Class 5A No. 1 Cherry Creek beat No. 9 Erie, 34-14: Junior RB Jayden Fox ripped off touchdown runs of 70 and 35 yards, freshman Elijah Cromwell tacked on a 64-yard scoring run, and Cherry Creek (11-1) clinched its seventh straight trip to the 5A semifinals with a dominant defensive performance at Stutler Bowl. The Bruins took a 20-0 lead into the halftime break following a pair of Jolon Quintana field goals and TD runs from Fox and Cromwell. The lead ballooned to 34-0 early in the fourth quarter after junior QB Brady Vodicka hooked up with senior WR Jeremiah Hoffman for a TD pass, as Erie (10-3) saw its first season in 5A come to an end. Next week: Cherry Creek vs. Valor Christian-Columbine winner. No. 5 Valor Christian (10-1) at No. 4 Columbine (10-1), noon Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Cherry Creek. No. 7 Fairview (11-0) at No. 2 Mountain Vista (11-0), 7 p.m. Friday. Next week: Winner vs. Legend-Ralston Valley winner. No. 6 Legend (10-1) at No. 3 Ralston Valley (10-1), noon Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Fairview-Mountain Vista winner. Class 4A No. 1 Dakota Ridge beat No. 8 Ponderosa, 14-0: Troy McMullin returned an interception for a touchdown with less than four minutes left as Dakota Ridge survived an upset bid from league rival Ponderosa to advance to the 4A semifinals for the first time in four years. In a defensive slugfest that saw Ponderosa (8-4) deny Dakota Ridge (11-1) at the goal line near the end of a scoreless first half, junior QB Kellen Behrendsen finally broke the stalemate with a 28-yard TD strike to Trace Bratten with 11 minutes left in the third quarter. Neither offense scored after that, with Ponderosa even blocking a field goal attempt with 1:48 left in the third quarter. But the Mustangs offense couldn’t find an answer for the Dakota Ridge defense, which held Ponderosa to seven points over eight quarters in a pair of wins this season. Next week: Dakota Ridge vs. Broomfield. No. 5 Broomfield beat No. 4 Palmer Ridge, 32-23: Senior RB Colin Torres found the end zone three times, the last on a game-clinching 20-yard run with 2:03 to go, to push Broomfield (11-1) into the 4A semifinals for the third year in a row. Junior RB Jackson Mabe had three scoring runs of his own for Palmer Ridge (10-2), which saw its bid to return to the championship game fall two wins short. Senior Elliott Less added a TD run, while senior QB Darien Jackson hooked up with Gio Toledo as the Eagles avenged last year’s loss to Palmer Ridge in the 4A semifinals. Next week: Broomfield at Dakota Ridge. No. 7 Mesa Ridge (8-3) at No. 2 Montrose (11-0), 1 p.m. Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Heritage-Pueblo West winner. No. 11 Heritage (7-5) at No. 3 Pueblo West (10-1), 1 p.m. Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Mesa Ridge-Montrose winner. Class 3A No. 8 Discovery Canyon (9-2) at No. 1 Thompson Valley (11-0), 1 p.m. Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Severance-Green Mountain winner. Related Articles Preps | Broomfield gets revenge vs. Palmer Ridge behind Colin Torres’ three touchdowns Preps | Scouting the Colorado high school football quarterfinals in Class 5A, 4A and 3A Preps | Janet Lowry, Columbine football matriarch and Jeffco force, dies from cancer at 54: “She always left people so much better than she found them.” Preps | Legend rallies to edge Arapahoe in Class 5A playoff thriller behind Jaden Lawrence’s late touchdown Preps | CHSAA state football playoffs: How the Round of 16 played out in Class 5A and 4A No. 5 Green Mountain beat No. 13 Severance, 35-20: New coach, same old result. Green Mountain clinched its third straight trip to the 3A semifinals, this time under Anthony Rankin, who replaced Jesse German after he left for Eaglecest. The Rams overwhelmed the Silver Knights with a shock-and-awe first quarter that set the tone from the start. Green Mountain put 21 points on the board in that opening quarter then, after Severance clawed back a TD in the second quarter, put things away in the third with a pair of passing TDs for a 35-6 lead. With the loss, Severance (5-7) fell one game shy of its second state semifinal bid in four seasons, while Green Mountain (9-3) moves a step closer to its first state title since 1999. Next week: Green Mountain vs. Discovery Canyon-Thompson Valley winner. No. 6 Windsor (10-1) at No. 3 Pomona (8-3), 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Pueblo Central-Mead winner. No. 7 Pueblo Central (9-2) at No. 2 Mead (9-1), 1 p.m. Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Windsor-Pomona winner. Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.