5 to watch from St. Vrain Valley

The latest update from the state’s high school athletics governing board was promising for football fans. On Saturday, the Colorado High School Activities Association said the sport is expected to return this fall amid coronavirus concerns. If that stands, and things seem to be leaning in that direction with the loosened restrictions recently dropped down on a state and national level, football players will be among the first to retake a high school field after months without sports. Gearing up for it, we’ll look across different districts in Colorado and point out a few must-follow players from each. This will make up just a dent in our offseason coverage of high school football in the state as we’ll hit on many more players in the coming months. We began with the Boulder Valley County. Now, we’ll turn our attention to St. Vrain Valley. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22664" first="Grayden" last="Bridwell"], WR/DB, 2021, Skyline:</strong> The dynamic two-way star can make an impact wherever you put him on the field. Last year, he led the Falcons with 51 receptions, 738 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Add that up and he had 1,346 total yards. Defensively, he forced a fumble and had three interceptions — helping lead a ferocious defense for Skyline that allowed just 16 points per game. Bridwell is also a standout baseball player as he hit .328 with nine runs driven in for the school’s team in 2018-19. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22726" first="Keegan" last="Patterson"], QB/SS, 2022, Longmont:</strong> Patterson had a nice sophomore campaign behind center, throwing for 1,476 yards and 10 touchdowns to five interceptions. He also rushed for 687 yards and six scores. And defensively, he had an interception and recovered a fumble. Patterson will likely lead the Trojans attack again in 2020, especially with 2019’s other rushing leaders in Sage Yazzie and Brayden Engelking both gone. If he can improve on his 54.5 completion percentage, expect to see eye-popping numbers from the junior this fall. <strong>Dominik Schleif, RB, 2021, Frederick:</strong> The Warriors exploded to an 11-2 2019 as former quarterback Jake Green blossomed into a local star. Green is now gone after throwing for 1,734 yards and rushing for another 1,756 — which leaves a huge opening for a breakout season from someone like Schleif. As a junior, the 145-pound back was a big play waiting to happen with every touch. On his pedestrian 53 carries, he rushed for 610 yards — 11.5 yards per carry — and had runs of 58 and 82 yards. He also had seven receptions for 134 yards — 19.1 yards per catch. Makes you wonder what more of a workload could mean in 2020. Perhaps huge numbers are on the horizon. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22544" first="Chase" last="Silva"], QB, 2021, Skyline:</strong> Silva led the Falcons all the way to the 4A title game after taking over the starting job in 2018. He then led them back to the postseason in 2019. Silva, as a glistening prospect, already had Division-I offers. In fact, he tweeted that he received an offer from Eastern Kentucky back in April. In his career, the gunslinger has thrown for 5,112 yards in just 25 games played and 61 TDs compared to just 18 interceptions. With all the tools to lead Skyline on another big run, the senior will add one more chapter to his high school legacy before heading off to play at the next level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22643" first="Mason" last="Veve"], RB, 2021, Erie:</strong> The Tigers are headed to Class 4A after a strong run in 3A. And Veve should be a major cog in the transition. The back rushed for 1,273 yards on 191 carries as a junior with 15 touchdowns. At a glance, he’s a smooth, patient runner with a second gear that’s hard to keep up with. Last year, he had six games with multiple touchdowns and seven 100-yard games on the ground, and eight receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns. He also had runs of 82 and 81 in a span of three weeks, part of a five-game winning streak the Tigers went on to end the regular season.