League overview: Defending state champion Eaton remains in the Patriot West, along with Berthoud and The Academy, but the league reshuffle has brought some other changes. Resurrection Christian and Severance moved up to the 3A classification, while Steamboat Springs drops down to 2A and the Patriot West. Faith Christian joins from the former Flatirons League, and Fort Lupton comes over from the Patriot East. Only Eaton made the postseason from the current league lineup.
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Berthoud
Head coach: Cory Ticnor
2021 Record: 1-8 (0-4 Patriot West)
Returning All-State Players: None
Berthoud won its season opener in 2021, but dropped its next eight games. Now the Spartans look to tackle new competition in a new league, though Eaton is still with Berthoud. Coach Cory Ticnor pointed to a handful of key returners – seniors Ben Hughes and Evan Sauget, and juniors Aiden McGrath, Ben Larson and Alex Larson – to help the team get back on the right track. Sophomore Skyler Streicher should also be a player to watch. Ticnor wants his squad to be able to maintain mental and physical toughness for all four quarters.
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Eaton
Head coach: Zac Lemon
2021 Record: 13-0 (5-0 Patriot West)
Returning All-State Players: Ryder True (First Team); Walker Martin (Second Team) Zac Grable (Honorable Mention)
The Reds ran the table, dominating teams all year before finishing off the state championship with a 26-14 victory over Brush. Seven players earned first-team all-state honors, but only running back/linebacker Ryder True is back from that group. Quarterback Walker Martin, now a senior, was a second-team pick, and current senior Zac Grable (wide receiver/defensive back) was honorable mention. Martin, an NCAA Division I commit in baseball to Arkansas, had 19 touchdown passes and nine more scores on the ground. Grable hauled in 10 of his touchdown passes. Other key returners include Cort Sanger, Morgan Tribbett, Austin Martinez, Tate Smith (another D-I baseball commit to Oklahoma), Trent Salberg and Jacob Webster. Underclassmen Kade Gentry, Benson Hood and Gunnar Clary are players to watch. Eaton will need to replace a good portion of its offensive line – three of the first-team all-state group were linemen. But a good group of skill position players should have Eaton looking to pick up where it left off.
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Faith Christian
Head coach: Micah Connor
2021 Record: 5-4 (4-1 Flatirons)
Returning All-State Players: None
A challenging non-league slate got Faith Christian off on the wrong foot last fall, but the team regrouped to finish second to Northfield in league play. That said, the core of the team’s skill position players graduated. Ethan Kuyper did lead the team in receiving yards as a junior and tied for first on the squad with four touchdown catches. The loss of second-team all-state pick Cody Connor on both sides of the ball is a big one though. Kuyper had three sacks, and defensive end Will Reed, now a junior, had four.
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Fort Lupton
Head coach: George Ramirez
2021 Record: 1-8 (0-5 Patriot East)
Returning All-State Players: William Alvarado (Honorable Mention)
A 39-38 victory over Estes Park was the lone victory for Fort Lupton a year ago. William Alvarado, who was honorable mention all-state, is back for his senior season after also leading the Blue Devils in rushing. Most of Alvarado’s top receiving targets were also juniors. The defense was fairly young as well and should return its core of talent to provide Fort Lupton with a boost going into 2022.
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Steamboat Springs
Head coach: Jay Hamric
2021 Record: 6-4 (2-3 3A Central West)
Returning All-State Players: None
The Sailors won six of their first seven games last fall, but a three-game league losing skid ended the team’s season. Steamboat Springs now drops down to 2A, though the team doesn’t find itself in a league with the other Western Slope programs. The team graduated starting quarterback Jake Hamric, but the team’s leading rusher, Brady Grove, was only a sophomore last fall. The defense was senior heavy in 2021, though safety Austin Moore did have three interceptions.
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The Academy
Head coach: Glenn Scott
2021 Record: 5-4 (0-3 Patriot West)
Returning All-State Players: Isiah Eliot (Honorable Mention)
The Academy won its first four contests last fall, but dropped four of its final five in a challenging league. The Wildcats have Isiah Eliot, an honorable mention all-state pick, back at quarterback after a season in which he tossed 16 touchdowns and rushed for 10 more scores. Middle linebacker Corbin Miller was the team’s leading tackler as a junior.
