Skyline 22, Silver Creek 18, Longmont 16, Vista Peak Prep 16, Fruita Monument 13, Brighton 10, Denver South 9, Greeley West 9, Rampart 7, Bear Creek 5, Grand Junction 4, Monarch 3, Greeley Central 2, Fort Collins 1, Golden 1.
Dropped out
Skyline (7).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Palmer Ridge (19)
1-0
197
1
W
2
Palisade
1-0
164
2
W
3
Mead (1)
2-0
157
3
W
4
Green Mountain
1-0
116
6
W
5
Discovery Canyon
2-0
114
7
W
6
Pueblo South (1)
2-0
100
8
W
7
Erie
1-1
68
4
L
8
Pueblo East
1-1
59
9
W
9
Roosevelt
1-1
45
5
L
10
Durango
1-1
35
10
L
Others receiving votes:
Frederick 23, Holy Family 20, Fort Morgan 13, Pueblo Central 10, Northridge 8, Battle Mountain 6, Thomas Jefferson 6, Lutheran 5, Denver North 4, Evergreen 3, Harrison 2.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cherokee Trail (7)
5-1
101
1
0-0
2
Chaparral (1)
5-2
95
2
2-0
3
Legend (2)
5-1
87
3
1-0
4
Valor Christian (1)
3-0
72
4
2-0
5
Fairview (1)
5-0
48
8
1-0
6
Rampart
3-0
46
–
2-0
7
Cherry Creek
2-1
43
5
1-0
8
Fort Collins
4-1
30
7
1-0
9
Grandview
4-3
26
9
2-0
10
Eaglecrest
5-2
21
6
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Heritage 17, Loveland 15, Broomfield 11, Legacy 9, Pine Creek 9, Chatfield 6, ThunderRidge 5, Dakota Ridge 4, Ralston Valley 3, Windsor 3, Castle View 2, Columbine 2, Mountain Vista 2, Fossil Ridge 1, Highlands Ranch 1, Lakewood 1.
Dropped out
Chatfield (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (4)
1-1
89
1
1-1
2
Mead (3)
4-1
82
3
3-1
3
Palmer Ridge (1)
1-1
66
2
0-1
4
Cheyenne Mountain (2)
2-0
62
8
2-0
5
Discovery Canyon (1)
6-1
48
4
5-1
6
Silver Creek
1-0
42
6
0-0
7
Mullen
4-0
39
–
2-0
8
Coronado
1-1
33
10
0-1
9
Niwot
0-0
32
5
0-0
10
Montrose (1)
3-0
31
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 30, Skyline 26, Longmont 20, Denver West 17, Fort Morgan 16, Pueblo West 16, Frederick 14, Woodland Park 10, Golden 6, Ponderosa 6, Eagle Valley 5, Battle Mountain 4, Skyview 4, Evergreen 3, Glenwood Springs 3, Standley Lake 3, Thomas Jefferson 3, Kennedy 2, Mesa Ridge 1, Wheat Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Longmont (7), Air Academy (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lutheran (7)
1-0
94
2
1-0
2
Eaton (1)
2-0
85
1
0-0
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
3-0
76
3
2-0
4
Faith Christian
1-0
75
4
1-0
5
Alamosa (1)
5-1
61
5
4-1
6
Sterling (1)
1-0
55
7
1-0
7
Valley
0-1
33
8
0-1
8
University
2-2
30
6
1-2
9
Platte Valley
1-0
22
10
1-0
10
Cedaredge
4-0
18
–
4-0
Others receiving votes:
La Junta 15, Englewood 10, Fort Lupton 10, Coal Ridge 9, Eagle Ridge Academy 8, Lamar 8, Brush 7, Peak to Peak 7, Frontier Academy 6, Centauri 5, James Irwin 5, Manitou Springs 4, Resurrection Christian 4, SkyView Academy 3, The Pinnacle 2.
