Top players to watch in Pueblo County Part 1

Almost every year there is at least one squad from Pueblo that the state needs to keep its eye on after six consecutive seasons of a Steel City squad playing for a state title. While some big-time players have come and gone, plenty more are waiting in the wings to leave their mark on Pueblo and try to bring home the golden trophy. Here are some of the top players in the Pueblo area to watch for in the 2020 season. <strong>Makai Funaki, Pueblo West, 2021</strong> The 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end from the Cyclones looks to become an even more important weapon for them in 2020 after Pueblo West went all the way to the Class 4A semifinals in 2019. Funaki caught 13 passes for 239 yards and 3 TDs last season and also plays on the defensive line for the Cyclones. Funaki keeps himself in shape as well by being a standout on the Cyclones basketball team, which also went to the semifinals last season in Class 4A. He had a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game and put up 5.2 points per game. [caption id="attachment_22885" align="alignright" width="200"]<img class="wp-image-22885 size-medium" src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Luke-Guarienti-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /> Luke Guarienti[/caption] <strong>Luke Guarienti, Pueblo South, 2021</strong> Another passing game weapon from another state-titling contending team from 2019 is Guarienti, who hauled in 24 receptions for 334 yards and 2 TDs for the Colts, who lost in the Class 3A state title game a year ago. Guarienti was third in receiving for the Colts, but with the two in front of him being seniors, 2020 is set to be the year of Guarienti on the outside for Pueblo South. The senior has proven he’s tough as well by being an excellent hockey player for the local high school team hosted by Pueblo County. Guarienti was selected first-team all conference for the Summit League for the 2019-2020 season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22662" first="Trevor" last="Thomas"], Pueblo County, 2021</strong> Thomas is a 6-foot-0, 230-pound lineman and was selected first-team All-South-Central League in 2019. Having Thomas’ presence on the line led the Hornets to 2,150 rushing yards as a team, the third most in the S-CL behind state tournament teams Pueblo South (2,607) and Durango (2,865). Those yards ranked 12th overall in Class 3A and with plenty of runners returning for the Hornets, look for Thomas to step up even more on the line and help get Pueblo County back to the playoffs. And by the way, Thomas is also another stellar two-sport athlete, as seen by him hitting .400 his sophomore year for the Pueblo County baseball team and knocking home 15 RBI. [caption id="attachment_22886" align="alignright" width="200"]<img class="wp-image-22886 size-medium" src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2G0A1120-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /> Buddy Almintakh[/caption] <strong>Buddy Almintakh, Pueblo East, 2021</strong> The Eagles' lineman was selected to the first-team All-S-CL team last year as Pueblo East fell just shy of the playoffs and a chance to try and get back to the Class 3A state title game. Pueblo East likes to run a fast offense, especially now after offensive coordinator Tony Valdez took over head coaching duties. Look for Almintakh to help give the Eagles a stronger presence in the run game and use some of the lessons he learned from being on the Eagles' Class 4A state runner-up wrestling team. <strong>Ethan Gallegos, Pueblo Centennial, 2021</strong> Sometimes it can be tough to be a receiver on a more rush-heavy offense like the Bulldogs run, but Gallegos is sure to give them a threat through the air this season. The Bulldogs' stats on MaxPreps are only filled through five games from last year, but Gallegos did produce a 116-yard performance against state runner-ups Pueblo South last season. With a tougher schedule on tap for the building Bulldogs, look for Gallegos to take his game to the next level for Pueblo Centennial as they try to return to the playoffs in 2020.