Week 10 – Offensive Players of the Week

The final week of regular season action in Colorado has come and gone. For some teams, it’s the end of their season and for others, it’s just the beginning. As we enter the first week of the state playoffs, here’s a look at the top performers from last week and the traits they displayed that made their performances possible. <strong>Players of the Week</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="166903" first="Bryce" last="Vaz"], Legend Titans (RB)(Sr.)(11) - This is Vaz’s second appearance on these weekly lists with this performance being even better than the first. Vaz was by far and away the state’s top rushing performer from week 10 as he had a truly dominant showing in the Titans’ 45-14 beatdown of the Chaparral Wolverines. Against the Wolverines defense, Vaz posted a mind-boggling stat line as he accounted for 285 yards on 33 carries (8.6 YPC) and 6 touchdowns. When you look at Vaz’s night, you can see that Vaz is a highly explosive, one-cut runner with outstanding foot speed that allows him to separate against second and third-level defenders. Excellent lateral agility that allows him to find creases between blockers and break tackles against defenders in the open field. Reliable receiving option out of the backfield with adequate hands and solid route running that makes him a matchup problem for LBs. While small in stature (5’9, 180 lbs), he has a thick lower body and low center of gravity that makes him deceptively powerful at the point of contact. Willing and able to run between the tackles and gain tough, physical yards but operates best in space and on the edge. While Vaz isn’t getting much attention in recruiting circles, he’s certainly a player talented enough to play at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="206494" first="Bekkem" last="Kritza"], Fairview Knights (QB)(Fr.)(8) - This is the freshman phenom’s fourth time making this list, more than any other player this season. For anybody to play that well throughout the year is remarkable, but doing it as a freshman is next level. In the Knights’ tight 38-33 loss to the Horizon Hawks, Kritza went 38 of 54 (70%) for 444 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a QBR of 105.8 while also adding a touchdown on the ground. When you break down film on Kritza, you can see Kritza is a tall, long-armed QB with a quick release that has excellent ball placement on deep and intermediate throws. Strong armed passer that can hit every level of the field with little to no difficulty, and his arm strength also contributes to his ability to squeeze throws into tight windows. Intelligent QB with the ability to read the rotation of the coverage shell and identify the holes in zone coverage underneath. While not lightning in a bottle athletically, he has outstanding pocket presence and enough mobility to avoid the rush and buy himself time to find a receiver downfield. Good accuracy moving out of the pocket and throwing on the run/off-platform with varying arm angles to get the ball around defenders. It’s fairly well established at this point how talented Kritza is. If he continues to grow as a QB, he won’t only be one of the best players in the state of Colorado, but he might be one of the top players in the country by the time 2025 roles around. Jordan Rechel, Fairview Knights (WR)(Fr.)(28) - Rechel joins his QB on this list as the only freshman to make these weekly lists. Rechel’s second time on this list was equally as impressive as his first appearance from last week. In the loss to Horizon, Rechel accounted for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns on 8 receptions (23.0 YPR) and was easily the state’s most productive receiver last week. When you watch the tape, you can see Rechel shows an innate ability as a slot receiver. Compact stature (5’10, 160 lbs) with elite short area quickness when working underneath or outside. Excellent top end foot speed that can take the top off of the defense when working deeper routes against nickel corners and safeties. Elusive runner after the catch, consistently eluding multiple defenders after receptions on screens, mesh concepts, and when working the intermediate area of the field. Shows a quick and lethal release at the line that can beat most opposing DBs locked in man coverage. Good tracking ability when working back to under-thrown passes, showing the ability to undercut the defender and high-point the ball. Much like Kritza, Rechel is establishing a name for himself early in his career. These two will be a fun combination to watch through 2025.