Week 11 Review: Rocky Mountain Lobos vs Mountain Vista Eagles
A look at the three best players from this thrilling 5A upset. Review Coming into this matchup between the Rocky Mountain Lobos and the 25th ranked Mountain Vista Golden Eagles, many expected the Lobos to be competitive for some of…
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Continue ReadingA look at the three best players from this thrilling 5A upset.
Review
Coming into this matchup between the Rocky Mountain Lobos and the 25th ranked Mountain Vista Golden Eagles, many expected the Lobos to be competitive for some of the game before Mountain Vista would start to pull away. Not only was Rocky Mountain competitive last Thursday against the Golden Eagles, they were flat-out the better team that night, pulling off the unbelievable upset and stunning Mountain Vista 20-13 in what was easily one of the more shocking results from the opening round of the state playoffs. The game was a defensive slugfest for most of the night until the Lobos were able to punch two scores in on the ground in the 4th quarter to earn a commanding 20-6 lead with 6 minutes to go in the game. Mountain Vista responded quickly, scoring on their ensuing possession to cut the Rocky Mountain lead to 20-13. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, those would be the last points they’d be able to muster, with the Lobos defense intercepting them on their final drive to seal the 20-13 upset for Rocky Mountain. The story for this game was one of a defense that forced a prolific Mountain Vista offense into 4 turnovers and a ground game on offense that asserted it’s will in the 4th quarter, sending the Golden Eagles home and launching the Lobos into Round 2 of the state playoffs. As one would expect from a game as exciting as this, there were a number of incredible performances from players on both teams. With that being said, however, these were the three who I felt had the most important performances.
Players of the Game
Cody Arnett, Rocky Mountain Lobos (RB)(So.)(22) – Arnett was easily the player of the game for Rocky Mountain offensively, as they might not have been able to pull off the stunning upset without his performance on the ground against the Mountain Vista defense. Arnett was responsible for both of the Lobos’ touchdowns in the 4th quarter that gave them the 20-6 lead with 6 minutes to go in the game, essentially sealing the upset for Rocky Mountain. When you watch Arnett’s performance on tape, you can that the sophomore tailback displays outstanding balance and power at the point-of-attack when making contact with the defender despite his small, but stocky, stature (5’9, 170 lbs) thanks to a combination of a strong core/lower body and low center of gravity. Deceptively physical runner that can easily run through arm tackles on carries in between the tackles while also presenting a challenge to bring down in 1-on-1 situations in the open field. Explosive, north-south runner that quickly looks to find daylight if given enough space. Good top end foot speed to pull away from some 2nd and 3rd level defenders if a bad angle is taken. Arnett isn’t currently ranked on any recruiting boards for the class of 2025, with his fairly recent increase in touches because of an injury to the original starting tailback probably explaining why. Regardless, Arnett is a talented player and was a key piece to the Lobos’ upset of the Golden Eagles.
Carter Daniels Carter Daniels 5'11" | 185 lbs | LB Mountain Vista | 2025 State CO , Mountain Vista Golden Eagles (LB)(So.)(0) – Despite the loss but on a night that was largely dictated by the defenses, Daniels had arguably the best of the defensive performances for either team. With his night against the Rocky Mountain offense, Daniels accounted for an impressive 16 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, and a pass deflection to nearly single-handedly contain the Lobos offense. When you look at the film from Daniels’ night against the Rocky Mountain 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 extremely gifted player that will only get better over the next two years of his prep career.
Caleb Wolfe, Rocky Mountain Lobos (DB)(Sr.)(5) – Much like Arnett was for the Rocky Mountain offense, Wolfe was easily the most important piece of the upset for the Rocky Mountain defense. In a game where the Lobos defense was responsible for 4 takeaways against a very talented Mountain Vista offense, Wolfe accounted for half of those takeaways, snagging 2 interceptions and returning one of them into the red zone to set up the Rocky Mountain offense for their first of two scores on the ground. When you put on the film of Wolfe’s night against the Golden Eagles offense, you can see he is a prototypical ball-hawking deep defender at the safety position, consistently being in position to make a play on the ball. Physical run defender with a solid frame (6’0, 170 lbs) that brings plenty of power behind his pads at the point-of-attack when making contact with the ball carrier. Great top end foot speed and lateral agility allow him to play sideline-to-sideline as a deep middle defender and fill his run fits hard. Shows good ability as an extra run defender in the box but is at his best as a deep defender in the defensive backfield. Wolfe isn’t currently ranked on any recruiting boards for the class of 2023, but regardless, he is a talented DB that will continue to be an important piece of the Lobos unlikely run heading into Round 2 of the playoffs.