Experts could make a case for five to six teams to win the 1A state championship as the field may be a bit more open than the recent past. Limon and Strasburg have combined to win the last two state titles and are ranked 1-2 in the pre-season but teams such as Colorado Springs Christian, Centauri, Holyoke and Meeker could have championship thoughts. We look at the storylines statewide and in each conference.
SHOULD LIMON BE THE PRE-SEASON NUMBER ONE TEAM
No doubt the Badgers had a tremendous 2018 campaign as they rolled to 13 straight wins and allowed just 81 points in landing another state championship. And while Limon will be motivated to win another crown in their 100th year of football at the school, they must also replace 11 quality seniors from last year’s championship club. Top challengers Strasburg, Colorado Springs, Centauri and Holyoke on paper also return a tremendous amount of talent and a case could be made for each club to be the pre-season number one club.
A major question for Limon is at the quarterback slot where Player of the Year Canaan Bennett graduated last Spring. Kory Tacha has quarterback duties in his history but the junior is also the team’s leading returner rusher (847 yards). He could see time there but others may be asked to fill the role to keep Tacha in the backfield where he’s very dangerous from multiple positions.
Tacha is joined by Jeremiah Leeper (589 yards as a freshman) to make up a quality Badgers backfield. The receiver spots are wide open. Tacha is the only player returning who caught a pass last year (11 receptions) with the other 39 catches lost to graduation.
Up front, Logan Marx returns to anchor both lines after earning all-state honors a year ago. Defensively, Alex Carr could also be asked to do more after picking up 39 tackles as a sophomore.
The schedule is again very difficult as the Badgers will be challenged in conference by the likes of Holyoke, Burlington and Wray who are all in the pre-season top 10. Crowley County and Meeker are also on the non-conference schedule ahead of a state championship rematch with Strasburg on September 28th. The Badgers open with 2A Lamar on the road September 6th.
COLORADO SPRINGS CHRISTIAN AND CENTAURI LOOK TO TAKE A FINAL STEP
After both clubs reached the state semifinals last year, the Lions and Falcons have enough returning talent on their roster to be considered strong state championship contenders in 2019. The Lions are ranked third and Falcons fourth in the pre-season and both are expected to pick up conference championships on their way to the playoffs.
2018 was a record setting year for Colorado Springs Christian as the semifinal trip was their first-ever semifinal appearance. They had posted just one playoff win in school history before downing both Monte Vista (51-30) and Florence (13-10) a year ago.
Leading the charge in 2019 is Player of the Year candidate Peyton Brones. He led the Lions with 1,724 yards rushing and 115 tackles last year and is the top returnee in both categories across Class 1A. But he’s far from a one-man attack offensively as the Lions also return Joe Dunn (884 yards rushing) and Caleb Stockton (827 yards passing). If the Lions get strong play up front and defensively, the offensive trio could be enough to push them into first ever state championship game appearance.
League wise, Florence could represent the strongest challenger in the Tri Peaks. The Huskies finished 8-3 with two losses to CS Christian. In between, they sandwiched an exciting playoff win over Wray (29-23). Owen Busetti is the top Husky returnee. He generated 680 yards rushing and 73 tackles which was second on the team in both categories. Javier Lancaster is also a key player up front. He earned second-team all-state honors in 2018.
Under coach Kyle Forster, Centauri has developed into a regular contender for the 1A crown. His Falcons have dropped only one league since game since 2013 and are again favored to land the Southern Peaks championship.
We focus mainly on offense most of the time but the key player for the Falcons could be Adam Chacon. He registered a team leading 109 tackles a year ago and had a dominating season. But the next six top tacklers were all seniors so Chacon could face early double or triple teams as other players settle into their defensive roles.
Offensively, the Falcons have more than enough talent to reach the finals. QB Eric Maez (1,092 yards passing), Taj Cornum (754 yards rushing) and Mason Claunch (399 yards receiving / 305 yards rushing) could all post even bigger numbers this year.
