3A Championship Preview

The 3A Championship pits two dominating teams against each other. The undefeated Thompson Valley Eagles (13-0) face off against the 11-1 Mead Mavericks this Saturday at 10 am at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins. Both these teams have high octane rushing attacks, running behind powerful offensive lineman. The Eagles have scored 333 points while only allowing 75 points to opposing offenses. The Mavericks have scored 376 total points while allowing 124 points. Let's dive into the analysis of these two teams.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Offenses</h2>   Thompson Valley Eagles   The rushing attack is the focal point for both offenses, more-so Thompson Valley than Mead. The Eagles racked up a total of 2840 rushing yards. [player_tooltip player_id='1430414' first='Joseph' last='Urrutia'] ran for 724 yards on 129 yards and 5 touchdowns averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He has 22 receptions for 331 yards and 1 touchdown. Urrutia is a speedy back who makes defenders miss with his elusiveness.    [player_tooltip player_id='1375084' first='Garet' last='Hendrickson']'s dual threat ability as a quarterback will be on full display. He threw for 23/45 for 319 yards for 3 touchdown and 2 interceptions. On the ground, he had 113 carries for 578 yards and 5 touchdowns. These two run the show for the Eagles.    Mead Mavericks   QB Christian Hiner leads the way for the Mavericks' offense. The senior went 60/101 for 1035 yards, 15 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 53 carries for 259 yards and 4 touchdowns. Hiner goes through his progressions and uses his cannon of an arm to meet the receiver downfield. His decision making with the ball impresses me. Hiner makes the correct read, and if no one's open he'll run for the first down.    The Mavericks have a cerberus as their running backs. [player_tooltip player_id='1562531' first='Ethan' last='Elmore'] (7 TDs), [player_tooltip player_id='1570709' first='Noah' last='Chapala'] (9 TDs), and Ryan St. Aubin (8 TDs) all ran over 500 yards with multiple touchdowns each. Even though the running backs are phenomenal, I wanted to discuss one of the underrated aspects on Mead in wide receiver Noah Vroman. The 6'0 155-pound senior accounted for 17 receptions for 401 yards and 4 touchdowns. He has very good athletic ability due very good speed, change of direction, jumping, and good acceleration. Vroman has very smooth cuts, which goes in hand with his fluid route running skills. He has very good body control. Adjusts and contorts his body to make the catch while keeping both feet in bounds. He'll use his home run speed to blaze past everyone. The Eagles will have to watch out for that speed.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Defenses</h2>   Thompson Valley Eagles   The Eagles have a stout defense led by Colton (CJ) James and [player_tooltip player_id='1216411' first='Landry' last='Suarez']. James is a must watch prospect on that defense. He stands tall at 6'5 212 pounds, and feasts. Here are his defensive stats over the season: 65 total tackles (26 solo, 39 assisted), 10.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks (team leader), 4 FF, 1 FR. The Mavericks offensive line is going to have trouble with him. He has very good mental processing, and knowledge of gaps. He'll use this to his advantage by rushing the correct one leading to a TFL. He has very good speed and acceleration. His highlights in the previous round are listed below.    Suarez leads the Eagles in tackles with 84 total tackles (29 solo, 55 assisted), 4.0 TFL, and 2 sacks. He's a very good tackler, wrapping up defenders and pulling them down. Very good competitive toughness, he plays through the whistle and assists teammates finish tackles. These two linebackers are going to be a problem for the playmakers on Mead.    Mead Mavericks   Josh Gonsalves and Austin Ott lead the charge for the Mavericks' defense. Gonsalves leads Mead in total tackles, his stats are as follows: 94 total tackles (51 solo, 43 assisted), 2 TFL 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PD. Gonsalves uses his very good athletic ability to prowl the field. If a teammate needs help, Josh is assisting them. He's a good run stopper, stopping them in their tracks. It will be an interesting matchup against [player_tooltip player_id='1430414' first='Joseph' last='Urrutia'] and the Eagles' offensive line.    Austin Ott is a ball hawk. The 6'2 165-pound corner back has great size and length to attack the bigger body wide receivers. Throughout the season he has 33 total tackles (23 solo, 10 assisted), 4 INT, 6 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR. Ott has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, and jumping. He's good in man coverage, sticking onto his receiver and going stride for stride. He has very good reactionary skills. Paired with very good ball tracking and catching, making him a menace on the outside. Ott will use his lengthy arms to swat the ball away or pluck it out of the air. He's also a good run stopper, not afraid to get dirty.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">My Thoughts</h2>   I believe this will be a low scoring game, due to both teams loving to run the ball, and having stout defenders on both sides. I expect a brutal battle in trenches, as each team tries to show their dominance over the other. Whoever wins in the trenches will win. I will have my boots on the ground for this game, and I can't wait to see these exciting prospects give it their all on the biggest high school stage.

The 3A Championship pits two dominating teams against each other. The undefeated Thompson Valley Eagles (13-0) face off against the 11-1 Mead Mavericks this Saturday at 10 am at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins. Both these teams have high octane rushing attacks, running behind powerful offensive lineman. The Eagles have scored 333 points while only allowing 75 points to opposing offenses. The Mavericks have scored 376 total points while allowing 124 points. Let's dive into the analysis of these two teams.