Marquee matchup: Valor vs. Pomona
There are not a lot of similarities between Valor Christian, a ritzy private school in Highlands Ranch, and Pomona, a blue-collar public school in Arvada.
Despite the differences in the schools — and despite a complete lack of geographic, conference or historical ties — their football programs enter Friday night’s highly touted Week 4 showdown having fostered what has become Colorado’s premier high school football rivalry.
The teams’ similar talent — and the deep respect underlying a matchup that has been split 2-2 over the past couple of falls, with Pomona claiming the regularseason contests and Valor Christian winning both state title bouts — will be on full display at the North Area Athletic Complex as the Class 5A No. 2 Panthers (3-0) host the No. 1 Eagles (3-0) for a 7:30 p.m. Friday kickoff.
“We have a ton of respect for the job Jay Madden does; for Ryan Marquez, who we believe is an unbelievable quarterback who knows how to run their system so well; for Max Borghi,” Valor Christian coach Rod Sherman said. “We know they were hurt last year and banged up in the state championship game, and we know they put a lot into this year. We’d better match their energy, or we’ll be in trouble.”
Adding to the rivalry factor is a blue-chip recruit on each roster.
Borghi, a Washington State pledge, has already rushed for six touchdowns in two games this year after his recovery from knee surgery and gives the Panthers a dynamic offensive weapon in addition to being a ticking time bomb on special teams.
“The No. 1 key for us is keeping Max in check,” Sherman said. “You watch the last few games, and it seems like he’s the same old Max — which is awesome to see, because he’s a great kid and I think he deserves all the success in the world. But we need to be ready, because I know the last two games he’s played only at tailback, and we anticipate they’ll move him around quite a bit against us.”
Meanwhile, for the Eagles, the prep legacy of the McCaffrey name grows larger with each passing week thanks to the famous football clan’s youngest of the four brothers, Luke.
The junior is being recruited by all the prime Division I programs and has split quarterbacking duties with senior Blake Stenstrom, a University of Colorado commitment. The Eagles also are capitalizing on McCaffrey’s talent at wideout, out of the backfield, at cornerback and at returner.
“They use him in so many different ways, so the first thing you have to do is find out where he’s at,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. “When he’s under center, it’s easier, but when he’s moving around and they’re motioning him from the slot, it’s a lot more difficult to keep tabs on him.”
Beyond the headliners, both coaching staffs know they will need their other catalysts to step up against a familiar opponent.
For Pomona, Marquez must get the ball to junior running back Theorius Robison and junior wideout Billy Pospisil on a frequent basis. And for Valor Christian, Stenstrom and McCaffrey look to junior running back Joshia Davis and senior tight end Ben Anderson to balance the offense.
The trenches, too, match some of Colorado’s meanest and most experienced linemen against each other.
“You don’t see that in high school very often, where there is no weak spot,” Madden said. “That’s going to be the hardest part — all 22 guys Valor puts on the field can flat play, and if we concentrate on one guy more than the other, we’re going to be in trouble.”