Previewing Thursday’s 5A Southern League Opener

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference play for football is officially underway, and the excitement is palpable. The 5A Southern League is opening with a highly anticipated match-up between Fountain-Fort Carson and Pine Creek on Thursday.<br>Each team enters this contest undefeated, and both rosters are full of college prospects, making it a must-watch game for fans and scouts alike.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is a variety of offensive linemen between the two programs. The Pine Creek Eagles have been controlling the trenches thanks to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='220428' first='Carson' last='Caplan']</strong> (2024), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='322231' first='Connor' last='Laxson']</strong> (2024), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='316725' first='Tristan' last='Randall'] </strong>(2024). The offensive front for the Fountain-Fort Carson Trojans features <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='277533' first='Lincoln' last='Fa'apouli Jr'] </strong>(2024), <strong>Preston Johnson</strong> (2024), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='143636' first='Matthew' last='Jennings'] </strong>(2024). Jennings transferred from Pine Creek last year and will face his former team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The running backs from both teams have proven themselves to be reliable playmakers, making this a potential statement game for either rushing attack. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='698231' first='Mathias' last='Price']</strong> (2024) has been an absolute stud for the Trojans, rushing for 850 yards and 14 touchdowns on 93 carries. He has tallied at least 100 yards rushing in each game and secured one catch for a 41-yard touchdown score. Teammate <strong>Terence Morris</strong> (2025) has logged 475 yards and six touchdowns on 37 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles will look to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='691219' first='Mason' last='Miller']</strong> (2024) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='504195' first='Jonathan' last='Coar']</strong> (2025) to lead the rushing attack. Miller has carried the ball 34 times for 275 yards and five touchdowns. Coar has received the majority of the touches, logging 443 yards and three touchdowns on 62 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miller, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251228' first='Jaiden' last='Anetone'] </strong>(2024), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1280073' first='Isaac' last='Landry'] </strong>(2025) will battle in the box as members of Pine Creek's linebacker core, while <strong>Jack Fox</strong> (2024), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='581032' first='Trevor' last='Coleman']</strong> (2024), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='388063' first='Terence' last='Coleman']</strong> (2024) will apply pressure on behalf of the Trojan's defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='381228' first='Keenan' last='Campbell'] </strong>(2024) from Fountain-Fort Carson and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='404945' first='Elijah' last='Roy']</strong> (2025) from Pine Creek are two big-time receivers with insanely high ceilings as potential college prospects. Each player leads their team in receiving yards and touchdowns, making them must-know playmakers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152282' first='Cameron' last='Cooper']</strong> (2025) is the phenomenal quarterback for the Eagles, who led them to a semifinal appearance last season, but he missed the previous game with an injury. Roy's success has been incumbent on Cooper being at the helm, making the starting lineup intriguing. <strong>Ketis Kaleb</strong> (2025) has been the QB for the Trojans, but he and Campbell will have their work cut out for them against Pine Creek's stout secondary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles have one of the more talented defensive back groups in the state, but that is to be expected with guys like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='146078' first='Lawson' last='Douglas']</strong> (2024), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='146050' first='Ramon' last='Pacheco']</strong> (2024), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='316721' first='Cannon' last='Budge']</strong> (2024), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251280' first='Justis' last='Nicholson']</strong> (2024), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='571088' first='Emmanuel' last='Hill']</strong> (2025) in the secondary. Budge also plays a hefty role on offense as a part of the running back rotation.Fountain-Fort Carson's secondary has a few notable names as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='218422' first='Myles' last='McClarity']</strong> (2024), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='308093' first='Alexander' last='Rivera']</strong> (2025), <strong>Tremaine Shaw</strong> (2025), and <strong>Devon Bradford</strong> (2026) have been outstanding so far this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->