Colorado Football Power Cherry Creek Forced To Forfeit Season-Opening Win

Colorado high school football powerhouse Cherry Creek survived scares the past two weeks to seemingly keep a long winning streak intact.

But as it turns out, that winning streak came to an end off the field of play.

On Monday night, in a ruling from the Colorado High School Activities Association, Cherry Creek was forced to forfeit its season-opening win last month against Chatfield due to using an ineligible player. In that game, played on Aug. 20, the Bruins rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to win, 28-15, which had given them a 28-game winning streak.

The Bruins then won each of their next three contests, the last two needing late heroics. Two weeks ago, they pulled off a 34-28 overtime win against Legend; then last week, rallied from a 12-0 deficit entering the fourth quarter and - helped by a recovered onside kick - pulled off a 16-15 win at Valor Christian on a late field goal.

That seemed to give Cherry Creek a 31-game win streak. But as it turned out, after Monday's ruling, the Bruins have now simply won three in a row.

With the forfeit, Cherry Creek is now 3-1, and the Bruins’ win streak was retroactively snapped at 27, with their last victory in that streak coming in last season’s Class 5A title game.

Reaction: ‘Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us’

Dave Logan, Cherry Creek’s coach, told the Denver Post in an interview Monday night that he didn’t agree with the CHSAA’s decision to forfeit, noting he was frustrated with the ruling.

“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Logan said in the interview. “And I get that. And if I wasn’t coaching here, I wouldn’t feel sorry for us, either.

“We were told all of our players had been cleared the week of our first game.”

Other Alterations

Cherry Creek’s forfeit also means there are a few changes to the Bruins’ recent record book.

The forfeited loss means the Bruins lost their first game in-state since falling to Columbine in the 2023 5A title game, 28-14. It’s also now their first in-state regular season loss since falling to Grandview, 24-21, in 2022.

Since then, the only team to defeat Cherry Creek was Utah school Skyridge, which handed the Bruins a 24-14 loss in the 2024 season opener.

Still a Title Favorite

The forfeit doesn’t affect Cherry Creek’s conference record, nor does it affect the Bruins’ hopes for a repeat state title.

Cherry Creek has won the last two Class 5A championships, and the Bruins have won six of the last seven titles. Their win last week against Valor Christian was considered by many as the top two teams in 5A.

This Friday, the Bruins will open the Centennial League portion of their schedule against Cherokee Trail.

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