Preview: Liberty @ Valor Christian

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Overview</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two different state powerhouses will go head to head in Highlands Ranch, CO Friday night as a 2-0 Liberty squad takes on a 2-1 Valor Christian. Liberty is red hot and a big time contender as an early open division team that is checking all the boxes to make a run for a state title. They've been pretty much perfect on both sides of the ball putting up 99 points in 2 games while surrendering just 7 points thus far. They didn't beat cupcake teams either, as they blewout an always competitive Sunrise Mountain squad 50-0 and blewout Pinnacle last week 49-7. We all know that Oregon commit [player_tooltip player_id='42912' first='Mykeil' last='Gardner'] is a game changer on the defensive side of the ball, but the emergence of 2024 QB [player_tooltip player_id='115509' first='Navi' last='Bruzon'] has really set them over the top and separated Liberty from nearly everyone in AZ. Bruzon has been absolutely dealing by throwing for 477 yards and 7 TD's and making human joystick type plays. Overall, Liberty is stacked all across the board and should be a nationally ranked team as they continue to roll through opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Liberty Key Players </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='42912' first='Mykeil' last='Gardner'], DE '23 <em>(Oregon commit) </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='115509' first='Navi' last='Bruzon'], QB '24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='165904' first='Zach' last='Wallace'], RB '23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='165891' first='Layton' last='Vining'], OL '23 <em>(Idaho commit)</em><img class="wp-image-424878" style="width: 300px;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/08/PRZStockGraphic-800x525-1.jpg" alt=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Valor</strong> <strong>Christian</strong></em> <em><strong>Key Players</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valor Christian is a consistent powerhouse in Colorado and enters the season 2-1 as they're fresh off 2 wins. They dropped their week 1 opener 17-23 in overtime vs another talented Regis Jesuit squad. Dual threat QB Ethan Carlson has been a playmaker to watch for Valor Christian, as he's frequently touted with a heavy workload on the ground, carrying the rock 31 times in 3 games which leads Valor Christian in carries. According to the MaxPreps stats, Valor Christian has only thrown the ball 40 times within those 3 games, so establishing the run early is going to be crucial for them in this matchup. Roman Bradley leads Valor Christian in total tackles with 30, and he'll be touted for a big role and a busy night in efforts to contain Bruzon's dual-threat ability along with the physicality of Lberty's RB [player_tooltip player_id='165904' first='Zach' last='Wallace']. VCHS is in for a big challange this week, and it will be interesting to see how and if they can match up against a tough Liberty program. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valor Christian Key Players</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tanner Morley</strong>, OL '23 <em>(Colorado State commit)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='189119' first='Brody' last='Bliek'], DL '23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ethan Carlson</strong>, QB '23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Roman Bradley</strong>, LB/RB '23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->