Stars Shine in the City: Denver West vs. Highland OT Thriller

A big Thursday evening clash between two 5-1 teams went down to the wire!  The visiting 1A Highland Huskies came into All-City Stadium on a 5-game win streak looking to upend the inner-city Denver West Broncos who were coming off their first loss of the season a week prior.  The game started out in a trench battle, neither team able to put the ball across the goal-line.  Finally, after the two-minute warning in the first half, QB [player_tooltip player_id='1507774' first='Tyler' last='Varra'] was able to run it across himself for 6.  Out the half, West methodically took it down the field and ran it in for 6 with 9 minutes left in the 3rd.  From there it was back and forth, Highland's [player_tooltip player_id='1621653' first='Brogan' last='Palmer'] had a big stop on 4th and 1 on the goal line with around 4 minutes to go in regulation.  The game crawled into overtime with both teams unable to put points on the board in the redzone.  The Huskies got the ball first in OT but couldn't overcome penalties and turned it over on downs.  It only took 2 plays for the Cowboys to put it in - a scramble from lefty QB [player_tooltip player_id='1626010' first='Marcelo' last='Ortiz'] found Elijah Fields at the back of the endzone to claim the victory in this nailbiter.   Let's get into the standout players from the game:    Having to adjust their entire offensive gameplan with his #1 weapon out, [player_tooltip player_id='1626010' first='Marcelo' last='Ortiz'] rose to the task leading the Cowboys to the victory.  The main thing that stood out to me was how smooth his drop back footwork was.  West was very aware of the lethal pass rush of [player_tooltip player_id='1621653' first='Brogan' last='Palmer'] and Co, and opened the game with a lot of quick game. Ortiz's 3-step drops were very clean, showing his ability to hit the back of his drop and the ball is out - not needing to reset his feet and take extra steps. A lot of these quick game throws were access throws requiring some pre-snap processing from Ortiz who is only a JR.  He was also a big threat with his legs on QB draws and on option plays, making some gutsy runs between the tackles making sure to stay low and limit any free shots to the body.  Leading the 3 headed rushing attack of himself and Cowboy RBs [player_tooltip player_id='1695348' first='Freddy' last='Lucero'] (#3), Abu Hossain (#8, SO), Ortiz drove them up and down the field capping off the day with the game winning TD in OT to Ernest Fields at the back of the endzone leading to Marcelo receiving the game MVP.     Aries was the best big man in today's game in which I had high expectations for him prior – he has taken some big strides from his JR season.  Adding some weight this offseason and listing at 6'0 250, Aries does a great job shooting out low and really exploding out of his stance doing a great job getting penetration right off the snap, creating havoc against interior run game.  His combination of strength and a great get off is giving fits for oppositions trying to run between the tackles.  Aries also does a great job in pursuit, taking good angles to make tackles downfield and outside the tackle box.  On the offensive side, most of the Cowboy runs were schemed behind him as the puller and he did a great job being quick out of his stance, creating massive lanes on runs, being the aggressor on kick outs, and running his feet through contact.  When I found out he leads the team in pancake blocks I wasn't surprised one bit.  Aries also placed in the State Championship for Shot Put with a PR of 47'10 as a JR. While he could develop into a sturdy interior O lineman, I like his explosiveness as a pesky Nose at the next level.     Freddy plays harder and tougher than his 5'7 145 stature may suggest.  He is unafraid to run amongst the big bodies between the tackles and has the speed to get to the edge.  While Freddy paced the Cowboys offense early in the game, his shutdown defense at corner kept this game close breaking up multiple passes downfield against bigger WRs to prevent any big plays on the outside.  Freddy did a great job using his speed to stay in phase with the Highland WRs and consistently locating the ball and batting passes away.  Freddy also made some big tackles in the run game as the edge of the defense limiting multiple runs to under 5 yards that could've been broken off for an explosive play.     Coming into the game I knew Brogan was going to be the X-factor for this Highland team.  At a self-reported 6'5 230, Brogan is massive compared to most of his opponents in 1A so I was excited to see him against the “bigger” 2A Cowboys squad.  Nursing a high ankle sprain from their game the week prior, he still showed his heavy impact displaying his play strength and athleticism.  