Stocks on the rise for these 5 players in 2020

What a funky season it has been. And not good funky. Days-old trash funky. A season, nonetheless, though. Fall football wasn’t going to happen in Colorado following an announcement back in September. Then came a tweet from the state’s governor, then a late night meeting, a revote, and somehow a week later what looked cold and blue was revived. In this series, let’s take a look at some players across the state that saw their stocks climb thanks to a strong albeit strange and short fall campaign. <strong>Trevin Johnson, Sr., Holy Family:</strong> Tigers coach Mike Gabriel calls the 5-foot-8 running back one of the nicest kids you’ll ever meet. The kind of kid that holds the door open for the entire team. But then he gets on the field. And geeze, undersized or not, he just bludgeons people as he even finds a way to make the big hit with the ball in his hands. Overall, he’s a physical, smart back. Has a nice burst. In seven games, the senior has rushed for 869 yards and 12 touchdowns. His season continues this week as Holy Family hosts Durango in the 3A semifinals. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22561" first="Liam" last="O’Brien"], Sr., Fairview:</strong> O’Brien had Division-I offers in lacrosse prior to the season and now he should see an uptick in football interest, too. Building off a strong four-touchdown performance as the team’s backup who thrust into the 5A quarterfinals a year ago, O’Brien sizzled as the full-time starter in 2020. In seven games, he threw for 2,356 yards and 23 touchdowns to just one interception. He also rushed for five scores. Fairview was eventually ousted by Legend in the 5A postseason. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22726" first="Keegan" last="Patterson"], Jr. Longmont:</strong>  How about the sophomore-to-junior growth for the Longmont kid? In just six games, he trumped his passing totals from his 11 games played in 2019, throwing for 1,968 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also rushed for 12 scores. Heading into 2021, Patterson should be someone to watch closely. His versatility certainly makes him an intriguing prospect. And if he can get his interceptions down — had 11 this year — he should garner a lot of attention. <strong>Spencer Hardy, Sr., Dakota Ridge:</strong> The noseguard has been the most dominant part of Dakota Ridge’s prevalent defense in 2020. Called the catalyst of the unit by longtime Eagles coach Ron Woitalewicz to BVM Sports, Hardy has nine sacks in the regular season and 25 tackles. Next, Dakota Ridge faces Loveland in the 4A semifinals. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22643" first="Mason" last="Veve"], Sr., Erie:</strong> In five games, Veve rushed for 775 yards on just 83 carries, a 9.3 per touch average. He had 11 rushing scores, two kick return scores and caught a TD. In the end, despite leftover crumbs of a sample size, Veve built upon his impressive junior campaign in which he rushed for 1,273 yards and 15 scores.