Castle Rock, CO

The Castle View Football program wrapped up another impressive season, ending the 2020 campaign with a dominant performance against cross-town rival, Douglas County.  After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter on Saturday, the Castle View offense absolutely exploded, scoring 52 points, predominantly in the second and third quarters before pulling starters in the fourth quarter.  

The victory marked the 6th straight win over Douglas County and landed the Sabercats at 5-2 on the abbreviated season.   2020 was the 3rd straight winning season for the Castle View football program under the direction of 3rd year Head Coach, Todd Casebier.  Prior to Casebier’s arrival, Castle View struggled in the prior 5 years, never having experienced a winning season at the 5A level (after becoming dominant in 4A in 2011/2012). 

In three short years, Castle View has become a true contender at the state's highest level of High School football.  In 2020, Castle View was the 5th highest producing offense in all of the state (5A).  Casebier, traditionally known for having teams that run the ball proficiently, proved that his offense was more than capable of moving the ball through the air. 

The Castle View offense, led by Johnny Colombi was ranked #1 in the DougCo league in passing with nearly 1100 yds and 14 Touchdowns in just 7 games.  His primary receiving weapon was Junior, Blake Haggerty who led the DougCo league in receiving and landed in at #6 in the entire state.  Other key receiving weapons were Jens Anderson and Ethan Plummer. 

And of course, this offense remained dominant on the ground with a stable of capable and dangerous running backs.  Marc Wessbecker, Zane Wodark and Noah Jamero combined for over 1630 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in just 7 games. 

Both the passing and rushing attack was made possible by a sterling effort up front. “Our Offensive Line continued to put us in great positions,” stated Coach Casebier.  “It was great to see our Seniors up front.  Ren (Miller), Zach (Breed) , Matt (Grout) and Ethan (Plummer) did their thing week after week.  When you are able to control the line of scrimmage, you can do some great things”. 

Castle View’s only losses were to Valor and Fairview, the #2 and #3 offenses in the state.  Valor only surrendered 21 points in league play, all of which were to Castle View.  And the loss to Fairview was negatively impacted by a questionable officiating call that dramatically shifted the momentum of the game at a critical juncture.  Moreover, Castle View had less than 24 hours to prepare for Fairview and had to travel with barely any notice.  A win in Boulder on November 13th would have most assuredly guaranteed a top 8 playoff seed.

“I thought our kids and coaches handled the craziness of Covid as well as they possible could have.  I also thought this coaching staff did a very good job as we had our share of adversity,” stated Casebier. 

Coach continued, “Our booster club and parent group was great once again. Planning two road games with very little notice was a huge challenge”. 

There is little question that in any other season, this Castle View team would have gone deep into the playoffs where 24 teams are normally fielded in the state 5A post-season.  But, as we all know, there has been nothing normal about 2020.   One thing that has become normal however, is that Castle View is producing a great football product at the 5A level and that there is no question that Castle Rock remains Cat Country. 

Castle Rock, CO

For the 2nd straight week, the Castle View Sabercats Football team dominated their opponent, improving to 2-0 at the midpoint of the abbreviated season.  

The offense, led by Johnny Colombi was absolutely brilliant.  Colombi, the 6'3 Senior is a second year starter and helped his team to victory by throwing  for 275 yds, 3 TD's and rushing for a 4th.  "Our men up front [Offensive Line] have been very impressive for us. They deserve a ton of praise for the success of this team."  

Colombi was also supported by incredible receiving efforts by Blake Haggerty, Jens Anderson and Zane Wodark.  Wodark also was once again impressive on the ground along with his teammate, Noah Jamero.  Marc Wessbecker also got in on the scoring action.  Toby McTamney has been busy these past 2 weeks as well, striking 12 of 13 extra point attempts.  In 2 games, the Sabercat offense has put up 90 points.  

Colombi was not only excited about his Offense, but he had a lot to say about the Defense. "Our Defense is playing stellar.  Watching the preparation they put in is superb. They consistently cause turnovers and set us up with great field position, which drives us to want to capitalize on those opportunities."  The standout quarterback and team co-captain describes the team as "poised and confident". He went on to say, "we have built up momentum, and are optimistic about how we can perform throughout the rest of the season."  Colombi concluded with acknowledging the coaching staff, "Coach Casebier and the staff have handled the situation [unpredictable scheduling, etc] phenomenally.  They emphasize the focus on detail and teamwork. They have allowed every athlete to be safe and successful. 

The Defense has played very strongly, only yielding one touchdown in the 48-14 victory over rival Rock Canyon (the other Rock Canyon TD came from a blocked Field Goal attempt at the very end of the first half).  For the second straight week, the very aggressive, fast and opportunistic Defense caused multiple turnovers.  One of the interceptions was by Herschel Craig III, the 6'4, 207 LB Junior OLB.  "We are a family, we take care of one another."  Herschel described the team as "determined" and went on to praise the coaching staff. "Coach Casebier and the rest of the staff and team focus on 'control'. Coach Casebier has been saying it since the first day that we can only be great if we control what can and to do our jobs.  Coach being a strong believer in that message is what has helped push this program through this interesting time." 

The Sabercats are 2-0, but will face the state's top ranked team next week when they travel to Valor (3-0).  Valor has scored 156 points in 3 games without surrendering a single point.  In a season which is abbreviated and will only take 8 teams to the state 5A playoffs, this game will certainly have big playoff implications.  

The Sabercats will enjoy this one tonight, but you can count on the fact that the CV coaching staff has already begun preparations for next week's game.