See who made the Top 85 Pueblo-area football players list
The 2023-24 fall sports season is finally upon us and what better way to kick off the new season than to highlight and showcase the top players to watch in each sport?
Each year the Chieftain gets together with local coaches to comprise a list of the top players to watch for the upcoming season.
Here is a list of the top 85 players to watch for this upcoming football season, plus a few extras.
(Note: all information provided on this list was given by the head coaches of each program.)
More: A look at the 2023 football schedules for Pueblo-area high schools
Class 2A
Dolores Huerta Prep (8-man)
Bryan Mendoza
Marcos Lerma
Ray Molina
Zechariah Maldonado
Jose Reyes
Michael Gonzales
Donivin Rael
The following is a quote from head coach Tom Grasmick.
“Let’s start with the quarterback position because, in eight-man football, it's so important. We have a senior there, Mendoza, he was a starter there last year and returning. He is a good leader for me and we're going to rely on him on the offensive side a lot. Lerma is our returning leading in both returning and receiving yards. I've got him in a spot now where he'll catch and run the ball and even block. He picks it up so fast and is such a smart kid. On the line we got Molina, who is a sophomore, and he's going to anchor us down from the center position. Then our monster here is Maldonado, and he's 6-foot-4, 245 pounds. He'll be playing both lines, offense and defense. We also have Reyes. He's a wide receiver for us. Gonzalez is going to help us out on defense, especially at one of those linebacker positions. Lastly, Real, he's 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, as a sophomore. He's going to play both ways for us as a defensive end and at tight end.”
Dylan Hurne
Derick Bak
Codah Graber
Brendan Gray
James Scott
The following is a quote from head coach Connor Pigg.
“This year our players to watch start with Hurne, leading rusher on our team last year and leading rusher — I believe — in the Tri-Peaks League. Really solid, 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. He'll also be playing outside linebacker on defense. Defensively, we've got our top leading tackler from last year returning Bak. Close to 80 tackles last year. He had a really solid junior season. He'll be playing middle linebacker for us. We've got Graber at strong safety and wide receiver this year. Big producer, big returner for us last year on kick and punt returns. Gray will be at the other safety coming back as a senior. He had a tremendous season last year, he was our deep, stretch-the-field, vertical threat. Scott is going to be holding down the line as the senior lineman. We only graduated four seniors from last year, so we bring back a ton of starters.”
Class 3A
Pueblo South
Shawn Bentley
Orion Birch
Damian Cordova
Frankie Decesaro
David Dietz
Chris Flores
Caeden Herrera
Chace Hurley
Ryan Lane
Armando Manuel
Santiago Martinez
Braden Median
Joseph Moore-Wolfe
Sam Musso
Ben Oliva
Francisco Pacheco
Jake Pisciotta
Namon Robinson
Ubaldo Salazar
Aidan Vialpando
The following is a quote from head coach Ryan Goddard.
“Our offense philosophy has always been about getting our best guys in football and staying within our skill sets and things we do well. We're going to play to our strengths. The beauty of high school football is that there are new kids every year, it's a brand-new team every season. It doesn't matter what you have coming back because not every piece is the same. We're going to try and get our guys the ball and try and be balanced and play to our strengths. It's nice to have some guys back. We were pretty young at some spots last year and we're still pretty young in some spots this year. It's going to be about being young but still gaining this valuable experience from camp. I’m looking forward to what they gained last year, but really, really looking forward to these seniors and their leadership and seeing what they can do and how far they carry us.”
Pueblo Centennial
Jayden Hudran
Jordan Gallegos
Ricky Cordova
Joshua Trujillo
Jack Mcmurtree
Dalton Loftis
The following is a quote from head coach Jeff Wilson.
“Hudran came in when Uli (Fesuluai) went down last year, and he picked up and finished half the season for us at quarterback. We have a couple of 300-pound kids there on the line. If I had to say, where we are strongest right now is probably there on the line. Gallegos, he's a junior and will be playing a lot of our slot-back position. Cordova will be our fullback and then we're trying to find other guys that we can fit in those other places. Trujillo, he was a starter from last year. He's an offensive guard and defensive tackle. Mcmurtree is a senior. He played quite a bit last year, he's an offensive lineman and defensive lineman as well. Lastly, we have Loftis, he's a junior. He'll be on the line, both offensive and defensive for us, too.”
Pueblo Central
Michael Montoya
Genaro Pino
Hulian Sanchez
Chris Bojorquez
Josiah Barela
Amari Brown
David Sanchez
Hugo Sanchez
Joseph Castro
Niklaus Maher
The following is a quote from head coach Kris Cotterman.
“Let’s start with Montoya, he had a great year last year as linebacker and fullback. He gained about 900 yards and had a bunch of tackles. Then there is Pino at quarterback, he's looking very good. Hulian Sanchez is another lineman that's coming back, he started 20 games. Bojorquez is another one he's going to be a senior, but he’s started 20 games as well. Barela is going to be a senior, I think he's going to be a shutdown corner. He has also started 20 games. Brown has started 18 games and he had a good year last year as a sophomore. David Sanchez is going to be good for us. Castro is going to be good for us. Hugo Sanchez is another one, he started some games for us last year. Sophomore Maher as well. He's good and he’s put on like 25 pounds, so he looks good. We're excited and they've been working hard. The weight rooms paid off.”
