5A Quarterfinals Takeaways: First Round Standouts

<span style="font-weight: 400;">With the rollercoaster of the 2020 Fall season nearing its completion, so many programs across the state are grateful to have had a chance to take part in the unprecedented experience. For most of the teams who participated in the season, the ride has come to its completion as the remaining teams prepare for their semifinal matchups.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Nothing about this season has been ideal; however, nothing about this season has been taken for granted. Eight teams were given the opportunity in the first round of the playoffs to fight for their chance to reach the state title game. Now that we have entered the week of the second round, the time has come to take a look at some of the standout players from the quarterfinals.</span> <b>Cherry Creek vs Regis Jesuit</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The reigning state champs and number one seed Bruins faced off against a very resilient eighth seed Raiders team. Cherry Creek’s big-time players did what they do best, which is make big-time plays. [player_tooltip player_id="22530" first="Myles" last="Purchase"] had two of the Bruins’ four turnovers. One of his interceptions came from a hurried pass and was returned for a touchdown, thanks to a relentless pass rush by [player_tooltip player_id="62241" first="Blake" last="Purchase"]. [player_tooltip player_id="22521" first="Arden" last="Walker"], a highly talented edge rusher, managed to put points on the board by way of a safety. Running back [player_tooltip player_id="22559" first="James" last="Walker II"] finished the contest with three rushing touchdowns, his second coming off a 96-yard break. Jaden Ohlsen, Regis’ kicker, knocked down two field goals against the Bruins, with his longest being a 48-yarder. The matchup ended in a 29-6 victory for the Bruins, who will face off against the Pomona Panthers in the semifinal game.</span> [embed]https://twitter.com/PhotosbyRio81/status/1331076796960280576?s=20[/embed] <b>Valor Christian vs Cherokee Trail</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">A number two seed Valor Eagles team finished the first round with a 42-14 win over the seventh seed Cherokee Trail Cougars. If there is one thing that the Eagles made a strong argument for, besides being a powerhouse program, it is that they have no shortage of running backs in their arsenal. Not having [player_tooltip player_id="22667" first="Gavin" last="Sawchuk"] in the lineup did not slow down their relentless ground attack in the slightest. Zach Wiley finished the contest with 23 carries for 114 yards and four touchdowns. In addition to Wiley’s breakout performance, [player_tooltip player_id="22680" first="Jordan" last="Norwood"] and Gabe Sawchuk also rushed their way into the endzone. The Eagles may have an unstoppable ground game, but their passing game is equally dangerous. Senior receiver [player_tooltip player_id="58941" first="Tyler" last="Larson"] finished the contest with 119 receiving yards off of a mear four receptions. To the victor may the spoils go, but that does not mean the other side goes unnoticed. Cherokee Trail’s [player_tooltip player_id="43555" first="Nate" last="Burke"] displayed his top-tier receiver skills, while offensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id="22670" first="Travis" last="Gray"] showed why some big-named college programs are taking an interest in him.</span> <b>Legend vs Fairview</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Third seed Legend faced off against sixth seed Fairview in a highly anticipated matchup that ended in a 56-35 victory for the Titans. Six of Legend’s eight touchdowns came by way of breakout junior running back Bryce Vaz. Vaz finished the game with 29 carries for 314 yards, while [player_tooltip player_id="46110" first="JT" last="Axelrod"] scored the other two rushing touchdowns. What was equally impressive was the performance put on by offensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id="22579" first="James" last="Betschart"]. Betschart has dominated the line of scrimmage against some of the state’s top talent, and this game was no different. Legend’s offense put on a spectacular show, while their defense stood tall against an extremely high powered Knight’s offense. Very rarely do you see a stat line where a quarterback goes 43-for-62 with 461 yards and five touchdowns that ends in a loss. Unfortunately, that was the case for Fairview’s [player_tooltip player_id="22561" first="Liam" last="O’Brien"]. O’Brien was able to spread the ball around and find five different receivers for each of his touchdown completions. [player_tooltip player_id="22672" first="Grant" last="Page"] was the go-to target for the Knights, racking up 155 yards and one touchdown off of 11 receptions to end a well-fought season. Legend advances to the semifinals to face off against Valor Christian.</span> [caption id="attachment_75544" align="alignright" width="183"]<img class=" wp-image-75544" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/11/IMG_4267-200x300.jpeg" alt="" width="183" height="275" /> [player_tooltip player_id="22702" first="Dominick" last="Nichols"][/caption]<b>Pomona vs Eaglecrest</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Pomona Panthers entered the postseason as the fourth seed, earning their matchup against a talented fifth seed Eaglecrest team. With a healthy mix of run play by [player_tooltip player_id="22702" first="Dominick" last="Nichols"], [player_tooltip player_id="22554" first="Jack" last="Pospisil"], AJ Zamora, Ben Cruz, and Ion Dexter, the Panthers secured a 49-19 victory over the Raptors. Nichols finished the night with two rushing touchdowns and a 27-yard touchdown reception while also managing to secure an interception from his defensive back position. Eaglecrest athlete and Boise State commit [player_tooltip player_id="22538" first="Seyi" last="Oladipo"], along with Colorado commit [player_tooltip player_id="22526" first="Ty" last="Robinson"], fought hard in attempts to stave off Pomona’s relentless attacks. Unfortunately, things did not go their way in the end. The Panthers have proven themselves to be arguably the most formidable pound-for-pound team in the classification, with their biggest test of the season coming up in the semifinals against a powerful Cherry Creek team.</span>