Players from new Class 5A ranked teams to watch

In the CHSAANow.com polls this week, three new teams joined the top 10 ranks. Arapahoe made the biggest leap, moving up to No. 7 in the polls after a shutout win vs. xxx. The last two teams in the top 10 also picked up big wins in Week 2, with Chaparral (No. 9) defeating Rock Canyon 33-30 in overtime, and Castle View (No. 10) knocking off former top-10 team Fairview 38-21 at home. For each of the teams, there are some players standing out and helping them get off to a fast start. Here is a look at some of the players leaving their mark so far. <strong>Arapahoe:</strong> The offense has been sharp, efficient and has put up the points so far, scoring 40 in Week 1 at Rocky Mountain and 42 last week versus Heritage. There is good balance between the run and the pass, and the run game is led by a two-back tandem in<strong> DJ Montoya</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="22708" first="Pyreese" last="Miller"]. Montoya leads the team with 297 rush yards and is difficult in the open field with his 5-foot-9, 190-pound frame. As for Miller, he is a similar sized running back (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) and has 185 yards on the ground. Leading the passing attack is wide receiver Charlie Eckhardt, an athletic receiver at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds who is eighth in the state in 11-man football with 232 receiving yards to his name. And on the defense, where they have only allowed two touchdowns so far, they have one of the top rising prospects in [player_tooltip player_id="22671" first="Jackson" last="Adams"], an edge rusher who is dynamic and has multiple moves to get in the backfield that has resulted in two sacks, a forced fumble and multiple stops. <strong>Beau Doughty</strong> is another lineman getting in the backfield with 1.5 sacks and is a force at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds from the interior. <strong>Chaparral:</strong> Dual-threat quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="43678" first="Kylan" last="Wilson"] has put up nice numbers through two weeks. Through the air, he shows good decision making and great accuracy with his arm, completing 17 of 24 passes for 319 yards and five touchdowns. As for his legs, he’s been finding running room and flashing his speed, resulting in 401 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He is an athlete that shows he is dangerous with the ball in his hands. His favorite target to throw to has been <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="52220" first="Brayden" last="Munroe"]</strong>. He has a nice release off the line of scrimmage, possesses the speed to run by corners and has sure hands, which have helped him secure 11 receptions for 222 yards and four touchdowns. Both players have also excelled on defense, with Wilson picking off two passes and Munroe intercepting three in the secondary. Two other defenders to watch are linebacker <strong>Camden Vogt</strong>, who has a team-high 23 tackles and plays downfield against the run and the pass, and defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="58961" first="Geoff" last="Freeman"], who plays with great leverage and has a quick step off the line of scrimmage that has resulted in five tackles for loss and two sacks. <strong>Castle View:</strong> So far through two games, it’s the running attack carrying Castle View on offense. The team is averaging 282 yards on the ground, in large part to the offensive line winning in the trenches. An up-and-comer on the interior of the line playing well so far is <strong>Ryder Smith</strong>, an athletic lineman who does well pulling and can also get some push up front and get to the second level. <strong>Breken Sharp</strong> is another 2023 lineman for the team having success up front and has the strength and athleticism to get a number of blocks for his team. Castle View also gets good blocking from its tight ends and running backs, one of whom is [player_tooltip player_id="153738" first="Brody" last="Ashworth"], a willing blocker on the outside at the tight end spot who routinely puts guys on their backs and plays with a high motor. Ashworth is also a team leader from his linebacker spot on defense, where he has an interception in coverage but will also play downhill to get to the running back or apply pressure on quarterbacks.