2013 CLASS 5A STATE FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF MATCHUP
NO. 29 FORT COLLINS (4-5) VS. NO. 4 REGIS JESUIT (8-1)
Nov. 1, 7 p.m., Lou Kellogg Stadium
BREAKDOWN: Fort Collins of the Front Range League and Continental League champion Regis Jesuit meet for the first time since the first round of the 2005 state playoffs, when the Lambkins upset the Raiders 14-9 at Lou Kellogg Stadium. …Fort Collins lost in the second round of last season’s playoffs to Ralston Valley following a string of 5 straight defeats in the postseason’s first round. …Coach Mark Nolan and his staff have Regis Jesuit in the postseason for the sixth consecutive year and the Raiders have won at least one game in 3 of the previous 5 trips, including a run to the 5A state championship game in 2010. Regis Jesuit lost to eventual 5A state champion Valor Christian in the second round of last season’s playoffs. …FORT COLLINS: Coach Eric Rice finished the regular season 4-5 thanks to a two-game winning streak, capped by a 34-17 victory over Rocky Mountain on Oct. 25. … The Lambkins have already scored 3 points more than last season in one less game, an average of 20.2 points per contest. Junior QB Kyler Sigsbee has thrown for 923 yards and 6 touchdowns, but has been intercepted 7 times, and has spread the ball around, as 7 different players have double-digit catches. Senior WR Garrett Kerbs leads Fort Collins with 31 catches for 235 yards and a score, while senior TE Jacob Saracino has 3 TD catches. Senior RB Langston Stuckey has 171 of the team’s total of 326 rushing attempts, picking up 898 yards and 8 touchdowns with those attempts and also has 16 catches out of the backfield. …Defensively, the Lambkins have given up 26.3 points per game, but have tightened up since allowing 38.3 on average in the first three games of the season. Junior LB Zach Fees has a team-high 67 tackles, Saracino’s racked up 61 of his own for the Lambkins, while senior DL Christian Caminada leads the way with 4 sacks and also has 3 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions. …REGIS JESUIT: The Raiders suffered just 1 loss in the regular season, a 31-17 defeat the hands of Cherokee Trail on Sept. 21, but finished off the regular season with a 5-game winning streak to wrap up the league championship, capped by a 56-0 rout of Highlands Ranch on Oct. 24. Junior QB Matt Houghtaling threw 3 touchdown passes in the game, including a pair to senior TE A.J. Shaw, who had 109 yards receiving. …Regis Jesuit owns a 335-92 advantage in scoring this season and has tallied 26 points or more in 8 of 9 games. Houghtaling, who got quality playoff experience last season, has thrown for 1,009 yards and 14 touchdowns against 5 interceptions, targeting junior WR Trevor Williams (416 yards, 4 TDs) and Shaw (297 yards, 6 TDs) often when he puts the ball up. The Raiders have piled up 2,618 rushing yards on the season, with the senior trio of RB Jalen Williams, RB Grant Neal and RB Kameron Butler combining for 2,058 of those along with 23 touchdowns. Williams leads the way with 1,097 yards, while Neal owns a team-high 9 TDs. …Defensively, Regis Jesuit is one of only 3 teams in 5A that have allowed fewer than 100 points, with only Valor Christian (67) and Cherokee Trail (89) giving up fewer points than the 92 allowed by the Raiders. Senior LB Quinn VandeKoppel has a team-high 89 tackles (plus 5 fumble recoveries), while senior LB Joe Bozeman also averages better than 9 tackles per game. Finally healthy, senior DE Terran Hasselbach has racked up a team-high 11 sacks despite missing the regular season finale and ranked 3rd on the team with 67 stops. A veteran defensive backfield sees senior DB J.J. Kilgore with 4 interceptions and senior DB Daniel Talley with 3.
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.