The eye of the Tigers is going to try and switch from Pueblo to Fort Collins in December. It could be a bittersweet shift for Holy Family as the program won the Class 3A football championship last year, its first football title since 2005.

Fond memories reside in at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl. New and exciting memories can be made at Canvas Stadium. The 3A title game will join the 4A and 5A games in Fort Collins this year, setting the stage for a tremendous Championship Saturday on Dec. 7.

But getting there is going to be a challenge, not just for Holy Family but for all 3A teams with title ambitions. For starters, the defending champions lost major contributors on offense in Rylan Cooney and Dom Gabriel. Cooney threw for over 2,800 yards and 25 touchdowns and also rushed for 816 yards and a team-high 23 touchdowns.

Gabriel was the workhorse in the ground game, totaling 1,428 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Anthony Scott is back as the team’s returning leading rusher, totaling 223 yards and five touchdowns.

Monte Samaras will shift from a wide receiver role where he had 754 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024 and take over as the starting quarterback.

This will be a very different looking Holy Family team at the start of the year, but the goal will remain the same as the Tigers aim to win a second straight title.

A big addition to the 3A classification could be in their way, however. Windsor jumps into the field after reaching the 4A quarterfinals last fall. The Wizards return starting quarterback Kyle Phelps and leading receiver Tripp Thomas. Running back Sam Cooper is also returning after rushing for 756 yards and nine touchdowns last year.

Lutheran figures to be right back in the mix although the Lions will have their own holes to fill as quarterback Ryken Daugaard graduated and wide receiver Ben Herbek will be playing at Valor Christian this year.

After reaching the 2A title game last year, Rifle is back in the 3A ranks for the first time since the fall of 2017. Isaac Valencia was second on the team in rushing last year (1,093 yards, 16 touchdowns) and has the ability to help the Bears remain competitive this fall.

Thompson Valley and Roosevelt also saw success last fall and will try to ride that momentum into more deep playoff runs in 2024. Other teams looking to make noise include Mead, Discovery Canyon and Pueblo Central.

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2024 Class 3A football outlook

Regular season begins: Aug. 22
Regular season ends: Nov. 9
State championship game: Dec. 7 at Canvas Stadium (Fort Collins)
Defending state champion: Holy Family

New teams in classification for 2024-26 cycle: Coronado (4A), Greeley Central (4A), Hinkley (4A) Palmer (4A), Pomona, (5A), Rifle (2A), Standley Lake (4), Steamboat Springs (2A), Timnath (2A), Windsor (4A)

Returning 1st/2nd team all-state players:

  • Amari Brown (Pueblo Central)
  • Vincent Johnston (Palisade)
  • Anderson Osburn (Holy Family)
  • Jayden Pagano (Lewis-Palmer)
  • Matthew Sakkaris (Holy Family)
  • Isaac Valencia (Rifle)

Top returning passers:

RANK PLAYER SCHOOL YARDS TOUCHDOWNS
1 JJ Marquez Fort Morgan 1,835 19
2 Isaac McCune Wheat Ridge 1,808 14
3 Caden Herrera Pueblo South 1,554 14
4 Justin Thill Northridge 1,545 13
5 Christian Hiner Mead 1,207 11

Top returning rushers:

RANK PLAYER SCHOOL YARDS TOUCHDOWNS
1 Amari Brown Pueblo Central 1,300 16
2 Ian Pennock Severance 1,206 9
3 Mason Markovich Glenwood Springs 1,090 10
4 Sawyer Wald Lutheran 1,013 10
5 Carston Wolanske Conifer 877 8

Top returning receivers:

RANK PLAYER SCHOOL YARDS TOUCHDOWNS
2 Bennett Wilkes Wheat Ridge 1,070 7
3 Monte Samaras Holy Family 754 7
4 Garet Hendrickson Thompson Valley 730 7
4 Trevor Karabensh Roosevelt 624 6
5 Anderson Osburn Holy Family 621 4

Top returning tacklers:

RANK PLAYER SCHOOL TOTAL TACKLES
1 Angel Bueno Wheat Ridge 138
2 Caedmon Ferris Haddad Evergreen 130
3 Noah Aguirre Fort Morgan 120
4 Landry Suarez Thompson Valley 107
5 Ryan Myers Severance Severance 106