Quarterfinal Review: Pine Creek Eagles vs Grandview Wolves

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A look at the three best performances from this quarterfinal 5A matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Review</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like several other games this weekend, this matchup in the 5A quarterfinals between the 5th ranked Pine Creek Eagles and the 11th ranked Grandview Wolves was one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the weekend. Early on, it looked like the game would be a defensive slugfest with the Wolves controlling the tempo and holding a 3-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Unfortunately for Grandview, however, those 3 points would be the only points they would score the entire night as Pine Creek scored 17 unanswered points in the 2nd quarter to carry a 17-3 lead into the locker room at the half. The Eagles defense would completely shutout the Grandview offense in the 2nd half and the Pine Creek offense would add another score in the 4th quarter to seal the 24-3 decisive win. With this game firmly in the rear view, we can look back and see there were several outstanding individual performances - albeit from only one team - but these were the three who I believe had the strongest nights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players of the Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='22783' first='Brett' last='Alvey'], Pine Creek Eagles (LB)(Sr.)(34) – Much like his performance last week, Alvey was - without a doubt - one of the biggest contributors defensively for the Eagles against the Grandview offense. Turning to Alvey's stats in the box score from his night against the Wolves, he registered a remarkable 11 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, a sack, and a pass deflection. When you put on the film of Alvey's performance for the Pine Creek defense, you can see he displays an extremely high motor that shows the most when pursuing the ball carrier or working to shed a block. Very physical tackler that brings a ton of pop/power to the point-of-contact with the ball carrier. Displays outstanding form when tackling, consistently getting his head across their core, wrapping up, and driving through contact. Downhill runner that fills his run fits hard and fast, often getting into the backfield off of first step explosiveness before the OL have time to react. Smart, quick-thinking backer than quickly read-and-diagnose the development of the play and react accordingly filling the run or dropping into coverage. Disciplined LB that doesn't often bite on play action and doesn't over-pursue the ball carrier/QB while consistently taking good angles in pursuit. Alvey is currently rated the number 5 LB and number 41 player overall in Colorado for the class of 2023. He'll look to finish his last season as an Eagle with a 5A state title as they prepare for the semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='504195' first='Jonathan' last='Coar'], Pine Creek Eagles (RB)(So.)(21) – Similar to his performance last week against Legacy, Coar was - easily - one of the Eagles' biggest contributors on the offensive side of the ball with his rushing production. The Wolves defense was slowly worn down by Coar over the course of the game, as the sophomore tailback accounted for 97 yards rushing on 16 carries (6.1 YPC). Turning on the tape of Coar's night against the Grandview defense, you can see that Coar is about as well-rounded of a tailback you could hope for, displaying both strength and elusiveness when running with the ball. Displays outstanding balance and power at the point-of-attack when making contact with the defender thanks to a combination of his tall and stocky, frame for his position (5'11, 185 lbs) and his strong core and lower body. Shows a downhill running style between the tackles on inside carries, consistently breaking through arm tackles and pushing the pile. Highly explosive runner that quickly hits the running lane and finds daylight if given enough space. Great top end foot speed allows him to pull away from most 2nd and 3rd level defenders in the open field. Shows reliability as a receiver out of the backfield, with consistent hands allowing him to remain a safe check-down option for the QB. Coar isn't currently ranked on any recruiting boards for the class of 2025, which is fairly surprising considering he has more than enough talent, production, and size to be a high level tailback in his class. If the Eagles can get a win in the semifinals next week, he can certainly expect to start generating some more recruiting buzz.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='251217' first='Mason' last='Miller'], Pine Creek Eagles (RB/LB)(Jr.)(13) – Like his two teammates also on this list, Miller also had a strong showing for the second week in a row, with this week's performance maybe being even better than last weeks. Diving into the numbers from Miller's night against the Wolves, he had an all-around remarkable night as he accounted for 45 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns (that would be the only endzone trips for the Eagles offense) on 9 carries (5.0 YPC) as well as 5 yards receiving on the offensive side of the ball while also adding 7 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a pass deflection on the defensive side of the ball. While Miller had strong showings in all phases, for the sake of this article we'll just focus on his traits from the offensive side. Watching Miller's performance against the Grandview defense on film, the first thing that leaps off the film is his size (6'2, 225 lbs), easily being the biggest player physically at the skill positions for the Eagles. His size compounding how incredibly physical he is as a ball carrier. Strong, powerful RB that often takes multiple defenders to bring him down, routinely pushing the pile for extra yards and being near impossible to tackle in 1-on-1 situations when he has a full head of steam. Strong lower body, core, upper body, and an ability to drive his legs through the run allow him to maintain force/momentum through the point-of-attack when making contact with the defender. Tough, downhill runner with a good, low pad level that gets the gotta-have-it plays in short yardage and goal line situations. Tenacious, high motor ball carrier that always seems to be falling forward after contact, showing outstanding balance and an ability to drive his legs to finish runs. Outstanding blocker out of the backfield in both pass and run blocking situations, consistently being able to anchor against blitzing LBs when protecting the QB and moving defenders off the ball when serving as a lead blocker in the run game. Displays adequate top end foot speed that allows him to outrun slower 2nd and 3rd level defenders. While Miller isn't currently ranked on any recruiting services, he has more than enough size, talent, and production to be a ranked by the time next year roles around, especially if Pine Creek can keep their hopes of a state title alive with a win in the semifinal round next week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->