Who: Erie vs. Broomfield<\/p>\n
What: Football, Week Three<\/p>\n
When: Thursday night, 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Where: Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium<\/p>\n
Why you should care: Like all good rivalries, they take time. But if there was a new one brewing on the state\u2019s football scene over the past handful of years, look no further than Erie vs. Broomfield.<\/p>\n
Their 2022 Class 4A semifinals meeting ended when Broomfield\u2019s Gio Toledo emerged from a pile with the ball in his hands after Erie\u2019s Blake Barnett tried to push himself over the goal line for the game-winning score but fumbled in the final seconds. The Eagles beat Loveland the following week for the 4A title.<\/p>\n
Many Erie fans thought Barnett scored on that decisive play before he fumbled. Of course, the sting was eased somewhat after Erie beat Broomfield the next season, going on to win a 4A title of its own.<\/p>\n
The Tigers have now won the past three meetings, the past two as a 5A team, and most recently last year in a 26-25 win when then-senior Lincoln Hageman blocked Broomfield\u2019s game-winning field-goal attempt as time expired.<\/p>\n
This season, Broomfield doesn\u2019t appear to have taken a step back as a program under first-year head coach Chris Helbig, with wins against Holy Family (62-43) and Monarch (24-18).<\/p>\n
Brody Reidle ranks in the top 20 in the state with 351 rushing yards for the Eagles. He had 160 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in a wild, high-scoring affair against Holy Family in Week 1, then had 191 yards and another two scores in a tight win over Monarch last week.<\/p>\n
Erie, on the other hand, has lost its first two games, but both came against highly ranked, undefeated teams: Spruce Creek (Florida\u2019s No. 36-ranked team, according to MaxPreps) and Eaglecrest (Colorado\u2019s No. 7).<\/p>\n
Erie will need to contain Broomfield\u2019s run game after allowing more than 350 rushing yards to Spruce Creek before holding Eaglecrest under 100 last week. The Tigers will also need to get things going on offense, as they are averaging just 3.1 yards per run and completing just 33% of their passes through two games.<\/p>\n
Erie leads the series 4-2.<\/p>\n