Welcome to Footballdelphia – the city of brotherly gridiron love.
The city has two boroughs in Class 4A this season, on the north side at Greeley West and in western suburbia at Wheat Ridge.
The players: Greeley West’s Blake and Rex Morgan and the Wheat Ridge duo of Dylan and Parker Orms. The ingredients: two quarterbacks (one a big thrower, the other a big runner), one do-everything running back and one star-in-waiting utility guy.
In each case these brothers are talented playmakers on both sides of the ball and will have a lot to say about their teams advancing this weekend to the state semifinals. They are leaders by example and word, and their teams have been following them to a collective 21 victories this season.
The Morgans make the Spartans’ offense go. Rex, a junior, is a pocket quarterback with a strong arm and mind. Blake, a senior, is medium-sized running back with lots of speed, great vision and good hands. (Keep an eye out for younger and bigger brother Max in the near future.)
The Morgans have a fiercely competitive nature but channel it at the opposition and not at each other’s throat or pride.
“They’re once-in-a-career kind of kids,” veteran Spartans coach Mark Roggy said. “They are the consummate competitors and the consummate students of the game, both of those guys.”
Their dedication to film study and understanding the nuisances of the game shouldn’t come as a surprise since both have 4.0 grade-point averages. It also helps them maneuver off-the-cuff on the football field.
Greeley West’s Week 10 victory over Broomfield was a shining example. On fourth-and-7 near midfield, Rex Morgan got to the line, read the defense and audibled for a passing play to his brother. The result? A 45-yard touchdown catch and run.
That touchdown was the second of four the Spartans would score in a row to knock off the Eagles, solidify the rare perfect regular season and clinch the Northern League title.
Afterward, the Morgans were grinning graciously while their mother took their picture with Roggy.
“They come from a real tight family,” Roggy said. “They will go to war with one another.”
Greeley West (11-0) will have to get past two-time defending champion ThunderRidge (10-1) on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Orms boys are a big reason Wheat Ridge has emerged this season as a tough and driven squad.
Tough? Dylan Orms, a senior quarterback, fractured a bone in his throwing hand but missed only one game. Parker, a sophomore, often makes his presence known out of the defensive secondary with big hits and big picks and is emerging as an integral piece of the offense.
“I’ve coached a lot of players, and he’s going to be a Division I kid,” Farmers coach Reid Kahl said of Parker. “There’s not a doubt in my mind.”
Driven? The Farmers were downtrodden for many seasons and players like Dylan were thrown into the fire as freshmen. Needless to say, their revenge list is long and distinguished.
If there is a leader to Wheat Ridge’s payback tour, it’s Dylan. His ability to run, throw and generally make plays is the kind of inspiration the Farmers have keyed on.
The Farmers (10-1) take their show on the road Friday against Pikes Peak League champion Fountain-Fort Carson (10-1).
Of course, thanks to the brackets, the only way these two sets of brothers could meet this season is Dec. 2 in the championship game at Invesco Field at Mile High. Of course, that’s not too unlikely a scenario.
CLASS 4A | QUARTERFINALS
MONARCH (11-0) AT RALSTON VALLEY (10-1)
Your preseason No. 1 vs. No. 2. This is going to remind Monarch a lot of its last game, an overtime win over Broomfield. Once again, it all starts up front for both teams. Both are tough and physical, both run the ball and take away the run real well. Coach talk: “It’s going to be won on both sides of the line,” Mustangs coach Matt Loyd said. Pretty even matchup at first glance, but there are some small advantages to be had. Give Monarch’s backfield of Cale Soole and Rocky Borgstrom an edge over Ralston Valley’s backfield that is down to its third-string fullback and often rotates running backs by committee. Give the Mustangs an edge on overall team speed (especially on defense) and with the passing game. While Monarch likes to deceive you with the pass, the Mustangs can line up in obvious passing formations and throw it to at least three targets with quarterback Cameron Wright.
WHEAT RIDGE (10-1) AT FOUNTAIN-FORT CARSON (10-1)
Size vs. speed. The Farmers are big enough up front to cause a lot of problems at the point of attack, while the Trojans’ skill players are fast enough to make something out of nothing at any time. Of course, that’s not to say the Farmers don’t have their share of speed, especially at linebacker and in the secondary, or that the Trojans’ interior line can’t mix it up enough for power running back Adam Lozano to tenderize things. The Farmers, however, can take control if the Trojans don’t match their physical play. “Fortunately, we are about as healthy as we can be right now,” Farmers coach Reid Kahl said. Wheat Ridge’s other advantage rests in quarterback Dylan Orms, a four-year starter who is the key to a variable offense. Orms can throw very well, has just one interception all season, and he can run wild if given the chance.
GREELEY WEST (11-0) AT THUNDERRIDGE (10-1)
For two programs that have become playoff fixtures of late, this will be their first postseason meeting. It should be worth the wait. Both teams have talent spread throughout the ranks; both are deep, extremely physical and run by veteran coaching staffs.
ThunderRidge’s running attack keys off fullback Ben Faddis, who opens up lanes for the speedier Chris Nwoke and quarterback Paden Faulkner. The Spartans rely heavily on running back Blake Morgan but can bring in several big bodies to pound away on short-yardage situations. “Their front seven are so big, that could pose a problem,” Grizzlies coach Joe Johnson. Any mismatches should come through the passing game, where the Spartans can wing it with quarterback Rex Morgan, who has two capable receivers and his brother coming out of the backfield and lining up in the slot. Faulkner is good and getting better each week and will have to keep that going Saturday. “I’ve watch from afar and respected Joe’s team; they’re the standard you have to draw from because they’ve won these state titles,” Spartans coach Mark Roggy said.
MONTROSE (9-2) AT LOVELAND (8-3)
Mirror, mirror, on the other side of the ball, which run-happy team is the fairest of them all? We’ll find out Saturday. There will be few secrets here as both teams will try to dominate up front and control the tempo with its running game. “We have very similar styles in a lot of ways,” Loveland coach John Poovey said. But things are seldom that neat and pressed, so the wrinkles should decide it. Last week, the Indians from Montrose threw for more than 200 yards against Cherokee Trail, proving they can wing it for more than a prayer when they have to. The Indians from Loveland knocked off second-seeded Pueblo South last week by blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown and returning a kickoff 92 yards for another score. Coach talk: “Loveland is extremely talented. They got the kind of kids that are scary. At the same time, we’ve played some good football teams and beat some good football teams,” Montrose coach Todd Casebier said. Since we highlighted some star linemen from Montrose last week, we’ll give some love now to Loveland’s big guys: Simon Rivas, Logan Pitner, Justin Newhall, Kullin Kelly, Andy Keirns, Steve Meyer and Evan Krening.
