In Attendance: Week Three Games

Week three of the season kicks off tomorrow with the hope of being a highlight-worthy week for many of the seniors working on their recruitment.   This article will preview the games I attend and the players I watch this week.   Horizon (0-2) at Arvada West (1-1) | Thursday, September 8, 2022 | 6:00 P.M.   The Wildcats are riding a solid wave following a dominant 56-0 win over Boulder, whereas the Horizon Hawks are looking for their first win after two tough losses.   Arvada West Wildcats   QB [player_tooltip player_id='218213' first='Ethan' last='Cook'] (2023) has had an impressive beginning to his senior season, throwing for 597 yards and nine touchdowns through the first two games. Cook has a main receiving core of four seniors, three of whom are over 6-foot-1. [player_tooltip player_id='376789' first='Brady' last='Witherspoon'] (2023 WR) and Andrew Martinez (2023 WR) will enter this game with three touchdowns each on a combined 22 receptions.   Defensively, the Wildcats will look to senior linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='289496' first='Charlie' last='Smith'] (MLB) and Reece Dixon (OLB) to lead the charge against a talented offense. Smith has recorded a team-high of 20 total tackles, with four being for a loss of yards and one sack, while also forcing two fumbles. Dixon has 14 tackles, one for a loss of yards, and a pass breakup.    The Horizon Hawks   Sophomore QB [player_tooltip player_id='232155' first='Alex' last='Birch'] is coming into this game after a rocky start to the season, but his performances suggest that the passing offense is on the verge of finding its spark. Birch has managed to spread the ball around to a few different targets, including Xavier Stanley (2023 WR/DB), Jace Garner (2023 TE), and Elijah Glassford (2024 WR/DB). Senior two-way athlete [player_tooltip player_id='150170' first='Landen' last='Loomis'] (2023 WR/DB) is a pace-pushing who possesses the ability to ignite a fire in his teammates on either side of the ball.     Pregame Perceptions   The Hawks will be heading into a tough matchup as they take on a powerful Wildcat team. Expect Cook and company to air the ball out and test the Horizon secondary as the Wildcats look to continue their highlight-worthy performances.   The Hawks have the potential of turning this one into a shootout if Birch can find an early rhythm with his receivers, but that will depend on whether or not the offensive line can get a push up front.   Other Wildcats to watch   Yency Alvino | 2023 WR Zion Thomas | 2023 WR   Other Hawks to watch   Matthew Gutierrez | 2024 WR   Northglenn (1-0) at Thornton (1-1) | Friday, September 9, 2022 | 7:00 P.M.   The Thornton Trojans will host the Northglenn Norsemen after pulling off a 32-27 win over Niwot. Unfortunately, Northglenn's game against Gateway has no official stats or final score, likely due to the game being interrupted by the lightning storms last Friday.   The Northglenn Norsemen   Trevor Dean (2024 QB) had an impressive showing during the season opener, throwing for 187 yards, rushing for 56 yards, and a rushing touchdown. [player_tooltip player_id='324811' first='Brian' last='Dykstra'] (2023 WR/DB) and Dimitrius Perea (2024 RB/DB) accumulated 105 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the first game of the season.   Defensively, Brock Bucher (2023 MLB/TE) and Elvio Agagah (2024 SS/OLB) each secured ten tackles, with Bucher also recording a sack and a tackle for loss.   The Thornton Trojans   Through two games, sophomore QB Jose Paredes has thrown for 300 yards with a touchdown and rushed for 94 yards and four touchdowns. Standout senior [player_tooltip player_id='22763' first='Isacc' last='Gomez'] (WR/DB) has 13 receptions for 188 yards and one touchdown on offense, and 16 tackles, two pass breakups, and one interception. Jeremy Powell (2023 RB/DT) has rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown while racking up six tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Senior Aden Lucero-Barraza (DL) has been a force on the defensive front, securing 12 tackles, five tackles for a loss of yards, and two forced fumbles.   