Colorado Class 3A State Quarterfinals Preview

There has long been reason to wonder if the day would ever come at all, but the high school football postseason has finally arrived in Colorado. Starting this week in all classifications, teams that battled their way through a shortened season, rampant cancellations and COVID-19 protocols are scheduled to take the field this week and open the playoffs with the quarterfinals for all seven classifications. As we go bracket-by-bracket to look at each matchup and the game-changing recruits to keep an eye on, let’s continue with Class 3A. If you missed them, be sure to check out the previews for <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/11/colorado-class-5a-state-quarterfinals-preview/"><strong>Class 5A</strong></a> and <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/11/colorado-class-4a-quarterfinals-preview/"><strong>Class 4A</strong></a>. &nbsp; <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No. 1 Roosevelt vs. No. 8 Fort Morgan</strong></p> Familiar foes from the old 3A North Valley League, Fort Morgan beat Roosevelt, 28-17 in overtime, when they played each other last season. This time around, however, it’s Roosevelt (5-0) that enters as the No. 1 overall seed and favored over Fort Morgan (4-1) in the rematch. Roosevelt quarterback Brig Hartson (2021) has thrown for 838 yards and 13 touchdowns and backs like Keegan Sterkel (2021) and [player_tooltip player_id="22698" first="Cooper" last="Walton"], who also leads the RHS defense with 44 tackles including 11 for a loss, have combined to rush for over 1,100 yards behind a line that features [player_tooltip player_id="22605" first="Andrew" last="Cole"]. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="22771" first="Tucker" last="Peterson"] leads the Roughriders with 366 yards and eight touchdowns in his second varsity season after reeling in 11 touchdown passes as a freshman in 2019. In total, the Roughriders outscored their five regular-season opponents 205-30 and haven’t given up a single point since a Week 2 overtime win over No. 5 Mead. In contrast to Roosevelt’s victory over Mead, those same Mavericks dealt Fort Morgan its only loss of the regular season with a 35-0 gut punch on Oct. 23. Even with that lopsided blemish on their record, the Mustangs outscored their five regular season opponents 169-88. Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="58957" first="Briggs" last="Wheatley"] accounted for 980 yards (563 passing, 417 rushing) of total offense. <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No. 4 Pueblo South vs. No. 5 Mead (cancelled, Pueblo South moving on) </strong></p> It’s too bad this game was cancelled because of COVID-19 exposure because there were going to be some pretty darn good players going head-to-head on Saturday. Pueblo South (5-0) running back [player_tooltip player_id="22590" first="George" last="Longoria"] is a stud who runs hard and posted 816 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="22715" first="Jace" last="Bellah"] has also had a great season so far in his first go-around as a starting quarterback, passing for 554 yards, rushing for 238 and leading the team in interceptions on defense. Luke Guarienti (2021) also shined in his final regular season, catching 15 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns in just four games. For Mead (5-2), the 2020 season was a breakout run for quarterback Gavin Garrettson (2021), who passed for 891 yards and 11 touchdowns with just two picks in six games. Shifty tailbacks [player_tooltip player_id="22657" first="Nathan" last="Bailey"] and Brayden Keys were their usual dynamic selves, combining to rush for 1,254 yards of offense in the run and pass games while playing both ways. And junior [player_tooltip player_id="58963" first="Corby" last="Tecu"] (2022) emerged as a legitimate prospect capable of being a bruising runner, big pass catcher or hard-hitting defender, and colleges are beginning to take notice. <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No. 2 Holy Family vs. No. 7 Evergreen</strong></p> These are two teams that can put points on the scoreboard and get stops on defense, which has led to both having some lopsided victories this fall. The Holy Family (6-0) defense came up with 16 total turnovers (9 interceptions, 7 fumble recoveries) while allowing an average of just 10 points per game. Juniors Jared Delgado (44 tackles) and Brady Samaras (41 tackles) have thrived at the heart of a defensive unit that finished the regular season with 14.5 sacks, and [player_tooltip player_id="60914" first="Justin" last="Trostel"] (2021) led the team with three picks. Offensively, the Tigers averaged 46.3 points a game with Trevin Johnson (2021) rushing for 786 yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season and quarterback Michael White throwing for 903 yards and 11 touchdowns behind an offensive line that features Boise State-bound [player_tooltip player_id="22531" first="Cord" last="Kringlen"]. Kicker [player_tooltip player_id="40905" first="Liam" last="Gray"] also is a college-bound kicker and punter who could wind up being an X-factor in the postseason. Evergreen (4-2) has a potent offensive unit that averaged just over 30 points a week. At the center of that offense is quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22570" first="Griffin" last="Lauritano"], who threw for 754 yards and 12 touchdowns with just one interception but is reportedly not eligible to play in the postseason because he transferred to Georgia prior to the season and then transferred back to Colorado. Noah Martens (2021) ran for 871 yards on 109 carries and [player_tooltip player_id="22620" first="Carter" last="Cassin"] caught six touchdowns passes, while Zach Hansen (2021) had 71 total tackles to lead a defense that averaged only 15 points against over six regular-season games. <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No. 3 Durango vs. No. 6 Lutheran</strong></p> Perhaps no player has seen his stock rise more in the last year than Durango quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22656" first="Jordan" last="Woolverton"], who accounted for 798 yards of total offense and 11 total touchdowns in four games this fall. It’s no wonder the talented Demons senior is drawing attention from the University of Colorado and others. Right up there with Woolverton is senior teammate [player_tooltip player_id="50575" first="Ben" last="Finneseth"], a talented two way athlete who is also being recruiting by the likes of CU. With Woolverton and Finneseth, and with [player_tooltip player_id="58958" first="Nate" last="Messier"] (2022) leading the team with 419 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, the Durango offense averaged 40.4 points per game while the Demons defense allowed just 12.4 points. Thomas Barnes (2021) led that defense with 37 totals tackles and Woolverton had a team-high three interceptions. For a young Lutheran squad, quarterback Clayton Jacobs (2022) had an outstanding regular season in which he threw for 1,082 yards and 13 touchdowns to pace an offense that put up 44.8 points a week during the regular season. Receiver Colton Thewes (2021) caught five of those touchdown passes and Brody Donahue (2022) led the team with 267 receiving yards. In the Lions’ run game, sophomore Ryan Kenny (489 yards, 7 touchdowns), junior [player_tooltip player_id="22736" first="Dorian" last="Pacheco"] (462 yards, six touchdowns) and Jacobs (323 yards, 3 touchdowns) formed a dangerous three-headed monster. Pacheco (2022) also had team highs with 76 tackles and three sacks for a Lutheran defense that allowed an even 20 points per game.