Breakout freshmen to watch as sophomores in 2020

Every year, a number of football prospects welcome themselves to the high school game for the first time. Some work their way up from freshman and JV teams, but others find the field for their respective varsity teams as a freshman. There was no shortage of freshman breakout stars in the 2019 football season, and all will look to build off their previous success with a year of experience under their belt. Here is a look at some of the top freshmen athletes from the 2019 season that will look to stand out again this fall. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22753" first="Sam" last="Beers"], 2023, 5’10, 180, RB, Air Academy</strong></span> Air Academy has found its next star, and it came in the backfield with Beers. His numbers made him not only the top rusher in the Class of 2023, but one of the best in the entire state as a freshman. He ran for 1,805 yards and found the end zone 30 times, leading him to be named honorable mention All-State by the Colorado High School Activities Association. On film, he shows a great burst that allows him to get to the edge, can turn on the jets when he gets to the second level, and can break numerous arm tackles along the way. Air Academy hopes to see another big season from Beers running the ball, and his success could be the difference to reach the postseason after coming up just short of the Class 4A state playoffs with a 6-4 record in 2019. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Ryland Boeher (2023, 5’11, 175, RB/LB) and [player_tooltip player_id="22786" first="Isaiah" last="Eliot"] (2023, 5’10, 170, QB/WR/DB), The Academy</span></strong> The top two tacklers from the Class of 2023 both come from the same program at The Academy. Boeher was the leader in the state in his class with 92 tackles, the majority of which he assisted on. He was also able to get some pressure in the backfield with 3.5 sacks and recorded an interception as well. For Eliot, he recorded 80 total tackles, also getting the majority of his with assisted tackles, and he showed the ability to read opposing quarterbacks with 3 interceptions. In addition to their defensive numbers, they saw time on offense, with Eliot recording 200 receiving yards and Boeher rushing for 175 on the ground. These two should see a bigger role for The Academy this fall and pick up from a strong freshman campaign. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22746" first="Cole" last="Kerr"], 2023, 6’1, QB/DB, Wiggins</strong></span> Wiggins is still looking to get back to competing with the rest of its teams in the North Central League, but they seem to have found a key offensive piece to work with in Kerr. As the team’s starting quarterback in 2019, he threw for 1,083 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 56 percent of his pass attempts. Kerr can also run the ball and finished the season with 533 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. He will look to improve on his 10 interceptions he threw, but with a year starting for the Tigers, he can emerge as a team leader moving forward and help get Wiggins back to being a consistent playoff team with steady improvement in his game. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="22771" first="Tucker" last="Peterson"], 2023, 6’2, 175, WR/LB, Roosevelt</span></strong> As a wide receiver, Peterson showed some good route running skills and had the size and speed to match up with most defensive backs he went up against. His skills and athleticism allowed him to record 18 receptions for 426 yards and 11 touchdowns, making him on the top scoring players for the Class of 2023 in the 2019 season. His skill set also served well in the secondary to make some plays and finish with 18 tackles and 2 interceptions. There was plenty of raw skills that came out on the field, and a year of experience should see those same skills polished and improved moving forward. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Morgan Tribett, 2023, 5’11, 185, DL, Eaton</span></strong> Tribett led the Class of 2023 with 5.5 sacks while playing as an edge rusher for the Eaton Reds. He showed a willingness to set the edge and used good leverage skills to get off blocks and make tackles against bigger offensive linemen he faced throughout the season, and he showed the ability to break down run/pass options quickly and fly to the football to make the stop. His play was also impactful in the special teams game. There were plenty of promising signs from Tribett and the Reds in his 2019 season.