Preseason No. 1 preview: Pine Creek Eagles

High school football is back in Colorado, and we continue to look at the top-ranked teams in the CHSAANow.com preseason polls heading into the fall season. The latest story comes from Class 4A and takes a look at the Pine Creek Eagles, one of the best programs in the entire state in recent history. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>2019 recap</strong></span> Pine Creek won the Class 4A state championship and had a dominant 2019 season, finishing with a 13-1 record. The lone loss of the season was against Class 5A powerhouse Valor Christian in the regular season. In the 13 wins, Pine Creek outscored its opponents 579-148. In Class 4A, the Eagles have become the team to beat for many. They have played in five of the last seven state championship games, winning four of their appearances in the final game of the year. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Players to watch</span></strong> Look for the Eagles to have a stout defense this fall. They have a number of talented defensive players coming back that are drawing interest to play at the next level. Leading the defense is defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="22522" first="Beau" last="Freyler"]. One of the best secondary players in the state, Freyler has already announced his commitment to play at Iowa State after this season. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety is a presence on the back end and plays with great range and flies all over the field. It helped him record 73 tackles on the back end and get three interceptions in the playoffs that helped the team shut down opponents late in the year. His range, ball skills and breakdown of offensive plays makes him a magnet to the ball and puts him in the right position many times. In front of Freyler is a strong linebacker core that can also fly on the field and disrupt plays in the run and pass game. Leading the group is [player_tooltip player_id="22682" first="Gavin" last="Whetzal"] and his 53 recorded tackles last season. He is built well at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds and he loves to lay the lumber on opposing players. His speed is also an asset in the pass rush and resulted in him recording 3.5 sacks and an interception. Look for him to be used in multiple ways in coverage and blitz packages all over the field. Joining him are [player_tooltip player_id="22545" first="Colin" last="Chatman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="22878" first="Logan" last="Noble"], two other linebackers built with the same stature who can run well in space and get to the ball quickly. Chatman has an offer from Air Force and other FCS programs so far after recording 23 tackles and a sack in 2019. As for Noble, he had 27 tackles and two sacks total last season. Where Pine Creek will see some major changes is on the offensive end. A large senior class who played a big role in the team’s success last year is gone, and many new players will step in to play larger roles this fall. As the team works to replace its quarterback, one of the state’s top running backs and their leading receivers, they will bring back a stout offensive lineman to anchor the front. [player_tooltip player_id="22582" first="Caleb" last="Nott"] brings a big presence up front at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds from his left tackle spot. He routinely stonewalled smaller defenders in pass protection and was nimble enough to kick out and pick up the blitz from the outside. He also drives smaller players off the ball in the run game and was putting guys on the ground and clearing holes for his backs to thrive. Nott has shared some unofficial visits to Northern Colorado and Kentucky up to this point. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>2020 schedule</strong></span> Oct. 9 none* Oct. 17 vs. Douglas County, 9 a.m. Oct. 23 @ Chaparral, 7 p.m. Oct. 31 vs. Doherty, 11 a.m. Nov. 7 @ Legend, 1 p.m. Nov. 14 vs. Regis Jesuit, 6 p.m. <em>*First game vs. Ralston Valley not happening due to player testing positive for COVID-19. All games are subject to change</em>