Hoehne and Front Range Christian seem to be the favorites for the eight-man spring football championship. Of the eight teams scheduled to compete, the Farmers and Falcons are the only two that finished 2019 with winning records. The six others produced just nine combined wins but will use the spring to create confidence with the program.
All eight teams will compete in one division with the champion earning the top playoff seed. Colorado Preps previews each club below.
FRONT RANGE CHRISTIAN (5-4): The Falcons will score points as they return QB Luke Hiltman and three receivers who caught at least 18 passes a year ago. Hiltman finished his junior season with 1,571 yards and 14 TDs. Seven of those touchdown tosses went to Levi Scadden who caught 45 passes for 630 yards overall. Ben Bolz is also back after hauling in 29 passes for 326 yards and a score. James Davenport could also improve his total of 18 receptions for 355 yards and two TDs. On defense, Davenport was fourth in tackles with Scadden fifth with 59. Cal Watanabe is the top returnee however. He was second with 62 stops.
JUSTICE (0-8): The Phoenix failed to produce a win in 2019 and did not report any statistics to MaxPreps.
PLATEAU VALLEY (1-8): The top five tacklers on defense were seniors, so new faces will need to step on that side of the ball for the Cowboys to see improvement. On offense, they were young at key spots including quarterback where Justice Kuper (328 yards – 4 TDs) and Tallen Long (114 yards) shared time as sophomores. Kuper may get more snaps overall as he was also third in rushing with 305 yards and two touchdowns.
JOHN MALL (3-6): Wesley Van Matre scored 20 of the team’s 24 offensive touchdowns last year but he took those and 1,700 yards rushing to graduation. That leaves a big hole offensively. Hopefully to fill some of it will be the trio of Travis Vialpando, Francisco Figueroa and DJ Van Matre. Figueroa (226) and Van Matre (191) were second and third in rushing while Vialpando threw for 392 yards in limited opportunities. DJ Van Matre (95) was the top tackler and Figueroa (69) was third so that side seems in good shape. Another key returnee there is Wyatt Vigil who finished with 44 tackles.
CUSTER COUNTY (3-6): Defense may be the strength for the Bobcats; at least in the early going. They lost their top tacklers to graduation but almost everyone else returns. Wyatt Aldrich was third in tackles with 63 and Garrett Olomon was fourth with 45. Tony Tomassoni had 33 stops and Chad Lewis 32. Olomon and Ben Penkoff could be keys offensively. They both saw time at QB as sophomores and even though they combined for just 24 completions, eight went for TDs.
HOEHNE (5-4): Weston Hill returns and that’s great news for the Farmers. He topped the team with 1,061 yards and 10 scores on the ground last year but also provided 835 yards and 10 more TDs through the air. His top targets in Robert Walter and Grant Arrellanes also return. They combined for 33 catches for over 500 yards and four touchdowns in 2019. Another name to keep in mind is Antonio Moltrer. He scored three times in the passing game on just seven catches and is the top returning defender with 53 tackles.
LAS ANIMAS (1-8): The spring season gives the Trojans a very good chance to create some excitement around the community by gaining some wins and getting into the playoffs. They were extremely young last year and now those kids are a year stronger. Markus Vigil combined for nearly 1,000 yards of offense as a sophomore and totaled eight touchdowns. Classmate Caden Morlan also topped the Trojans with 593 yards rushing. Justin Miller returns after catching a team-best nine passes for 205 yards. Lucas Whitmore is a leader on defense. He led LA with 80 tackles as a junior and Miller added 62.
PRIMERO (1-7): The Bulldogs were the only six-man program that opted to play in the Spring so they have to make the move up to eight man to get a season in. It’s only two more players on the field but it’s a completely different game so it will be interesting to see how the Bulldogs adjust. They did not post statistics to MaxPreps during the 2019 season.
