Sure, it’s still 90+ degrees out and it’s the middle of August but it’s officially Week Zero and time to kick off the high school football season.

You would think these games wouldn’t really matter much, being so early in the season, but here we have two teams looking at a game that could define their season and show whether they’re ready to move to the next level of play.

Taking things to the next level can be scary sometimes. There’s the adage about taking that first step off the base is the only way to get to the next one. In football, maybe it’s something like “you have to cross the 50-yard Line before you can make it to the goal line?"

In any case, it’s Friday night at Halftime Help Stadium in Highlands Ranch, and two area teams want to show the Colorado football world, they are ready to take the next step with their programs.

The visiting Mustangs from Ralston Valley ended last year in a dramatic double overtime loss to Valor Christian in the 5A State semifinal.

They think they are ready for entry into the elite levels of play where teams like Cherry Creek, Valor Christian, Grandview and Columbine — to name a few — have lived.

The home team Mountain Vista Golden Eagles also have a thing or two to prove. Last year, they put together the first winning season in a long time with a 7-4 record. One or two more wins in a season and suddenly, you’re Top 10 material. Was it the real thing? Time to find out. Upsetting a powerhouse like Ralston Valley would be a great way to start things off.

One more thing about this early, early game; and why it deserves some closer attentions are the pair of gunslingers facing off at quarterback in Junior Austyn Modrzewski from Mountain Vista and Senior Logan Madden from Ralston Valley. Both lit up the air last season but remember you have to kick things up a notch if you want that next level we talked about.

Soon after kickoff, in what seemed like a playoff atmosphere, both teams clearly had some issues to start the game as they shook off rust, jitters, or maybe it was the curse of Zero Week. The Mustangs struck first with the late Q1 Touchdown. Then, midway through the 2nd, got to the endzone again. Vista ended the quarter on a high note and a late score / point after. The halftime score 13-7, Ralston Valley.

Both teams came out in the second half with drives that went nowhere. The futility continued for the duration of the quarter as both teams ended the 3rd scoreless. As the fourth quarter got going, both offenses made a little headway but mostly on the ground game.

The promised air war never materialized and instead, two rock solid defenses prevailed, Ralston Valley over Mountain Vista 13-7 for the final. No big jumps to a new level of play but maybe a few baby steps in the right direction.