3A Semifinals Preview Pt. 2: Round Valley VS Valley Christian

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Overview </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The only true public school left in the 3A playoffs, Round Valley, will make the long bus ride to take on Valley Christian at technically a neutral site at Mesa High for the 3A semifinals matchup. If you love football, you have to enjoy what this Round valley squad brings to the table. Small town ball up in Eager that rallies behind their local squad- and this team looks hungry. They finished with a 9-1 regular season and are fresh off two blowout wins in the playoffs, outscoring their opponents 93-14 in the past two weeks. Similar story for Valley Christian, as they come off a 9-1 regular season record and two blowout wins in the first 2 games of this postseason- outscoring their opponents 87-39. Valley Christian's lone regular season loss came against #1 ranked Ben Franklin back in week 6, but they have been rolling ever since, showcasing that explosive offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Round Valley </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players To Know </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603449' first='Brody' last='Crick'], ATH '27:</strong> Crick is tough as nails and is one of the most pure, all around football players I've seen at the 3A level. He checks a ton of boxes including burst, instincts, twitch, top end speed, pad level, and physicality to go along with it. He's rushed for over 1,000 yards and 14 TD's while racking up over 360 yards and 10 TD's receiving. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kage Finch, QB '27:</strong> Finch is a dangerous player as well as he's shown legit dual threat ability- putting up over 1,800 yards and 26 TD's through the air while adding another 600 yards and 9 TD's on the ground. I really like his decision making for a young QB, as he's currently 103/165 on his attempts for the year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaxon Crick, ATH '29:</strong> The freshman Crick has stepped up and knocked his expectations out of the park, establishing himself as a versatile, promising upcoming player. He's been an absolute menace defensively for Round Valley, totaling 67 tackles, 12 TFL's, 10 sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked punt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Valley Christian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players To Know </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1616824' first='Asher' last='Hanzal'], WR '26: Hanzal is an explosive kid that has put up 763 yards and 11 TD's on 35 receptions, leading Valley Christian in every receiving category. He sizes up with a 6'1" 185lb frame and is a burner with the ability to take the top off a defense or immediately turn into a threat after the catch. Big time player that's a legit big play threat, and it'll be interesting to see a kid like Hanzal go up against a stout RV defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hudson Pickett, DE '26</strong>: Pickett has had a terrific year for valley Christian, racking up 70 total tackles and an eye popping 16 TFL's. He sizes up with a strong, stout frame at 6'1" 225lbs and plays with a mean streak. Good versatility to move to any LB position as well and frequently displays excellent play strength with a good initial strike.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1399775' first='Austin' last='Schuder'], QB '27: The junior QB has stepped into the QB1 role with ease in his first year as the varsity starter, throwing for over 1,800 yards and 25 TD's while adding 685 yards and 6 TD's on the ground. The moxy and athleticism is all there for this kid as he proves to be a dangerous 3A QB, and he'll get one of the biggest tests of his career this week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->