Week 8 Review: Mountain Vista Eagles vs Castle View Sabercats
In this article:
A look at the three best players from this interconference, 5A matchup. Review The tale of the season so far for these two teams could not have been more different coming into this matchup. The Mountain Vista Golden Eagles came…
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Continue ReadingA look at the three best players from this interconference, 5A matchup.
Review
The tale of the season so far for these two teams could not have been more different coming into this matchup. The Mountain Vista Golden Eagles came into this game 5-2 (1-1 in the conference), riding a two-game winning streak, and having a strong season so far; while the Castle View Sabercats came into the contest 1-6 (0-2), riding a six-game losing streak, and hoping to close the book on their 2022 season sooner rather than later. Unfortunately for the Sabercats, aside from a scoring stretch in the 2nd and 3rd quarters that was too little-too late, their night against Mountain Vista was much of the same. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead in the 1st quarter and turned that into a 24-7 lead at the half, never really taking their foot off of the gas from there, as they rolled through the 2nd half to capture the 38-21 victory. While there were a number of exceptional performances in this game, they almost entirely came on the side of the Golden Eagles. With that being said, here are the three players who I felt had the best night, and it’s rather remarkable that they’re all underclassmen.
Players of the Game
Austyn Modrzewski Austyn Modrzewski 6'5" | 205 lbs | QB Mountain Vista | 2025 State CO , Mountain Vista Golden Eagles (QB)(So.)(13) – Modrzewski easily had the most prolific night of any offensive player in the Golden Eagles’ 38-21 win over the Castle View Sabercats. After his night against the Castle View defense, Modrzewski finished 29 of 46 (63%) for 268 yards passing, 3 passing touchdowns, and a QBR of 100.6, while also accounting for 48 yards rushing on 6 carries (8.0 YPC) on the ground. When you watch Modrzewski’s performance against the Sabercats on film, the first thing that jumps out is his ball placement and overall accuracy, as his passes are consistently hitting his receivers in stride or in between defenders who are sitting in zone coverage. Poised passer that displays good pocket presence and is not easily rattled by the opposing pass rush. Highly intelligent QB that can quickly work through his progressions. Displays good arm strength that allows him to make most throws at every level of the field. Modrzewski is currently ranked the number 1 QB in the state for the class of 2025 as well as the number 3 player overall, and it’s easy to see why. He has the size (6’4 185lbs), the tape, and the production that you could want from a blue-chip QB prospect. If his sophomore season to this point and his night against the Sabercats are any indication, he’ll definitely be a name worth following the next two plus seasons.
Carter Daniels Carter Daniels 5'11" | 185 lbs | LB Mountain Vista | 2025 State CO , Mountain Vista Golden Eagles (LB)(So.)(0) – It feels like I’m writing about Daniels every week at this point in the season and it’s easy to see why because he’s certainly been one of the best defensive players in the state as only a sophomore. With his night against the Sabercats offense just highlighting his dominance even more so. In the Golden Eagles’ win over Castle View, Daniels accounted for an incredible 17 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. When you look at the film from Daniels’ night against the Sabercats 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.
Ja’Pree Jennings Ja’Pree Jennings 5'6" | WR Mountain Vista | 2026 CO , Mountain Vista Golden Eagles (WR)(Fr.)(15) – Despite only being a freshman, Jennings is currently one of the leading receivers on this talented Mountain Vista offense while also being one of it’s more consistent contributors, making his presence felt almost every week to this point in the season. His night against Castle View was no different while it might not stand out statistically, but nevertheless, he was easily one of the bigger keys to the Golden Eagles’ victory as he accounted for 97 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown on 9 receptions (10.8 YPR). Turning to the tape from Jenning’s night, Jenning’s best attribute is certainly his route running, as he is extremely effective in every phase of the route; consistently winning off the line in press coverage, consistently creating separation at the top of his stem, and an impressive ability to stop-and-start at almost any speed. Displays consistent, tough hands in traffic when making contact with a defender. Especially effective route runner on short and intermediate concepts, as his lateral agility/short-area quickness allows him to quickly create separation and create chunk plays after the catch, in space. Shows elite ability as a ball carrier after the catch, routinely finding grass in the open-field and being extremely difficult for opposing defenders to tackle in 1-on-1 situations in space. Good top-end foot speed allows him to pull away from slower 2nd and 3rd level defenders. At his best operating out of the slot where his strengths can be maximized. Jennings isn’t currently ranked because the class of 2026 rankings haven’t been released yet. However, if he continues to be a consistent threat for a talented Mountain Vista program, he’ll certainly be one of the top receivers in his class by the time the official rankings are released.