Early Season Takeaways: Two 5A and 4A teams

The first two weeks of the 2021-21 season has given us a plethora of highlight reels of high school prospects worthy of being recognized by collegiate scouts. So far, there have been outstanding performances from seniors who have committed to Division I programs, starting freshman phenoms, and a vast amount of standout second and third year players. This article will highlight early season takeaways of two 5A and 4A teams from the first two weeks, starting with Castle View. Castle View Sabercats (5A) 2-0 Castle View is a team that is stacked with upperclassmen who have been the driving force for two very impressive wins to begin the season. The Sabercats posted a 27-0 shutout over Heritage in their season opener and followed up with a 38-21 win over Fairview. Senior running back Marc Wessbecker has rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns off of 26 carries, while Joe Ursetta (2023 RB) has 177 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Junior quarterback Nathan Schmidt has added an element to the Sabercats’ run game, accounting for 117 yards rushing on 21 carries. Schmidt has also tallied 165 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 13 of his 27 pass attempts. <a href="http://iframe%20src=’//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14652150/6136dd414796d505245a6b7d’%20width=’640’%20height=’360’%20frameborder=’0’%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14652150/6136dd414796d505245a6b7d" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a> On the defensive side of the ball, [player_tooltip player_id="153685" first="Beto" last="Ledezma"] (2022 SS) is a hard-hitting player who sets the tone every time he steps onto the field. He possesses the ability to change directions smoothly, enabling him to stay overtop of the receivers and play downhill when attacking the ball and its intended target. <a href="http://iframe%20src=’//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11058625/6133022b9a9145092c47a5d5’%20width=’640’%20height=’360’%20frameborder=’0’%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11058625/6133022b9a9145092c47a5d5" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a> Castle View will be traveling to Aurora to face Rangeview on Saturday. Longmont Trojans (4A) 1-1 The Longmont Trojans are a team full of upper class veterans led by [player_tooltip player_id="22726" first="Keegan" last="Patterson"] (2022 QB) on offense. Patterson is leading the state in passing yards (714) and total points scored (52) through the first two weeks of the season. So far, Patterson has completed 53 of his 77 attempts, 714 passing yards, three touchdowns, 46 carries, 196 rushing yards, and one touchdown. <a href="http://iframe%20src=’//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11381089/6133a6833df5bd0368701ed2’%20width=’640’%20height=’360’%20frameborder=’0’%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11381089/6133a6833df5bd0368701ed2" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a> Like many of the Trojans, [player_tooltip player_id="22714" first="Justice" last="Lillie"] (2022 ATH) and Kale Derksen (2022 MLB/TE) are two-way players who standout on both sides of the ball. Lillie has recorded 147 yards from 11 catches as a receiver, and 10 total tackles and four pass breakups as a defender. Derksen has 16 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery from his linebacker position, while hauling in four receptions for 97 yards and one touchdown as a tight end. [player_tooltip player_id="22706" first="Jack" last="Moll"] (2022 WR/DB) has the second most receiving yards on the team, tallying 201 yards and two touchdowns from eight receptions. Star athlete [player_tooltip player_id="32645" first="Caleb" last="Johnson"] (2022) has been nothing less than spectacular during the first two games, accounting for a total of 233 receiving yards from 29 receptions and 204 kick return yards. As a defender, Johnson has broken up two pass attempts and hauled in one interception. <a href="http://iframe%20src=’//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11400907/613394333df5bd03687001ab’%20width=’640’%20height=’360’%20frameborder=’0’%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11400907/613394333df5bd03687001ab" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a> The Trojans lost 49-43 in week one to Chatfield then won their home opener 38-29 over Broomfield. They will be looking to improve to 2-1 as they prepare for a tough road game against a 1-1 Windsor team. Mullen Mustangs (4A) 1-1 The Mullen Mustangs fell to Cherokee Trail 35-24 in the season opener, but managed to pull off a spectacular 25-21 win at home over Legend in week two. One of the many impressive players on the Mustang roster is [player_tooltip player_id="135544" first="Kyle" last="Krebs"] (2022 RB) who has 51 carries for 319 yards and one touchdown, as well as three receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns. <a href="http://iframe%20src=’//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11098362/6136c5379a913c0a68e01c66’%20width=’640’%20height=’360’%20frameborder=’0’%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11098362/6136c5379a913c0a68e01c66" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a> Krebs’ success is a true testament to a dominating offensive line, much like the success of sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="143623" first="Blake" last="Palladino"]. Through the first two games of the season, Palladino has completed 22 of his 42 attempts for 279 yards and three touchdowns. The Mustangs have a troupe of senior receivers who see equal targets from the young quarterback which include Owen Harty (6rec, 70yds, 1TD), Elias Cardenas (6rec, 47yds), and Nick Carje (3rec, 33yds). Another staple of this Mullen team is its relentless defense which is led by Ishmael Aceves Jr. (2023 MLB/TE) who has a team-high of 19 total tackles to go along with his forced fumble and fumble recovery. Hunter Ley (2022 DE) has accounted for 14 total tackles and five QB hurries, while Michael Brouillette (2022 DB) has a team-high of two interceptions in addition to his 10 total tackles and one fumble recovery. Mullen has a tough opponent this week in Regis Jesuit then a matchup against #1 Valor Christian the following Friday. Fairview Knights (5A) 1-1 The Knights are a team with a strong balance of upper and lowerclassmen, making them a program with a lot of promise. Freshman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="165130" first="Bekkem" last="Kritza"] has the potential of becoming one of the greatest gunslingers the state has ever seen. Through the first two games of his high school career, Kritza has completed 51 of his 87 passing attempts for a total of 685 yards (2nd most) and six touchdowns. <a href="http://iframe%20src=’//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16078708/613306fbbed7310840af5a85’%20width=’640’%20height=’360’%20frameborder=’0’%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16078708/613306fbbed7310840af5a85" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a> Leading the Knights’ wide receiving core is Nebraska commit [player_tooltip player_id="22672" first="Grant" last="Page"] (2022 WR/DB) who has 222 yards and two touchdowns off of 16 receptions. Jordan Rechel (2025 WR) is another freshman who has started his high school career off with a phenomenal statline, accounting for eight receptions for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Kritza and Rechel had developed a strong chemistry during their youth football days with the Boulder Bears, one that has only gotten stronger in high school. Ben Anderson (2022 WR) is the third-leading receiver on the team with 11 receptions for 119 yards. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id="150076" first="Zach" last="Lewis"] (2023 LB/RB) leads the team in tackles with a total of 23, while Josh Zang (2023 DB) has recorded two interceptions, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, and 12 total tackles. <a href="http://iframe%20src=’//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15219174/6133cbbbe97a2106104e664c’%20width=’640’%20height=’360’%20frameborder=’0’%20allowfullscreen/iframe"><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15219174/6133cbbbe97a2106104e664c" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></a> Fairview opened its season with a 42-21 home win over Boulder, but fell short to Castle View in a 38-21 loss on the road. The Knights will be looking to bounce back as they prepare to host Grand Junction Central on Friday night.