Dropped out
Resurrection Christian (9).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver Christian (8)
5-0
80
1
4-0
2
Limon
2-1
62
4
2-1
3
Wiggins
2-0
61
3
1-0
4
Union Colony Prep
5-0
47
6
3-0
5
Meeker</tdå>
3-1
36
5
3-1
6
Yuma
1-1
35
2
1-1
7
Ignacio
3-0
19
–
1-0
8
Swink
4-1
16
–
2-0
9
Highland
4-2
14
–
1-1
10
Hoehne
3-3
10
8
0-3
Others receiving votes:
Simla 9, Fowler 8, Sedgwick County 8, Dawson School 7, West Grand 6, Clear Creek 5, Rye 4, Akron 3, John Mall 3, Lyons 3, Telluride 3, Hayden 1.
Dropped out
Lyons (7), Akron (9), Vail Mountain (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
La Veta (7)
5-0
70
2
1-0
2
Kit Carson
2-1
60
1
1-1
3
Briggsdale
4-1
51
4
1-0
4
Merino
4-1
43
7
2-0
5
Fleming
1-1
40
3
1-1
6
Otis
4-0
28
5
4-0
7
Prairie
1-0
25
10
1-0
8
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
3-0
22
–
2-0
9
Weldon Valley
3-1
18
6
2-1
10
Haxtun
1-4
8
–
0-1
Others receiving votes:
Dove Creek 5, Sangre de Cristo 5, Stratton/Liberty 5, Springfield 2, Kim/Branson 1, Pikes Peak Christian 1.
Longmont 17, Windsor 15, Grand Junction 14, Denver South 11, Grand Junction Central 11, Greeley West 10, Rampart 10, Brighton 8, Monarch 7, Thornton 7, Wheat Ridge 5, Mesa Ridge 4, Vista Peak Prep 4, Fruita Monument 3, Air Academy 1, Golden 1, Silver Creek 1.
Dropped out
Rampart (9), Fruita Monument (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Palmer Ridge (16)
0-0
173
1
Bye
2
Palisade (1)
0-0
150
3
Bye
3
Mead (1)
1-0
117
5
W
4
Erie
1-0
105
4
W
5
Roosevelt
1-0
77
–
W
6
Green Mountain
0-0
70
6
Bye
7
Discovery Canyon
1-0
64
7
W
7
Pueblo South
1-0
64
8
W
9
Pueblo East
0-1
48
2
L
10
Durango
1-0
42
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Frederick 28, Harrison 12, Fort Morgan 9, Holy Family 8, Pueblo Central 8, Evergreen 5, Denver North 4, Glenwood Springs 2, Thomas Jefferson 2, Kennedy 1, Lutheran 1.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cherokee Trail (5)
5-1
101
2
5-1
2
Chaparral (2)
3-2
97
1
3-2
3
Legend (2)
4-1
93
–
4-1
4
Valor Christian (1)
1-0
75
3
1-0
5
Cherry Creek
1-1
56
5
1-1
6
Eaglecrest
4-1
47
4
4-1
7
Fort Collins
3-1
30
6
3-1
8
Fairview (1)
4-0
25
–
4-0
9
Grandview
2-3
24
7
2-3
10
Chatfield
1-0
21
8
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Rampart 20, Rock Canyon 12, Boulder 11, ThunderRidge 11, Rangeview 10, Arapahoe 9, Denver South 9, Legacy 9, Mountain Vista 8, Pine Creek 7, Castle View 6, Columbine 6, Fossil Ridge 6, Loveland 6, Broomfield 5, Ralston Valley 4, Lakewood 3, Pomona 2.
Dropped out
Mountain Vista (9), Fossil Ridge (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
0-0
106
1
0-0
2
Palmer Ridge (1)
1-0
75
5
1-0
3
Mead (1)
1-0
73
7
1-0
4
Discovery Canyon
1-0
50
6
1-0
5
Niwot
0-0
49
4
0-0
6
Silver Creek
1-0
47
9
1-0
7
Longmont
0-1
35
3
0-1
8
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
32
8
0-0
9
Air Academy
2-1
29
–
2-1
10
Coronado
1-0
25
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo West 18, Mullen 17, Holy Family 15, Montrose 14, Thomas Jefferson 13, Skyline 10, Golden 7, Lincoln 7, Ponderosa 6, Eagle Valley 5, Evergreen 5, Skyview 5, Battle Mountain 4, Frederick 4, Erie 3, Wheat Ridge 3, Woodland Park 1.
