5 to watch in 5A state championship game

Myles Purchase

Brent New

December 3, 2020 @ 01:49 PM

The hullabaloo surrounding high school football championships in Colorado earlier in the week was that no fans would be admitted inside the stadium at Colorado State-Pueblo. Then that changed to some fans. The constant changes throughout the fall season are nothing new. But in this series, we will look at players who have consistently sizzled in 2020, starting in Class 5A where Cherry Creek will look to defend its crown against Valor Christian Saturday. Cherry Creek will be aiming for its 11<sup>th</sup> state title in football, while Valor Christian looks to secure its ninth. [player_tooltip player_id="22668" first="George" last="Fitzpatrick"], Cherry Creek, OL: The 6-foot-6, 270-pound lineman has interest from Arizona State, Auburn, Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas. He’s been key in protecting senior quarterback Julian Hammond, who has thrown for 1,373 yards and 19 touchdowns. The junior, ranked the second-best athlete in Colorado’s 2022 class, will have his hands full against a defense that has seven sacks this season. [player_tooltip player_id="58941" first="Tyler" last="Larson"], Valor Christian, WR: The epitome of a big play waiting to happen, Larson has just 14 receptions this season but averages 27.2 yards on each. The senior has gone for more than 100 yards just once this season, and in four games has just one reception. When he touches it, though, he’s explosive. Valor Christian will need the big play to stymie Cherry Creek and Larson is a good bet to be on the backend of a few of them. [player_tooltip player_id="22530" first="Myles" last="Purchase"], Cherry Creek, CB/RB: The dynamic senior has five interceptions in seven games with two in wins against Overland and Regis Jesuit. He’s also returned two for scores and has rushed for another pair. Prep Redzone’s 15<sup>th</sup>-ranked athlete in Colorado’s 2021 class is committed to Iowa State. He also had offers from Army, Colorado State, Kansas and Kansas State. [player_tooltip player_id="22667" first="Gavin" last="Sawchuk"], Valor Christian, RB: The junior is averaging 10.1 yards per carry, totaling 1,086 yards and 17 touchdowns on just 108 attempts. In four of his first six games, he broke off runs of 40-plus yards. In Game 1, he needed just seven carries to go for 122 yards and a touchdown against Doherty. In games he had 25-plus touches, he ran for more than 200 yards. Sawchuk is the top-ranked athlete in Colorado’s 2022 class. [player_tooltip player_id="22521" first="Arden" last="Walker"], Cherry Creek, DL: Walker, ranked as the fifth-best athlete in Colorado’s 2021 class, has a cast of Division-I colleges looking for his services including Colorado, Texas and UCLA. At the strong defensive line position, he has recorded six sacks and has 31 tackles, 10 for loss.