Doherty senior running back TeQuan Baker has established himself as one of the state's top ball carriers. He rushed for nearly 1,600 yards last season.
File photo by Tim Visser
Picking the state's top 10 running backs is an inexact science with too many variables to count. But we're going to give it a shot anyway.
A few things to keep in mind when perusing the list: We are only entering Week 2, so many of the top 10 backs now won't be the same ones we'd choose at the end of the season. For many, their entire body of work including previous seasons is considered.
In addition, comparing backs spanning several classifications is difficult, but we'll incorporate a few from smaller classifications. With that in mind, here's a highly subjective Top 10, listed in alphabetical order:
TeQuan Baker,
Doherty (Colorado Springs), Sr.: After racking up 1,582 yards and 20 TDs on the ground as a junior, the sturdy 5-foot-11, 198-pounder began the season with a 185-yard, four-touchdown effort against Palmer. He is one of Class 5A's premier backs.
Alec Barnes,
Regis Jesuit (Aurora), Sr.: Regularly competing against 5A's upper-echelon competition, he piled up 1,677 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior. Also a midfielder for the lacrosse team, the 190-pounder is one of the classification's top returning playmakers.
Matt Bastian,
Falcon, Sr.: The Falcons always seem to churn out high-quality backs, and Bastian is no
Matt Bastian, Falcon.
File photo by Jonathan Tuttelman
exception. He is a coming off a 1,293-yard junior season, and despite a difficult opener against two-time defending-champion Pine Creek (Colorado Springs), appears primed to be one of 4A's top players.
Conlan Berger,
Longmont, Sr.: He was a key piece in the Trojans' run to the 4A title game last season after a 1-3 start. Berger finished with 1,220 yards on the ground and began this season with a 122-yard effort against Pueblo East. Longmont is sitting at No. 2 in the 4A poll.
Hayden Blubaugh,
Grandview (Aurora), Jr.: He isn't a household name yet, but he might quickly become one. Someone had to replace standout Chukwuma Obinnah in the Wolves' backfield and Blubaugh appears to be the guy. The former Smoky Hill athlete rushed for 246 yards and two TDs in Grandview's opening win against Chaparral (Parker).
Kobe Eller,
Highlands Ranch, Jr.: The Falcons won only two games last season, but were boosted by 1,445 yards from the then-sophomore. At only 5-8, 162 pounds, Eller has a knack for making tacklers miss and began this season with a 129-yard effort in a win against Pueblo Centennial.
Jeremy Lujan,
Dakota Ridge (Littleton), Sr.: He is the leading returning rusher in 4A after finishing fifth overall in the classification with 1,839 yards as a junior. He began his senior season by shredding 5A Monarch (Louisville) for 254 yards and three TDs and is a primary piece for the No. 3 Eagles.
Jonny Ponce,
Delta, Sr.: The 205-pound Panthers captain isn't easily brought down, as exemplified by his 3A-leading 1,921 yards last season. He began this season with a 117-yard effort against The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) before a stout Montrose defense limited him to 32 yards on nine carries last week.
Kyle Rush,
Ralston Valley (Arvada), Sr.: He narrowly missed the 1,000-yard mark as the No. 2 back last season (994 yards) then started this season with a four-touchdown performance against Eaglecrest (Aurora). The 5A-contending Mustangs spread the ball to several different backs, but Rush makes a case for best of the bunch this season.
Trey Zupancic,
Rye, Sr.: One cannot give props to the small schools without mentioning this guy. He led 1A with 1,928 rushing yards last year and has churned for 348 more in the Thunderbolts initial two games this season.
Others of note include
Boulder's Todd Jones, who led 5A in the regular season last year with 1,699 yards. Jones was held out of the Panthers' opener, along with other teammates, for undisclosed reasons. . . .
Max Gonzales rushed for 1,213 yards at Rangeview (Aurora) as a sophomore, but when his father, Dave Gonzales, wasn't retained as coach, Gonzales transferred to
Cherokee Trail (Aurora). . . .
Westminster fullback
Brandon Dickerson,
Nick Thompson of
Arapahoe (Centennial) and
Stephen Bailey of
Mountain Range (Westminster) all topped 1,000 yards in 5A last season as juniors. . . . Same goes for
Pueblo East's Bryson Torres and
Windsor's Jake Shields in 4A, and
Mead's Dane Myers and
Fort Morgan's Tate Kembel in 3A. . . .
Josh Pischke of
Alameda (Lakewood) is back as 2A's leading returning rusher (1,322 yards last season). . . .
Meeker's TJ Shelton rushed for 1,684 yards as a junior and has produced 222 more in the 1A Cowboys' first two games. . . . Joining Blubaugh as breakout candidates in 5A are
J.C. Chery of
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), who unfortunately
will miss the rest of the season because of injury, according to The Denver Post, and
Marcus McElroy Jr of
Mullen (Denver).
