Road to State 2022: Previewing the 5A Jeffco Conference

We are almost there folks! Practices have officially begun around the state, as the regular season is right around the corner! Players from all around Colorado are getting ready to buckle up the straps and lace up the cleats in anticipation of making plays on the gridiron. As we sit only a few weeks removed from the start of the season, it is time to start taking a closer look at what each conference around the Centennial State has to offer. From the slopes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains to the eastern plains, there is so much talent to go around. In this edition of Road to State 2022, we will tackle one of the more intriguing 5A conferences in the Denver metro area. Ladies and gentleman, let's dive into the mighty 5A Jeffco Conference.     Arvada West   2021 Schedule   8/27 W 43-7 @ Wheat Ridge   9/2 W 23-10 vs Legacy   9/9 W 42-0 @ Horizon   9/17 L 21-52 vs Cherry Creek   9/23 W 42-21 vs Fossil Ridge   10/1 W 24-21 vs Columbine   10/8 W 35-14 @ Mullen   10/15 L 42-14 @ Pomona   10/21 W 42-21 vs Lakewood   10/29 W 17-10 @ Ralston Valley   11/11 L 38-21 vs Columbine (Playoffs)     Key Losses   RB Cade Russell (Graduation)   WR Ean Lee (Graduation)   LB Wyatt Blomquist (Graduation)     Players to Watch   QB [player_tooltip player_id='218213' first='Ethan' last='Cook']   (120/208, 1,857 Yards, 15.5 AVG, 20 TD, 7 INT)   WR Drew Martinez   (38 REC, 709 Yards, 18.7 AVG, 64.5 YPG, 12 TD)   LB/DB [player_tooltip player_id='289496' first='Charlie' last='Smith']   (75 Tackles, 6.8 TPG, 5.0 TFL, 3.0 Sacks)     2022 Games to Circle   9/16 @ Cherry Creek   9/30 @ Chatfield   10/13 vs Columbine   Team Overview   The Wildcats rattled off an 8-3 record in 2021 with an impressive 4-1 record in conference play but fell short during the state playoffs to Columbine. Expectations are high for Arvada West as they enter the new season with a veteran quarterback in [player_tooltip player_id='218213' first='Ethan' last='Cook'] as he is weeks away from beginning his senior season. With Cook running the offense, the Wildcats should be in good hands as the soon-to-be second year starter displays a poised head on his shoulders and sneaky athleticism when in the pocket. Expect a big season from fellow senior wideout Drew Martinez, who has solid hands and can make some noise with yards after the catch. Defensively, Arvada West has lost some pieces due to graduation, so promising playmakers like [player_tooltip player_id='289496' first='Charlie' last='Smith'] will have to produce like he did a season ago. All in all, anything short of a deep playoff run will be considered a disappointment for the Wildcats.   Chatfield   2021 Schedule   8/27 W 49-43 vs Longmont   9/3 W 43-20 vs Brighton   9/9 W 23-14 vs FFCHS   9/18 W 28-7 @FMHS   9/24 L 22-28 @ Pine Creek   9/30 W 56-14 vs Wheat Ridge   10/7 L 10-14 @ Bear Creek   10/14 W 50-49 @ Golden   10/22 W 45-22 vs Standley Lake   10/29 L 28-29 @ Dakota Ridge   11/12 W 31-9 vs Ponderosa   11/19 W 42-31 vs Dakota Ridge (Playoffs)   11/27 W 28-21 vs Pine Creek (Playoffs)   12/4 W 41-34 vs Erie ( 5A State Championship)   Key Losses   RB Jake Marschall (Graduation)   LB Caden Logan (Graduation)   Players to Watch   RB Mason Lowe   (86 CAR, 665 Yards, 7.7 AVG, 10 TD)   RB/WR [player_tooltip player_id='251310' first='Brock' last='Narva']   (52 CAR, 513 Yards, 9.9 AVG, 5 TD's)   MLB Cade Thomas   (132 tackles, 10.2 TPG, 3.0 TFL, 3.0 Sacks)   2022 Games to Circle   9/1 @Port St. Lucie (FL)   9/9 @Cherry Creek   10/6 @Pomona   10/28 vs Columbine   Team Overview   A run-heavy team from last season, the Chatfield Chargers went on an electrifying run to the State Title game before ultimately winning it in dramatic fashion over Erie. While it will be difficult for the defending 4A State Champions to replace the production from star running back Jake Marschall, whose 1,944 rushing yards fell just short of eclipsing the 2,000 yard- mark, having a reliable returning back in Mason Lowe only helps. In a backup role last fall, Lowe averaged 7.7 YPC on only 86 carries while rushing for 10 touchdowns. Now as the featured back, the sky is the limit for Lowe. Chatfield will be returning their field general from a year ago in [player_tooltip player_id='251265' first='Jake' last='Jones'], and don't be surprised if they air it out a little more in 2022. Regardless, this is a squad that rushed for 4,105 yards a season ago with seven players that attempted at least 80 carries. