With regular season finales fast approaching, each game takes on great meaning as teams fight for the few remaining wins, attempting to gain either a playoff berth or a high seed.
Many quarterbacks from across the state of Colorado have gained a tremendous amount of press this past year, but the most consistent one may be senior Gavin Glanz of Arvada West. For the season, the senior signal caller has completed 64% of his passes for over 1,400 yards with 13 TDs against only five interceptions. Over the past two weeks, in big wins over Pomona and Bear Creek, to help cement a piece of the Big 8 top spot, Glanz has thrown for just under 600 yards and five scores with no interceptions. Another big performance in the league finale against a struggling Chatfield squad could bring home a Big 8 title and high playoff seed. Glanz was supported in the 49-26 win over Bear Creek by running back Isaac Fairbairn. Busting big plays on the Bears, Fairbairn averaged over 20 yards a carry on the way to 149 rushing yards and three scores.
Another quarterback who has been overshadowed this season is Ben Schumacher of Fairview. The senior, who shared the backfield with big time playmakers Tucker Tharp and Kenny Bell, can be overlooked, but not this week in the win over Fort Collins that tied up the Front Range title for the Knights. In the win over the previously unbeaten Lambkins, Schumacher was solid in the pass game, but it has his work as a runner that made the difference as he rushed for nearly 150 yards on just 13 carries in the 24-13 win.
An impressive player this week was Steffen Bunting of Greeley West. Quietly effective in a win over Longmont, Bunting rushed for 184 yards and three scores. Also impressive was backup QB Jordan Gomez. The senior replaced injured starter Sean Blackmer and threw for over 200 yards hitting on 15 of 19.
Quarterback Andre Brown had a career game leading his Palmer squad to a 35-28 win over Rampart. Brown threw for five TDs and 330 yards. The primary benefactor of his hot hand was receiver Dominic Rufran who had eight catches for 210 yards. Brown’s Terrors are only 1-7, but Brown’s statistical season is very impressive as he has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards with 21 TDs while rushing for close to 800 yards and nine scores.
Smoky Hill, the whipping boy of the Centennial League the past few years, in on a nice three game win streak. The catalyst for this renaissance is quarterback Marquis Sims. Over the past three weeks, Sims has passed or rushed for seven scores while compiling 250 total yards a game.
Poudre, a semifinalist last year in 5A, was devastated by the loss of many seniors. Finally, with the season coming to a close, the Impalas have found some offense. In a 42-32 win over Front Range foe Legacy, Poudre saw quarterback M. Dick throw for nearly 300 yards while hitting four touchdown passes. Also causing damage to the Legacy D was Poudre’s junior running back Teran Mawhinney who rushed for 193 yards and two scores.
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