Game balls for Loveland in Class 5A second round win

The defending champions in Class 4A delivered a message in their first playoff game of the 2021 season: that they are legitimate contenders to repeat. The Loveland Red Wolves come in as the No. 6 seed in the playoffs and faced the No. 11 seed Vista Ridge Wolves on Friday, and they were able to run the ball at will and pull away for a solid 48-24 win to reach the quarterfinals. With the win, Loveland will face the No. 3 seed Pine Creek Eagles in the quarterfinal round. A team with plenty of experienced talent that won the title last year are back and still playing at a high level while trying to repeat as champions. Many of those players stood out in the win Friday and earned a game ball for their efforts. <h3><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22729" first="Ian" last="Loomis"], 2022, 6’3, 205, TE/LB</strong></h3> Loomis has been a key player for Loveland over the last three seasons on the defensive side of the ball. While his total number of tackles will be a little bit lower in this game due to the pass-heavy spread offense, he still jumps out with his play. He is a physical linebacker who plays downhill and finds his way to the football. He does a good job rushing the passer, but he is just as good dropping in coverage. If you are a ball carrier and Loomis is coming down, be prepared to take a hard hit from him. His physical play also makes him a great lead blocker who can move guys around and set the edge, which he did a number of times to break some big runs throughout the night. Loomis has a pair of offers from CSU-Pueblo and Western Colorado in the NCAA Division II level. <h3><strong>Tyson Williams, 2022, 6’1, 165, RB/DB</strong></h3> Williams is a speedster that is dangerous in the open field. It makes him a threat in the special teams as a returner. He broke a couple of runs, showing great vision to find the opening and then taking off to an extra level with his burst. On offense, Loveland did a good job trying to get him to the edge with jet sweeps and other outside runs, and the attention they have to pay to him with his speed allows the runs and counters up the middle to produce. In addition to the big chunk plays on offense and special teams, Williams is also a versatile defensive back with a couple of interceptions so far this season. Just last week, Williams earned an offer from Western Colorado. <h3><strong>Dylan Lindgren, 2023, 6’0, 185, LB/OL</strong></h3> Another linebacker who jumps out is Lindgren. He made some impressive stops in the box, including a fourth-down tackle on a run play where he hit the running back and did not allow him to get extra yardage after contact to get the turnover on downs. He is racking up tackles at a high rate, entering the game with 108 total tackles on the season. When coming up at the line to blitz or run fit, he does a good job not staying blocked, and he tends to find himself in the right spot to make a tackle. He takes pride on special teams too, and he has highlight packages just on his special teams plays this season, making him a player that could contribute in different areas of the game. His productivity in all phases of the game will make him an intriguing prospect to watch for in his class. <h3><strong>Lane Thomas, 2023, 6’0, 165, DB/RB</strong></h3> When facing a pass-heavy offense, we have to look at the defensive backs who were able to make some plays throughout the night. Thomas was one of the top defensive backs in the game, starting with an interception he got in the second half. He showed good technique to stay with his receiver and nearly had a second pick when he seemed to disguise zone coverage as man coverage. He makes good tackles in space, too, when a receiver has the ball in space. Thomas had a steady, productive evening and the secondary was able to help slow down the Vista Ridge offense enough to get the win.