There is nothing like getting off to a quick start to the football season, and that certainly has been the case for Falcon senior running back Aaron Blevins. The same holds true for Yuma’s 1-2 punch of Joel Rhodes and Nick Lovell.
Yes, it’s early, but Blevins has the distinction of being the state’s leading rusher with 376 yards, regardless of classification. He has paced Class 3A Falcon to victories against Florence (14-0) and Englewood (40-7).
Blevins rushed for 229 yards and scored both touchdowns in Falcon’s victory against Florence. He tacked on 147 yards and added five touchdowns in the win over Englewood. The seven touchdowns also lead the state.
“Aaron was perhaps the biggest surprise for us this season,” Falcon coach Jason Catron said. “He had a great summer and won the job at the team camp in Hastings (Neb.). The way he was playing, I said, ’Holy cow;’ what a kid to watch. He had no varsity experience, and it just blew our staff away with his improvement.
“I couldn‘t be happier with the way he has presented himself,” Catron said. “He is small, stands 5-(foot)-8 at 165 pounds, and can hit the holes. He is very quick and shifty and difficult to tackle. He is just doing an outstanding job helping to carry the team.”
Blevins said he was kind of surprised by his start, but is quick to credit his offensive line. For the past three seasons he has been on the junior varsity and scout teams, but now has opponents scouting him. The Falcons face a big test Friday when the play Alamosa.
“It took a long time for me to reach this level,” Blevins said. “I’m trying to work hard and do my best. But we’ve had a lot of younger guys step up, and I think we’re going to be successful. We all know that it’s going to take a lot of hard work.”
Yuma, ranked No. 2 in Class A by MaxPreps, defeated Nederland (54-7) and Custer County (48-6) and finds Rhodes ranked No. 4 in rushing and Lovell fifth.
If Blevins was a surprise, so too was Lovell (5-11, 195) at Yuma. After all, he was first slated to start at guard for the Indians. Of course, coach Keith Gille is more than pleased that Lovell has been able to step in at running back. As for Rhodes (5-11, 185), he was the team’s leading rusher last season with more than 1,400 yards.
The Indians are loaded in the backfield, with quarterback Mitch Wills (6-1, 185) and fullback Grant Muirhead (5-11, 205) returning as starters.
Lovell, a junior, opened the season rushing for 168 yards against Nederland, then followed with a 129-yard effort against Custer County. Rhodes, a senior, had 99 against Nederland but came through with 198 against Custer County. Yuma has a bye this week.
“I’m just real pleased with both the kids, as well as the entire team,” said Gille, who was an assistant in the Jefferson County League for 20 seasons before taking the head job at Yuma. “These kids have just given a great effort. They are smart, very committed to school, never miss a day, and as athletes both are three-sport participants.
“Nick stepped right in when we needed him,” Gille said. “We knew Joel was going to be strong from the beginning. We have 19 seniors this season and that’s certainly a plus. Mitch has also done a great job moving over from running back last season, as has Muirhead.”
While Blevins, Rhodes and Lovell are making headlines for their respective teams, many others are have started strong, as well.
Quinton Lawson of Fountain-Ft. Carson trails only Blevins, with 357 yards to his credit. Also, Jordan Passehl of Montrose has 316 yards after two games.
Chatfield quarterback Sam Stratton already has staked a claim to being one of the state’s finest quarterbacks, and opponents are going to have to try and stop him when he tucks the ball and runs. While leading the Chargers to a 46-27 victory against Dakota Ridge, he carried 11 times for 254 yards while passing for an additional 142 yards.
That rushing total puts Stratton atop the 5A ranks. His 82-yard touchdown run was the Chargers’ first score of the season, and he added scoring runs of 96 and 68 yards later. Only one other 5A player, Davis Gunter of Arapahoe, has rushed for more than 200 yards during the first week. He totaled 222.
Games of the Week
Class 5A: Fairview (1-0) at Rocky Mountain (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
This is a crucial Front Range League game even though it’s only the second week. Fairview opened with a 24-2 victory against Loveland, while Rocky Mountain enjoyed a bye week after opening in Zero Week with a 33-13 victory against Horizon. Fairview took a huge individual loss in the game as running back Kenny Bell broke his collarbone in the first quarter and will be out for at least six weeks. The test for Fairview will be to slow the air attack of Lobos quarterback Brode McDonald.
Class 4A: Wheat Ridge (1-0) at Golden (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Defending state champion Wheat Ridge opened with a 21-0 victory against Niwot. Running back Kyle Mews rushed for 145 yards and scored two touchdowns, and the Farmers also were efficient with the passing game with Charlie Land (11-for-15, 124 yards). Now, they face must face Golden’s talented four-year starting quarterback, Ryan Stokes, who also had a stellar opening game. He completed 21-of-28 passes for 358 yards and five touchdowns in the Demons 47-33 victory against Denver South.
Class 3A: Mountain View (1-0) at Fort Morgan (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Fort Morgan, last season’s state runner-up, opened the season with an impressive 42-22 victory against Brush while Mountain View was equally impressive in its 34-18 victory against 4A Thompson Valley. Mountain View quarterback Brennan Stine threw for three touchdowns.
Class 2A: Holy Family (1-1) at Brush (0-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Brush is coming off a 42-22 opening-season loss to 3A Fort Morgan, while Holy Family evened its record with a 31-13 victory against Eaton. Quarterback Joseph Sommers leads Holy Family and has passed for 291 yards in two games. Jonathan Gerry rushed for 114 yards against Eaton. Brush will look to running back Skyler Seewald, who rushed for 108 yards against Fort Morgan, to help get on the winning path.
Class A: Wray (1-0) at Burlington (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Wray opened with a 45-0 victory against La Junta, while Burlington defeated Lamar 28-20. These virtual next-door neighbors always have a physical contest. Quarterback Brett Vlasin passed for 124 yards against La Junta. The Eagles will have their hands full with running back Colin Eberhart, who rushed for 234 yards against Lamar.
Class A 8-Man: Cheyenne Wells (1-0) at Dayspring Christian (1-0), Saturday, 2 p.m.
Cheyenne Wells got off on the right foot with a 20-0 victory against Haxtun. Now, the Tigers get a test against the defending state champions, who defeated Granada 41-14 in their opener.
Class A 6-Man: Edison (0-1) at Hi-Plains (1-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Edison was beaten by Deer Trail, 55-46, but Hi-Plains cannot afford to look past the Eagles. Josh Doak rushed for 168 yards and passed for an additional 251 in the losing effort. Brandon Mosher, who rushed for 162 yards and passed for 57, and Cory Arnold, who rushed for 128 in the first game against Cheraw, lead Hi-Plains.
ETC.: The Altitude Sports &Entertainment Network announced Tuesday that it will broadcast seven high school football games this season. Five of the broadcasts will air on the Altitude channel, with the remaining two moving to the Altitude 2 channel.
The schedule: Sept. 17 – Monarch at Cherry Creek, 7 p.m.; Sept. 25 – Pomona at Bear Creek, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 2 – Arvada West at Columbine, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 9 – Highlands Ranch at ThunderRidge, 7 p.m.; Oct. 17 – Mullen at Cherry Creek, 1:30 p.m.; Oct. 23 - Cherry Creek at Grandview, 7 p.m. (Altitude 2); Oct. 30 – Grandview at Mullen, 7 p.m. (Altitude 2).
MaxPreps Colorado editor Gerry Valerio contributed to this report. Follow Valerio on Twitter for Colorado high school sports updates.