Stats powered by the PrepZone Composite Index. Film watched. Opinions earned.
Colorado's running back talent this season was genuinely absurd. We're talking multiple 2,000-yard rushers, a Gatorade Player of the Year, a kid with a 460 squat at 5'7", and a freshman who probably shouldn't even be on this list but here we are because he runs a 4.6 forty and we're not going to pretend we didn't notice.
We watched the film. We ran the numbers. We argued about it internally for longer than any reasonable adult should argue about high school football. Here's what we landed on.
The Rundown
Committed to Western Colorado. CHSAA 1st Team All State. 1st Team All Denver. Golden Helmet Award nominee. 211 carries over 13 games with 11 games of 100+ yards. At 6'1" 210 he's a prototypical power back with breakaway speed. 3.7 GPA. Led Montrose to a 4A state title game appearance running a notoriously run-heavy scheme where everyone in the building knew #30 was getting the ball.
🎬 What we see: Womack is the total package. Opposing fans could literally be heard yelling "It's going to 30!" from the stands. Knowing it and stopping it are two very different things. Tied for the state TD lead at 33 while averaging over 10 yards a carry. That combination of volume and efficiency is unmatched by anyone in Colorado this season. Western Colorado is getting a monster.
The Rundown
Gatorade Player of the Year. Yup. 14.2 YPC. A touchdown every 4.7 carries. Only 8.8 carries a game because Creek didn't need to give him more. He was already torching you. 1,746 yards and 26 TDs in 14 games on a team that won their 15th state title and sixth in seven years. 3 Star recruit. 10.67 in the 100m. UConn commit.
🎬 What we see: Might have the best full-speed outside cuts in the state. Most guys slow down to change direction. Fox doesn't. He redirects at top speed and leaves DBs grabbing air. At Cherry Creek, against 5A competition, every single week. The most explosive back in Colorado and it's not particularly close.
The Rundown
The only back in Colorado who touched the ball 300 times and lived to tell about it. 25 carries a game, 183.1 YPG, 27 TDs, 11 games of 100+. All State RB. All State Lacrosse player. 4.27 GPA. Air Force commit. The total package at 210 lbs.
🎬 What we see: McKeon stiff arms kids to the chest and puts them on the ground. Not a shake-and-bake guy. He runs AT you, through you, and over you. Power personified. Fort Collins rode him every single Friday and he never broke down. We're not entirely convinced he has a cardiovascular system so much as a diesel engine. 300 carries, All State in two sports, 4.27 GPA, and committed to a service academy. Air Force is getting a kid who might actually be a machine.
The Rundown
"The Flash." 1,879 all purpose yards. 4.2 GPA. Future mechanical engineer. Junior. 1,601 rushing, 172 receiving, 106 kick return. 21 TDs. 10.71 in the 100m. Just visited Wyoming for his first Junior Day. Fountain Fort Carson has a legacy of elite backs (Q Jones, Mathias Price) and Releford is next. His dad gave him "The Flash" nickname as a kid. He wears Flash gloves, Flash earrings, and a Flash necklace under his pads. Gazette Peak Performer feature. The whole city knows.
🎬 What we see: Releford straight up hurdles low tacklers. And honestly? Can't blame defenders for going low. He runs SO violent that nobody wants to meet him head on at the second level. So they dive at his ankles and he jumps over them. At 175 lbs with 10.71 speed, good luck. Also wants to be a mechanical engineer, which means he's probably already calculating the optimal launch angle for those hurdles. DC Comics should be sending this kid royalty checks.
The Rundown
Bench 365. Squat 455. 4.0 GPA. As a junior. Read that again. 1st Team All State. All Conference MVP. Claims #1 back in Colorado in multiple regular season categories. Just got his first D1 offer from Northern Arizona on Feb 4. Doing 15% incline speed training with Coach Riley on Sundays. This kid is WORKING.
🎬 What we see: Mangrum is a stud. Full stop. The strength numbers are absurd for a high schooler and you see it on film. Defenders bounce off him. Like those videos of people running into glass doors except the glass door is a 4A running back and you're the one who needs medical attention. Another year of this and he's a problem for everybody in the state. NAU got in early. Smart.
The Rundown
2nd in total points scored in all of 5A. 1,227 rushing yards, 19 TDs on the ground plus additional receiving and return production. At 6'1" 195 with a 4.4 GPA, Banks is exactly what a D1 program wants walking through the door. Legend's best player on a team that made noise in the Southern Conference.
🎬 What we see: Banks has the size-speed combo that translates. Long strider who covers ground fast and runs through arm tackles. Wyoming got a good one. The 4.4 GPA is almost offensive at this point. Sir, you are making the rest of us look bad on multiple fronts simultaneously. Please stop being good at everything. Actually don't.
