3A State Championship Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Round Valley gets the upset over #1 ranked Ben Franklin who entered the contest undefeated. Here's a look at the top 6 players that caught my eye:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1373220' first='Trenyn' last='Trickey'], ATH, Round Valley '26</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trickey is a kid that should be playing on Saturday's next fall. A versatile player with the ability to line up at safety or LB and be a defensive threat from both spots. Excellent instincts and range to patrol sideline to sideline in a flash while showing really good strength at the point of contact an d a big striking ability. It truly seemed like Trickey was in on every play. A well polished defensive player all around as he can fill run, pursuit to the boundary and have that range, man up on receivers and be lockdown in coverage, or sit in zone with a great read and break on the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Talan Speir, WR/DB, Ben Franklin '26</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speir caught Ben Franklin's lone TD score on the night on a backside slant. Speir does a great job at the top of his route to explode out of that last step and get his around quick, and is physical after the catch. Large catch radius as well with good body control and boundary awareness as well. Speir is another kid that is very underrated in terms of recruiting, and could be a steal for a program here soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2067552' first='Jaxon' last='Crick'], ATH, Round Valley '29</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The freshman came up big which could very well end up being the play of his career, recovering a blocked punt for a TD to put Round Valley ahead which ending up being the winning score to secure the 3A state title. Not only did he have that blocked punt TD, but he also punched in their first score of the night- accounting for both of RV's TD's. This kid is as scrappy, tough, and competitive as they come as he will definitely be a kid to have on your radar the next 3 years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jeffrey Cochran, RB/DB, Round Valley '26</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cochran was named MVP by the AIA on the night, frequently flying around on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he runs with authority and frequently ran through initial contact to pick up extra chunks of yards while punishing opponents. Defensively, he filled the alley extrmemly well, showcasing good instincts and burst and then finished tackles with excellent play strength and a big strike- exploding all the way through the tackle/opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ayden Snower, DB, Ben Franklin '27</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Snower did a great job Saturday night, doing all he could by snagging 2 INT's on what looked like two promising drives for RV to continue to give Ben Franklin momentum. Solid IQ player with a good understanding of his responsibilities, yet also possesses the athleticism and good length to stay glued to receivers hips when they take him vertical. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kage Finch, QB, Round Valley '27</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finch didn't have a "big play" type of night on the stat sheet, but I really like how this young QB composed himself and continued to to be a leader throughout the pressure of this game. He bounced back from those two picks with a short memory and flashed a ton of competitive toughness, busting a few 12 plus yard runs on 3rd down to convert. Smooth, controlled QB that does a great job running that read option by knowing when to give and when to pull- and flashes that burst, twitch, and change of direction as a ball carrier. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->