Week 11 Review: Cherokee Trail Cougars vs Rock Canyon Jaguars

A look at the three best performances from this thrilling opening round matchup in the 5A state playoffs.   Review   This 1st Round matchup of the 5A state playoffs between the Cherokee Trail Cougars and the 17th ranked Rock Canyon Jaguars looked to be a fairly one-sided affair on paper leading up to the game, but for most of the night, that's exactly how it played out. The Jaguars took control of the game early, scoring first and then racing out to a 17-7 lead at the half. Rock Canyon would add to the lead on their opening possession of the 2nd half, scoring on the ground to extend the score to 23-7. In the 4th quarter, however, the Cougars mounted a comeback - scoring on two consecutive possessions to cut the Jaguars' lead to 23-20. Unfortunately, the Cherokee Trail offense wouldn't get the ball back, and Rock Canyon was able to bleed away the last few minutes of the clock - stifling the Cougars' comeback and sealing the 23-20 victory for the Jaguars. In a game as exciting as this one, there were bound to be a number of great performances, but these were the three players who I felt had the strongest contributions to their respective team's efforts. Surprisingly, two of the three players of the game were actually from the losing side of the contest.   Players of the Game   [player_tooltip player_id='246924' first='Aidan' last='Duda'], Rock Canyon Jaguars (RB)(Sr.)(20) – Duda, without a doubt, had the most dominant night of any player on any side of the ball for either team in this game and maybe even in the entire opening round of the state playoffs. Everything for the Jaguars offensively ran through Duda, and for most of the game, the Cherokee Trail defense could do nothing to stop it - as he accounted for a ridiculous 341 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns on 43 carries (7.9 YPC). You can't ask for a better night from your tailback. When you turn to the tape of Duda's performance against the Cougars defense, you can see that Duda is a thickly built (5'10,190 lbs), power back with an extremely physical running style with the ball in his hands. Displays an exceptionally powerful and aggressive mentality with the ball in his hands that allows him to easily run through arm tackles on inside carries, as well making him an extremely difficult ball carrier to bring down in the open field. Shows a good ability to lower his shoulder and drive his legs through the point-of-attack when making contact with the defender, often gaining several more yards after the initial contact is made by the defender. Highly explosive runner that can hit top gear quickly and turn almost any carry into chunk yardage. Good top end foot speed allows him to outrun most slower 2nd and 3rd level defenders if he has enough space in the open field. Shows great ability as a blocker in both pass protection and as a lead blocker on designed runs or scrambles. Duda is currently ranked the number 22 RB in the state and the number 195 player overall for the class of 2023, but will look to keep the Jaguars' dreams of a 5A state title alive next week.   Peyton Sommers, Cherokee Trail Cougars (WR)(So.)(16) - Despite only recording 2 catches on the entire night, those 2 catches were the biggest plays at the biggest moments for the Cougars, with the Cherokee Trail comeback not even being remotely possible without Sommers' performance. Diving into his numbers from his night against the Rock Canyon defense, Sommers had a remarkable 128 yards receiving and 2 receiving touchdowns on just 2 receptions (64.0 YPR). When you turn on the film of Sommers' night against the Jaguars defense, while brief, does an excellent job of showing exactly what makes him such a dangerous receiver and that's his combination of elite top end foot speed and explosiveness out of his stance when he's working to get on top of the DB. Consummate deep ball receiver that can blow past most boundary defenders and has the ability to take the top off of any defensive backfield on any given play. Shows a good understanding of how to attack a defender's leverage in off-coverage and create separation on sharper breaking deep and intermediate routes. Shows good, consistent hands when working intermediate routes through traffic or when working to high point a ball over a defender. Outstanding ability after the catch to create space and make defenders miss in the open field, coupled with his elite foot speed and explosiveness, allow him to turn any reception into a big play. Shows requisite ability to release cleanly off the line when a defender is engaged in press coverage, consistently beating smaller DBs. Sommers isn't currently ranked on any recruiting boards for the class of 2025, but as his role in the offense grows over the next two seasons, he can certainly expect to get some more recruiting buzz.   Kalib Davis, Cherokee Trail Cougars (DB)(Sr.)(9) – Davis was, easily, the most important defensive player for the Cougars in their near comeback win. While having great numbers, Davis made his plays at the biggest moments for the Cherokee Trail defense, as he registered an impressive 16 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and a pass deflection. When you watch the tape of Davis's night against the Rock Canyon offense, you can see he displays a knack for finding the football, whether dropping into coverage or coming up in run support. Versatile chess piece of a player that lined up in multiple different positions depending on the formation; lining up as a deep safety, in the box safety, and nickel corner. Aggressive tackler that brings plenty of force to the point-of-contact. Displays consistently good form when making a tackle (head across the core, wrap-up, drive through contact), routinely stopping the ball carrier's progress as soon as contact is made. Shows a good understanding of his gap responsibilities when coming up to make his run fits. Shows adequate ability as a deep defender in zone coverage, but shows consistent success when lined up in the slot as a nickel in both underneath zone coverage and man coverage. While Davis is a highly talented and productive player, his smaller frame (5'9, 165 lbs) could explain his lack of recruiting attention but ,regardless, there are players with similar frames at every level of football that have had great success. While he is currently unranked, Davis is certainly a talented player that left everything on the field in his last game as a Cougar.

A look at the three best performances from this thrilling opening round matchup in the 5A state playoffs.