Class 2A State Championship Breakdown and Prediction
#5 Eaton vs #7 Lamar 12/4 @2pm at CSU-Pueblo
Eaton is the #5 overall seed and pulled back to back upsets to move into the State Championship. This is also Eaton first trip to the State Championship since 2000. Eaton entered the playoffs with a 4-2 record with both losses coming to playoff teams. Eaton kicked things off with a road trip to Pagosa Springs but came away with the big 41 to 7 upset of #4 Pagosa. In the semifinals Eaton faced #1 Resurrection Christian. Eaton took the early 7 to 0 lead and at halftime was up 14 to 7. Eaton then put things away with 13 points in the 3rd quarter and secured their second straight upset to move into the State Championship. Eaton offensively is a run first offense but has proven they can throw the ball. The passing attack from Eaton is led by QB Scott Grable who has 713 yards passing, 6 TDs, and 4 INTs. The rushing attack for Eaton has racked up 2029 yards. The rushing attack is led by Ethan Florez (598 yards & 11 TDs), Scott Grable (522 yards & 7 TDs), and Salvador Rojas (434 yards & 7 TDs). Defensively Eaton has given up 87 points which is top 5 in Class 2A. Eaton defense has also come in big in the playoffs giving up just 20 points. Ethan Florez (55 tackles), Morgan Tribbett (45 tackles), and Juan Maravilla (43 tackles) lead the way in tackles for Eaton. Morgan Tribbett and Tanner True provide plenty of pressure in the backfield and Gage Butler leads in INTs for Eaton.
Lamar is the #7 overall seed and have also pulled back to back upsets to move into the State Championship. Lamar has not reached the State Championship since the 1960s. Lamar entered the playoffs with a 5-1 record with their lone loss coming to Pagosa Springs. Lamar entered the playoffs with one of the highest scoring offenses, but defense has been the key in the playoffs. Lamar faced #2 Sterling in the Quarterfinals and a strong defensive effort gave Lamar the 14 to 6 upset of Sterling. Lamar then faced Delta in the semifinals. Lamar got a long passing TD in the second quarter and would give them the 7 to 0 lead. Delta though fought back in the 3rd quarter and got a score, but a missed PAT would be the difference in the game. Lamar leaned on their defense in the 4th quarter and got the 7 to 6 upset of #6 Delta. Offensively Lamar can throw the ball with plenty of success but will use their rushing attack to open the passing attack up. The passing attack is led by Zane Rankin who has 1252 yards passing, 14 TDs, and 8 INTs. Zane Rankin favorite target is Blake Buxton who has 708 yards receiving and 10 TDs. The rushing attack has racked up 1681 yards. The rushing attack is led by Jesus Reyes (609 yards & 7 TDs), Zane Rankin (606 yards & 7 TDs), and Damian Ramos (387 yards & 3 TDs). Defensively Lamar made the biggest improvement from last year and especially in the playoffs giving up just 93 points and just 13 in the playoffs. Devyn Kincade (72 tackles), Luis DeLaTorre (58 tackles), and Greyden Martinez (45 tackles) lead the Lamar defense in tackles. Devyn Kincade leads in sacks and Damian Ramos leads Lamar in INTs.
Prediction
Two teams who have not played in a State Championship in a long time and two teams who have pulled multiple upsets meet up. Eaton offensively will lean on their rushing attack led by Ethan Florez but also expect QB Scott Grable to try and make a few big plays. Defensively look for Eaton to slow down the dynamic Lamar offense. Eaton will look to stop the run and force the passing attack to do the damage. Lamar offensively will look to get things going. Lamar must take care of the ball on offense and look for QB Zane Rankin to have a breakout game. I also think Lamar must have a big day on the ground and the rushing attack must get going. Defensively Lamar must be able to stop the run and must make tackles on the big RBs on Eaton. I am going with Lamar in this game. I think defensively Lamar has made the biggest improvements and I am going with them in a very hard fought game.
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