The Rundown
Womack's other half. 1st Team All State. TDs in all three phases. Adams State commit. The ultimate complementary weapon who could be a lead back anywhere else. 1,183 yards rushing and 17 TDs on a team that went to the 4A title game. Also a dangerous return man and lockdown DB with 70 tackles and 3 INTs. Caught the game-clinching TD on 4th and 8 in the semifinal against Pueblo West with the season on the line. Denver Post's 101 Impact Players to Watch list. Just signed with Adams State. WE. US. OUR.
🎬 What we see: Mehan is the reason you can't just sell out to stop Womack. The Montrose backfield was "It's going to 30 or 29!" and defenses had to pick their poison. He scored rushing, receiving, and on defense. Plays both ways. Made the play that sent Montrose to the title game. A football player in every sense of the word. Adams State got a steal. That 4th and 8 catch against Pueblo West is the kind of play that gets talked about at Montrose reunions for the next 30 years. That's legacy stuff.
The Rundown
The most efficient runner in Colorado, any classification. 1,102 yards and 20 TDs on just 75 carries. That's a TD every 3.75 touches. Perfect 100/100 on the PrepZone YPC composite. At Forge Christian he didn't get the volume, but every time he touched it, something happened. Also runs slot and returns punts.
🎬 What we see: Torres has elite zone vision. Patient out of the mesh. Slow read, slow read, finds the crease, then detonates through it. Has a signature shoulder fake/sidestep move that freezes linebackers. If this kid played at a 5A school with 200+ carries, we're having a different conversation entirely. The fact that he scored a touchdown every 3.75 touches is not a typo. We checked. Twice.
The Rundown
86 career touchdowns. #2 all time in 5A behind Christian McCaffrey. Let that sit. 3x All State. All Colorado. Daily Camera Player of the Year. Team Captain. UNC signee. Listed as WR/RB/DB/ATH because he literally does everything. Career stats: #4 all time in catches (216), #7 receiving yards (3,494), #10 all purpose yards (6,535), #19 receiving TDs (34). The most statistically decorated career on this entire list.
🎬 What we see: Rechel is just good at everything. There's no one thing. It's the totality. Route running, vision, hands, speed, toughness, football IQ. Fairview used him everywhere because he was their best player at every position they put him in. The only name ahead of him on the 5A all-time TD list is a guy currently playing on Sundays. Colorado history books. All glory to God.
The Rundown
1,533 yards. 20 TDs. 90 yard long run. 170 lbs doing grown man things. Junior. 2x First Team All Conference. All State track and field. 211 carries at 7.3 YPC with the longest single run on the entire top 20 leaderboard. Monarch's playoff run went through him. At 170 lbs taking 17.6 carries a game, the toughness is real. Class of 2027 with another full season ahead.
🎬 What we see: Payne has breakaway speed that shows up in the open field. Once he hits the second level, it's a foot race and he wins foot races. The 90 yard run wasn't a fluke. He's got home run ability every time he touches it. Another offseason in the weight room and watch out. The fact that he's doing this at 170 lbs as a junior while also running All State track tells you everything about the athletic ceiling here. Monarch coaches probably sleep well at night knowing they get him back.
The Rundown
260 carries. 2nd most in the state. At Pine Creek. In 5A. As a junior. 1,537 rushing, 1,725 all purpose, 18 TDs. #2 RB in 5A per MaxPreps. Named to Prep Redzone's "Upcoming Seniors with All State Potential" list. CO Prep Varsity Top 10 Overall 2027 candidate. Already drawing college attention with no offers yet. That's about to change.
🎬 What we see: Lukes has freakish two-step acceleration for his size. At 200 lbs you don't expect a guy to hit top speed that fast, but he does. That's why the 5.9 YPC doesn't tell the whole story. He's running through 5A fronts designed to stop him and still moving the pile. 260 carries as a junior means Pine Creek basically looked at this kid and said "you ARE the offense" and he said "cool." Great kid. Love this kid. Beast.
The Rundown
NDSU commit. 4A state championship clinching TD as a sophomore. 3.7 GPA. 960 yards and 8 TDs rushing plus 3 receiving TDs this season. 2nd Team All State as a junior with 1,173 yards and 11 TDs. Originally committed to Oregon State, flipped to NDSU after the Beavers' coaching change. 3 Star recruit with offers from Air Force, Army, Navy, Wyoming, Montana State, and more. Enrolling early in January.
🎬 What we see: Toliver is a winner. The resume speaks. Clutch TD in a state title game, multiple all state honors, and the maturity to decommit from a P4 program and find the right fit at NDSU. Two-way player (RB/S) who hits on both sides of the ball. Most kids would have panicked when a coaching change blew up their commitment. Toliver evaluated the situation like an adult, made the best decision for himself, and moved on. That tells you more about the player than any stat line ever could. NDSU wins national championships. He'll fit right in.
