Playoffs place premium on defense

When it gets to this point of the postseason, each remaining team has a well-established identity. The goal for the next opponent is how to best attack those strengths.

As the four teams in the Class 5A football state semifinals break down how to best advance to the championship game, it should be pretty apparent where they should concentrate their efforts: dealing with demanding defenses.

A year after Mullen won its third consecutive title behind a defense that could be considered the best in state history, defense should again take center stage this weekend. Good defense usually is a characteristic of championship teams, but these contenders have raised the level of play on that side of the ball.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 5A state football brackets

Of course, teams with a combined record of 45-3 are adept in many areas, but stopping their opponents has been paramount to the success of Columbine, Grandview, Lakewood and Pomona. Take a quick look at the points per game averages of the foursome: Lakewood (12.0), Columbine (12.3), Pomona (12.6) and Grandview (16.0).

Pomona (Arvada) and Lakewood will meet Friday in the first semifinal, and both teams are riding high after distinctive wins in the quarterfinals. Pomona ended the three-year reign of Mullen, while the 10th-seeded Tigers scored the upset of the playoffs in beating No. 2 Grand Junction on the road.

In the 23-22 win, Pomona never allowed Mullen to gain any rhythm offensively, particularly running the ball, and it forced four turnovers. The Panthers are paced defensively by a group of linebackers who could be considered the best in the state, with more to come.

Deshaun Mays (11 tackles), Zane Anderson (17), Zack Anderson (6) and Keegan Pratt (10) combined for 44 tackles against the Mustangs. All but Pratt are juniors.

"We are great against the run, and (Mullen) could not run the ball at all," Pomona coach Jay Madden said. "Our defense got after it. The linebackers were active, and the best part is three of those four kids are juniors."

The Panthers' defensive effort against the defending champions was even more impressive considering the unit helped overcome four turnovers by the Pomona offense. Still, Pratt did not allow the defense to take credit for the win.

"Our defense has our offense's back, and our offense has our defense's back," Pratt said. "A team doesn't win or lose games without one or the other.

Lakewood features its own set of dynamic linebackers in Danny Deines and James Riddle, part of a group that shut down the top offense in the state. Grand Junction had been averaging 45 points and 500 yards of offense an outing, but Lakewood limited it to 24 and 343, respectively, to advance. The Tigers also received 206 yards rushing from the dynamic John Greer, who is averaging 11.6 yards a carry.

Top-seeded Columbine (Littleton) (12-0) will face Grandview on Saturday. The Wolves eliminated Columbine 14-7 in the second round last season, and the Rebels most definitely remember.

"They beat us last year; this is the Revenge Tour," Columbine senior linebacker Jaxon Mohr answered when asked what he knew about Grandview.

Mohr is the unquestioned defensive leader for Columbine. Despite missing time late in the season because of an injured collarbone, he still leads the Rebels with 93 tackles. No other teammate has more than 60.

Although the Rebels aren't all that big on the defensive front, they present matchup problems with their quickness, which allows Mohr and his set of linebackers to make plays. Ceasar Lopez and Ryan Earnest have been key performers down the stretch.

"We've been watching a lot of film and getting the (opposing) offenses down, getting physical and getting it done," Mohr said. "We are all just playing together. We all rally around each other, and if someone makes a mistake we come back."

While Grandview (Aurora) is the only unit yielding more than 13 points a game, the Wolves have long been, and continue to be, one of the state's toughest defensive tests. The Wolves also possess perhaps the top two-way player in the classification in Oregon recruit Evan Baylis.

The Ducks recruited the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder as a tight end, but he has been a force in the middle of the Grandview defense at linebacker. Also key are defensive backs Aaryn Watson and Nick Downing, who lead the team in tackles. They will be especially important in trying to slow a Columbine rushing attack that churns for 350 yards a game.

Of note, the 5A teams are on a collective 42-game roll. Grandview and Lakewood have won 11 in a row each since opening-game losses, while Pomona has won its past eight after losing to Valor Christian in Week 4.

Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) continues to cruise through the Class 4A playoff field. The defending champion Eagles have outscored opponents 98-0 in two postseason games, and next up is South Metro League foe Castle View (Castle Rock). Valor Christian handed the fourth-seeded Sabercats their only loss of the season, 55-9, on Oct. 14.

The other side of the 4A bracket also held true to seeding, as No. 2 Monarch (Louisville) will be at No. 3 Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) in a matchup of undefeated teams. Monarch needed a last-second field goal to escape Broomfield in the quarterfinals, while Pine Creek blanked Greeley West 35-0.

Pine Creek has been one of the state's most successful teams in recent memory. In the past four years the Eagles have gone 45-4 and are in the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. However, they have yet to reach the title game. The only other time Pine Creek reached the semifinals, in 2008, it also was undefeated before losing to Greeley West.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 4A state football brackets

In Class 3A, 16th-seeded Frederick will look to continue its surprising playoff run against fifth-seeded Windsor. Frederick has knocked off No. 1 Canon City and No. 8 D'Evelyn in successive weeks behind an improved defensive effort. The Warriors will need it against a Windsor team that blitzed them 40-0 three weeks ago in the Tri Valley League finale.

In the other semifinal, third-seeded Silver Creek (Longmont) is making its first appearance in the final four and will take on No. 10 Palisade. Palisade has also scored upsets in the first two rounds, beating No. 7 Evergreen and previously undefeated and No. 2 Kennedy.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 3A state football brackets