Eaglecrest overcomes issues on, off field
AUROR A » After a historic 2017 undefeated regular season capped by a run to the Class 5A state championship game, Eaglecrest football had to overcome heaps of adversity en route to its Class 5A quarterfinal game against rival Grandview on Saturday.
First, the Raptors graduated its two biggest offensive stars from last year, quarterback Jalen Mergerson and two-way player Victor Garnes, in addition to losing head coach Mike Schmitt, who moved out of state.
Then, the much-hyped coach tabbed to replace Schmitt, Dustin Delaney, quit one game into the season and made accusations about an unsafe environment at Eaglecrest’s facilities. That debacle was followed by more bad press midway through the season, when principal Gwen Hansen-Vigil and athletic director Vince Orlando were put on leave by the Cherry Creek School District for allowing an ineligible football player to suit up in 2017.
And yet, despite all the drama, here Eaglecrest stands with a 10-1 record, seeded No. 4 in the playoffs and more than equipped to make another run back to Mile High Stadium in pursuit of the program’s second title and first since 1993.
“Once Delaney quit, we had a meeting with the group right after that happened, and after the first 5 of 10 minutes of explaining the situation, we were full steam ahead,” said Garrett Looney, the team’s offensive coordinator turned head coach after a Week 1 win over Highlands Ranch.
“The message all year from that time has been ‘ignore the noise’ and to control what you can control... The kids have done a good job of blocking it out. I’d say it’s probably been harder on the adults on the staff than the kids.”
It also doesn’t hurt that Looney, who came over from Cherokee Trail prior to the season, has familiarity with Raptors quarterback Dylan James. After playing at Cherokee Trail, James transferred to Eaglecrest for the 2018-19 school year, and immediately settled in as a dynamic playmaker.
The dual-threat senior has filled Mergerson’s big shoes with 774 yards and six touchdowns passing in addition to rushing statistics that rank near the top of Class 5A. James’ 26 touchdowns on the ground are first, while his 1,915 rushing yards rank second.
“This offense is not very easy to run because we run so much read option, but the fact he’s been able to pick this up in his first season has been tremendous,” Looney said. “We knew the kind of athlete he was, but we ask a lot of him every game and we put wrinkles in every week to help him succeed.”
Enabling James’ quick assimilation on Picadilly Street -- in addition to the standout seasons by junior tailback Jalen Stewart and sophomore wideout Ty Robinson -- is perhaps the state’s most talented offensive line.
“I’ve yet to see (undefeated) Columbine play in person, but I’d say they are right there with us,” Looney said. “We’ve got three Division I guys up front, and the other two aren’t too shabby either.”
Stanford commit Barrett “Bear” Miller (6-foot-5, 260 pounds), Colorado commit Jake Wiley (6-6, 260) and the widely recruited but still uncommitted Reece Atteberry (6-5, 275) headline, while seniors Trevor Barrios and Chris Stockman round out the unit. Meanwhile, the defense is headlined by senior linebacker Elijah Anderson-Taylor.
The Raptors defeated Grandview, 36-35, on Sept. 28 thanks to a last-minute touchdown heave and a two-point conversion.
“Our biggest deal offensively is turning the ball over. It cost us in the Cherry Creek game (on Oct. 12), and that could get us beat this week,” Looney said. “So ball security is the most importantly thing offensively, and defensively, Grandview is a well-rounded, tough stop, so we’ve got to play assignment football.”
Saturday’s kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Legacy Stadium.