Game balls for Severance in Week 2 win

The No. 8 ranked Severance Silver Knights improved to 2-0 Thursday night with a 27-2 win over the Niwot Cougars in Longmont. For the Class 2A program, they have been strong on defense, not giving up a point so far through the first two games of the season. Only a safety on Thursday has resulted in points allowed so far. There were a number of players who shined in the win on Thursday. We present the game balls handed out to players from Severance for their standout performances. <h3><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="150079" first="Colby" last="Runner"], 2023, 6’1, RB/LB</strong></h3> Versatility for Runner makes him a threat in multiple facets of the offense. He can carry the ball from the backfield, running both between the tackles and getting to the edge, and he is also a good receiver to streak down the middle of the field from the slot, evident by his touchdown reception he had. One underrated area of his offensive game is his blocking. He showed great pride in delivering a hit on a defender when the quarterback was rolling out, even putting a guy on his back with his big block. That physical streak also saw him control some of the action on defense. He excelled in blitzing through the ‘A’ gap to break up a read-option play or get a sack, and he made plenty of havoc in the box most of the night. And to top it off, he recorded an interception as well. A complete game for Runner earned him a game ball. <h3><strong>Caden Donovan, 2022, 6’1, 175, WR/DB</strong></h3> Another defender who was all over the field for Severance was Donovan. Roaming the back end of the field, he is a versatile player who seems to fit the hybrid role of a player who can move to the box as an extra linebacker or drop in pass coverage as a safety. He made many sure tackles, some stopping explosive plays from potentially turning into scoring opportunities. The ability to cover ground made him a force, and he showed great instincts to get to the ball. Through two games, he has been an anchor for a dominant defensive unit that has yet to allow a point. <h3><strong>Kash Anderson, 2023, 6’3, OL/DL</strong></h3> A few different players did well in the trenches, but we gave the game ball to Anderson. He was a steady left tackle who seemed to do a good job getting in position to protect the blindside, but he also did a good job not getting driven back in rollouts his direction. From his defensive end spot, he set a good edge against the read-option, and he did get penetration to hurry the quarterback or took up blockers to free a blitzing linebacker to get to him as well. While the stat sheet may not be stuffed, he did have an effective night in Longmont. <h3><strong>Jaden Hoffman, 2024, 6’1, 150, QB</strong></h3> Hoffman did not start the game, and only played the final few possessions from the quarterback spot, but when he was in, he was able to move the chains and even scored a touchdown. The sophomore showed a good ability to tuck the ball and run if the pocket broke down, getting some nice yardage with his scrambling. He even possessed enough speed to get to the edge and dive to the pylon for the final touchdown of the evening in the red zone. As for his arm, he had a throw where he took a deep shot, putting the ball in position where only his receiver could get it or it would fall incomplete. <strong>Nolan Hertzke</strong> played well as the starting quarterback for Severance, but it was nice to see the backup Hoffman come in and deliver a few promising drives and even score instead of just running out the clock and not getting much production like many teams see when putting in the second string.