The 2024 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Football Team, which is picked by the Sentinel in conjunction with balloting of city coaches, has talent from far and wide.
Heavily present are members of the three programs that earned Class 5A first round state playoff victories and then were stopped by higher seeds in the second round (Cherokee Trail, Grandview and Regis Jesuit).
Veteran coach Danny Filleman’s Regis Jesuit team got an infusion of young talent that began to come into its own late in the season and gave them a chance to unseat rival Valor Christian in the playoffs before coming up a touchdown short. The Raiders took their cues from their senior standouts, however, who filled a variety of key roles on both sides of the ball.
Grayson McPherson made a big impact on his team with his hands as well as his toughness as a key component on both offense and defense. As a tight end, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder was an All-Southern League first pick as he had 40 receptions for 372 yards and he had touchdown catches in each of Regis Jesuit’s two postseason games in addition to a 100-plus tackle performer at linebacker.
Additionally on offense , the Raiders had an All-Southern League first team performer on the line in senior Jack Larson, a 6-2, 240-pounder who recently committed to Hamilton College.
The Raiders were particularly stout on the defensive side with seniors in key places in Jace Filleman on the line, Kai Shelton in the linebacking group and JoJo Hernandez in the defensive backfield. All three were All-Southern League first teamers as Filleman (who missed postseason play due to injury) tied for fourth among linemen with 6 1/2 sacks, while Shelton racked up 106 tackles and Hernandez tied for city-high honors with four interceptions (all while playing nearly every down as a wide receiver and kick returner).
Special teams also favored Regis Jesuit, which had players secure All-Aurora positions at both punter (senior Jackson Large) and place kicker (junior Jack Manthey). Large was a first team all-league selection after he averaged just a shade under 40 yards per punt and had a remarkable 13 of his kicks get downed or go out of bounds inside the 20 yard line.
Manthey, meanwhile, tied for the most made field goals in all of 5A with 11 (headed by a long of 46 yards) and combined with 35 extra points produced 68 points to finish just four points out of the top spot among all players in the city.
Like Regis Jesuit, Grandview had to dig itself out of an 0-3 hole to start the season and coach Tom Doherty’s team did so to make the postseason for the 19th time in 20 seasons.
The major change for the Wolves on offense came at quarterback, where a new starter was in place for the first time in three seasons with the graduation of Liam Szarka, who headed off to the Air Force Academy.
Junior Blitz McCarty earned the role under center and had plenty of talented players in place to ease the transition. That included the area’s most dynamic passcatcher in senior wide receiver Xay Neto, whose speed, elusiveness and hands were unrivaled. The All-Centennial League first team pick led Aurora area players in receiving yardage (748) as well as receiving touchdowns (10).
The Wolves also had a reliable ground game as well that served to give them nice balance with the tandem of senior Caleb Llamas and junior Chris Blanks. Llamas, who played previously at Cherry Creek, brought a physical running style in a 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame. He earned his way onto the All-Centennial League first team with a season in which he rushed for 941 yards and nine touchdowns, which included a 163-yard performance with a score in a first round playoff win over Denver East.
The running game was helped by a strong offensive line that had a pillar in sophomore Daniel Buckeye, a 6-foot-3, 280-pounder who earned all-league first team distinction. Senior Jackson O’Grady, a two-year starter in the trenches and team captain for the Wolves.
Defensively, Grandview had the area’s sack leader in junior linebacker Brody Flores, who took the quarterback down nine times on his way to All-Centennial League first team accolades. In the trenches, senior lineman Marcus Nesbitt got into backfields consistently and made 18 tackles for losses as part of a Wolves defense that surrendered the fewest points of any local team.
Cherokee Trail played its best football at the end of the season when it pulled off the biggest upset of the playoffs in the opening round when it defeated Castle View, then traded blows before it fell to Columbine in the second round.
Coach Justin Jajczyk had a hungry group of seniors that included Cade Brook, the only Centennial League player to make all-league first team on both offense and defense. Brook was as tough as anybody in the trenches and he finished with eight sacks and was responsible for much more pressure.
