For All the Marbles Part I: Breaking Down Creek vs Columbine

It's that time of the year again, folks! The undefeated Cherry Creek Bruins are one step closer to adding a fifth straight 5A Football State Championship to their resume, but standing in their way will be a Columbine Rebels squad chomping at the bit to win their first title since 2011. Whether it's a pair of legendary head coaches facing off in this one or the oozing talent galore that will be showcased on the gridiron, an all-time classic could be in store.   A Look at the Numbers   Cherry Creek Bruins   State Championships: 13   2023 Record: 13-0 (5-0)   Passing:   QB [player_tooltip player_id='212239' first='Brady' last='Vodicka'] (158/224, 2,126 Yards, 13.5 AVG, 25 TD's, 3 INT's)   Rushing:   RB [player_tooltip player_id='259298' first='Jordan' last='Herron'] (153 CAR, 1,324 Yards, 8.7 AVG, 17 TD's)   Receiving:   WR Max Lovett (46 REC, 748 Yards, 16.3 AVG, 9 TD's)   Defensive:   DB [player_tooltip player_id='232189' first='Aiden' last='Knapke'] (91 Tackles, 7.0 TPG, 2.0 TFL, 4 INT's,)   OLB [player_tooltip player_id='669194' first='Ashton' last='Shepardson'] (55 Tackles, 8.0 Sacks, 9.0 TFL's)   Columbine Rebels   State Championships: 5   2023 Record: 13-0 (5-0)   Passing:   QB Reeve Holliday (55/68, 781 Yards, 14.2 AVG, 11 TD's, 1 INT)   Rushing:   RB [player_tooltip player_id='381226' first='Josh' last='Snyder'] (182 CAR, 1,583 Yards, 8.7 AVG, 23 TD's)     Receiving:   RB [player_tooltip player_id='381226' first='Josh' last='Snyder'] (17 REC, 210 Yards, 12.4 AVG, 1 TD)   Defensive:   LB [player_tooltip player_id='381202' first='James' last='Cillessen'] (119 Tackles, 9.2 TPG, 5.0 Sacks)     DE/TE [player_tooltip player_id='875547' first='Hunter' last='Hamilton'] (48 Tackles, 7.0 Sacks, 3.7 TPG)     DB Ryder Williams (68 Tackles, 5.2 TPG, 3 INT's)   Keys to the Game   <ol> <li class="has-medium-font-size">Columbine Needs to Get off to a Fast Start </li> </ol>   Obviously, this is a team that rarely throws the ball and prefers to keep things on the ground. As a whole, starting quarterback Reeve Holliday has only attempted 68 passes on the season. Certainly, it is not like Holliday can't sling it, but the Rebels bread and butter offensively has always been running the rock. If the Rebels find themselves in the lead, bleeding the clock and forcing Creek's defense to stop the run will end up being the name of the game. If they can't, they'll be in serious danger.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JeffcoAthletics/status/1728248557726257222 </div></figure>     2. Coach Lowry vs Coach Logan   This is what it's all about! Between the local icons, this will be the third time ever that both Lowry and Logan will be squaring off in a state championship game and the first occasion since 2019 when Cherry Creek beat Columbine by a score of 35-10 .These two first started coaching back in 1994 when Lowry was at Lakewood and Logan at Arvada West. Fast forward 12 years later to 2006, and Lowry earned his first title against Logan's Mullen squad. Act three of this epic coaching matchup should be an absolute treat for Colorado high school football, and it shouldn't be taken for granted!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CCSDATHACT1/status/1729560669358334421 </div></figure>     3. The Trenches   No shocker here. For the last 30 years, head coach Andy Lowry has terrorized opposing defenses with the option attack. Meanwhile, Cherry Creek has some DUDES up front on both sides of the ball. Whether it's in the form of the talented offensive line trio between [player_tooltip player_id='381193' first='Hayden' last='Treter'], [player_tooltip player_id='385132' first='Andre' last='Burton'], and [player_tooltip player_id='323104' first='Maxwell' last='Parrott'], or the 6'4", 265-pound [player_tooltip player_id='146052' first='Exodus' last='Johnson'] clogging the middle defensively, the Bruins are stacked with Division-I prospects within the trenches. Regardless, the fight up front is all about want to, and there's little to zero doubt that Columbine can drop the hammer in this department. Keep your eyes peeled for Rebels junior lineman [player_tooltip player_id='404985' first='Peyton' last='Burcar'] as well who is considered to be one of the top hog mollies within the class of 2025.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CchsHayden/status/1729184448401576276 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/exodusjohnson99/status/1714077968169837047 </div></figure>     4. Creek's Electrifying Playmakers   A main priority for Cherry Creek on Saturday is to get their playmakers in space to make some magic happen. For starters, expect the Bruins to attempt to establish a respectable running game so they can take some deep shots with the play-action pass. On tape, QB [player_tooltip player_id='212239' first='Brady' last='Vodicka'] isn't afraid to take some deep shots, and it could very well be the talented pair of wideouts in Max Lovett and [player_tooltip player_id='759547' first='Tyson' last='Mauck'] that are on the receiving end of those passes. The Rebels will need to hold the Bruins skill position players in check to have a shot in this season finale showdown.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TysonMauck/status/1725965531206107605 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BradyVodicka07/status/1726737444836642828 </div></figure>   Prediction   Creek 31, Columbine 20   If you think that the Bruins are no longer hungry for another title, think again. Coach Dave Logan and his troops will capture an unthinkable fifth-straight state championship. At the end of the day, Cherry Creek's offensive line is tops in the state and may be one of the more premier units in all of the nation. Despite a good fight by Columbine, the Bruins will wear down the Rebels by the time the clock hits triple zeroes. Cherry Creek will reign supreme in the Centennial State for yet another year.

It's that time of the year again, folks! The undefeated Cherry Creek Bruins are one step closer to adding a fifth straight 5A Football State Championship to their resume, but standing in their way will be a Columbine Rebels squad chomping at the bit to win their first title since 2011. Whether it's a pair of legendary head coaches facing off in this one or the oozing talent galore that will be showcased on the gridiron, an all-time classic could be in store.