Top 11-Man Defenses: Turnover Leaders

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Having a defense that can master the art of takeaways to create more opportunities for the offense is every program’s dream. Here are the top five turnover-forcing defenses in the state: </span> <b>Resurrection Christian - 2A Patriot West </b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Cougars finished last season with a 10-2 overall record (5-0 league). The team tallied 17 interceptions and 22 fumble recoveries, finishing with 39 total takeaways. Middle linebacker Tanner Applebee (2021) and defensive back Eddie Lemos (2022) accounted for a combined nine interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. </span> <b>Palmer Ridge - 3A Central League</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Coming off of their third straight 3A state title win, the Bears finished with a 12-2 (4-1 league) record and 37 total takeaways. Cornerback [player_tooltip player_id="22560" first="Marcellus" last="Reed"] (2021) and strong safety [player_tooltip player_id="22527" first="Kaden" last="Dudley"] (2021) accounted for 11 of the team’s 27 interceptions, while middle linebacker Kelenn O’Connor (2021) forced three of the Bears’ 10 fumble recoveries.</span> <b>Faith Christian - 2A Flatirons League</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Eagles tallied 35 total takeaways, which played a major role in their 9-2 (5-0 league) record. The Eagles’ defensive line tallied nine of the team’s 15 fumble recovers, while cornerback Seth Sperger (2020) finished his senior season with six of the 20 total interceptions.</span> <b>Sterling - 2A Patriot East League</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2A state champion Tigers finished the season with a 12-1 (5-0 league) record and 34 total takeaways. Tucker Myers (2021) and Jackson Keil (2022) are two safeties who accounted for nine of the team’s 20 total interceptions. Keil and linebacker Drew Book (2020) totaled five of the Tiger’s 14 fumble recoveries.</span> <b>Ralston Valley - 5A Jeffco</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Mustangs completed last season with a 12-1 (5-0 Metro West League) record and 34 total takeaways. Defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="22734" first="Zach" last="Friedman"] (2022) recovered two fumbles and snagged two interceptions, while middle linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="22640" first="Will" last="Lester"] (2021) finished the season with one interception and three fumble recoveries. </span> &nbsp;