The Cougars also had one of the area’s most effective defensive backs in senior Marquis Jamison, who went toe-to-toe with many opposing targets and wasn’t afraid to come up and make a big tackle. One of his two interceptions was a pick-six that was key in Cherokee Trail’s playoff win over Castle View and came shortly after he caught a touchdown pass on offense.
The only league champion among Aurora teams during the season resided at Overland, which went undefeated in the Metro North League in the first season under new head coach Tony Lindsay Sr. The league championship also got the program back into the state playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Lindsay Sr. loves to run the football and he came into a situation where he inherited the Aurora area’s top running back from last season in senior Jarrius Ward. The Trailblazers utilized many ballcarriers during the season in an attempt to take the pressure off freshman quarterback Angel Chavez and that also allowed Ward to stay fresh for his carries.
Ward, a multi-sport athlete who is also the reigning 5A state champion and state track & field meet record holder in the discus, was the only area rusher to eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier and he finished 10th in 5A with 1,132 yards on the ground. Ward — who rushed for more than 3,000 yards in his varsity career — also reached the end zone 12 times. He was voted the Metro North League’s Most Valuable Player and all-league first team on offense.
Overland also had one of Aurora’s top two-way players in senior Avante Hendrix, who was honored as such by the Metro North League. He was chosen to the all-league first team on both sides of the football and for good reason. Hendrix had 518 yards and six touchdowns as a wide receiver, but he was even more of an elite defensive back as well. With a nose for the football and tremendous athleticism, he tied for the lead among Aurora area players with four interceptions.
Eaglecrest also had a new coach in Jesse German, who came over after a winning run at Green Mountain and took over a group that was used to success under former head coach Mike Schmitt.
Easing the transition for German was the presence of a senior at quarterback and one who came into the year with a full varsity season as a starter already under his belt in senior Joe Steiner. Steiner — who had some of his top targets from last season graduate — had another effective season throwing the ball with 1,612 yards passing (which ranked fourth among Aurora area passers) and had 16 touchdown tosses, to finish one off the city lead.
But Steiner did a lot more damage with his legs this season as he piled up 629 yards rushing — fifth-most of any Aurora area player — and scored eight times on the ground. His 2,279 total yards were nearly 400 more than the next-closest city player and he accounted for an area-best 24 touchdowns while helping the Raptors return to the playoffs.
Eaglecrest’s offense operated without the multi-faceted offerings of Burke Withycombe for the majority of the 2023 season after he was lost to a broken collarbone, but he returned with a vengeance as a senior. Withycombe lined up all over the formation for the Raptors and gained 942 yards (707 receiving, 235 rushing) along with 11 combined touchdowns. He also had 130 yards passing and was a threat to run or pass in Eaglecrest’s 2-point conversion packages.
Defensively, Eaglecrest held its own physically win the help of senior linebacker Ramadje Owens, a hard-nosed All-Centennial League first tema perfomer who racked up 98 tackles and collected four sacks as well.
On the back end, senior Elvin Ampofo was constantly around the football and he was one of the area players who finished with four interceptions on the season. The University of Wyoming commitment made 90 tackles of his own in addition to serving an integral role on special teams as the Raptors were extremely effective with their onside kicking game.
Rangeview had one the area’s most consistent offensive performers in junior Tyson Tuck, who was a dual threat from the quarterback position and appears on the All-Aurora team as an athlete. He was an All-Front Range South League selection as an at-large offensive player after he amassed 1,868 total yards (911 passing, 957 rushing) — third most among all Aurora players — and finished tied for the second-most touchdowns with 11.
Vista PEAK Prep employed the wheels of a track standout at wide receiver and on special teams in junior Isaiah Watson, who was a big play waiting to happen. He averaged a whopping 21 yards per catch on his way to 680 yards plus eight touchdowns, but he was also a field flipper with the return ability.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