Monte Vista remains the strongest conference threat to Centauri. The Pirates opened 0-3 last year but then won five of six to earn a playoff bid. They lost to Colorado Springs Christian in the opening round. Cobi Garcia ran for 67 yards and had 13 tackles in that loss and is ready for his junior year. He should provide help on both sides of the ball to Kaidon Wenta who rushed for almost 15-hundred yards last season.
Center won five games in 2018 after missing the 2017 season due to low numbers. They look to close the gap after Centauri and Monte Vista after dropping those two games by a combined 74 points. Helping to do so are returnees Habrien Delacruz (630 yards passing), Carlos Almeida (18 receptions) and Devin Porres (15).
COULD HOLYOKE END UP WITH THE NORTH CENTRAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Most recently, the North Central championship has been decided by the annual matchup of Limon and Burlington but Holyoke may be ready to join that discussion. Despite playing many freshman and sophomores, the Dragons collected seven wins a year ago and finished strong in losses to Limon (19-13) and Meeker (12-7). With only four seniors lost to graduation, the roster has ten more games of experience and is one year stronger from work in the weight room. Coaches have noticed as the Dragons sit fifth in the CHSAA pre-season polls.
Miles Sprague returns to lead the Dragons after throwing for 732 yards as a freshman. He also intercepted five passes and is one of three returnees who combined for 16 picks. Luis Chafino intercepted six passes and Blake Mosenteen had five.
Mosenteen is another anchor on offense as he compiled 1,129 yards rushing in 2018. Chafino caught 12 passes and is joined by Caleb Deaver (293 yards receiving) as top targets for Sprague. Mikey Ramos (45 tackles) and Slaten Burries (31 tackles) are names to watch defensively.
Burlington and Wray are two other North Central teams listed in the Top 10. Burlington must find a new signal caller following the graduation of Braden Witzel. He threw for 807 yards and rushed for 451. Returning QB’s include Michael Gutierrez and Morgan Erker but they combined for just eight pass attempts in 2018.
Picking up the slack will be Taylor Scott who led the team with 554 yards on the ground added 74 tackles. Price Mangus (42 tackles) and Skye Perry (25) are also back in the lineup.
Wray lost the quality tandem of Cade Hillman (925 yards rushing) and Carlos Tarin (13 receptions) to graduation. QB Tyler Collins enters his junior season after throwing for 477 yards and six touchdowns. He also recorded 60 tackles which was third on the team. Emmanual Huerta (741 yards rushing) will get more carries this year and Junior Arambula returns to anchor the defense (93 tackles). Up front, Carson Berghuis is returning second-team all-state lineman.
STRASBURG AGAIN EXPECTED TO ROLL THROUGH NORTHERN CONFERENCE
Since joining Class 1A before the 2016 season, the Indians are 36-3 with two state championships and a runner-up finish to Limon last year. They’re also unbeaten in league play over those three years and they could keep that record intact again this year. Strasburg enters the season with a new head coach as former assistant Brian Brown takes over for Jeff Giger who is now in charge of the Brighton program.
The Indians reached the state championship despite battling through an injury riddled 2018 campaign. In the pre-season, Collin Russell and Trystan Graff were expected to play major roles on the offensive side but injuries limited the two to just ten combined games. Russell threw for 331 yards in four games and Graf picked up 302 yards in six games. They’re both healthy and again expected to be called upon often.
Other weapons back for Strasburg include Michael Burns (616 yards rushing), Koby Robison (321 yards rushing) and AJ Hemphill (11 receptions).
Highland has finished second to Strasburg each of the last three years. The Huskies have also compiled three consecutive 6-4 campaigns which ended with first round playoff losses. They hope to get past both marks here in 2019.
Sam Hnizeil is the likely starter at quarterback. He completed nine of 16 passes for 146 yards in very limited duty as a freshman. Holden Morgan returns after picking up 574 yards on the ground and Blake Fabrizius (64) is the top returning tackler.