Pueblo East
Dominik Sierra
Adam Rebeterano
Ramon Venegas
Izaiah Trujillo
Pocky Amaro
Kenny Madrid
Damien Alire
Michael Saiz-aleman
Deandre Johnson
Bruno Rowell
Sam Kirkland
The following is a quote from head coach Tony Valdez.
“So, the first name I got for you is senior quarterback 'Bam Bam' Sierra, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. He will play quarterback, defensive end and punter. His name is 'Bam Bam' for a reason. He's rough and he likes contact. He has a big arm and a big leg, and a big personality and he brings a lot of fire to this team. Other seniors, I think about our linemen, Rebeterano and Venegas. I talk about these two together, because they're two peas in a pod. They live in the weight room. They're the strongest dudes on the team. They're pretty athletic for as big as they are, and they're very, very good teammates. They care about their quarterbacks, they care about their running backs, and they take pride in protecting those dudes. I think about junior Trujillo at wide receiver. He'll also play a little bit of safety this year as well as returns. We know he's fast from the track team and he's got a lot of bounce from the basketball team and he's a great receiver and so he's going to be a tough cover. I think about junior Amaro, another speedster from the track team and he was state runner-up on the wrestling team. Pound for pound is probably the toughest kid in Pueblo. A couple of seniors in Madrid, Alire and Saiz-aleman. Those three senior defensive backs have been watching the likes of Tatum Rivera and Daniel Badillo for the last few years and they're primed to get their chance to shine. Johnson is our senior linebacker and then there is Rowell, along with sophomore linebacker Kirkland. These three linebackers are fast, they're strong and they bring a lot to the table. And the last name that I'm going to give you is Garcia. Garcia is a senior running back and linebacker. He's an all-conference type player and he's really wanting to earn All-state accolades this year, but most importantly he wants to lead this team out of the first round of the playoffs and make a run at the state title.”
Pueblo County
Johnathan Gonzales
Brock Roseman
Terrell Dillaha
Jack Stangier
Alex Gillispie
Dominic Mauro
Patrick Noga
Matt Alldritt
Cohen Glenn
Teagan Dillon
Brandon Holland
Ted Gomez
Nick Colletti
The following is a quote from head coach Ramie Enriquez.
“Let’s start with Gonzalez first, he plays wide receiver and defensive back and is one of the most athletic kids in Pueblo all around. He's a quiet leader and does everything you ask of him. He's been leading us really well. Then there is Roseman who is a senior wide receiver and defensive back. He's kind of like a utility guy, he can play a little tight end and little receiver. He just works hard, and he outworks everybody, so it's really nice. Another leader on the team, Dillaha, is a receiver and cornerback. He is athletic, been a real program guy. Stangier, we missed him last year. He is an offensive tackle and probably the leader of our offensive line room. Gillespie is another one we missed last year. Not just because he's 6-foot-2, 270 (pounds), but because he's just a physical leader. He's our guy that's going to speak up on the offensive line and defensive line. Then there is Mauro, another senior who plays tight end. He is a great basketball player. We are just trying to get him the ball. The problem that we're going to run into is trying to get all these guys the ball. Alldritt is another offensive lineman, we're going to give our offensive lineman a lot of praise here. They are working hard. Another two-year starter, a huge kid, has been working hard. We have Noga, he's our returning leading rusher. He is great out of the backfield and runs with power and with speed and he can catch the ball really well. Overall, just a great athlete. Glenn is our quarterback. We're excited to see his growth this year. Another guy is senior Dillon. He is another receiver and defensive back. He may play a little linebacker and safety for us too. Holland is our center, and he is a junior. Lastly, we have Gomez and Colletti, all those guys on our offensive line, I'm excited about.”
More: Pueblo's gridiron greats: 15 state champion teams that left their mark on the Steel City
Class 4A
Pueblo West
Donovan Robinson
Brock Keck
Kaden Clough
Nolan Applegate
Gavin Lockett
Lincoln Davis
Joren Flores
Ryan Siebert
Rudy Gutierrez
Grant Hribar
Josiah Perez
Andrew Clough
Grant Sonntag
Jason Marquez
Clay Conner
Garrett O'Brien
Diego Aragon
The following is a quote from head coach Clint Buderus.
“Let's start at receiver with Robinson. He will play wide receiver and might play some corner as well. Keck is going to be a junior and he is 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds. Senior offensive lineman Kaden Clough is back. Applegate is back at the tight end position for us. At quarterback, Lockett is back, and he will be a junior. At fullback, we've got Davis and Flores. Davis is a junior and Flores is a sophomore. We've got two or three tailbacks in the mix that probably share time. Gutierrez and Siebert, and then this is sophomore, Hribar. The other two are juniors. Defensively up front, Perez is back at defensive end. Andrew Clough played quite a bit last year and he's a junior. On the other side, Sonntag will be a junior and we also have Marquez and Conner also juniors. Then safety O'Brien is back. Aragon is a corner and he's a senior.”
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter: @chowebacca. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: See who made the Top 85 Pueblo-area football players list