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. In pursuit of back-to-back titles, it also doesn't hurt to have your leading tackler back in middle linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='150077' first='Cade' last='Thomas']. This will be Chatfield's first season in the Class of 5A, so the schedule will be filled with tough opponents.   Columbine   2021 Schedule   8/27 W 42-21 @ Denver East   9/2 W 52-21 vs Cherokee Trail   9/10 W 21-11 @ Faith Lutheran   9/17 W 49-21 vs Highlands Ranch   9/24 L 21-35 @ Valor Christian   10/1 L 21-24 @ Arvada West   10/7 W 56-13 vs Lakewood   10/15 W 28-14 @ Mullen   10/22 L 35-14 vs Ralston Valley   10/28 W 20-6 @ Pomona   11/5 W 56-0 vs FNWHS (Playoffs)   11/11 W 38-21 vs Arvada West (Playoffs)   11/19 L 7-17 @ Valor Christian (Playoffs)   Key Losses   QB Brock Zanatell (Graduation)   RB Seth Cromwell (Graduation)   DE Logan Corray (Graduation)   Players to Watch   LB [player_tooltip player_id='376573' first='Payton' last='Wainwright']   (82 Tackles, 6.3 TPG, 4.0 TFL, 7.0 Sacks)   RB [player_tooltip player_id='150207' first='Tyree' last='Trusty']   (147 CAR, 966 Yards, 6.6 AVG, 6 TD's)   2022 Games to Circle   8/26 vs Mullen   9/16 vs Arapahoe   9/29 vs Pomona   10/28 @ Chatfield   Team Overview   Not many teams around the state had as lethal of a one-two punch at running back than the Columbine Rebels. While only [player_tooltip player_id='150207' first='Tyree' last='Trusty'] returns for the 2022 season after partner in crime Seth Cromwell graduated and enrolled at Missouri Western, the Rebels will still be in good hands. In fact, Trusty may be the most dangerous weapon within this dominant triple option attack. Columbine possesses one of the best running attacks year in and year out, so this could Trusty's time to shine. It may take a few games for the new quarterback to get situated, but if there's one guarantee from this offense, it's that they will surely dominate the time of possession in most games they play. Another key contributor will be on the defensive side of the ball in returnee [player_tooltip player_id='376573' first='Payton' last='Wainwright'], who managed to rack up four tackles for loss and an absurd seven sacks from the middle linebacker position.     Lakewood   2021 Schedule   8/26 L 32-37 vs Bear Creek   9/3 W 28-14 @Westminster   9/10 W 34-28 @ Rocky Mountain   9/16 W 27-23 @ Chaparral   9/24 L 7-35 vs Palmer Ridge   9/30 L 7-49 @ Pomona   10/7 L 13-56 @ Columbine   10/14 L 0-33 vs Ralston Valley   10/21 L 21-42 @ Arvada West   10/28 L 0-42 vs Mullen   Key Losses   QB Max Schadler (Graduation)   RB Connor Ladd (Graduation)   LB Jack Cederberg (Graduation)   Players to Watch   WR Newton Taylor   (13 REC, 219 Yards, 16.8 AVG, 36.5 YPG, 1 TD)   S Diego Cordova   (46 Tackles, 5.1 TPG)   LB Seth Douglas   (45 Tackles, 5.0 TPG)   2022 Games to Circle   9/1 vs Fairview   9/30 vs Ralston Valley   10/27 vs Pomona   Team Overview   After going 3-7 overall and finishing the regular season 0-5 in conference play, the Tigers enter 2022 with some holes to fill. While the preseason polls aren't in Lakewood's favor due to the the amount of fresh faces being thrusted into starting roles this year, the coaches and players within this program are confident that they can be a tough out for many of their opponents on the 2022 schedule. Replacing starting quarterback Max Schadler will be no simple task, but the fact that there will be a security blanket wideout in Newton Taylor will help ease the transition to the next signal caller under center. Not to mention, but two of their top tacklers from a year ago will be returning with safety Diego Cordova anchoring the secondary and linebacker Seth Douglas leading the linebackers. Obviously, head coach Jeff Braun will have his hands full with an extremely difficulty schedule, but let us not forget that this was a group that started off the season last year winning three of their first four contests.     