Week 6 Review: Air Academy Kadets vs Cheyenne Mountain Hawks

A look at the three best performances from this 4A, interconference matchup.   Review   This game between the Air Academy Kadets and the Cheyenne Mointain Red-Tailed Hawks was easily one of the better games from a weekend packed with several great matchups. Despite the Kadets jumping out to a big lead quickly and looking to run away with it, holding a 35-6 lead at the half, the Hawks nearly pulled off the unbelievable comeback. Unfortunately, the Hawks came up just short, losing 42-39 but they have a lot to be very proud of as a team. The fact they even closed a gap that wide in one half is incredible and creates a ton of momentum for their team heading into Week 7. With that being said, here is who I felt had the strongest performances in this contest specifically.   Players of the Game   [player_tooltip player_id='62218' first='Braden' last='Dougherty'], Air Academy Kadets (QB)(Sr.)(18) - While the Kadets offense isn't known to have a high-flying passing attack, Dougherty certainly brought that element to the offense last week against Cheyenne Mountain. Looking at the numbers from Dougherty's night, he went 11 of 16 (69%) for 205 yards passing, 3 passing touchdowns against 1 interception, and a QBR of 125.0 while also adding 25 yards rushing. Putting on the film of Dougherty's performance against the Hawks, Dougherty is a tall (6'3, 200 lbs), long-armed pocket passer with enough mobility to move around in the pocket and extend the play to find a receiver down field. Smooth, over-the-top release that allows him to get the ball over the line, rarely having passes batted down by opposing defensive linemen. Strong armed passer that has more than enough arm strength to stretch the defense and put pressure on 3rd level defenders playing deep coverage. Savvy, intelligent QB that understands where the throwing windows are in underneath coverage and where to find his receivers sitting in between those zones. Displays great ability to throw the ball accurately on the run, off platform, and on designed sprint-outs that get him outside of the pocket. Shows good ball placement on short and intermediate throws, displaying consistent accuracy on most throws at those levels. Dougherty isn't currently ranked on any recruiting boards, but he is absolutely a talented player that has the tape, production, and frame that translates to the collegiate level.   [player_tooltip player_id='247241' first='Zach' last='Johnson'], Cheyenne Mountain Red-Tailed Hawks (RB)(Sr.)(5) - Johnson was, without-a-doubt, the biggest reason that the Hawks were almost able to pull off the movie-esque comeback. The Kadets couldn't even remotely slow Johnson down, as he almost single-handily carried the Hawks offense to victory. Looking at the stat sheet, Johnson accounted for an impressive 229 yards rushing and 2 rushing touchdowns on 21 carries (10.9 YPC). Turning on the tape from Johnson's night against the Kadets, you can see that Johnson quickly jumps out as a bigger-bodied (6'0, 190 lbs) tailback. Displays exceptional power, and aggression behind his pads at and through the point-of-attack when making contact with a defender, routinely running over defenders at the 2nd and 3rd levels as well as routinely driving his legs through contact to churn out as many yards as he can when finishing a run. Maintains a low pad level and great balance when taking on defenders on inside runs and on the goal line or in short yardage situations. Strong, physical runner that easily runs through arm tackles and wears down a defense over the course of the game. Displays good patience and vision when working to find a running lane, allowing his blocks to be set up before exploding through daylight. While showing a powerful, aggressive running style, he also displays incredible lateral agility and overall explosiveness, allowing him to be a highly elusive runner in the open field; consistently making multiple defenders miss if given even the most minimal of space to work with. Well-rounded tailback that can make his presence felt in every phase on the offensive side of the ball. Johnson is currently rated the number 14 RB and the number 129 player overall for the class of 2023, which is pretty surprising to see. He is certainly a talented enough player and has the film, production, and frame that indicate a player that can play at a high level collegiately.   [player_tooltip player_id='22753' first='Sam' last='Beers'], Air Academy Kadets (RB)(Sr.)(42) – Beers was, once again, one of the most dominant offensive players from last weekend with his unreal performance against the Cheyenne Mountain defense. Much like his performance from last week, Beers almost completely trampled the Hawks defense by himself, as they ,like many other teams that face the Kadets, didn't have a single solution for Beers. Looking at Beers' All-World performance against the Hawks, he accounted for an eye-popping 346 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns on 33 carries (10.5 YPC). These ridiculous numbers almost seem like a weekly occurrence for Beers, as remarkable as that is to think about. When you put on the tape, you can see that Beers displays a very physical running style, supported by his strong core and lower body that allows him to power through smaller defenders and arm tackles with relative ease. He's an aggressive ball carrier that doesn't shy away from contact and often takes multiple defenders to bring him down. Displays adequate athleticism and foot speed, routinely pulling away from second and third level defenders if they take a bad angle. Beers is currently sitting at the number 11 spot for RBs and the number 97 player overall for the class of 2023, but much like I stated last week, I don't think this ranking accurately reflects quite how dominant of a player Beers truly is. To say he's a one-man wrecking crew wouldn't be too far fetched and he is, in my opinion at least, easily one of the most dominant tailbacks in the state with the tape and production reflecting that sentiment and then some.

A look at the three best performances from this 4A, interconference matchup.