Glimpse into the Future III The Most Talented 3A Rosters in 2022

Welcome back to the third ever edition of our Glimpse into the Future series! Previously, we have covered some of the best 5A and 4A schools and their upcoming rosters for the 2022 season. After dissecting the two biggest classifications in Colorado and their respective talent, it is time to shift our focus to the 3A level, where there is no lack of skilled gridiron greats eager to make a name for themselves throughout colorful Colorado. As mother nature continues to pummel and consume the Centennial State with fresh powder during the stormy month of March, it is never too early to take a peek into the crystal ball and predict which schools will be fielding the best teams in roughly six months from now. From the foothills and purple majesties to the desert landscape of southern Colorado, these 3A schools listed below pack a bigger punch than Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Spring time is almost upon us, signaling that we’re inching closer to throwing around the pigskin and spending our weekends doing absolutely nothing other than observing the great sport that is football. As we patiently await that heavenly day, here are the most talented 3A rosters to keep your eye on in 2022!   Fort Morgan 2021 Record: 12-1 (3-1) 2021 Result: W 21-17 vs Mead (State Title) It is only fitting that we begin our Glimpse into the Future 3A edition by starting off with the defending champions themselves. Fort Morgan was an unstoppable force during the 2021 season, capping off their twelfth victory of the campaign by triumphing over the Mead Mavericks 21-17. It was a magical season for Fort Morgan to say the least, as it was their balanced attack on offense and their stingy defense that paved the way for a championship dream come true. The Mustangs excelled at keeping defenses on their heels, as they compiled 2,188 passing yards to go along with an almost identical 2,129 rushing yards, which demonstrated the efficiency on offense all year long. Looking ahead at the Mustangs’ roster for 2022, there will no question be some holes at key positions that will need to be addressed. If there is any cause for concern, it’s that the 3A champs will be losing quite a bit of experience, as the statistical leaders in passing, rushing, and receiving will no longer be with the team after being on track to graduate in 2022. So, why is this team even being included among this list with the amount of departures taking place? Well, the Mustangs have some dawgs returning on the defensive side of the ball and are ready to continue instilling a winning attitude in order to defend their title in 2022. Notable returnees include junior ILB Colin Duckworth (58 Tackles, 5.0 TFL) and also LB David Keller, who will be returning for his senior season as the leading tackler among Mustangs defenders from 2021 with 93 total tackles, 3.0 sacks, and 6.0 tackles for loss. Another name to be on the lookout for who could be a rising prospect on offense is soon-to-be sophomore running back Samson Ortega, whose older brother Frank had a monstrous season with 1,832 all-purpose yards. The younger Ortega would love to replicate that kind of production, as Samson is a shifty ball carrier who has good hands out of the backfield and has the potential to be an every down kind of back. If Fort Morgan can figure out the quarterback position and surround their signal caller with some playmakers, then no one should be surprised if the Mustangs make a run at going back-to-back. Plus, how cool was this video from a few months back? https://twitter.com/Scotty_G6/status/1467155093522948105   Durango 2021 Record: 9-3 (5-0) 2021 Result: L 13-14 vs Mead (Playoffs) Similarly to Fort Morgan, Durango’s concluding game of the season came at the hands of Mead as well, but the Demons came out on the short end of the stick in a gut-wrenching defeat in the late stages that ultimately came down to a failed two-point conversion with nine minutes remaining. After a season that saw Durango go 9-3 including running the table in conference play at 5-0, the loss to the Mavericks was crushing. However, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, as the shortcomings that Durango had to endure will no doubt leave them better off in the long run. Fast forward only a few short months later and it appears that Durango will be locked and loaded for redemption in 2022. To begin our dissection of the Demons’ roster, let’s bring up the fact that there will be plenty of experience returning, many of who will still have the devastating playoff loss fresh in their minds six months from now. Pair