Go Big or go Home: The Best Performances from Semifinal Weekend

Another season is almost in the books! Throughout the high school football landscape, schools from across the state of Colorado have put their bodies on the line every moment of every snap, willing their teams as much as they could in order to come out victorious for their schools. After nearly 90 days since the opening play of the 2021 campaign, it has been an all out sprint to the finish line! Only two teams remain between the 3A, 4A, and 5A classes, as we are now in the eye of the hurricane. Championship football is upon us! Who single handily punched their team’s ticket to the grand finale and had the best performances of the semifinals? &nbsp; <strong>RB [player_tooltip player_id="22769" first="Mason" last="Lowe"] Jr. Chatfield </strong> <strong>28-21 W vs Pine Creek </strong> <strong>13 CAR, 122 Yards, 9.4 AVG, 45 Long, 1 TD</strong> In a dramatic 28-21 victory against Pine Creek, it was actually the third-year tail back that proved his worth for the Chargers of Chatfield. Pine Creek was surprisingly able to bottle up senior running back [player_tooltip player_id="240088" first="Jake" last="Marschall"], but it was too overwhelming for Eagles to slow down both of the talented ball carriers that make up the two-headed rushing monster. The ferocious back diced and dismantled a fatigued Pine Creek defense in the later stages of this one, as Lowe nearly averaged a first down on every carry. His impressive 45 yard run blew the top off the defense and ensured that Pine Creek would be watching the 4A State Championship from their living room couch. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13004335/61a465883df5f60bac977822" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe> <strong> The Erie Tigers </strong> There is no doubting the state of drama that took place during the semifinal matchup between the Erie Tigers and the Montrose Indians. After going up by two touchdowns with just over five minutes to play in regulation, it seemed all but certain that Montrose would continue its magical season and inch one step closer to completing a perfect campaign in the state title game. However, Erie QB [player_tooltip player_id="143622" first="Blake" last="Barnett"] marched his troops right down the field and punched it in himself, cutting the deficit to a score with under two minutes to play. After a miraculous onside kick recovery, the Tigers scored again thanks to a touchdown snag by WR Jaylen Klickna, and proceeded to do the unthinkable. With the season on the line, Erie lined up for the two point conversion and converted in unbelievable fashion. With a ticket to the 4A championship on the line, the Tigers defense forced a turnover and halted a late charge by Montrose, thus prevailing 29-28. https://twitter.com/ErieTigerMedia/status/1464781792339279872?s=20 &nbsp; <strong>QB [player_tooltip player_id="153721" first="Gavin" last="Garrettson"] Sr. Mead</strong> <strong>Passing: 3/4, 57 Yards, 19.0 AVG, 1 TD</strong> <strong>Rushing: 20 CAR, 105 Yards, 5.3 AVG, 18 Long, 1 TD</strong> The Mead leader decided to put a show on with his legs, constantly juking out defenders and lunging for extra yardage in a game where the Mavericks absolutely overwhelmed the #1 seeded Roosevelt. Despite not attempting many passes in this matchup, Garrettson managed to rush for 105 yards including finding pay dirt in a 38-20 victory. The senior signal caller put it all on the line Friday, as his final high school career game will be for a championship. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12814629/618eba38ff0210089c7d0c2b" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe> &nbsp; <strong>RB Ethan Florez Sr. Eaton </strong> <strong>12 CAR, 70 Yards, 5.8 AVG, 12 Long, 2 TD’s </strong> While other games from the different classes were battling it out to determine who would reach the state title game, Eaton High School was busy themselves, and unlike the other playoff brackets, the Reds took care of business and hoisted the 2A State Championship trophy by the end of the night. Giving Eaton the edge over the Brush Beetdiggers was senior running back Ethan Florez, who pulverized defenders on his way to reaching the end zone twice on the night to go along with 70 yards on the ground. His 5.8 YPC put the Reds ahead of the sticks for most of the matchup, and eventually gave Eaton the title of best team in 2A. &nbsp; <strong>RB [player_tooltip player_id="22667" first="Gavin" last="Sawchuk"] Sr. Valor Christian</strong> <strong>23 CAR, 176 Yards, 7.7 AVG, 29 Long, 3 TD’s </strong> Is there anything this kid cannot do? Against the best of the best, Sawchuk continues to shine and play at a high level. The senior’s vision once he hits the hole is what stands out, as the phenom tailback is not only patient but decisive when he has the rock in his hands. His 7.7 YPC against Grandview helped the Eagles dominate the line of scrimmage, as the Wolves had no answer to the rushing attack. In order for Cherry Creek to have a chance against Valor Christian, slowing down Sawchuk will have to be a must. &nbsp; <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="43837" first="Ky" last="Oday"] Sr. Cherry Creek </strong> One of the fastest and electrifying players in the state, all eyes should be on Oday when the Bruins offense is on the field. Off the line of scrimmage, not many individuals have the quick feet that Oday possesses, as much of the time his superb route running leaves him wide open in the soft spots of opposing defenses. His breakaway speed can blow the top off of any defense, changing the tide of a game in a blink of an eye. With this type of game changing ability, it gives Cherry Creek’s offense a sense of explosiveness, something that is a must to bring home all of the marbles. &nbsp; <strong>RB Frank Ortega Sr. Fort Morgan</strong> <strong>Rushing: 15 CAR, 65 Yards, 1 TD</strong> <strong>Receiving: 6 REC, 157 Yards</strong> Ortega was a ginormous reason that the Fort Morgan Mustangs were able to knock off undefeated Lutheran a weekend ago. With Ortega’s dual-threat ability to not only run the ball effectively but displaying good hands out of the backfield, he can cause quite the number of issues for teams trying to game plan against Fort Morgan. Against Lutheran, the fourth year back had 223 All-Purpose yards, as he managed to almost single handily put the Lions away and advance to the 3A state title game versus Mead. &nbsp;