Week 10 Review: Valor Christian Eagles vs Mountain Vista Eagles
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A look at the three best performances from this 5A regular season finale. Review Coming into the last week of the season, this matchup between the visiting, 2nd ranked Valor Christian Eagles and the 17th ranked Mountain Vista Golden Eagles…
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Continue ReadingA look at the three best performances from this 5A regular season finale.
Review
Coming into the last week of the season, this matchup between the visiting, 2nd ranked Valor Christian Eagles and the 17th ranked Mountain Vista Golden Eagles was one of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend. The game certainly played out about as well as most expected with both teams trading scores throughout the game, quickly turning this contest into a shootout. The game was tied 35-35 with under a minute left in the game when Valor Christian was able to score and go up 42-35. With Mountain Vista on their last opportunity to tie they game, they turned it over on downs, with Valor Christian scoring another touchdown on the ground on the ensuing possession to seal the 49-35 heart-pounding finish. Needless to say, both teams had several players with outstanding performances, but these were the three who I felt made the biggest difference in the game.
Players of the Game
Roman Bradley, Valor Christian Eagles (LB)(Sr.)(6) – While not posting world beating numbers on either side of the ball, Bradley arguably had one of the most important performances of any player for Valor Christian last Friday against Mountain Vista. Diving into Bradley’s numbers from his night against the Golden Eagles, he accounted for 8 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a pass deflection while also adding 40 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown on 7 carries (5.7 YPC). When you put on the film of Bradley’s performance, you can see he outstanding strength/power at the point-of-contact. Extremely physical LB that has a very high motor and plays with an immense amount of aggression when attacking opposing blockers or ball carriers. Downhill defender with a highly explosive first step that allows him to quickly gain leverage over opposing blockers. Displays elite hand placement, timing, and strength when taking on opposing blockers and shedding blocks. Shows elite closing speed when pursuing the ball carrier or when rushing the QB. Excellent foot speed, first step explosiveness, and lateral agility allow him to play an extremely versatile role as a LB, often being asked to line up on the edge as a pass rusher, standing up as a 2nd level defender, dropping into zone coverage, while also being tasked with covering TEs out of the slot and RBs out of the backfield in man coverage. Chess piece of a defensive player that has experience playing the Mike, Will, and Sam backer positions while also playing a 3-4 edge defender role and even being lined up as a 3-tech in certain situations. Bradley is currently unranked as a recruit and it’s pretty surprising to see that given how talented he is. Regardless, Bradley is an extremely talented player with his night against Mountain Vista being evidence of that.
Carter Daniels Carter Daniels 5'11" | 185 lbs | LB Mountain Vista | 2025 State CO , Mountain Vista Golden Eagles (LB)(So.)(0) – It’s a bit surprising that Mountain Vista’s best player from this game was a defensive player considering how high-scoring the game was, but his numbers were too impressive to ignore, as he was a tackling machine. With his night against the Valor Christian offense, Daniels accounted for an impressive 18 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a pass deflection while also adding 26 yards rushing on the offensive side of the ball. When you look at the film from Daniels’ night against the Mountain Vista offense, you can see that he always seems to be around the ball because of a combination of his extremely high motor and incredible first-step explosiveness out of his stance. Savvy LB that shows relentless effort whether working to shed a block, pursuing the ball carrier, or coming downhill to fill his run fits. Displays exceptional explosiveness out of his stance allowing him to consistently maintain power and pop at the point-of-attack when making contact with the ball carrier or an opposing blocker. Highly consistent tackler with good form that shows with very few missed tackles in the open field in 1-on-1 situations, routinely wrapping up and driving his legs through contact. Good hand strength and placement that allows him to stack-and-shed most opposing blockers consistently. Daniels is currently ranked the number 3 athlete and the number 14 player overall, which isn’t surprising at all to see. He’s an unbelievably talented player that will be one of the elite defensive prospects in the class of 2025.
Trey Stott Trey Stott 5'11" | 195 lbs | DB Valor Christian | 2023 State CO , Valor Christian Eagles (DB/RB)(Sr.)(3) – In my mind, Stott had the best performance of any player on either team last Friday, as he was an absolute force on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Looking at the numbers from Stott’s performance against the Golden Eagles, he registered 3 tackles, a tackle for a loss, a pass deflection, and a massive interception on the defensive side while also accounting for 98 yards rushing and 2 rushing touchdowns on 15 carries (6.5 YPC) for the offensive side. While Stott was dominant on both sides of the ball, for the sake of this article we’ll just focus on his night defensively. Turning on the tape of Stott’s defensive performance against the Mountain Vista offense, you can see his outstanding ability to always be around the ball whether dropping into pass coverage or coming up in run support, as he displays a good understanding of how different route concepts work off of each other and where the offense is trying to push the ball. Strong, big-bodied safety that can be brought into the box for run support. Good use of hands to stack and shed opposing blockers and get to the ball carrier. Displays great force and drive at the point-of-contact, consistently driving back the ball carrier when finishing the tackle. Reliable in both man and zone coverage, often being asked to cover boundary receivers in certain situations. Excellent athleticism, foot speed, and change-of-direction allow him to play almost any role in the defensive backfield at a high level. Rangy safety that can play in the box but is at his best as a deep defender. Stott is currently ranked the number 4 DB and the number 44 player overall for the class of 2024, with it not being hard to see why. He is an incredibly talented player that will be a high level safety for whatever program lands his commitment.