Pomona   2021 Schedule   8/26 L 29-30 vs Grandview   9/3 L 0-31 @ Cherry Creek   9/10 W 44-14 vs Doherty   9/16 W 26-20 @ Legacy   9/24 L 27-28 @ Smoky Hill   9/30 W 49-7 vs Lakewood   10/7 W 17-3 @ Ralston Valley   10/15 W 42-14 vs Arvada West   10/22 W 21-7 @ Mullen   10/28 L 6-20 @ Columbine   11/4 W 14-7 vs Castle View (Playoffs)   11/12 L 21-28 vs Regis Jesuit (Playoffs)   Key Losses   RB Colton Muller (Graduation)   WR Steven Gartman (Graduation)   Players to Watch   RB Marcus Talbert   (69 CAR, 410 Yards, 5.9 AVG, 2 TD's)   LB T.J. Lindsay   (54 Tackles, 4.9 TPG, 3.0 TFL, 3.0 Sacks)   2022 Games to Circle   9/1 @ Legend   9/23 @ Grandview   10/6 vs Chatfield   Team Overview   Pomona are certainly no strangers of what it takes to build a roster that has state title aspirations. Even when head man Nathan Johnson took over the reigns for longtime coach Jay Madden a couple seasons ago, Johnson was well aware of the shoes he had to fill. When the Panthers took home a State Championship in 2017 with Madden, the expectation had been set for what future Pomona teams could accomplish. After a respectable 7-5 finish from a year ago, the Panthers are determined to make that next step in being a contender. The biggest reason why Pomona might end up making some noise in the Centennial State? Look no further than all-around tailback Marcus Talbert, who is already making a name for himself heading into his Junior campaign. Talbert should be the workhorse offensively, as it wouldn't be a surprised if he ends up being one of the top ball carriers that the state has to offer when the 2022 season reaches its conclusion.   Ralston Valley   2021 Schedule   8/26 W 21-3 @ Fossil Ridge   9/2 W 30-17 @ Freedom (Orlando, FL)   9/9 W 25-6 vs Loveland   9/17 24-13 @ Grandview   9/25 W 53-7 @ Doherty   10/1 W 40-14 @ Mullen   10/7 L 3-17 @ Pomona   10/14 W 33-0 @ Lakewood   10/22 W 35-14 @ Columbine   10/29 L 10-17 @ Arvada West   11/12 W 42-20 vs Cherokee Trail (Playoffs)   11/19 L 16-20 vs Grandview (Playoffs)   Key Losses   OLB Steele Fredricks (Graduation)   RB Marquel Collins (Graduation)   Players to Watch   QB Logan Madden   (48/74, 589 Yards, 65%, 7 TD's, 2 INT's)   RB [player_tooltip player_id='150203' first='Diano' last='Benallo']   (98 CAR, 500 Yards, 5.1 AVG, 5 TD's)   MLB Eli Keith   (82 Tackles, 7.5 TPG, 8.0 TFL, 6.0 Sacks)     2022 Games to Circle   8/26 vs Cherry Creek   9/9 @ Grandview   9/23 @ Valor Christian   10/28 vs Arvada West   Team Overview   One of the more well-balanced teams that resides in the conference, ambitions are high for the Mustangs of Ralston Valley. Even more so, a squad that reeled off a 9-3 record including a 3-2 conference mark is returning almost every important playmaker from a year ago. Whether it's the promising Logan Madden rifling the pigskin into tight windows, halfback [player_tooltip player_id='150203' first='Diano' last='Benallo'] sprinting through open running lanes, or middle linebacker Eli Keith blowing up ball carriers in impressive fashion, this collective group truly has what it takes to be the best of the best when Christmas times arrives in the Rocky Mountains. For as imposing as this team may be this season, they will certainly have their work cut out for them with a testy scheduled slate on tap in the coming weeks and months. The rest of 5A will surely see what this roster is made of during home games against Cherry Creek and Arvada West with road matchups with Grandview and Valor Christan sandwiched in between. All in all, don't be shocked if Ralston Valley takes home the conference hardware and also turns opposing coaches' hair grey in doing so.

We are almost there folks! Practices have officially begun around the state, as the regular season is right around the corner! Players from all around Colorado are getting ready to buckle up the straps and lace up the cleats in anticipation of making plays on the gridiron. As we sit only a few weeks removed from the start of the season, it is time to start taking a closer look at what each conference around the Centennial State has to offer. From the slopes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains to the eastern plains, there is so much talent to go around. In this edition of Road to State 2022, we will tackle one of the more intriguing 5A conferences in the Denver metro area. Ladies and gentleman, let's dive into the mighty 5A Jeffco Conference.