aug. 28 at EchoPark Stadium as two Class 5A top-10 programs met for a showdown. Coach Tom Doherty’s Wolves came in off a shutout victory over Riverdale Ridge and continued their roll early against a Titans team that was in its first game and was without suspended head coach Jake Heaps.

A special teams gaffe allowed Legend to take an early 3-0 lead, but junior quarterback Lander Wise threw a touchdown strike to junior Q Walker to put Grandview in front and a short time later. The lead grew a shot time later when senior defensive back Taitum Lucas Thompson snared a tipped pass and got an escort up the sideline for a touchdown.

It became 21-3 on Wise’s touchdown pass to junior Blake Richmeier, but Legend responded with 21 consecutive points to take a four-point lead into the late stages of the fourth quarter. Wise worked some magic on a 76-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard strike to Richmeier with just 29 seconds remaining for a 28-24 lead that held up when Grandview’s defense stopped the Titans’ late push that got down to the Wolves’ 10 yard-line.

Eaglecrest’s last visit to Regis Jesuit came in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs in the 2024 season and resulted in a 45-14 loss.

Coach Jesse German’s team produced an exceptionally different result this time around, as the Raptors’ defense asserted itself all night in a 21-6 victory Aug. 28 at Lou Kellogg Stadium.

Eaglecrest shut out Rocky Mountain in Zero Week and kept the Raiders off the scoreboard with the only exception of a touchdown pass from junior Luke Rubley to senior Cade Filleman to cap a penalty-filled drive in the third quarter.

Offensively, the Raptors were solid, as junior quarterback William Brinkman rushed for a touchdown and hit senior JayAnthony Green on a 65-yard touchdown strike in the third quarter. Once in the lead, Eaglecrest grinded out the victory with healthy doses of junior running back Clyde Surrell IV, who racked up 143 yards rushing and got into the end zone in the fourth quarter for an insurance score.

Senior Denzel Kofie had one of three takeways for the Raptors. Rubley accounted for 178 yards passing — 77 to junior Colt Jones — for coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders (0-1).

Gateway got off to a 2-0 start to its season for the first time since way back in 2013 with a 26-16 win at Skyline behind another big game from senior running back Lyric Wynn.

Wynn accumulated 158 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns on the ground (including a 65-yarder) for coach Rashad Mason’s Olys, while senior quarterback Westin Rayburn tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Brandon Collins. Junior Claude Espinoza scored after a blocked punt return to give Gateway the lead in the third quarter after it faced a double-digit deficit.

Cherokee Trail raised some eyebrows with its performance in its first contest, which ended with a 45-15 victory over Arvada West Aug. 27 at the North Area Athletic Conference.

Against a team that graduated a lot from last season’s team that made the 5A state quarterfinals, coach Justin Jajczyk’s Cougars scored 31 straight points between the first and third quarters to takek control of the contest. Junior quarterback Bryce Peterson threw two touchdowns passes to junior Rayshon Stanley and another to junior Evan Smith, while junior Owen Newell rolled to 122 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

The defense also accounted for two scores for Cherokee Trail, as sophomore Camden Carter took an interception back to the end zone and junior Kaeden Shriver recorded a safety.

Also impressive in its debut was Rangeview, which went on the road and came away from Garry Berry Stadium with a 54-6 win over Doherty Aug. 27.

Coach Chris Lopez’s Raiders jumped ahead immediately when senior Alec Romero picked off a pass in the flat and took it to the end zone. Junior Gavin Garcia added to the lead with a long touchdown run and Rangeview was off and running.

Aurora Central could not follow up on its Zero Week win and dropped a 42-7 road contest at Pueblo County Aug. 27 despite 267 total yards and a touchdown from senior Markell Perkins. Adam Strand connected with Esimisan Were on a touchdown passes for the only points for Smoky Hill in a 42-8 loss to Grand Junction Aug. 27 at Stutler Bowl, while Vista PEAK Prep dropped a 46-20 contest to Fruita Monument Aug. 29 at APS Stadium.

The first two games of Week 1 took place Aug. 27 as Overland dropped a 40-0 contest to Lakewood and Hinkley fell 64-0 to Denver West.

Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports

Read more Metropolitan Museum of Art cancels planned Met Gala exhibit on fashion designer John Galliano

Read more Aurora prep sports scoreboard, 8.31.26

Read more Aurora police investigate ‘teen takeover’ at Hoffman Heights shopping center