Dropped out
Holy Family (2), Ponderosa (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (1)
2-0
95
2
2-0
2
Lutheran (7)
0-0
86
1
0-0
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
1-0
72
3
1-0
4
Faith Christian
0-0
58
5
0-0
5
Alamosa
1-0
53
4
1-0
6
University
1-0
49
7
1-0
7
Sterling
0-0
40
6
0-0
8
Valley
0-0
21
10
0-0
9
Resurrection Christian
0-0
16
9
0-0
10
Platte Valley
0-0
15
8
0-0
Others receiving votes:
La Junta 12, Eagle Ridge Academy 11, Englewood 10, Fort Lupton 9, Frontier Academy 9, SkyView Academy 9, Lamar 7, Brush 6, Centauri 5, James Irwin 5, Peak to Peak 5, Delta 4, Gunnison 3, Middle Park 2, The Pinnacle 2, Jefferson Academy 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver Christian (8)
1-0
89
1
1-0
2
Yuma (1)
0-0
76
4
0-0
3
Wiggins
1-0
59
3
1-0
4
Limon
0-0
47
2
0-0
5
Meeker
0-0
46
6
0-0
6
Union Colony Prep
2-0
32
–
2-0
7
Lyons
1-1
30
5
1-1
8
Hoehne
3-0
24
–
3-0
9
Akron
0-0
20
9
0-0
10
Vail Mountain
0-0
14
8
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Ignacio 13, Rye 9, Dolores 8, Paonia 7, West Grand 6, Highland 4, Holyoke 4, John Mall 4, Swink 2, Simla 1.
Dropped out
Del Norte (7), Rye (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (9)
1-0
90
1
1-0
2
La Veta
4-0
80
2
4-0
3
Fleming
0-0
71
3
0-0
4
Briggsdale
3-1
49
10
3-1
5
Otis
0-0
45
8
0-0
6
Weldon Valley
1-0
43
5
1-0
7
Merino
2-1
36
4
2-1
8
McClave
0-0
22
9
0-0
9
Sangre de Cristo
2-1
18
6
2-1
10
Prairie
0-0
17
–
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Haxtun 11, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 8, Dove Creek 4, Springfield 1.
Stratton/Liberty was clinging to a 14-12 lead over Kit Carson in the waning moments of the first half.
Then Kit Carson scored just as the second quarter ended to take a 18-14 lead at the break. And they kept scoring, going up 40-14 after three quarters, and eventually securing a 48-14 win.
The Wildcats scored 38 unanswered points, including a 30-0 margin in the second half.
“The first half, we had a lot of mental lapses,” Kit Carson coach Curt Connelley told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “We had, it seemed like, about 10 penalties. The second half we put things together and had a great run.”
Jayden McCombs-Farmer helped lead the way for Kit Carson with 155 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and a defensive effort that had him all over the field. Sullivan Farmer also threw three touchdown passes, and Peter Hornung had a receiving score.
It means the second-ranked Wildcats will likely take over atop the polls for preseason No. 1 Stratton/Liberty. It also means Kit Carson got some measure of revenge for last year’s 6-man championship game, which Stratton/Liberty won by defeating the Wildcats.
“It was one of the main things we kept talking about: Last time were were at Stratton, we got our butts whipped a little bit,” Connelley said.
Jarret Lichty, Stratton/Liberty’s top offensive weapon and the returning player of the year in 6-man, missed the game with an MCL sprain.
In the loss, Trevor Frank had a rushing score and a receiving touchdown for Stratton/Liberty.
[divider]
4A: (8) Pueblo South 49, (9) Holy Family 25
Pueblo South has grown into a more experienced team this season, and it showed in their opener.
The Colts, who started the 2018 campaign 0-4 with a young roster, began 2019 with a huge top-10 win. Jackson Dickerson had two receiving scores, and returned a punt for a touchdown, and Logan Petit threw three touchdown passes for the Colts.
“Just really proud of the way our kids played, such good effort,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told the Scoreboard Show. “We turned them over a few times, which was key for us defensively. Our kids on the defensive side played really well.”
Of his offense, Goddard said, “We played pretty efficiently on offense. We had a little trouble getting going on the ground game, but having an experienced quarterback was helpful for us. … We spread the ball around and had some success through the air, then got the running game going.”
