112 High School Football Teams Enter Colorado State Playoffs This Weekend
The CHSAA has released the full brackets and schedules for the 2026 state championships, with first-round games set for Friday and the Round of 16 beginning November 13.
By Andrew Kovalenko ·
A total of 112 teams are set to play in the first round of the 2026 Colorado High School Activities Association state football championships. The schedule spans five classifications, ranging from 1A to 5A, and begins this Friday with most games taking place that evening. Only a handful of matches are scheduled for Thursday or Saturday in the opening round.
The 5A bracket features the largest pool of participants, with 16 teams advancing from the first round to join eight unseeded teams in the Round of 16. All eight 5A first-round games are scheduled for Friday. No. 17 Cherokee Trail plays at No. 16 Heritage at 6:30 p.m., while No. 24 Castle View visits No. 9 Ralston Valley at 7:30 p.m. The round concludes with No. 19 Arapahoe at No. 14 Fairview and No. 22 Denver East at No. 11 Chatfield, both at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. respectively.
In 4A, one game shifts to Thursday: No. 17 Montbello plays at No. 16 George Washington at 6 p.m. The remaining seven games occur on Friday. No. 24 Fruita Monument visits No. 9 Golden at 7 p.m., and No. 20 Cheyenne Mountain faces No. 13 Douglas County at the same time. No. 21 Durango plays at No. 12 Columbine at 6:30 p.m., while No. 18 Air Academy is scheduled against No. 15 Frederick at 7 p.m.
The 3A bracket also moves one game to Saturday. No. 19 Summit plays at No. 14 Fort Morgan at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The other seven 3A games are on Friday. No. 17 Pueblo South visits No. 16 Berthoud at 7 p.m., and No. 24 Harrison plays at No. 9 Conifer at 6 p.m. No. 20 Canon City is set against No. 13 Rifle at 7 p.m., and No. 21 Sierra faces No. 12 Pomona at 4 p.m.
Class 2A and Class 1A do not have a separate first round; they enter the tournament in the Round of 16. Most of these games are scheduled for Saturday, with two 2A matches and one 1A match taking place on Friday. In 2A, No. 16 Weld Central plays at No. 1 Elizabeth at 7 p.m. Friday, and No. 5 Coal Ridge visits No. 2 The Classical Academy at 6 p.m. Friday. In 1A, No. 14 Rye plays at No. 3 North Fork at 6 p.m. Friday.
The Round of 16 for all classifications is scheduled for November 13. Winners of the first-round games will travel to the sites of the higher-seeded teams. In 5A, the winner of Game 1 plays at No. 1 Cherry Creek, while the winner of Game 3 faces No. 4 Fort Collins, who is undefeated at 10-0. In 4A, the winner of Game 1 visits No. 1 Roosevelt, and the winner of Game 3 plays at No. 4 Monarch.
In 3A, the winner of Game 1 plays at No. 1 Palmer Ridge, who is also undefeated at 10-0. The winner of Game 4 faces No. 5 Evergreen, another 10-0 team. In 2A, the Round of 16 includes No. 1 Elizabeth hosting No. 16 Weld Central, and No. 4 Delta hosting No. 13 University. In 1A, No. 1 Meeker hosts No. 16 Dayspring Christian, and No. 2 Denver Christian, which is 9-0, hosts No. 15 Cedaredge.