the motivating factor with returning talent galore and you have yourself a pretty darn dangerous squad come autumn. Starting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="147555" first="Tyler" last="Harms"] will be entering his third season in the program after dotting up defenses in 2021with 14 touchdowns and 1,113 yards through the air. Harms can be harmful when you give him enough time in the pocket, as his improvement in going through his throwing progressions was evident as each game went by. Not only is the commander of the offense returning, but impact names such as RB Zach Haber and WR Jordan Stanley will also be coming back for another crack at a possible playoff run. Acting as one of the more experienced 3A schools coming to a gridiron near you in 2022, the Demons will have major chips on their shoulders in their pursuit of righting the ship from last season. https://twitter.com/FootballDurango/status/1490523219534618631 https://twitter.com/ZachHaber/status/1457370525626290185   Lutheran 2021 Record: 12-1 (5-0) 2021 Result: L 21-23 vs Fort Morgan (Playoffs) The 3A North West Lutheran Lions were nearly perfect during the 2021 campaign, and most likely would’ve gone unbeaten if it wasn’t for Fort Morgan’s magical run at the whole shebang. After reeling off 12 straight wins during the regular season and remaining perfect in their conference slate, Lutheran finished the year ranked as the 18th best school in the entire state, while also rating as the third best 3A school behind Fort Morgan and Roosevelt respectively. The reason behind Lutheran’s success was the Lions’ ability to put up points on the scoreboard, as they averaged a whopping 49.7 PPG. This included scoring 60 points on three separate occasions and generating 50 points in almost half their contest versus the opposition. Talk about finding the end zone! The Lions were led by phenom QB [player_tooltip player_id="153674" first="Clayton" last="Jacobs"], who managed an impressive stat line of 30 touchdowns to only nine interceptions thrown, and additionally threw for over 2,200 passing yards. Jacobs played his final year of high school ball in 2021 as a senior, so replacing this type of production will be the biggest priority this off-season for Lutheran. Even though they’ll be losing their leader on offense, Lutheran remains quite the talented bunch. Surrounding the new name filling Clayton’s shoes as the Lions field general in 2022 will be plenty of playmakers at his disposal. Offensively, halfback [player_tooltip player_id="150202" first="Ryan" last="Kenny"] is primed to take over the backfield as running back #1 and is hopeful to continue the high-octane onslaught on offense with his 8.3 yards per carry from last season. Not to mention, Kenny also plays the linebacker position as well, serving as a tremendous tackler and adds a great sense of football IQ to his game by disguising his linebacker coverage in the running and passing game. Lutheran’s new quarterback will also have some returning wideouts to get the ball out to on the boundaries, as the dynamic duo of brothers of [player_tooltip player_id="251278" first="Joseph" last="Ciccio"] and Trey Ciccio were some of the Lion’s best pass catchers last season with a combined 728 receiving yards. Switching gears to defense, it seems that the Lions won’t be missing much of a beat. The one name that should be getting more attention? Edge/inside linebacker Joshua Ayers, whose motor is always running high. Ayers generated pressure at an absurd rate in 2021 with his 19.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 forced fumbles, and 4.5 sacks. With the defense expected to hold teams at bay, Lutheran will be a threat to many as the season progresses. Another 12-1 finish will be tough to accomplish, but the Lions should be expected to return to the big dance once December rolls around. https://twitter.com/fb_coachrobbins/status/1470509042212564995 <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15142600/61fd67c38cde6d0a6467c0e6" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   Palisade 2021 Record: 9-3 (4-0) 2021 Result: L 7-49 vs Lutheran (Playoffs) Coming in as the fourth group of ballers to be included among the most talented rosters in their classification are the Bulldogs of Palisade reigning from the 3A Central West league! After going unbeaten in conference play, Palisade came into the 3A State Playoffs as a seven-seed and even dominated their way to a first-round win by a score of 35-21 over Pueblo East. Despite their season coming to an end in the second round against the mighty Lutheran Lions, there was plenty to take away from a