Pregame Perceptions   This game will be a contest between two evenly matched teams, making it an interesting one on the schedule. Thornton having a QB who can push the ball downfield gives the team the ability to give its receivers the opportunities to make plays. Northglenn's offense is capable of airing the ball out and stretching the field. With both rosters having key players going both ways, expect one of the defenses to be the deciding factor in this one, especially the secondaries.   Other Norsemen to watch   Manuel Pocheco Jr | 2023  Eli Stevens | 2026 LB   Other Trojans to watch   Davonte Henderson | 2023 CB David Williams | 2024 RB   Saturday, September 10, 2022   The decision is still out on which game I will attend on Saturday, but the choice has been narrowed down to three games. Golden (1-1) will face #9 Ponderosa (2-0) at noon, Mead (1-1) will visit Severence (1-1) at 1:00 P.M., and #13 Limon (2-0) will travel to take on #23 Strasburg (2-0) at 7:00 P.M.   Stay tuned to <a href="https://twitter.com/coachwes_23" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a> to find out which game gets chosen.   Other notable Thursday and Friday matchups   There are more than a few games kicking off this week worth watching. Here is a look at my top runner-up games and a name to know from each team.   Cherokee Trail (1-1) at #5 Columbine (2-0) | Thursday at 4:00 P.M.   [player_tooltip player_id='289488' first='Noah' last='Greer'] - Cherokee Trail - 2023 WR [player_tooltip player_id='376592' first='Marquane' last='Taylor'] - Columbine - 2023 RB   #15 Broomfield (2-0) at Vista PEAK Prep (1-1) | Thursday at 6:30 P.M.   [player_tooltip player_id='431022' first='Kaelan' last='Frey'] - Broomfield - 2023 WR Calem Moore - Vista PEAK - 2023 WR/DB   Highlands Ranch (1-1) at Eaglecrest (2-0) | Thursday at 6:30 P.M.   [player_tooltip player_id='256288' first='Isaac' last='Engle'] - Montrose - 2023 LB [player_tooltip player_id='247069' first='Diego' last='Cearns'] - Eaglecrest - 2023 RB/ATH   Banning Lewis Prep Academy (2-0) at Yuma (2-0) | Thursday at 7:00 P.M.   [player_tooltip player_id='143641' first='Ben' last='Early'] - Banning Lewis - 2024 TE/LB Jack Blecha - Yuma - 2023 RB/CB   Fort Collins (1-1) at Windsor (1-1) | Thursday at 7:00 P.M.   Griffin Daknis - Fort Collins - 2023 QB [player_tooltip player_id='153139' first='Garrett' last='Sauer'] - Windsor - 2023 QB   #17 Arapahoe (2-0) at #3 Regis Jesuit (1-1) | Friday at 6:30 P.M.   [player_tooltip player_id='247207' first='Thomas' last='Farquhar'] - Arapahoe - 2023 LB [player_tooltip player_id='246892' first='D'Andre' last='Barnes'] - Regis Jesuit - 2023 WR   #7 Valor Christian (1-1) at Fairview (2-0) | Friday at 7:00 P.M.   [player_tooltip player_id='189119' first='Brody' last='Bliek'] - Valor Christian - 2023 DL/OL [player_tooltip player_id='147556' first='Rowan' last='Risner'] - Fairview - 2024 QB   #4 Ralston Valley (1-1) at #2 Grandview (2-0) | Friday at 7:00 P.M.   Logan Madden - Ralston Valley - 2024 QB [player_tooltip player_id='376593' first='Simon' last='Kibbee'] - Grandview - 2023 TE   Vista Ridge (1-1) at #20 Pine Creek (1-1) | Friday at 7:00 P.M.   [player_tooltip player_id='50576' first='Keyshawn' last='Dooley'] - Vista Rdige - 2023 WR [player_tooltip player_id='146050' first='Ramon' last='Pacheco'] - Pine Creek - 2024 CB   #14 Montrose (0-2) at #11 Erie (1-1) | Friday at 7:00 P.M.   [player_tooltip player_id='143632' first='Blake' last='Griffin'] - Montrose - 2024 RB/LB Trey Khanna - Erie - 2023 RB/DB   Castle View (1-1) at #8 Legend (2-0) | Friday at 7:00 P.M.   Nathan Schmidt - Castle View - 2023 QB John Bookhart - Legend - 2023 QB

Week three of the season kicks off tomorrow with the hope of being a highlight-worthy week for many of the seniors working on their recruitment.