The Playoff Surge: Standouts from Round 1

Round 1 of the playoffs was very exciting! Due to Colorado's first snow of the season a lot of games were delayed, however a few teams braved the storm and played on. This round didn't disappoint, with upsets from overlooked teams, to dominating performances by clear favorites. Today, I will be diving into a handful of top tier performances (offensive or defensive) that elevated their team.   Another reminder regarding the Stock Up Showcase! It happens with a month and if you use my code TATEPRZ2024 at checkout, you get $10 off! I will be in attendance, and I hope to see you guys there!    Brown led Pueblo Central to a victory over Coronado on Friday. Making a big impact on both sides of the field. The 5'9 190-pound RB/SS had 16 carries for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns. On the defensive side, he had 2 tackles, 1 interception returned for a touchdown. Brown has very good athletic ability due to elite balance, very good acceleration, speed, and change of direction. His balance is off the charts! When he starts to stumble, or gets tackled, he regains composure and keeps churning downfield for a big gain. One play, he hurdled over a defender! Brown has very good vision to diagnose which holes to run through. If one isn't open, he uses dynamic jump cuts to pivot to the next hole. He's a physical running back, and uses his very good trucking to run though linebackers. Brown has a very good stiff arm too. On defense, he used his very good ball tracking to pluck the ball out of the air, and return it for a touchdown. All around phenomenal performance from Brown, who is looking to build upon it in the 2nd round.     Pisciotta is another dual position star who impacted his team both offensively and defensively. The 6'3 185-pound WR/FS had 6 receptions for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, he had 1 interception and 1 pass deflection. Pisciotta has good athletic ability due to very good jumping, very good change of direction, good speed, and good acceleration. Uncanny ability to accelerate, decelerate, back to accelerate. He used this skill to make the DB miss, allowing him the touchdown. Pisciotta has good release against both press jam and off coverage. He uses his very quick feet to get the jump on the DB. He has good separation quickness due to mental processing and play strength. Pisciotta identifies a zone and exploits it. He'll fight through contact during the route, and uses his strength to be victorious. Very good ball tracking. Very good catching. Goes out and attacks the ball. Pisciotta uses his lengthy arms to extend, then uses his suction hands to catch in front of him. He even had a crazy one-handed interception highlighting these abilities. Even though his team lost, Pisciotta ended his season on a high note.     Even in a loss, Ampofo showed why he deserves to be on a college team. The 6'1 155-pound safety had 11 total tackles (8 solo, 3 assisted). Ampofo has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, good jumping, and change of direction. Ampofo was consistently all over the field. He has very good competitive toughness, helping his teammates finish tackles. His very good mental processing was on full display. He was like a predator looking for his prey. Ampofo would come down from his zone and lay a big boom on the ball carrier. Ampofo is good in zone coverage, using his good reactionary instincts and speed to match the ball carrier. He is a very good tackler. He wraps them up and uses his good strength to pull down. Good run stopper too. Ampofo stops the running back right in their tracks. This was another good performance to notch in his belt.     McPherson was a big reason why Regis was victorious over Eaglecrest. The 6'3 215-pound senior had 12 total tackles (9 solo, 3 assisted), 1 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 FF. On offense, he had 3 receptions for 42 yards and 1 touchdown. McPherson has very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, change of direction, good speed, and jumping. Very good lateral agility. He used his good mental processing to identify which hole the running back was running through. If the RB went to a different hole, McPherson used dynamic jump cuts to meet the RB. He would also watch the QB's eyes leading him to the tackler. McPherson is a very good tackler. He'll use his whole body or wrap and pull down. Very good strength. He picked up a running back and threw him on the ground. When Grayson is getting blocked, he'll still tackle the RB. McPherson is a hard hitter. He lays the boom on the ball carrier, leading to a fumble. He has good ball skills as well. McPherson used his very good balance to stop stumbling, resulting in a touchdown. You can tell how passionate about the game, just by watching him play. I'm excited to see how this thumper of a linebacker does throughout the playoffs.     McKeon continued his domination on the ground, and was a bright spot in the loss against Arvada West. The 5'11 200-pound junior had 34 carries for 208 yards and 3 touchdowns. McKeon has very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, speed, change of direction, and balance. He uses his very good vision to identify which holes to run through. If one is covered up, he uses his very good change of direction to create dynamic jump cuts allowing him to change direction on the fly. He'll pivot and go. McKeon is consistently breaking contact at the line of scrimmage. He runs through the 1st and 2nd level. Looks so smooth like he is gliding. To gain extra yardage, he'll put his shoulder down to truck through the defender. He pairs it with a very good stiff arm. For example, he got an extra 5+ yards just from holding the LB back with his stiff arm. He ends his junior season on a positive note, with a good resume to build upon into his senior year.     Applegate had himself a nice evening. The Grand Junction QB went 10/12 for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns boosting a 83.3% completion rate. On the ground, he rushed 6 times for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns. Applegate has a prototypical size for a quarterback. Measuring in at 6'4 240-pounds. Applegate has very good throw power and a quick release, allowing him to fit the ball in tight spaces. His very good accuracy was on full display, throwing only 2 incompletions. Applegate has good pocket presence. He will go through his progressions. When he was under pressure, he would either stand tall, finding the open man or roll out for a big gain. Applegate has good athletic ability due to good acceleration and speed. Other than having a cool last name, Applegate showed why he deserves to be in the conversation for electric Colorado quarterbacks.

Round 1 of the playoffs was very exciting! Due to Colorado's first snow of the season a lot of games were delayed, however a few teams braved the storm and played on. This round didn't disappoint, with upsets from overlooked teams, to dominating performances by clear favorites. Today, I will be diving into a handful of top tier performances (offensive or defensive) that elevated their team.