Pueblo West (8) v Northfield HS (9) 2nd Round Playoff Preview

Friday Night's 4A 2nd round clash between the Pueblo West Cyclones (8) and the Northfield Nighthawks (9) should be a good one.  Coming off their 1st round home victory over Skyline HS, the Nighthawks have had their best season as a program with a 9-2 record with an undefeated divisional slate.  Since his hiring in 2020, HC Ben Startzer has taken the program to new height and in only their second season at the 4A level earning the 9th seed, their highest as a program.  Led by JR QB [player_tooltip player_id='1627643' first='Cash' last='Lacy'], there are so many weapons on this offense at Lacy's disposal.  While [player_tooltip player_id='1214685' first='Devaughn' last='Daniels'] is out for the season, Antoine Collins, JayAnthony Yancey, and Kaeden Williams have picked up the slack.  On the other side of the ball [player_tooltip player_id='1422257' first='Elian' last='Oliva'] is a monster! The Air Force commit's sideline to sideline speed helps him make plays all over the field.   While they made quick work of Skyline, the 3rd place team in the strong Soco 1 conference will take more to advance to the Elite 8.  Pueblo West has a strong rushing attack lead by their Soph QB Chase Harrison and the Soco 1's leading rusher SR RB [player_tooltip player_id='1308288' first='Zach' last='Duran'].  Harrison's is a dynamic dual threat QB that is the engine of this offense – always threatening an explosive play whenever he receives the snap.  Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1620917' first='Matthew' last='Zeck'] and Tyvon Washington are havoc wreckers for offensive lines with SRs [player_tooltip player_id='1572762' first='Joren' last='Flores'] and Stetson Hawes flying around at the second level and leading the team in tackles.   Keys to the Game - Northfield Nighthawks: Keep Zeck, Washington, and the West DL at bay - create running lanes and a keep clean pocket for their offense to operate. Defensively, look to contain Harrison and Duran early and force them to play from behind in the second half and lean on their pass game. This will be a big test for this younger DL.   Keys to the Game - Pueblo West Cyclones: Get your offense going early! Scoring early with Harrison's dual threat ability will put the Nighthawks on their heels right away and give Chase Harrison a bigger two-way threat in the run and pass game.   Game Prediction: Looking at their common opponents, both teams were played tough by Mesa Ridge with Northfield squeaking out the win 10-7. On the flip side, the Grizzles gave their best to Pueblo West with West taking a tough road loss 22-15. I am going to negate these games and call it even due to the Cyclones playing Mesa Ridge on the road and being divisional opponents. While Pueblo have only lost in the playoffs in the previous 2 seasons against Montrose, I'm going to take Northfield in this one due to their seniority and the leadership of [player_tooltip player_id='1627643' first='Cash' last='Lacy']. 24-21   Pueblo West Spotlight Players:   Cyclones' X-Factor: Chase Harrison    The 8th-seeded Cyclones are led by young Chase Harrison. The definition of dual threat, Harrison is second on the team in rushing yards and has a team leading 11 total TDs. His lower half is so strong - you can tell in his leg drive and explosiveness when he runs. He's solid in the RPO game, consistently reading LBs and putting in on the body of his WRs. His footwork in the RPO run game is good as well. He's adequate at throwing on the run, but where he shines is when he can get downhill. Scrambles and designed runs, Harrison is super hard to bring down with his strength and almost deceptive speed - if your defenders don't take good tackling angles he will make you pay. He's like a RB with the ball in his hands, utilizing a strong stiff arm when the ball is in his off hand.     Jayson Guzzo's tape really caught my eye! I love flexibility and athletic offensive linemen and after seeing his stance I had to spotlight him. He bends extremely well at the hips and ankles to the point that his rear is almost touching the turf in his stance. He has good length and gets extension and runs his feet upon contact. He moves well on pulls and does a good job climbing to the second level. He does a great job turning out defenders to clear massive lanes in the run game. A big game from Guzzo will go a long way for this Cyclone run game.     Duran could be considered a combo RB/WR that is a great 1-2 punch with Chase Harrison. He runs with great pad level, shows some "make-your-man" miss ability at full speed, and is also very active with stiff arms. He is also equally as good split out, showing off his long-speed killing off coverage defenders that don't knock off speed. I could only find limited game film on Duran, but can already tell what a playmaker he is!     At 6'2 240, Zeck not only has good size for the next level, but also an endless motor! Consistently chasing down runs away from him and plays downfield, there's nothing stopping Zeck's high effort to get a ball carrier to the ground. He possesses a good get off and plays behind his strong hands. I love his understanding of attacking half the man, and not just trying to bull rush each blocker down their midline. He has a muscular build and a well-built lower half. The Cyclones will need him to have one of his best games to date to control the line of scrimmage.     