From the get-go, you could tell the Cowboys offense gameplan was to slow the Huskies dynamic pass rush of Brogan and fellow DE #44 Audie Lewis (FR) – getting the ball out quick and designing runs away from Palmer on the defensive declared run-strength side.  Brogan showed he is capable playing multiple spots on the DL from a Wide 9, stand up and hand in the dirt 5-tech, and 3-tech.  I think the sky is the limit for the senior and will have a more in-depth evaluation and interview this upcoming week in my Small School Spotlight report shining light on his immense potential flying under the radar.     [player_tooltip player_id='1335539' first='Wyatt' last='Chase'] showcased his two-way impact throughout this game showcasing his hard-nosed, downhill running and his tackling prowess.  As a RB Wyatt does a great job stretching and puncturing on outside zone runs having a good combination of burst and feet to create runs through traffic.  He also does a great job churning his feet through contact to bounce off and slip out of tacklers coming in too high to break off bigger runs.  In this matchup it was his defense that showed out (in which I thoroughly enjoyed watching.)  At his ILB spot, Wyatt does a great job scraping over top of climbing blockers to maintain his gap and make tackles at or near the LOS – in my opinion a lost art at the HS level.  Wyatt's a sure tackler and a big reason why a lot of QB draws didn't go for more as his patience and play recognition showed out.     You may be wondering who scored the game winning TD -- it's not Lucero, it wasn't Wittke, and it wasn't Ortiz's legs.. it was #6 Ernest Fields. While playing in the shadows of Wittke, it's easy to miss Fields running routes adjacent to #1. COACHES, THIS IS AN ELITE ATHLETE. Fields runs with a smooth and effortless track gait like he's floating. At 5'11 155, Fields runs a self-reported 10.8 and around a 4.4. While his tape isn't long, he shows his elite body control and athletic ability in addition to high-level fluidity throughout – the potential is evident. I believe he has all-conference potential at CB or WR. Playing at multiple spots on defense, I've seen him play in off-man at CB and single high safety. With his range, hips, and quick trigger he could be impactful at safety or CB with some added weight. At WR he's a big play waiting to happen - taking the top off defenses and, while I haven't seen it yet, a threat on sweeps and stretching the field horizontally. Showing what it means to be a diamond in the rough, I would take a flyer on this kid for any FCS school and think he would be a multi-year producer at the D2 level as well. I am going to put my stamp on this kid and would recommend all coaches take a look at how Ernest Fields can contribute to your program.     While Wittke was on a snap count throughout this game nursing an injury, I had to mention his name as he is the top playmaker for this 6-1 Denver West.  It's takes a good athlete to line up opposite as he has the speed as a vertical threat but also tremendous quickness, release footwork, and CB manipulation to threaten on the slant. Wittke does a great job shifting CB's weight and frame outside creating so much space to get win inside - not many CBs can stop this route from him. He was such a hassle for defenses taking the attention of 2-3 defenders whenever he was on the field.  If he was a full-go, I believe this game would've gone a lot differently.

A big Thursday evening clash between two 5-1 teams went down to the wire! The visiting 1A Highland Huskies came into All-City Stadium on a 5-game win streak looking to upend the inner-city Denver West Broncos who were coming off their first loss of the season a week prior. The game started out in a trench battle, neither team able to put the ball across the goal-line. Finally, after the two-minute warning in the first half, QB Tyler Varra Tyler Varra 5'10" | DB/ATH Highland | 2026 State CO was able to run it across himself for 6. Out the half, West methodically took it down the field and ran it in for 6 with 9 minutes left in the 3^rd. From there it was back and forth, Highland's Brogan Palmer Brogan Palmer 6'5" | 230 lbs | EDGE/TE Highland | 2026 State CO had a big stop on 4^th and 1 on the goal line with around 4 minutes to go in regulation. The game crawled into overtime with both teams unable to put points on the board in the redzone. The Huskies got the ball first in OT but couldn't overcome penalties and turned it over on downs. It only took 2 plays for the Cowboys to put it in - a scramble from lefty QB Marcelo Ortiz Marcelo Ortiz 5'10" | 200 lbs | QB/LB Denver West | 2027 State CO found Elijah Fields at the back of the endzone to claim the victory in this nailbiter.