MEEKER COULD AGAIN STAND TALL IN THE WESTERN SLOPE
The Cowboys have captured the last three conference championships and with the return of standout QB Ryan Phelan, they remain favored heading into 2019. Phelan threw for 1,869 yards last season and tops all returning Class 1A QB’s in that category. Elsewhere, the Cowboys need several new faces to take over important roles to win another crown.
Four of the top five receivers were seniors with Jacob Shelton as the lone receiver with at least 10 catches (24). Kelton Turner caught nine passes as a freshman and could be targeted more this year. He’s also the top returning rusher with 320 yards. Jeremy Woodward is also back after picking up 191 yards with four touchdowns as a sophomore.
Tevin Pelloni collected 63 tackles last year which was fourth on the team. Turner (39) and Woodward (38) are again players asked to do more on the defensive side.
Paonia placed second in league play last year and the Eagles are always seemingly in the discussion. They return QB Grey Neal (437 yards passing) and second-team all-state lineman Levi Peterson.
Hotchkiss (2-7) could also be improved. Their list of returnees includes QB Yahir Chavez (389 yards passing) and Adam Smith (100 tackles). Also back is talented running back Jace Peebles who finished 2018 with 1,081 yards rushing and 80 tackles.
A couple of other players to watch are Emmet Kuper of Grand Valley and Dusty Emig of Cedaredge. Kuper picked up 83 tackles and Emig paced the Bruins with 479 yards rushing.
FOOTHILLS UNDERGOING A MAKEOVER
Almost every team in the conference will rely on newcomers for success this year. The league graduated their top nine rushers, nine of their top 10 receivers and seven of their top 10 tacklers. The top returning rusher is Rai Zohn-Bell of Manual and he totaled 155 yards last season. Clear Creek’s Ben Griffin has the most receiving yards (221) of any returnee and Brandon Patterson of Platte Canyon is back after leading the conference with 106 tackles.
At quarterback, Jefferson’s Devon Kemp (1,424 yards) is back to lead the Saints and Melvin Taylor of Manual should again be in charge there after throwing for 506 yards last season. On defense, some names to note are Clear Creek’s Tanner Younger (61 tackles) and Nick Gallegos (56).
Platte Canyon (6-4) and Clear Creek (7-3) both earned playoff berths last year and each ended with losses in the opening round. Manual (3-6) finished third in the league last year while Jefferson (5-4) was the only other conference team with a winning record overall.
CROWLEY COUNTY LOOKS TO LAND ANOTHER LEAGUE TITLE BEFORE MOVING TO 8MAN
In the new conference alignment announced for the 2020-21 football seasons, Crowley County will slip into the eight man ranks. This means the 2019 campaign could be their last as an 11-man program. They’ve dominated the Santa Fe conference of late, winning 22 of their last 23 games. The loss came last year against Peyton as the Panthers landed the title their first year as a member.
Peyton is ranked seven in the pre-season but Crowley County could easily be the conference favorite. The Chargers return the tandem of Adam Schultz (511 yards passing) and Quamon Williams (428 yards receiving) to lead the offense. Peyton meantime, graduated three-year starting quarterback Trevor Walker and top two rushers JD Hart and Josh Gonzales. Key returnees include Colton Murray and Brandon Hussey. Murray is the likely starter at QB and rushed for 276 yards last season. Hussey was sixth in the conference with 71 tackles.
Looking to step up are Rocky Ford, John Mall and Trinidad. Rocky Ford will be led by Isaiah Garcia (1,023 yards passing) and Jadon Baldnado (368 yards receiving). John Mall returns defenders Wesley Van Matre (76) and Anthony Aldretti (74) who finished fourth and fifth in the league for tackles. Trinidad will rely heavily on Matt Martinez (1,135 yards rushing).
