Season Preview: 5A North

The start of preseason football is about a month away if the season starts on time. And with a new cycle starting this fall, some leagues will see a few changes with teams moving around. One league that does not have any changes this season is the 5A North League. Originally called the 5A Front Range League, the six teams who played as league foes will do so again for the next two seasons based on the new conference alignment set up by the Colorado High School Activities Association. Last year’s league title was determined in the final week of the regular season when Fairview defeated Rocky Mountain for the title. There will be plenty of talent to watch in the 5A North League, and if last season was an indication, many teams could be in the hunt to win the league again this fall. Here’s our breakdown of the conference for the 2020 season. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Teams in the conference</span></strong> Fairview, Fossil Ridge, Horizon, Legacy, Poudre, Rocky Mountain <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Five returning players who shined last fall</span></strong> <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="22612" first="Caden" last="Dollar"], 2021, RB/LB, 6’0, Fossil Ridge </span></strong> Fossil Ridge may have finished with a 2-8 record, but they were a few plays away from possibly going 5-5. One of the reasons they were in many games was with the play of Dollar on the defensive side of the ball. Dollar was the mike linebacker for the team and recorded 113 tackles, making him one of the top tacklers in the league last season. He has great closing speed and flies to the football, whether it’s chasing down a receiver in the passing game or blitzing to get in the backfield to create havoc. When he does blitz or runs in pursuit, he does a good job avoiding blocks and goes untouched on his way to making the tackle. Fossil Ridge also has the top offensive lineman prospect in the state in Texas A&amp;M commit [player_tooltip player_id="22518" first="Trey" last="Zuhn"] (2021) who will draw the attention for an offense that looks to improve on its production from last year. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Gavin Dotson, 2022, LB, Horizon</span></strong> Horizon had many players who helped them finished tied for second in the league standings last year. A big part of that was how the team managed to force 19 turnovers on defense. Dotson led the way from his linebacker spot in doing that. He showed a good instinct to read quarterbacks and get in line with the football to lead the team with 3 interceptions, also at the top of the league standings. The speed and hands helped in the passing game, but he showed his true physicality as well by forcing 3 fumbles. Xavier Barber (2021) and Aidan Buzard (2021) will help Dotson anchor the defense and look to help Horizon take the next step in the league standings. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="22672" first="Grant" last="Page"], 2022, WR/DB, 6’2, Fairview</span></strong> The next star receiver in the Fairview air-raid offense is Page, who broke out as a sophomore and earned FBS level offers and interest on the recruiting trail. With Henry Blackburn out the first half of the regular season, it was Page who became the primary receiver, and his steady production continued during the regular season. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound receiver caught 76 passes for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Knights. Whether he was the second option or the top receiver in the offense, Page produced. And as we mentioned in our story on the top two-way players in Class 5A, he also played defensive back and had a pair of interceptions and 23 tackles. A program that features many Division I type talent, including defensive end and Kansas State commit [player_tooltip player_id="22529" first="Brayden" last="Wood"] (2021), Page is the next offensive star that head coach Tom McCartney will churn out. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="22652" first="Giles" last="Pooler"], 2021, QB, 6’4, Rocky Mountain</span></strong> Fairview’s Aidan Atkinson was the quarterback making all the headlines during the regular season in the league, but Pooler was very efficient for Rocky Mountain and is considered by many to be the top quarterback returning in the league this fall. Pooler completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards and 10 touchdowns, making him one of the top passing quarterbacks returning in Class 5A. With two seasons under his belt as a starter, a strong arm that can hit a tight window, and an ability to scramble in the pocket from pressure, many big plays will be found by Pooler. He does lose his top four receivers from the 2019 season, so look for running back [player_tooltip player_id="22572" first="Sean" last="Kidd"] (2021) to provide assistance on offense. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="22537" first="Justin" last="Michael"], 2021, OL, 6’5, Poudre</span></strong> If there’s one thing the 5A North League does not have a shortage of, it’s quality offensive lineman. Zuhn from Fossil Ridge is ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in the state by Prep Redzone Colorado, and the next highest-ranked lineman in the league is Michael. At 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, Michael is working to continue adding strength to his base in his senior year before he goes to play for Colorado State. Playing at the tackle spot, he has the ability to set up and protect his quarterback in pass protection and can also get up to the second level and pull in the run game. Poudre lost a lot of key skill position players, including its starting quarterback, top three rushers and three of its top receivers, but they will welcome Duante Davis (2021) and [player_tooltip player_id="22638" first="Deondre" last="Sparrow"] (2021) back at wide receiver on the offensive side of the ball. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Prime breakout player for 2020 season</span></strong> <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="22739" first="Adarius" last="Edwards"], 2022, QB, 6’2, Legacy</span></strong> Edwards took over as the starting quarterback for Legacy in the middle of the regular season and showed the true potential he had in his time on the field. As a sophomore, he completed a whopping 75 percent of his passes to finish with 1,207 yards and 10 touchdowns. Legacy also utilized his legs as a dual-threat with 57 carries for 132 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. The 6-foot-2 quarterback was decisive and got the ball out to his primary receiver quickly, and he started to become comfortable with the timing of his receivers as he got more reps on the field. Two of his favorite targets return in Jaiden Peterson (20210 and [player_tooltip player_id="22654" first="Cole" last="Walker"] (2021), and with the experience gained as a starter last season, look for Edwards to be a key figure in the Legacy offense. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">A way-too-early prediction</span></strong> Only one team reached 10 wins last season in the league, and though many other teams showed they could remain in the hunt, Fairview was clearly the top team from the beginning of the season to the end. Losing some star players on the offensive side of the ball leaves a question mark for many, but the Knights should still be favored to win the league this fall. [player_tooltip player_id="22561" first="Liam" last="O’Brien"] (2021) stepped in as the starting quarterback for the team in their quarterfinal playoff game at Cherry Creek and gave his team a chance to win, and with a playmaker like Page to throw to and a reliable running back in [player_tooltip player_id="22601" first="Dillon" last="Tarves"] (2021) they can go to when they do run the ball, the Knights should still have the ability to put up points this fall. Look for Rocky Mountain and Horizon to still present a threat to the title, and Legacy remains a dark horse with many young players gaining experience at the varsity level last season. For now, though, Fairview is our preseason pick to win the league title.