Newsroom Brief

Eaglecrest Wins 23-20 to Advance to 5A Quarterfinals

Junior quarterback Will Brinkman led the Raptors past ThunderRidge in a tight second‑round playoff game.

By Serve Aurora Newsroom · Nov 14, 1:20 AM MT · 1 min read

High school football players in action on the field — AI-generated illustration

In a closely contested Class 5A second‑round playoff at Legacy Stadium, the Eaglecrest Raptors defeated the ThunderRidge Grizzlies 23‑20, securing a spot in the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2020 season.

Key performances

Junior quarterback Will Brinkman accounted for three touchdowns—two passing and one rushing—and converted a crucial fourth‑down play with under two minutes remaining, according to the Sentinel Colorado report.

Other scoring contributions came from JayAnthony Green, Jack Steiner and a blocked punt recovered by Jayden Bradley for Eaglecrest, while ThunderRidge’s points were supplied by Rylan Johnson, a 65‑yard pass from Noah Smyth and a late touchdown to Camden Neumann.

Next matchup

Eaglecrest (9‑2) will travel to face No. 2 Valor Christian, the 62‑20 victor over Legacy, in the quarterfinals. The win also makes Eaglecrest the second Aurora‑area team in the final eight, joining Grandview.