Pueblo West got a huge statement win to open the season, on the road, no less — and they started early.
The Cyclones scored on their first two plays from scrimmage, built a 35-0 lead, and then rolled to a top-10 win.
“We really challenged our kids to start fast, and they did that,” Pueblo West coach Clint Buderus told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a good way to start. The kids have put in a lot of work in the offseason, and they were ready to go.”
Chandler Mason had four total touchdowns for Pueblo West, including a 65-yard rushing touchdown on the team’s opening play from scrimmage, and a 93-yard passing touchdown on their second.
Dawson Menegatti had two scores, one receiving and another on a fumble recovery.
It was a great debut for new coach Shawn Marsh and his son, Max, Eaglecrest’s starting quarterback.
Max Marsh, who transferred over from Grand Junction Central when his dad was hired in the offseason, accounted for three touchdowns — two rushing and one passing — as Eaglecrest broke open a 13-13 tie in the second half and start off its season 1-0.
“He had a couple of big runs, and made some plays,” Shawn Marsh said on the Scoreboard Show. “It ended up being a good night.”
Eaglecrest built a 13-7 lead at halftime, and then Highlands Ranch tied it at 13-13 following their opening drive of the second half when Jake Rubley threw his second touchdown of the day. Both went to Konor Lathrop.
Madj Barakat gave Eaglecrest the lead, this time for good, later in the third quarter when he stripped Rubley of the ball at the 30-yard-line and returned the fumble for a score.
Eaglecrest sealed the game with a screen play on 4th-and-5 from the Highlands Ranch 28 that brought the ball inside the 10 with two minutes to play.
[divider]
Notables
A number of games in the Denver metro area endured multiple lightning delays, causing some games to not finish up until after 11 p.m.
Adams City snapped a 17-game losing streak on Friday with a 17-9 win over Skyview. The Eagles hadn’t won since Sept. 2017.
In 2A, Sterling knocked off No. 4 Resurrection Christian 13-7 in overtime. The game was scoreless through three quarters, before Sterling grabbed a 7-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Resurrection Christian tied the game with 1:55 to play, and then Sterling won in OT after recovering a fumble on their defensive possession. “It was a lot of fun tonight,” Sterling coach Rob Busmente told the Scoreboard Show. “Both teams were in it and had there moments. It was kinda going back and forth … and we battled to the end.”
Roosevelt knocked off No. 2 Pueblo East in 3A, 38-21.
In 6-man, No. 3 Fleming topped No. 7 Idalia 65-12.
Another top-10 matchup in 6-man, where No. 5 Flagler/Hi-Plains held off No. 9 Briggsdale 40-39.
Sedgwick County is seeking a fifth-straight 8-man championship, and the Cougars beat Simla 46-0 to being their 2019 campaign.
Defending 5A champion Valor Christian opened its season with a 56-6 win over Charlotte (N.C.) Christian. Gavin Sawchuk rushed for two touchdowns, and Cole Bott found Kaiden Keefe for two passing scores. And the Eagles got a visit from alum Christian McCaffrey:
The 2019 preseason football rankings were released on Monday. No. 1 ranked teams include: Valor Christian (5A), Pine Creek (4A), Palmer Ridge (3A), La Junta (2A), Limon (1A), Sedgwick County (8-man) and Stratton/Liberty (6-man).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Dakota Ridge 46, Greeley West 29, Heritage 25, Longmont 23, Windsor 22, Monarch 17, Grand Junction Central 9, Denver South 7, Vista Ridge 7, Wheat Ridge 7, Fort Collins 6, Vista Peak Prep 6, Bear Creek 5, Grand Junction 2, Air Academy 1, Golden 1, Mountain View 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Palmer Ridge (17)
