With the football season in the rearview mirror, coaches from across the state still had work to do. Reviewing thousands of high school athletes, coaches compiled a list of the top football players from 2019. After the votes were tabulated, eight local players – four from Mancos and two each from Dolores and Dove Creek – made the cut for the all-state selections.
Mancos capped another memorable year with a second consecutive nine-win season and an appearance in the state quarterfinals. On the heels of their success, four Bluejays earned honors on the eight-man all-state team, headlined by sophomore Chase Moore, who made the first team. Moore posted eye-popping numbers all season as the Bluejays’ primary running back, capping the campaign with 1,900 yards on the ground and 37 touchdowns.
Moore benefited from a strong offensive line, led by junior Colt Fury, who landed on the second team. Fury also spearheaded a tenacious Mancos defense, where he was credited with a team-best 170 tackles on the season.
Senior quarterback Breccen Morelli landed an honorable mention for the second consecutive season after guiding the Mancos offense with over 500 yards rushing and 400 yards passing. Classmate Anthony Medina rounded out the Bluejay selections, also taking an Honorable Mention nod, thanks to over 800 all-purpose yards on offense, and a team-best eight interceptions from his free safety position.
Dove Creek earned a pair of selections after the Bulldogs compiled a 5-5 record and their first playoff appearance since 2015. Junior Hayden Gray bolstered a multipronged rushing attack for Dove Creek, opening up holes for the Bulldogs to amass nearly 3,000 yards rushing as a team. Gray, who earned a second team selection, also paced the Bulldogs on the defensive side of the ball, leading the team with over 100 tackles. Gray was joined by classmate Austin Beanland, who landed on the honorable mention squad after pacing the Bulldogs in sacks and finishing second to Gray in total tackles.
In spite of a tough season on the gridiron for Dolores, a pair of Bear seniors caught the eye of the selection committee. Wade Charles and Trey Seekins both made the 1A honorable mention all-state team. Charles played a variety of roles for Dolores this year. Taking a bulk of the carries for the Bears as fullback, Charles also led the team in tackles and forced turnovers from his linebacker post. Seekins also demonstrated his versatility, topping the team in all-purpose yards as the primary receiver and kick returner for the Bears.
All-state selections were based on nominations from each of the leagues in Colorado’s seven football classifications. From this list of nominees, Colorado high school football coaches voted to establish classification as first team, second team, or honorable mention.