Storylines for Class 3A football in 2019 center on the mass exodus of talent from the division as record setters such as Ty Evans of Palmer Ridge, Noah Roper of Erie and Luc Andrada of Pueblo East all graduated along with 15 other first team all-state members and 18 from the second team. Palmer Ridge, Erie and Pueblo East must replace those major talents to stay atop the division while other teams may see the opportunity to break through.
CAN A NEW PALMER RIDGE QB LEAD THE BEARS TO A THIRD CONSECUTIVE CROWN?
Even though Evans has left for college, the Bears have an abundance of talent across the board that will help ease a new quarterback into the lineup. Raef Ruel, with 1,301 yards and 20 TD’s last year, returns to lead the ground game and the tremendous duo of Anthony Roberson and Kaden Dudley are back on the outside. Roberson caught 55 balls for 937 yards and 11 TD’s while Dudley finished at 30-341-6. The line will hold up under the leadership of Cody Bruce who earned second team all-state honors a year ago.
The quarterback role remains crucial however. Evans threw for 9,400 yards in his career with 106 TD’s including at least 30 in each of the past three seasons. Luke McAllister was the back up last season and completed 7 of 15 attempts for 48 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Bears will look for newcomers as five of the top six tacklers left through graduation but the leader, Jordan Sparks, is back to take charge. He amassed 125 tackles including 28 for loss during last year’s state title run.
The Bears schedule is very difficult as they tangle with Pueblo East, Pueblo South and Pine Creek in non-league play and they could be challenged by Discovery Canyon, Thomas Jefferson and Lewis Palmer inside the Central conference. All six of those opponents entered the post-season a year ago and could likely do so again this year.
Discovery Canyon (9-3) ended their playoff run with a lopsided loss to Pueblo East in round one. The Thunder graduated their QB but leading rusher Marshal Pike (1,316 yards) and second team all-state lineman Gage Clawson are back. The top two receivers also return as does Jonah Isakson who earned 64 tackles a year ago.
Thomas Jefferson (8-3) is poised for a deep playoff run and will get a boost with Mike Griebel as the new head coach. He directed a very successful Heritage program for several years and knows what it takes to win a state title.
Griebel arrives to a find a cupboard loaded with explosive offensive talent led by the trio of Trenton Koser, Derek Hunter and Keshaun Taylor. Hunter, a first team all-state selection, gained 1,410 yards with 17 touchdowns on the ground and Taylor, a second team pick, caught 30 passes for 589 yards and four TD’s. Koser directs the attack. He threw for 1,504 yards with 12 TD’s.
The top three tacklers from last year, Avery Shunneson (71), Adam Coleman (62) and Taylor (58), also return on defense.
Lewis Palmer (6-5) returns QB Alex Weaver (937 yards passing) but graduated leading rusher Evan Walsh, who ran for a league best 1,545 yards.
PUEBLO EAST HAS PLAYED IN FOUR OF LAST FIVE STATE FINALS BUT IS ALSO LOOKING FOR A NEW QB
The Eagles won three consecutive crowns from 2014-16 and then reached the state final again last year before falling to Palmer Ridge in a high scoring state final. They had beaten the Bears in regular season play but could not earn a second win over the Bears.
Looking to 2019, the Eagles must find a successor to Luc Andrada who is now at BYU trying to earn time at wide receiver as a true freshman. A three-year starter, Andrada led the Eagles to a title as a sophomore and last year totaled 3,135 yards and 33 TD’s passing while adding another 886 yards on the ground.
Jack Helzer is the likely QB for this year. He attempted 26 passes last year; completing 15 for 218 yards.
The new signal caller will have confidence in throwing to Marvin London on the outside. The lanky wideout led the team with 73 catches for 1,083 yards and seven touchdowns. But he also had UCLA signee Kain Medrano on the opposite side last season and with him gone, defenses can now gang up a bit more on London. Medrano caught 66 passes with nearly a third (21) going for scores. He also picked off seven passes defensively.
Other key returnees for the Eagles are Noah Rivera (420 yards rushing) and Brandon Hall who was second in tackles with 120.
Pueblo South and Durango are again the main chasers in the South Central. Both are coming off solid seasons that ended with playoff losses in the opening round. Pueblo South returns a very good offensive trio of Logan Petit (1,581 yards passing), Connor Huth (342 yards rushing) and Jackson Dickerson (46 receptions). Durango gets back Jordan Woolverton who threw for 1,560 yards and 14 TD’s as a sophomore and Gage Mestas (31 receptions). Leading the defense will be Everett Howland who was third with 87 tackles.