0-0
198
2
Pueblo East
0-0
176
3
Palisade (3)
0-0
162
4
Erie (1)
0-0
141
5
Mead
0-0
109
6
Green Mountain
0-0
79
7
Discovery Canyon
0-0
67
8
Pueblo South
0-0
53
9
Holy Family
0-0
44
10
Durango
0-0
42
Others receiving votes:
Harrison 39, Frederick 22, Fort Morgan 19, Thomas Jefferson 17, Roosevelt 11, Northridge 10, Pueblo Central 7, Lewis-Palmer 6, Canon City 4, Evergreen 3, Glenwood Springs 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
La Junta (3)
0-0
115
2
Platte Valley (4)
0-0
113
3
Faith Christian (4)
0-0
106
4
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
87
5
Rifle
0-0
82
6
Bayfield (1)
0-0
48
7
Delta (1)
0-0
47
8
Kent Denver
0-0
38
9
Aspen
0-0
31
10
Eaton
0-0
22
Others receiving votes:
Basalt 21, Salida 15, Sterling 10, D’Evelyn 7, Elizabeth 7, The Classical Academy 7, Englewood 5, Lamar 5, Bishop Machebeuf 2, Alamosa 1, Berthoud 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Limon (11)
0-0
140
2
Strasburg (2)
0-0
114
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
0-0
103
4
Centauri
0-0
84
5
Holyoke (1)
0-0
63
T6
Meeker
0-0
62
T6
Peyton
0-0
62
8
Florence
0-0
51
9
Burlington
0-0
41
10
Wray
0-0
32
Others receiving votes:
Monte Vista 21, Paonia 16, Crowley County 12, Highland 8, Buena Vista 7, Platte Canyon 6, Manual 2, Jefferson 1.
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sedgwick County (11)
0-0
119
2
Hoehne (1)
0-0
87
3
Merino
0-0
78
4
West Grand
0-0
61
5
Caliche
0-0
54
6
Mancos
0-0
51
7
Pikes Peak Christian
0-0
37
8
Fowler
0-0
32
9
Rangely
0-0
31
10
Sargent
0-0
28
Others receiving votes:
Dayspring Christian Academy 24, Holly 22, Akron 18, Sanford 8, Vail Christian 6, Simla 2, Dove Creek 1, Sangre de Cristo 1.
6-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Stratton/Liberty (5)
0-0
77
2
Kit Carson (3)
0-0
75
3
Fleming
0-0
59
4
Prairie
0-0
49
5
Flagler/Hi-Plains
0-0
38
6
Peetz
0-0
34
7
Idalia
0-0
25
8
Arickaree/Woodlin
0-0
20
9
Briggsdale
0-0
19
10
Cheyenne Wells
0-0
12
Others receiving votes:
Genoa-Hugo 10, Cotopaxi 9, North Park 8, Granada 2, Cheraw 1, Mountain Valley 1, Walsh 1.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Chaparral (6)
0-0
86
2
Cherokee Trail (2)
0-0
80
3
Valor Christian (1)
0-0
59
4
Eaglecrest
0-0
49
5
Cherry Creek
0-0
47
6
Fort Collins
0-0
41
7
Grandview
0-0
37
8
Chatfield
0-0
22
9
Mountain Vista
0-0
19
10
Fossil Ridge
0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Rampart 11, Windsor 9, Adams City 5, Rocky Mountain 4, Columbine 3, Pine Creek 3, Rock Canyon 3, Legend 2.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
0-0
95
2
Holy Family
0-0
64
3
Longmont
0-0
61
4
Niwot
0-0
57
5
Palmer Ridge
0-0
38
6
Discovery Canyon
0-0
37
7
Mead (1)
0-0
35
8
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
32
9
Silver Creek
0-0
31
10
Ponderosa
0-0
21
Others receiving votes:
Evergreen 17, Berthoud 14, Pueblo West 10, Air Academy 9, Thomas Jefferson 9, Erie 5, Montrose 5, Coronado 4, Palisade 3, George Washington 2, Mullen 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lutheran (8)
0-0
88
2
Eaton
0-0
73
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
0-0
70
4
Alamosa
0-0
46
5
Faith Christian
0-0
42
6
Sterling
0-0
40
7
University
0-0
36
8
Platte Valley
0-0
33
9
Resurrection Christian
0-0
20
10
Valley
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 7, Bishop Machebeuf 5, Centauri 4, Pagosa Springs 4, Delta 3, La Junta 2, Middle Park 2, St. Mary’s 2, Peak to Peak 1.
