Home field secured for 1st round

Mullen earned the No. 14 seed in Colorado’s Class 5A playoff bracket that was released on Sunday.

The Mustangs, who have won their past two games to end the regular season at 4-6, will host No. 19 Mountain Vista. The first-round game will be Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m., at Brother Bernard Kinneavy Field at De La Salle Stadium, according to Mustangs head coach Stanley Richardson.

A considerable schedule aided the Mustangs – they faced six of the eight teams that drew first-round byes and three (Columbine, Ralston Valley and Pomona) were in the Metro West League with them. A fifth Metro West team, Lakewood, which fell to Mullen by 27-21 the past Friday night, also is in the field.

Mountain Vista is 3-7.

The big-school bracket is the largest of any of the seven classifications and contains the possibility of unique history – should any of the seeds from Nos. 9-24 advance to the title game, which will be played on Dec. 7 at Empower Field at Mile High, it would be in a 15^th game. The current maximum number of games has been 14.

Below are the seeds, records and first-round byes as well as preliminary matchups:

Byes: (1) Cherry Creek (10-0); (2) Ralston Valley (10-0); (3) Valor Christian (9-1); (4) Regis Jesuit (10-0); (5) Pomona (6-4); (6) Columbine (8-2); (7) Grandview (8-2); (8) Fairview (9-1).

Here’s a link to the 5A bracket: