3A League 7 Championship Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sixth-ranked Resurrection Christian Cougars (7-1) will host the second-ranked Thompson Valley Eagles (7-2) in a showdown that will ultimately determine the league's winner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday's showdown is a heavily anticipated game that will have significant implications for the 3A postseason brackets, which will be announced on Sunday. These teams are similarly matched, adding to the excitement surrounding the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both are 4-0 in the conference, including 20-point wins over the reigning 3A state champions. Both have also scored close to the same amount of points in the season, with the difference being points allowed and amount of games played. The Cougars have scored 259 points and allowed 93 points over eight games, while the Eagles have scored 258 points and allowed 128 points over nine games. The difference-maker for this game will likely fall on the defenses, especially if both offenses can remain consistent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These top-ten teams have been dominant all season, with players on their rosters who have the potential to be worthy prospects in the recruiting world, making this game one to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is a quick list of players to add to the radar from both teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Thompson Valley Eagles</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Riley Suarez</strong> | 2024 QB<br><em>81 of 131 for 1,133 yds, 12 TDs </em>| <em>113 car, 768 yds, 13 TDs</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marco Lapierre</strong> | 2024 WR/DB<br><em>23 rec, 409 yds, 5 TDs; 1 KOR TD </em>| <em>48 tckls, 5 INT, 2 FR, 1 FF</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jackson Maki</strong> | 2024 RB/LB<br><em>35 car, 173 yds, 2 TD </em>| <em>27 tckls, 2 FF, 2 FR</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Christian Chase</strong> | 2025 RB/DB<br><em>53 car, 422 yds, 7 TDs </em>| 63 tckls, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FF</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1375084' first='Garet' last='Hendrickson']</strong> | 2025 WR/CB<br><em>37 rec, 552 yds, 5 TDs </em>|<em> 13 car, 109 yds </em>|<em> 42 tckls, 1TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Colton James</strong> | 2025 LB<br><em>42 tckls, 6 TFL, 5 sacks</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1577211' first='Dane' last='Gray'] </strong>| 2025 OL/DL<br><em>57 tckls, 2 TFL</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Landry Suarez</strong> | 2026 LB<br><em>67 tckls (team-high), 1 TFL, 1 FF</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Resurrection Christian Cougars</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The stats for the Cougars are only listed through seven games.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grant Applebee</strong> | 2024 RB/ATH<br><em>45 car, 407 yds, 5 TDs </em>| <em>11 rec, 149 yds, 2 TDs </em>| <em>31 tckls, 2 TFL</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Christian Siemer</strong> | 2024 LB<br><em>62 tckls, 3 TFL, 1 INT</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sam Johnson</strong> | 2024 RB/WR/LB<br><em>17 tckls, 2 INT, 2 FR, 1 sack</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='254682' first='Hunter' last='Hansen']</strong> | 2025 RB<br><em>122 car, 726 yds, 9 TDs</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Garrett Beall</strong> | 2025 DB<br><em>10 tckls, 2 INT</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jackson Pszanka</strong> | 2026 DB/QB/ATH<br><em>22 of 43 for 316 yds, 4 TDs </em>| <em>93 car, 633 yds, 6 TDs </em>| <em>8 tckls, 2 INT, 1 FF, 1FR</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->