Monday marked the official start of the 2019 fall sports season as boys golf teams took to driving ranges and putting greens to start refining their games.
This means the start for team sports is right around the corner. As we have all summer, we have taken a look at stat leaders from a year ago that will be returning to their sports this season. Last week we highlighted the returning offensive stars on the football field. This week, it’s onto the defense.
As teams get closer to strapping on the pads for real, here is a look at some names to watch on the defensive side of the ball.
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Tackles
Arvada West’s Elijah Olson was nothing short of ball hawk last year. His 153 were good enough to place him fifth in the state across all classifications. He returns in 2019 as the top tackler both in the state and in Class 5A. Fossil Ridge’s Caden Dollar and Lakewood’s Luke Hittle (both incoming juniors) also recorded solid numbers last year, totaling 119 and 116 tackles, respectively.
In 4A, Montrose’s Cole Simmons made 144 tackles last year. Ponderosa’s Ben Beecher wasn’t far behind with 124 but a big name to watch will be Greeley Central’s Yahir Chairez-Salazar who fifth in the classification with 116 tackles. Chairez-Salazar will be a sophomore in 2019.
Heavy tackling numbers weren’t just reserved for the large schools. Merino’s Trent Elliott recorded 143 of them as just a sophomore which tops all returning 8-man players. In 6-man, Cheyenne Wells’ Quade Pelton made 141 tackles proving himself as one of the top defensive players in a classification known more for heavy offensive numbers.
Mead’s Devon Edwards led all returning 3A players with 147 tackles in 2018. Platte Valley’s Josh Yancey was best among 2A returners with 117 and Monte Vista’s Cobi Garcia totaled 116 to top all 1A players coming back in 2019.
Sacks
Across all classifications, no player that’s returning this year registered more sacks than Swink’s Noah Zumwalt. His 14 from last season ranked sixth in the entire state and he is back in 2019 to once again terrorize 8-man quarterbacks.
The 6-man class has a pair of pass rushers that are looking to put up solid numbers once again this fall. Stratton/Liberty’s Trevor Frank recorded 11 sacks last year which ranked him No. 3 in the class. Fleming’s Brady Kuntz was right behind him with 10.
Cherokee Trail’s Kobe Thompson recorded 11, leading all 5A players returning in 2019. ThunderRidge’s Kaden Stewart was just a half-sack away from tying Thompson’s 11.
Green Mountain’s Will Banks and Pueblo East’s Brandon Hall each had eight sacks to lead the pack of 3A players returning in 2019.
The 4A class had three players match those eight sacks. Vista Ridge’s Emmanuel Taylor, Air Academy’s Aidan Diller and Standley Lake’s Jaren Cosby are all anxious to get after opposing quarterbacks this fall.
Resurrection Christian’s Tanner Applebee and Alamosa’s Cash Mueller each recorded seven sacks last season to lead all 2A returners.
Colorado Springs Christian’s Rian Chavez had 6.5 sacks last year and will enter the season as 1A’s biggest pass rushing threat.
Interceptions
In 2018, Regis Jesuit’s Bryce Parson’s subscribed to the theory that the opposing team can’t score if it doesn’t have the ball. He picked off 10 passes last year and will enter the 2019 season as the only player to record double-digit interception numbers a year ago.
He was nearly matched by Palmer Ridge’s Kaden Dudley who picked off nine passes while helping the Bears win the 3A state title. His defensive output will be challenged by Mead’s Trey Ward who grabbed eight interceptions last year.
Lamar’s Damian Ramos and Bishop Machebeuf’s Jack Farmer will each be back this year after picking off eight passes in 2A. They were tied for second in the category across the entire class last year making them a big threat should opposing teams take to the air with them on the field.
Dove Creek’s Gauge Thompson led all 8-man returners with seven picks and that number was matched in 6-man by Stratton/Liberty’s Jaret Lichty.
Jefferon’s Devon Kemp and Holyoke’s Luis Chafino each picked off six passes to top 1A’s returning players.
Interceptions were spread around 4A as three players who will take the field in 2019 pulled down five of them. Gateway’s Lanier Deruso, Rampart’s Cale Cormaney and Montrose’s Aaron Dietrich will look to defend the skies once again this fall.
