Week 10 Review: Arvada West Wildcats vs Ralston Valley Mustangs

<strong>Review</strong> The final week of regular season action in Colorado has passed and with it, some incredible games that played out over the weekend. The highlight of last Friday’s match-ups, however, was the game between the 14th ranked Arvada West Wildcats and the 6th ranked Ralston Valley Mustangs. This game was a tight contest from start to finish, but the Wildcats were ultimately able to pull off the upset, 17-10, behind a stout defensive showing, forcing the Mustangs into 3 interceptions while also adding 3.5 sacks to shut down the Mustangs’ offense. Arvada West was the first to strike on a 65-yard punt return in the first quarter by [player_tooltip player_id="218213" first="Ethan" last="Cook"] and that would be the only score until Ralston Valley scored on a 1-yard run by Jackson Hansen in the 2nd quarter to even the score, 7-7. However, the Wildcats responded quickly off an interception while the Mustangs were in the red zone, with [player_tooltip player_id="218213" first="Ethan" last="Cook"] completing a 16-yard pass to Brady Witherspoon for a touchdown right before the half. Coming out of the half, Arvada West held a 14-7 lead, with neither team adding points until they both took field goals in the fourth quarter to make the score 17-10. The Mustangs had one last shot to tie the game on their last drive, but Arvada West was able to force an interception to seal the upset, 17-10. <strong>Players of the Game</strong> Angelo St. James, Arvada West Wildcats (DB)(Sr.)(7) - St. James was one of several key contributors on the defensive side for the Wildcats, but he might’ve had the most important performance out of all of them. For the night, St. James accounted for 3 tackles and two huge interceptions to help shut down the Mustangs’ offense. Going to the tape, you can see St. James displays a tenacious nature to attack and high point the ball in the air despite his size. Smart DB that always seem to be in a position to make a play on the ball. Even when being matched up against larger receivers, St. James doesn’t shy away from physicality at the line or down the field with the receiver. Exceptional athleticism and foot speed prevents him from getting beat on deep balls by fast receivers. Rangy defender with great lateral agility to move with quicker receivers on sharper breaking routes. While St. James doesn’t have a big recruiting profile, he is certainly talented enough to play at the collegiate level. [player_tooltip player_id="166904" first="Reed" last="Henkel"], Arvada West Wildcats (DE)(Sr.)(88) - Henkel was one of a few defenders who were able to apply pressure to Mustangs’ QB James Wochner but he might’ve been the most disruptive of all of them. Against the Ralston Valley offense, Henkel registered 6 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. When you put on the film of Henkel, the first thing that jumps out is his power. Extremely strong lower body and core allow him to maintain a low pad level and drive the opposing blocker into the QB after making contact. Very powerful and precise with his hand placement; this being coupled with his ability to drive the opposing blocker creates a lethal bull rush that quickly collapses the pocket. Deceptive athleticism allows him to incorporate speed rush techniques and maintain excellent closing speed when in pursuit of the ball carrier. While Henkel is another player that hasn’t garnered much attention in regards to recruiting, he’s an unbelievably powerful and talented edge defender. [player_tooltip player_id="218213" first="Ethan" last="Cook"], Arvada West Wildcats (QB)(Jr.)(8) - While Cook didn’t light up the stat sheet last week, he didn’t need to. Cook played with poise, efficiency, and made the big throws when the team needed them the most. Going against the Mustangs’ defense, Cook went 9 of 15 (60%) for 110 yards and a touchdown that ended up being the difference in the game. When watching the tape on Cook, you can see he is a highly accurate passer. Great ball placement on throws to every level of the field, routinely dropping the ball into a bucket on deep balls and squeezing throws into tight windows on short and intermediate throws. Highly efficient passer that rarely makes bad decisions with the football and consistently takes what the defense gives him. Smart QB that can quickly work through his progressions and find the open receiver in between zones or when working man coverage. Cook doesn’t have a huge recruiting profile at the moment, but should start getting interest if he continues on his current pace.