The Rundown
3,750 career yards. 620 career carries. 35 career TDs. Squat 460. Bench 315. At 5'7". Insane. 1,345 yards and 15 TDs this season at Mullen. 3x All Conference RB. 4.0 GPA. Named to Six Star Football's "Colorado Senior Prospects to Know" list as an underrated uncommitted senior. His OL coach tweeted: "620 bell cow carries. Watch this film!" The love is real.
🎬 What we see: Dupuch stacked up a D end at the line, did a full 360 spin, cut back inside, and scored. That play tells you everything. At 5'7" 175 with a 460 squat, he's a bowling ball with a bag of tricks. Lists "Speed, Power, Balance, Vision, Agility, Heart, Pass Blocking, Receiving" as his qualities. He's not wrong. Also blocks. Your favorite RB's favorite RB. When your own OL coach is tweeting "watch this film!" unprompted, that's not marketing. That's a man who has seen things from the trenches and needs to tell somebody.
The Rundown
The smallest guy on the list. Plays WR/RB/S/QB/ATH. Just committed to Fort Lewis College. 1,380 yards, 16 TDs, 8.1 YPC at Frederick. 3.3 GPA. Listed at 5'7" 163 and plays literally every skill position. His commitment post to FLC was pure gratitude thanking his family, friends, and "the amazing community of Frederick." Heart over measurables, every single Friday night.
🎬 What we see: Delpizzo is the guy every coach loves. Undersized but never outworked. 8.1 YPC at his size means he's not getting free yards. He's earning every one of them with effort, vision, and want-to. Frederick's Swiss Army knife. We've never seen a 163-pound kid play with this much conviction. Somebody somewhere is going to tell him he's too small and he's going to take it personally and run for 200 yards. That's just how kids like this are wired.
The Rundown
Freshman. 4.6 forty. 3.8 GPA. Class of 2029. Remember the name. The youngest player on this list by two full years. Clarvoe is the real deal out of Broomfield. A true next-gen talent who's already on the radar as a freshman. The 4.6 speed at his age is legit, and he's got the grades to match.
🎬 What we see: Too early for a full scouting report, but the tools are obvious. Broomfield has something special brewing. We'll be watching. The fact that a freshman made this list should tell you everything about where this kid is headed. Three more years of development, three more years in the weight room, three more years of learning the game. Class of 2029. Write it down.
Also on the Great Season List
| Player | School | Cl. | Size | Stats | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Stivers | Otis | Sr. | 5'10" 145 | 1,931 yds · 29 TD · 11.8 YPC | 84.3 |
| Zachary Yost | Caliche | Sr. | 5'8" 155 | 2,011 yds · 33 TD · 9.0 YPC | 83.9 |
| Noah Howard | Florence | Sr. | 5'10" 150 | 2,094 yds · 23 TD · 209.4 YPG | 81.2 |
| Colton Lucero | Pagosa Springs | Sr. | 5'8" 170 | 1,797 yds · 25 TD · 10.6 YPC | 78.8 |
| Mo Thenell | Heritage | Sr. | 5'10" 200 | 2,056 yds · 25 TD · 8.3 YPC | 78.0 |
| Brody Silvey | Hoehne | Jr. | 5'9" 160 | 1,441 yds · 22 TD · 10.2 YPC | 68.4 |
| Zach Statz | Haxtun | Sr. | 6'1" 175 | 1,595 yds · 24 TD · 8.9 YPC | 68.2 |
| Jason Saucedo | Burlington | Sr. | — | 1,748 yds · 17 TD · 7.5 YPC | 66.3 |
| Trey Scheler | Cheyenne Wells | Sr. | 6'2" 185 | 1,273 yds · 30 TD · 9.6 YPC | 65.3 |
| Nathan Guerrero | Clear Creek | Sr. | 5'8" 175 | 1,208 yds · 14 TD · 12.3 YPC | 60.1 |
| Mark Snyder | Columbine | Sr. | 6'2" 195 | 1,560 yds · 14 TD · All State · Penn offer | 58.8 |
| Ritchie Bruno | Brush | Sr. | 6'0" 185 | 1,314 yds · 18 TD · 7.4 YPC | 57.9 |
| Trevin Smith | Cheyenne Wells | So. | — | 926 yds · 18 TD · 12.9 YPC | 55.2 |
| Jackson Savona | Eaton | Jr. | 6'0" 175 | 1,378 yds · 14 TD · 6.8 YPC | 54.1 |
| Gavin Reddick | Canon City | Sr. | 6'0" 182 | 1,047 yds · 17 TD · 9.3 YPC | 52.7 |
| Luis Santana | Pomona | Sr. | — | 3A Player of the Year · State Champ MVP | |
| Adrian Czyszczon | Windsor | Sr. | — | All State selection | |
Have a player we missed? Tag us.
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