CLASS 5A STATE FOOTBALL 2ND ROUND MATCHUP
REGION A: NO. 3 LEGACY (8-2) VS. NO. 2 REGIS JESUIT (8-2)
7 p.m., Nov. 13 at Lou Kellogg Stadium
BREAKDOWN: Regis Jesuit of the Continental League North and Legacy of the Front Range League square off in the playoffs for the second time, with the last meeting taking place in the opening round of the 2008 5A state playoffs, a game won by the Lightning 20-17. That’s also the last time the two schools faced each other in a game, though they have scrimmaged with each other in recent years…Regis Jesuit gave new head coach Danny Filleman a win in his Colorado postseason debut with a 33-7 victory over Rangeview on Nov. 6 at Lou Kellogg Stadium, earning the program its fourth straight trip to the second round and sixth in the past seven seasons…Legacy, meanwhile, is in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009 as coach Wayne Vorhees’ team posted a 38-14 win over sixth-seeded Boulder in the opener on Nov. 5…LEGACY: In beating Boulder, the Lightning got an efficient and effective performance from senior QB Matt Lynch, who completed 16-of-22 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns, one each to senior TEs Derek Coleman and Logan Paulson and senior WR Dalton Royer. Senior RB Evan Baugh did the damage for Legacy on the ground with 116 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries, while Lynch also rushed for 73 yards and a score…Legacy’s offense has been very potent this season as its averaged more than 30 points per game and has scored 30 or more in six straight games. In addition to 477 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing, Lynch — a UCLA commitment — has thrown for 1,749 yards and 19 touchdowns against just three interceptions, spreading the wealth around a deep core of passcatchers made up primarily of Coleman (458 yards receiving, 6 touchdowns), Royer (407 yards, 6 touchdowns), junior WR Jack Ruscher (327 yards, 2 touchdowns) and senior WR Hayden Anderson (230 yards, 2 touchdowns). Baugh has rushed for 692 yards and seven scores to lead a running game that averages 157.3 yards per outing…As an LB, Baugh is the team’s leading tackler, followed by junior DT Brenden Fannin and sophomore LB Nick Solusod. The Lightning don’t generate an extraordinary amount of turnovers, but get off the field well. The unit allowed 17 points or less in five of 10 games so far…Legacy has a special teams weapon in junior PK Kyle Freeburg, who has been nearly perfect (40-for-41) on extra points and is 6-for-7 in field goal attempts, including a long effort of 43 yards…REGIS JESUIT: The Raiders piled up 26 points in the second quarter on its way to victory against Rangeview, riding a big game from senior QB Michael Pavlakovich and his favorite target, senior TE Jack Stoll. Pavlakovich threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the second quarter alone to the 6-foot-5 Stoll, while junior RB Alfred Jones also caught a TD pass. Senior LB Drew Schlegel intercepted a pass and scored Regis Jesuit’s other touchdown…The Raiders continue to grow more comfortable with the new offensive system brought in from Arizona by Filleman and Regis Jesuit has racked up 99 points in the last three games alone (35 against Mountain Vista, 31 against Fruita Monument and 33 against Rangeview). In his first season starting at QB, Pavlakovich has thrown for 1,494 yards and 15 touchdowns against three interceptions. Stoll’s three-touchdown game doubled his season total to give the University of Nebraska commitment a team-best six to go with 398 yards, just 17 behind junior WR Quentin Birch (415 yards receiving, 4 touchdowns) for the team lead. Junior WR Jack Wiegand (347 yards receiving, 3 TDs) and senior WR Ryan Cornell (295 yards receiving, 3 TDs) represent the Raiders’ primary weapons. Senior RB Alec Barnes got dinged up in the win over Rangeview and leads the team with 589 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns, Pavlakovich has rushed for 436 yards and seven scores himself, while Jones and junior RB Trey Williams provide change of pace…Defense has been Regis Jesuit’s calling card all season long as the stout unit has allowed 17 points or less in all 10 of its games thus far. At the point of attack, senior DL Ace Escobedo — a Penn commitment — gets good penetration and has picked up 5.0 sacks, while junior DE Caleb Sloan has come from the outside to rack up a team-best 10.0 sacks. The LB corps of the playmaking Schlegel plus juniors Will Kulick and Alec Hamilton take advantage of the Raiders’ push up front to rack up tackles in bunches, as each has made more than 70 stops on the season, while Schlegel’s uncanny ability to block punts has been an added facet this season. A ballhawking group has come away with 17 interceptions, led by senior DB Wil Lowery with seven (including one against Rangeview) and seniors Schlegel and DB Davis McDonald with three…WINNER: The Legacy-Regis Jesuit winner advances in the Region A bracket to the quarterfinals — scheduled to be played between Nov. 19-21 — where it will face off against the winner of the Nov. 13 game between No. 1 Columbine and No. 8 Heritage. Neither Heritage nor Regis Jesuit has faced either team this season. Regis Jesuit would be the road team against either Columbine or Heritage, while Legacy would be the home team against either team according to CHSAA coin flips.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