Schedules for both are extremely difficult. South has Holy Family, Erie, Discovery Canyon, Palmer Ridge and Lewis Palmer in non-league play. Their conference schedule involves four in-city rivalry games and a tough date with Durango. The Demons must make three trips to Pueblo for conference games alone.
Around the conference, players to watch include Ryley Roth (402 yards passing) and Austin Allenback (109 tackles) for Pueblo Central and Centennial QB Devin Blue (589 yards passing).
WHERE DOES ERIE FIND OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION IN THE POST ROPER ERA?
The Tigers won their only state title in 1997, but the last two years in Erie have been among the most exciting in school history. They reached the state finals in 2017 and then went 12-1 a year ago before ending their run with a loss to Pueblo East (35-17). Over those two years, Noah Roper established himself as one of the top running backs in Colorado history.
Replacing may be difficult than a normal graduation because he meant so much to the offense. Last season, he ran for 2,229 yards with 37 TD’s. The rest of the team totaled 917 yards with 15 scores. In 2017, Roper totaled 2,631 and 36 with the remaining Tigers picking up 695 and eight.
QB Gabe Mendoza will likely become even more important to the Tigers offense. He ran for 255 yards a year ago but also threw for 550 yards and 10 TD’s on just 48 attempts. Cameron Crooks ran for 201 yards last season and should get more touches as well.
More holes can be found on the defensive side as well as Nathan Hackney (62 tackles) and Jaymeson Nelms (56) both graduated. They were 1-2 in stops.
Fort Morgan (8-3) was the only other playoff team from the North Valley. They lost to Palisade 38-7 in the opening round last year and now must replace key players as well. Isaac Linker (1,214 yards passing) and JP Hamer (1,403 yards rushing) were both lost to graduation. Nick Norris though is a player to watch as the lineman and defensive end is starting to get Division 1 interest.
Around the conference, we won’t be surprised if Thompson Valley, Roosevelt and Niwot all post more wins. Thompson Valley returns QB Cameron Nellor (1,209 yards) and receivers Trey Kreikemeyer (30 catches) and James Dyken (26). Roosevelt gets back QB Brig Hartson (752 yards passing) and sophomore defenders Cooper Walton and Garrett Padgett who combined for 159 tackles as freshmen. Niwot will be led by QB Ayden Barko (563 yards passing) and RB Liam Flanagan (702 yards rushing).
MOUNT METRO RETURNS EVERY STARTING QUARTERBACK
Even though Green Mountain is favored to land another league title, every team in the league could be improved as each returns their starting quarterback. The defending champion Rams will again be directed by Trey Towndrow who earned second team all-state honors as a junior. He threw for 96 yards and threw for 91 in the Rams playoff win over Thomas Jefferson. It was the school’s first post-season win since 2004 and just the second since they landed the 1999 state championship.
Evergreen looks for another playoff berth as Griffin Lauritano and Adam Cardillo could again share duties at QB. They combined for over 500 yards passing and each tossed five touchdown passes.
George Washington QB Jaden Green led the conference with 1,722 yards passing and 19 TD’s. Kennedy gets back Manual Lucero who finished with 1,367 yards and 11 TD’s through the air. Lincoln is led by Jared Hudson and Conifer by J.R. Hart. Hudson tossed 11 TD passes and totaled 1,170 yards overall. Hart also threw for 11 scores and reached 1,095 yards on the season.
Despite all those numbers, Green Mountain is still heavily favored for the crown. In addition to Towndrow, the Rams offense will again feature Quinn Meinert and Trey Corkin. Meinert, a second team all-state pick, ran for 136 yards and two scores in the win over Thomas Jefferson and Corkin added four receptions for 69 yards. They lost defensive standout Ryan Burdi to graduation, but players responsible for 76 of the 92 tackles against TJ are back on the roster in 2019.
We’ll also get a chance to see how good Green Mountain will be this year. They’re off in week one but then face Harrison and Palisade over the following two weeks. They also get Evergreen at home on October 25th.
WHO CHALLENGES PALISADE OUT WEST?
The truthful answer is likely no one. Palisade was the only playoff member from the conference and Battle Mountain (6-4) was the only other league team to finish above 500 for the season. Glenwood Springs ended up at 5-5 but no other club managed more than three wins.
A repeat is very possible as the league overall was senior dominated. Palisade returns easily the top player in QB Cam Tucker. He threw for 530 yards and six scores but was a bigger threat on the ground; finishing with 1,662 yards and 28 touchdowns. For that effort, he earned first-team all-state honors.
