Season Preview: 4A Northern 2

Given the current state of the world and the precarious standing of high school sports in Colorado, a fall football season is guarantee in 2020 but hopeful football teams across the state are preparing for one just the same. With new alignments and leagues, football in Colorado will look a bit different. But traditional rivalries remain strong, returning standouts are ready to shine in the limelight, up-and-comers are hungry to make a name for themselves, and optimism abounds. When our local teams return to the gridiron the action promises to be as exciting as ever. As we begin our league-by-league preview of the upcoming campaign, let’s take a look at the 4A Northern 2. &nbsp; <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Teams in the new conference</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Grand Junction Central, Greeley Central, Longmont, Loveland, Monarch, Skyline</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Five returning players who shined last fall</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_23332" align="alignright" width="260"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-23332" src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Grayden-Bridwell-Skyline-260x300.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="22664" first="Grayden" last="Bridwell"][/caption] <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22664" first="Grayden" last="Bridwell"], 2021, WR, 5’7, Skyline</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;">A talented wrestler and about as scrappy a smaller player as they come, Bridwell is an extremely effective Swiss Army knife player for the Falcons. With a great rapport with senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22544" first="Chase" last="Silva"], he led the team with 51 catches for 738 yards and nine touchdowns. He also carried the ball 36 times for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns, returned kicks and punts, and finished among the team leaders with 69 tackles and three interceptions on defense.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22727" first="Yahir" last="Chairez-Salazar"], 2022, LB, 5’10, Greeley Central</strong></p> A two-time all conference player from the Wildcats’ days in the Longs Peak League, Chairez-Salazar stands out on a Greeley Central team that one just one game in 2019 and will be a key player if the team hopes to turn things around. He led the team with 112 tackles and also had an interception last fall. He also returns kicks and is the Wildcats’ most dynamic player on offense, capable of doing damage in multiple positions and roles within the scheme. [caption id="attachment_23334" align="alignright" width="273"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-23334" src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Keegan-Patterson-Longmont-273x300.jpg" alt="" width="273" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="22726" first="Keegan" last="Patterson"][/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22726" first="Keegan" last="Patterson"], 2022, QB, 6’0, Longmont</strong> Patterson did quite well in his first season as the starting quarterback for the Trojans. He threw for 1,476 yards and 10 touchdowns with just five interceptions. A dynamic athlete, Patterson also had three games in which he threw for over 150 yards and rushed for over 100, finishing the season with 687 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Surrounded by an up-and-coming group of skill players including [player_tooltip player_id="22714" first="Justice" last="Lillie"] (2022), Caleb Johnson (2022) and [player_tooltip player_id="22706" first="Jack" last="Moll"] (2022), look for Patterson to have a big junior year. <strong>Keiran Singh, 2022, RB, 5’10, Monarch</strong> The 2019 season was a good one for Singh and the Coyotes tailback broke out in a big way as a sophomore. This multi-sport standout (football, basketball and track) rushed for 1,303 yards and scored 16 total touchdowns, including two receiving scores. Expect Singh to remain a productive player as a junior and to be a key component of an offensive that will also rely heavily on senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22642" first="Kyle" last="Gordon"], who appears to be primed for a breakout season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22729" first="Ian" last="Loomis"], 2022, LB, 5’11, Loveland</strong> A lot of eyes will be on dual threat quarterback Zack Rakowsky, who put up over 2,000 yards of offense and nearly 30 touchdowns. But on defense, the Indians will be leaning on high-upside players like Jadyn Tafoya and [player_tooltip player_id="22729" first="Ian" last="Loomis"], who led the team in tackles and combined for 30.5 tackles for loss. Loomis also led Loveland with 5.5 sacks. Also keep an eye on junior defensive back Tyson Williams, who led the Indians with four interceptions and seven pass breakouts in 2019. &nbsp; <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>A prime breakout candidate for 2020</strong></p> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22649" first="Nick" last="Peterson"], 2021, WR/SS, 6’4, Skyline</strong> Make no mistake, Peterson had a really good junior season in 2019. The two-way standout caught six touchdowns on offense and had a pair of interceptions on defense. But Peterson still has untapped potential and as a 6-foot-4 athlete who runs well and attacks the ball at both positions he plays, there’s reason to expect a monster senior campaign from him. &nbsp; <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>A way-too-early prediction</strong></p> If everything goes right for Monarch, the Coyotes could play their way into a competition at the top between a trio of 2019 playoff teams in Longmont, Loveland and Skyline for what should be a hotly-contested league title. Longmont finished second in the Northern League last season and Skyline beat Loveland head-to-head in a rematch of the 2018 Class 4A state championship game to claim the Longs Peak League. Under this new conference alignment, we’ll give Skyline the edge again but the frontrunners for the league championship will have some tough competition next season.