2016 CLASS 5A STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF MATCHUP
NO. 11 LEGACY (8-2) VS. NO. 6 GRANDVIEW (9-1)
At Stutler Bowl, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.
BREAKDOWN: Grandview has bounced back in a big way from its only loss of the season — which came to undefeated Eaglecrest — with a seven-game winning streak that includes a 5-0 run to the Mount Massive League championship and a home playoff date against Legacy, the Mount Antero League runner-up behind Regis Jesuit. The Grandview program has an extensive playoff history with appearances in the last 12 state playoffs and 14 trips in all since 2001, but has only met Legacy one time in the postseason, as it posted a 35-7 win in the opening round of the 2011 5A postseason.
LEGACY: Coach Wayne Voorhees’ Lightning have been through a whole lot during the 2016 season, from a tragic bus crash early in the season that shook the team and the community to a four-game winning streak to end the regular season after its only league loss to Regis Jesuit…Offensively, junior QB Alec Lewis has had an outstanding season throwing the football with 2,307 yards passing (completing 62 percent of his passes) and 26 touchdowns against six interceptions and has spread the wealth, as four Legacy players have more than 400 yards receiving. Senior WR Anthony Lyle leads the way for the Lighting with 608 yards receiving and seven touchdowns, which matches junior WR Ryan Lynch (team-leading 52 catches for 498 yards), while junior WR Ross Smith has 568 yards receiving and senior SB Braxton Hansen has 407 yards receiving and five scores. When Legacy goes to the ground, senior RB Ethan Simmons gets the call and has run for 710 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior PK Kyle Freeburg has been called upon to try eight field goals on the season and made five of them…Defensively, junior LB/S Brandon Willis leads the Lightning in tackles with 95, while senior LB Nick Solusod (team-high 6.5 sacks) and senior DT Brenden Fannin also make a lot of stops for Legacy, which has generated 15 turnovers as a defensive unit.
GRANDVIEW: Coach John Schultz’s team had another outstanding season and appears primed to extend a streak that has seen the program win in the first round of the playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons. The Wolves have advanced to the quarterfinals in six straight seasons and the semifinals in three of those campaigns…Offensively, Grandview was the highest-scoring team in 5A with 412 points during a regular season in which it scored more than 50 points four times and registered 60-plus in back-to-back games against Smoky Hill and Doherty. Running behind a tone-setting offensive line that is keyed by senior OLs Robert Moss and Kohltin Lund, senior RB Hayden Blubaugh finished the season as the leading rusher in 5A with 1,607 yards and 18 touchdowns and end the year especially strong with 483 yards and six scores in the Wolves’ final two games. Senior QB Gunnar Lamphere has added 419 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, while he has also thrown for 1,270 yards and 19 touchdowns, against just six interceptions. Junior WR Gunner Gentry missed the Wolves’ season-closing win against Overland, but has hauled in 35 passes for 619 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games, while Blubaugh has six touchdown catches out of the backfield and senior RB Micah Chavez also has 150-plus yards receiving…Defensively, Grandview ranks 10th in 5A in terms of points allowed with 182, which included 36 in the lone loss to Eaglecrest. The Wolves thrive on a pack mentality in getting to ballcarriers with junior LBs Thomas Jenkins and Jordan Knapke and S Luke Laflam all boasting 49 or more stops on the season, while Laflam and senior DE David Okeke pace the team with two sacks apiece and Gentry and junior DB Kevin Clark have two interceptions apiece for a team that has generated 20 turnovers in all.