Julio Rodriquez is another Bulldog who could step up. He ran for 210 yards as a sophomore but could see more action with the loss of three key running backs. Joseph Alejo (12) is the only Bulldog returning who caught a pass a year ago. Alejo was second in tackles (88); trailing only Carl Cox (104) who also returns.
Otherwise, Steamboat Springs may have the most returning talent. The Sailors will feature RB Finn Russell (700 yards rushing) and receivers Tanner Raper and Lowen Epstein. They combined for 12 touchdowns in the passing game last year.
Other names to watch include Dylan Albright, Alberto Espinoza and Kiah Gongaware. Albright returns at QB for Glenwood Springs; Espinoza totaled 83 tackles for Summit and Gongaware 56 stops for Battle Mountain.
SOUTHERN COULD JOIN WESTERN SLOPE AS ANOTHER ONE BID LEAGUE AGAIN
Harrison, which produced their first ever playoff win in school history, easily won the league title by outscoring opponents 249-14 last year. The Panthers were unbeaten until a second-round playoff loss but no other club won more than four games. And like the Western Slope, we could see a similar outcome in 2019 because almost every club lost significant players to graduation.
Leading that list is Harrison. The Panthers want to build momentum from last year’s historic season but must do so without the combination of Orlando Westbrook-Sanchez and Aumiere Shedrick. Westbrook-Sanchez had over 7,000 yards of total offense in his career and was involved in 80 TD’s. Shedrick had nearly 29-hundred yards rushing over the last two years and also caught 51 passes for 732 yards. He totaled 35 TD’s in that stretch.
That leaves WR Seth Fuller as the main threat. He led the Panthers with 59 receptions including seven scores. Dayonn Stevens also returns after topping the team with 98 tackles last year.
Conference wide, Sierra returns QB Tobias Tuatoo and RB Elijah Smith. Tuatoo threw for 673 yards and six TD’s and Smith added 955 yards and four scores on the ground. Raymond Cannell also led Canon City with 472 yards and four touchdowns a year ago.
Defensively, the league lost 13 of their top 15 tacklers to graduation so each club is looking for new faces to step up.
AT LEAST THREE TEAMS COULD AGAIN REACH THE PLAYOFFS FROM THE NORTH METRO
Expect another tight battle between Holy Family, Mead and Frederick for the league title. All three teams earned playoff berths last year and all three returns quality talent. Mead won the conference title with Frederick second and Holy Family.
The defending champs have at least six major offensive threats return to the backfield. Nathan Bailey (959 yards) and Jake Wachter (688) both scored 13 touchdowns rushing last year while Brady Veltein (537 yards) tossed five touchdown passes. His top three receivers who combined for 25 catches all return as well.
Devon Edwards is among the best defenders statewide. He recorded a whopping 147 tackles which nearly doubled any other Maverick a year ago. Trey Ward also returns after picking off a state best eight passes to go with his 68 tackles.
Frederick looks to bounce from a very difficult 34-31 double overtime playoff loss to Discovery Canyon. Despite that loss, 2018 was a great year for the Warriors as they returned to the post-season for a first time since 2013. And they should return again in 2019.
The running game will be great shape as Brandon Hornby (88), Trey Odell (69) and Dominik Schleif (68) all return after totaling 225 yards in the loss to Discovery Canyon. QB Jacob Green is back after throwing for 891 yards last year and so is talented TE Dylan Sindelar (22 receptions for 579 yards). On defense, Sean Holbrook (75), Joey Notaro (58) and Riley Dufour (46) all return. Holbrook led the team in stops with Notaro third and Dufour fourth.
Holy Family (7-4) ended another injury filled season with a first-round playoff loss to Harrison. Calahan Carter will try it again at QB after being limited to just five games last year. In that stretch, he threw for 1,102 yards and 12 TD’s. He will have plenty of help as Trevin Johnson, Hayden Strange, Ben Nappe and Braedon Peters will all suit up again in 2019. Johnson (793) and Strange (466) combined for over 1,200 yards rushing and Nappe and Peters both caught 29 passes. The top returning defender is Benito Hernandez (80 tackles).
The schedule though is not kind to the Tigers. They open with Pueblo South but then have four crucial games all on the road. They visit Discovery Canyon and 4A Skyline in non-league play and then must face Frederick and Mead and in back-to-back road games late in the season.
Skyview hopes to improve on a 2-8 season with the return of Brandon Gutierrez (1,279 yards passing as a freshman) and Brian Guevara (599 yards rushing).