On the other side of this Cyclone DL is Tyvon Washington. Washington plays behind his strong hands, creates a lot of knock back. Another trend I'm seeing on this Cyclone defense is their relentless pursuit downfield, Tyvon exemplifies this as well. He shows good hand fighting moves on pass rush and a mastery of the surf technique and condensing the gap when blockers go away.    Northfield Spotlight Players:   Nighthawks' X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='1422257' first='Elian' last='Oliva']    [player_tooltip player_id='1422257' first='Elian' last='Oliva'] is a defensive demon for Northfield. Oliva's explosiveness jumps off the screen, gaining so much ground with his first step his closing speed is tremendous. He's got a good frame - equipped with high hips and long gangly arms that are strong against oncoming blockers. Oliva is also an extremely effective blitzer showing bend around the edge and an ability to use his length to walk TEs back into the QB. He plays with so much tenacity and passion. At the next level I see him playing as an Apex LB or box safety with the ability to add in on blitzes. He is currently committed to the Air Force Academy.     Cash is at the helm of this high-powered Northfield offense. He throws with great pace on his short and intermediate passing. I like how he keeps his feet hot (but calm) in the pocket and isn't afraid to take what the defense gives him. In the quick game, Lacy shows an ability to shorten his motion and quickly get it out to get the ball into his playmaker's hands in space. On defense Lacy is Northfield's safety valve - as their deep safety, Lacy shows his QB acumen to make plays on the ball and recognizing route concepts as they develop. This offseason I'd like to see his lower body mechanics find consistency to get more power on deep balls. At times he can slightly overstride and step too closed not allowing his hips to fully rotate. I expect Cash to at a minimum be a top 15 QB in Colorado as a SR, but won't rule out the top 5-10 with a great offseason.     Solid player in all 3 phases for Northfield. The first thing that struck out to me is how strong his hands are - plucking passes out of the air and, multiple times this season, ripping the ball out of defender's hands turning picks into big completions. On the defensive side, he is a steady presence at corner doing a great job triggering downhill to play the run. He also consistently knocks off speed for WRs running deep and affecting the downfield routes. Antoine is also a massive threat on the KOR unit, ripping off many big runs, doing a great job finding running lanes and running through smoke for big gains.     Quick to read and react, shows some speed when coming downhill. His quick strides help him COD very quickly. Also is a factor in the PR and KOR game, showing his speed to punish undisciplined coverage units as well as a physical blocker as the off-returner. The PR game is where his abilities shine, allowing his quick feet and short area quickness to consistently make the first man miss and take off for multiple TDs and many more big returns.     Cowboy Collar Alert! Ben Rink is a standout two-way player for this Northfield team with a high motor. On the defensive side he shows some burst and plays with a relentlessness to make tackles. One thing I want to see him improve is his DL stance and some consistency in his get off. Bringing his feet tighter together will help him explode more out of his stance. At LT, Ben hunts LBs consistently latching on at the second level helping spring big runs for his RBs. He plays with good pad level upon contact while blocking. Northfield will need a stout game from Rink to continue their season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1642487' first='Lucas' last='Lawson'] is another player in this class of '28 at Northfield HS with high potential. Lucas is extremely strong. As a FR he placed 3rd in the state Discus with 153-01. At 6'3 220 he does a great job using his length to control OTs. He also plays with great pad level, shooting out low and playing low behind his pads. Right now, Lawson does a great job getting around the edge of tackles with a combination of bend and speed. I would like to see him continue to develop his identification and transition from run to pass as well developing his hand combat and pass rush too bag. He's still a raw and as he gains a better feel for the game his ability should grow exponentially. With his freakish strength and raw athleticism, I project Lawson will be a touted recruit as his puts it all together.

Friday Night's 4A 2^nd round clash between the Pueblo West Cyclones (8) and the Northfield Nighthawks (9) should be a good one. Coming off their 1^st round home victory over Skyline HS, the Nighthawks have had their best season as a program with a 9-2 record with an undefeated divisional slate. Since his hiring in 2020, HC Ben Startzer has taken the program to new height and in only their second season at the 4A level earning the 9^th seed, their highest as a program. Led by JR QB Cash Lacy Cash Lacy 6'2" | 175 lbs | QB Northfield | 2027 State CO , there are so many weapons on this offense at Lacy's disposal. While Devaughn Daniels Devaughn Daniels 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB/WR Northfield | 2028 CO is out for the season, Antoine Collins, JayAnthony Yancey, and Kaeden Williams have picked up the slack. On the other side of the ball Elian Oliva Elian Oliva 6'1" | 180 lbs | LB/DB Northfield | 2026 State CO is a monster! The Air Force commit's sideline to sideline speed helps him make plays all over the field.