very successful year. In the game of life, there are few things that are given to us with such predictability and simplicity. One of these certain things is the Palisade football program and their ability to garner victories year in and year out, something that many schools have not been able to accomplish. The Bulldogs have not witnessed a single losing season for the better part of more than two decades, which makes them an almost guaranteed pre-season lock to be a championship contender annually. As we sit in the thick of spring ball while inching closer and closer to the first day of games in September, it is only necessary to look at where a rich and wealthy winning program like Palisade stands in 2022. To begin our roster breakdown, let’s look at who will no longer be on the team and which playmakers will be returning less than six months from today. The Bulldogs were as run-heavy as it gets a season ago, gashing defenses to the tune of 3,836 yards on the ground. Led by junior tailbacks Malakhi Espinoza and Phallen Salvati, the pair will be returning in 2022 to attempt to top their yardage in what would be an impressive feat. Additionally, who could forget two-way impact middle linebacker/running back Rhett Ward, who provided the Bulldogs with 851 rushing yards while wrapping up ball carriers on defense 135 times. Ward may be the most valuable playmaker on the squad, as his effectiveness on both sides of the ball should excite Palisade fans all season long. 2022 should be a dandy one Palisade, so buckle up for a long offseason until then. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13122996/5ffb5feca680d30f408b5d8c" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   Evergreen 2021 Record: 8-3 (3-2) 2021 Result: L 3-56 vs Durango (Playoffs) Last and certainly not least, the Evergreen Cougars have every right to be ecstatic coming into the 2022 season. Last season, Evergreen managed to go 8-3 and even snatch a playoff berth before getting pummeled by Durango to conclude the 2021 football year. Despite the beatdown, the Cougars eight-win total in 2021 equaled the same amount of wins from the last two previous seasons, as Evergreen managed to secure only four wins in 2019 and 2020. As the Cougars enter 2022 finishing last year as the 15th ranked 3A team in Colorado, there is a buzz around the football program that hasn’t existed in quite some time. Not to mention, the Cougars finally have the talent on their roster to back up the high expectations that are surrounding the school. At first glance, Evergreen might have the most impact returnees on their 2022 roster, edging out other competing 3A schools with their savvy veterans. If I had to pick a dark-horse favorite to bring home the whole enchilada, look no further than Evergreen. The Cougars are bringing back their statistical leaders at the quarterback position, both running backs, a quartet of wide receivers, and their three leading tacklers on defense. Head coach Matthew Van should be absolutely thrilled with the amount of players he gets to bring back, and they are also more than battle tested after experiencing bitter defeat in postseason play. Field general [player_tooltip player_id="149357" first="Tommy" last="Poholsky"] has the opportunity to be one of the better quarterbacks in all of the Centennial State, as he is coming off a very methodical campaign in which he connected on 177 passes on 297 attempts while throwing for 1,961 yards. He also managed to limit turnovers by achieving a spectacular TD to INT ratio by firing 21 touchdowns and only giving the ball to the other team five times. In the running game, RB [player_tooltip player_id="247070" first="Gabe" last="Zimmerer"] should be the bell cow after posting 784 yards on 142 carries and also adding 228 receiving yards. Defense still wins championships right? Well, if that’s the case, then the Evergreen defensive unit should be in good shape. Ballhawks in Jack Johnson, Kyle Solowetz, and [player_tooltip player_id="303218" first="Russ" last="Woodward"] combined for 255 of the 945 tackles made by the Cougars last season, and should have an even bigger impact leadership wise heading into their season years. Evergreen will have a seniority advantage against most teams they play, thus forging quite the dangerous brigade of skill and expertise. Don’t be shocked if the 2022 Cougars are not only the best team in the class of 3A, but the whole state of Colorado. https://twitter.com/TommyPoholsky14/status/1463233544457576449 <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11740366/61bcd7e196767906a4032a89" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>