Week 12 Review: Legacy Lightning vs Pine Creek Eagles
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A look at the three best performances from this thrilling 5A, 2nd round matchup. Review In a weekend chock full of marquee matchups of great teams, the game between the 14th ranked Legacy Lightning and the 6th ranked Pine Creek…
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Continue ReadingA look at the three best performances from this thrilling 5A, 2nd round matchup.
Review
In a weekend chock full of marquee matchups of great teams, the game between the 14th ranked Legacy Lightning and the 6th ranked Pine Creek Eagles was certainly one of the most exciting games from this past weekend. This game had it all in terms of drama as this contest quickly turned into a shootout for both teams, with both sides trading the lead on nine separate occasions over the course of the game. Coming down to the 4th quarter, both teams were tied on the scoreboard 24-24, with the Eagles kicking a field goal to extend their lead to 27-24 with five minutes left in the game. The Legacy offense was looking to answer like they had all game and retake the lead, but the Pine Creek defense came through with the game on the line, intercepting a Legacy pass and setting up the Eagles offense to kick another field goal to seal the thrilling 30-24 win over the Lightning. In a game that was as much of a rollercoaster as this one, there were a number of outstanding performances for both teams. With that being said, surprisingly, the three best performance came from the Pine Creek side of the field.
Players of the Game
Mason Miller Mason Miller 6'3" | 225 lbs | ATH Pine Creek | 2024 State CO , Pine Creek Eagles (RB/LB)(Jr.)(13) – Miller might not have been the strongest individual player on either offense or defense for the Eagles, but it would be foolish to ignore his all around performance on both sides of the ball against the Lightning. Diving into the numbers from Miller’s night against Legacy, he accounted for 74 yards rushing on 14 carries (5.3 YPC) as well as 22 yards receiving on the offensive side of the ball while also adding 4 tackles, a tackle for a loss, a pass deflection, and two huge interceptions 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 Lightning 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.
Jonathan Coar Jonathan Coar 5'11" | 185 lbs | RB Pine Creek | 2025 State CO , Pine Creek Eagles (RB)(So.)(21) – Coar was, arguably, the Eagles’ biggest contributor on the offensive side of the ball with his rushing production against the Lightning. The Legacy defense had no answers for Coar on the ground, as the sophomore tailback accounted for 84 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown on 15 carries (5.6 YPC). Turning on the tape of Coar’s night against the Lightning 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 come away with a 5A state title, he can certainly expect to start generating some buzz on the recruiting trail.
Brett Alvey Brett Alvey 6'1" | 220 lbs | LB Pine Creek | 2023 State CO , Pine Creek Eagles (LB)(Sr.)(34) – Alvey was, without a doubt, one of the biggest contributors defensively for the Eagles against the Legacy offense, with his outstanding numbers supporting that. Turning to Alvey’s stats in the box score from his night against the Lightning offense, he accounted for for a remarkable 8 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 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 before heading off somewhere in 2023 to play collegiately.