Top players to watch in Pueblo County: Part 2

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. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/06/top-players-to-watch-in-pueblo-county-part-1/">Check out part 1 here.</a> <strong>Bryce Garcia, Pueblo County, 2022</strong> Pueblo County is looking to turn heads this season and part of it starts with big man Bryce Garcia on the defensive line. As a freshman in 2018, he was named first-team All-S-CL with 79 tackles, second most on the team. Five of those tackles were for a loss. Garcia lost his sophomore season in 2019 due to an ankle injury, but still proved he has the moves to succeed on the line with his performance in the winter. Garcia went all the way to the Class 4A state wrestling title match at 195-pounds and nearly came with the title. Look for him to get back to what he was doing in 2018 and even more. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22715" first="Jace" last="Bellah"], Pueblo South, 2022</strong> Bellah made a name for himself last season for Pueblo South, but it wasn’t under center. Instead, the now junior played cornerback for the first time in his football life and proceeded to grab seven INTs, tied for the most in Class 3A. Bellah proved his athleticism last season and with solid returners on offense for him to look for in 2020, Bellah is out to prove what he can do as the leader on offense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22644" first="Diego" last="Duarte"], Pueblo East, 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-40340 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/08/diego-duarte-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></strong> Duarte saw limited action as a sophomore in 2018, but became the guy at linebacker for Pueblo East last year and led the team in tackles with 53, six for a loss. Another successful wrestler for the Eagles, Duarte has proven his toughness and expresses the personality needed to be the vocal leader on defense. Now with a year of experience under his belt, Duarte looks to prove even more during the 2020 season. <strong>Lukas Moran, Pueblo West, 2021</strong> Moran is looking to have a breakout year after the 6-foot-1, 205-pound DE posted 31 tackles, four for loss, and played in all 13 games last season. Moran is also a standout on the lacrosse field as he led Pueblo West in goals two seasons ago as a sophomore with 32. For 2020, Moran is looking to step up on a defensive line that lost talent, but returns plenty from a team that went to the Class 4A semifinals. <strong>Hayden Polk, Rye, 2021</strong> Polk is listed as QB, but is really just a great athlete. He only threw 31 passes last season, but he also rushed the ball 88 times for a team-high 420 yards. The Thunderbolts run a unique rushing offense with many options for carrying the ball, but Polk will be the most consistent returner for 2020 after Rye qualified for the Class 1A playoffs last season. Bringing the converted tight end down isn’t any easy task for anyone either, just ask Rocky Ford from last season when he scored a game-winning touchdown after emerging from a pile that looked more like a rugby scrum. https://twitter.com/DanMohrmann/status/1175238381833314305 <strong>Tony Cardona, Pueblo Centennial, 2021</strong> Cardona shared time at the QB spot with Devin Blue last season, but with Blue graduating, Cardona looks to take over the spot for good in 2020. Centennial has been a heavy rushing team under coach Jeff Wilkerson, but the arm of Cardona looks like it could open the offense for Pueblo Centennial this season. With some capable receivers on the outside, look for Cardona to continue on the success he found in 2019.