Standout RBs shoulder the load for Class 4A, 3A Colorado contenders

On the surface, Pueblo West's surge toward an undefeated season and the top seed in the Class 4A state football tournament might seem unexpected.

Last year, after all, the Cyclones finished with a 4-6 mark in the regular season. And while it certainly was a tough 4-6 against an impressive schedule, Pueblo West's reward was a date with Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) in the first round of the state tournament and a lopsided 56-0 defeat.

Yet, head coach Monte Pinkerton knew exactly what kind of athletes would be coming back in 2012. They were good, and there were a lot of them, too.

Boasting the leadership of a savvy senior class and a punishing rushing attack that has brutalized opponents, top-seeded Pueblo West will begin its state title quest with a first-round matchup against Loveland on Friday night.

"We had a lot of returning guys, and we played an extremely tough schedule last year," Pinkerton said. "Coming in, I thought we'd be good. I had high expectations, and the seniors have really been great with leadership."

The Cyclones have beaten up on the competition to the tune of 421.4 rushing yards a game. Pueblo West has gained more than 4,200 rushing yards overall, an attack paced by senior running back Derek Jackson.

Jackson has rushed for 2,463 yards, the top all-classification mark in Colorado, while scoring 21 touchdowns and averaging 10.5 yards per attempt. Junior quarterback Zac Drury has complemented Jackson nicely, rushing for 750 yards and 17 touchdowns.

"We like to think of ourselves as a powerhouse football team," Pinkerton said. "Our O-line has done a tremendous job and Jackson is a special talent. He's gotten a ton of yards, but it all starts up front. We run the ball well, but we need to throw when we need to and be efficient at it when we do. Zac has done a good job of that."

MaxPreps Colorado state football brackets

In the Class 3A bracket, Rifle head coach Damon Wells approaches his top-seeded Bears' first game with a cautious optimism borne from a very unmemorable postseason experience.

Wells was an assistant coach on Rifle's top-seeded squad in 2002 that was upset in the first round. Despite Rifle's dominant regular season, Wells realizes his team's impressive record and gaudy statistics will mean nothing once the Bears kick off the state tournament against Erie on Saturday.

"We have to go in and not believe we are any more special than what we are," Wells said. "We prepare every day like crazy and we'll feel fortunate if we can win a game or two. We know in this tournament even a 16-seed can beat anyone."

Like Pueblo West, Rifle boasts one of the state's top running backs in senior Ryan Moeller, whose 2,202 yards leads 3A while ranking third overall in the state. While Moeller is the Bears' offensive star, Rifle also features a ball-hawking defense that has recorded five shutouts while allowing just 3.5 points a game.

Yes, that means Rifle has allowed only 35 points all season, surrendering more than one-third of that total last week in garbage time during a 52-13 rout of Eagle Valley. Inside linebacker Cody Beauford has led the way, recording a team-leading 86 tackles.

"I think the secret to our success (on defense) is that they all run to the ball like crazy," Wells said. "They pursue the football, but not at the expense of what their role is. If their job is secondary coverage, they do their secondary coverage before going to the football. But then they all really run to the football."

There were few surprises last week in the opening rounds of the Class 2A state tournament, as the higher-seeded team advanced in seven of the eight games. The lone exception was a 21-14 win by 12th-seeded Middle Park (Granby)  against No. 5 Grand Valley (Parachute). The Panthers, who received 164 rushing yards from senior Henry Southway last week, will take on perennial small-school power Florence on Saturday.

In Class 1A, the top seeds also rolled last week in the opening round, as top-seeded Buena Vista recorded a 50-0 win against Lyons, while second-seeded Limon cruised to a 41-0 win against Rye. Limon, which has posted shutouts in three of its past four games while averaging 44.5 points a game this season, will face 10th-seeded Hotchkiss on Saturday.

Granada shook up the Class A 8-Man bracket last week with its 32-27 upset victory against top-seeded Dayspring Christian (Greeley). Granada will take on eighth-seeded Dove Creek in the quarterfinals Saturday.

The top four seeds in the Class A6-man bracket all advanced out of last week's preliminary round to set up a top-four semifinal scenario. No. 2-seeded Deer Trail will battle third-seeded Eads in one semifinal, while top-seeded Fleming will look to earn a state title game berth against fourth-seeded Hi-Plains (Seibert).