Game balls for Fort Morgan in Class 3A state championship win

For the first time since 1999, the Fort Morgan Mustangs football team are state champions. It did not come easy in the playoffs as the Mustangs won all four playoff games by 14 points or fewer. Their last win for the title was a 21-17 comeback victory over the Mead Mavericks to complete a 12-1 season. Tied 14-14 going into the fourth quarter, the Mustangs forced a 25-yard field goal from Mead that gave the Mavericks a 17-14 lead with 7 minutes, 40 seconds remaining. Fort Morgan responded with the go-ahead rushing touchdown by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="58957" first="Briggs" last="Wheatley"] with less than four minutes remaining, and David Keller secured the win in the final 30 seconds with his interception. There were a handful of players who had big seasons and came through in Pueblo to win the state title. Here are the game balls handed out to Fort Morgan in its win. <h3><strong>Frank Ortega, 2022, 5’8, 180, RB/DB/P</strong></h3> A team captain this season, Ortega does a little bit of everything to help his team win, and he displayed that in all three phases on Saturday. On offense, he’s a versatile running back who can also split out as a wide receiver. He does a good job hitting the lane when carrying the football, he does not go down very often on first contact, and he also excels in run blocking down the field on a run or a pass reception. His speed also helped him make some stops, coming up from the secondary to get his nose in on a number of run plays against a run-heavy Mead offense. Then there is the special teams where he is a dangerous returner and the team’s punter. His speed and the motor to fly all over the field helped him flirt with a 1,000-yard season running the ball as well as 53 tackles with 10 interceptions on defense coming into the game. <h3><strong>Brayden Fajardo, 2022, 5’11, 160, WR/DB</strong></h3> While Mead primarily used the run game on offense, Fort Morgan tried to have some balance running and throwing the football. When attacking through the air, Fajardo was the go-to receiver and showed he is reliable. He worked well in the slot to create separation and showed sure hands hauling in receptions. Once the pass was caught, he did a good job turning up the field for extra yards. He even played a factor in the run game on a couple of jet sweeps getting to the edge. When the Mustangs had to drive down the field late in the fourth quarter, he was the key target that helped them reach the red zone for Wheatley to score the game-winning touchdown. Entering the game, he had 32 receptions for 414 yards and four receiving touchdowns. <h3><strong>Jessie Campa, 2022, 5’11, OL/DL</strong></h3> There was one player up front who seemed to have an ability to get penetration on the defensive side of the ball, and that was Campa. He did a good job hitting the hole when opposing guards would pull, and he played with good leverage to get a push up the field and disrupt a few run plays, allowing his teammates behind him to make some tackles. The physicality he brought up front was critical to try and get Mead into a few third-and-long situations. His physical play translated well on offense, too, as he had some success creating some run lanes in the interior for the quarterback and running backs to run through. Though everyone up front had their moments for Fort Morgan, Campa was the one who seemed to be the most consistent for his team, just what you want to see from a team captain. <h3><strong>Colin Duckworth, 2023, 5’10, 195, OL/LB</strong></h3> One of the keys for the Mustangs was their red zone defense. Duckworth played a large part in that with some key stops and initial contact he made at the line of scrimmage on ball carriers and offensive lineman to muddy up the room to work with. He had a few plays where he was able to shoot the gap with enough speed to either get a stop or force the ball carrier to bounce his run wide for other players to follow up behind him. He shows good athleticism and physicality to match with it, and he is one of many Mustang defenders who double up playing on the offensive line and at the linebacker level. His play, especially in the red zone, helped limit the damage done by the Mead offense to get the win.