VISTA PEAK
Mascot: Bison
Coach: Pat Rock, 3rd season
Last year: 5-5 overall, 3-2 in 3A Metro East League (missed 3A state playoffs)
Players to watch: Noah Butler, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, QB/S, sr.; Isaiah Young, 6-3, 185, WR/S, sr.; Chris Mitchell, 5-9, 155, RB/LB, sr.; Delano Gatewood, 6-2, 255, DL, sr.; Alex Hawkins, 5-9, 145, WR/DB, jr.; Trexal Smith, 6-2, 205, DE/OL, jr.
2014 outlook: The first class of seniors graduated from Vista PEAK last year, taking away significant members of coach Pat Rock’s anchor group for the young program, but a variety of juniors and seniors going into their third seasons of varsity experience should make a difference for the Bison, which went 3-7 in their varsity debut in 2012 and improved to 5-5 last season. Team speed and athleticism should be major staples of the 2014 Vista PEAK squad, led by stalwarts Noah Butler and Isaiah Young. Both versatile players are all over the field for the Bison and Rock likely won’t take them off the field much all season if he can help it, but he feels he can take some wear and tear off of them on special teams with a new group of players developing to help out there. Senior Chris Mitchell is ready to assume the primary running back duties, while Young and junior Alex Hawkins make for a pair of dangerous passcatchers who return after a 2013 season in which they combined for nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns receiving. Butler, who has been reading defenses and sticking in the pocket better than ever before according to Rock, threw for 1,843 yards and 16 touchdowns against 13 interceptions last season and also led the team in rushing with 653 yards and five scores. Junior Trexal Smith is a key two-way lineman for the Bison, while the defensive line is built around senior standout Delano Gatewood. A completely new group of linebackers seems to be the chief questionmark for Vista PEAK, which has experience along the line and in the defensive backfield. The Bison won’t play any home games at the school as they did last year, while they will play only four of their 10 games in the friendly confines of Aurora Public Schools Stadium.
Quoting the coach: “We’re have very good commitment and our kids are holding each other accountable. We’ve grown into that now and we are getting the accountability from our seniors that we need, which has been really good. Our returning guys worked hard in the spring and we’re just looking for those guys to make improvement and we have some younger guys who are pushing them. …The end of the season is going to be a grind, so we’ll have to have some kids step up that we don’t expect to step up.”
2014 schedule: Home games in all caps (played at Aurora Public Schools Stadium – Hinkley): Friday, Aug. 29 — at Eagle Valley, 7 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 5 — CENTRAL (G.J.), 6 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 12 — at Mead, 7 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 19 — at Weld Central, 7 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 26 — SKYVIEW, 6 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 3 — at Englewood, 7 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 10 — at Fort Morgan, 7 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 17 — LUTHERAN, 6 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 24 — FORT LUPTON, 6 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 31 — at Elizabeth, 7 p.m.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
