Semifinal Review: Ralston Valley Mustangs vs Valor Christ. Eagles
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A look at the three best players from this 5A semifinal matchup. Review This matchup between the 3rd ranked Ralston Valley Mustangs and the 2nd ranked Valor Christian Eagles was, without a doubt, the most highly anticipated matchup of the…
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Continue ReadingA look at the three best players from this 5A semifinal matchup.
Review
This matchup between the 3rd ranked Ralston Valley Mustangs and the 2nd ranked Valor Christian Eagles was, without a doubt, the most highly anticipated matchup of the semifinal round last weekend. Once it was all said and done, this game lived up to the hype and then some, with both teams going back and forth through all 4 quarters and into 2 overtimes. Early on, however, it looked like Valor Christian might run away with the game as they quickly took a 14-0 lead halfway through the 2nd quarter. The Mustangs wouldn’t roll over and give up though, responding with a score of their own before the half to cut the Eagles’ lead to 14-7, and gaining some much needed momentum before the end of the 1st half. The Mustangs continued to carry their momentum from the 1st half, scoring on their first possession of the 3rd quarter to tie the game at 14-14. The Eagles would answer quickly though, with a score of their own at the end of the 3rd quarter to take a 21-14 lead going into the 4th quarter. On their ensuing possession, the Mustangs would slowly drive the ball down the field before adding another score to tie the game at 21-21 halfway through the 4th quarter. The Ralston Valley defense would come up with a huge interception on the Eagles’ next possession, with the Mustangs offense capitalizing on the opportunity and scoring again to take a 28-21 lead over the Eagles. Valor Christian showed some grit of their own, scoring with under a minute left in regulation to tie the game, 28-28. The Valor Christian defense was able to prevent the Ralston Valley offense from adding another score before the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime. Once overtime began, Valor Christian held the ball first, scoring quickly to take a 35-28 lead. The pressure was now on the Ralston Valley offense to tie the game and keep their hopes of a 5A state title alive. The Mustangs rose to the occasion, scoring quickly to tie the game at 35-35 and force a 2nd overtime. The Mustangs would open the 2nd overtime with the ball first, driving the ball to the goal line and punching it in from 1-yard out. However, the Mustangs missed the extra-point, holding an uncertain 41-35 lead. The Valor Christian offense would get the ball last, and it would ultimately be the last possession for either team, with the Eagles punching it in from 1-yard out and making the ensuing extra-point to earn the heart-pounding 42-41 victory and another trip to the 5A state title game. Wow, is all I can say about this game. I think it’s safe to assume that this game was the most exciting of any game in the playoffs to this point and was certainly and instant classic that will be talked about for a long, long time. With a game as incredible as this one, it was very difficult to pick just three players who had a huge impact on the contest. As difficult as it was, however, these were the three players who I felt had the most important performances for their respective teams.
Players of the Game
Roman Bradley, Valor Christian Eagles (LB)(Sr.)(6) – Bradley was, in my professional opinion, easily the MVP of this game with his unreal performance on both sides of the ball for the Eagles. Diving into Bradley’s insane numbers from his night against Valor Christian, he accounted for a remarkable 7 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, a sack, and a pass deflection on defense while also adding 142 yards rushing and 2 rushing touchdowns on 11 carries (12.9 YPC) for the offense. When you put on the film of Bradley’s performance against the Eagles offense, you can see his 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 shocking to see that given how dominant he’s been this season. Regardless, Bradley is an extremely talented player that will be a vital component to the Eagles on both sides of the ball as they try to capture a 5A state title next week.
Logan Maddden Logan Maddden 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Ralston Valley | 2024 State CO , Ralston Valley Mustangs (QB)(Jr.)(5) – Madden was, arguably, the biggest reason that the Mustangs were able to fight in this game to the very end, as he made his presence felt by the Valor Christian defense through the air and on the ground. Diving into the numbers from Madden’s performance against the Eagles, he went an incredible 33 of 45 (73%) for 365 yards passing, 4 passing touchdowns against 2 interceptions, and a QBR of 108.1 while also accounting for a rushing touchdown as well. Turning to the film of Madden’s performance against the Valor Christian defense, you can see the first thing that stands out about him is his outstanding accuracy to all levels of the field, consistently showing the ability to squeeze throws into tight spaces. Shows incredible ball placement and touch on deeper throws that require him to drop the ball in over the opposing defender. Displays good pocket presence when under pressure, consistently moving around in the pocket to avoid the rush and buy time to find a receiver downfield. Highly accurate passer when on the run or when being forced to throw off-platform. Athletic QB with good top-end foot speed that can present a threat to the defense with his legs if forced to scramble. Poised QB under pressure that rarely makes bad decisions or puts the offense in a bad position. Shows good arm strength that allows him to hit all the throws at any level of the field. Madden isn’t currently ranked on any recruiting boards for the class of 2024 and it’s fairly surprising to see that given how well he’s played this season and in this game specifically against a very talented Valor Christian defense. While I’m sure coming up short of a state title this year is a tough pill to swallow, Madden will be a key piece to another state title run in 2023 for the Mustangs.
Trey Stott Trey Stott 5'11" | 195 lbs | DB Valor Christian | 2023 State CO , Valor Christian Eagles (DB/RB)(Sr.)(3) – While Stott might not have put up the incredible numbers that Bradley and even some of his teammates did, he made the biggest plays for the Eagles when they needed them the most. Looking at the numbers from Stott’s performance against Ralston Valley, he registered an impressive 3 tackles, a tackle for a loss, a pass deflection, and a momentum shifting interception on the defensive side while also accounting for 5 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown on 2 carries (2.5 YPC) as well as 21 yards receiving on the offensive side of the ball. While Stott played well 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 Ralston Valley 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 a tremendously talented player that will look to close his career as an Eagle with a 5A state title next weekend.