The future of college football

Two Rifle players will suit up for their college teams next season

Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos Rifle High School seniors, Hazen Moss, left, and Justin Stone have big football plans after graduation. Joelle Milholm Post Independent

By Joelle Milholm
Post Independent Staff
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
February 7, 2008

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Hazen Moss Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos

RIFLE — After missing his sophomore and junior years with season-ending knee surgeries, it was unclear what the future held for Rifle’s Hazen Moss.

But after a superb senior season, where the Rifle senior came back from his injures to pass/run for 2,017 yards, score 21 touchdowns and make 119 tackles, Moss is now headed to play at Boise State.

Although he didn’t sign a letter of intent on Wednesday, which was college football’s national letter of intent day, Moss is committed to Boise State as a preferred walk-on. Rifle head coach Damon Wells said the term basically means he’s got a guaranteed spot on the squad.

“He’s on the top of the walk-on list,” Wells said of Moss. “They said if you show up at practice, the only way you would know who is a walk-on and who is a scholarship kid is if the kids decided to tell because they treat every kid the same. That being said, that is part of the reason they are as selective as they are. You can’t just show up and walk on.”

Moss, who was the Class 3A Western Slope League Back of the Year in 2007, will be trading in his ability to score touchdowns and be suiting up as an outside linebacker for the Western Athletic Conference 2007 runner-up Broncos. Three other
linebackers signed with Boise St. on Wednesday and another has given a verbal
agreement.

If you look at the history of outside linebackers at Boise St., Moss, who was a punishing linebacker for Rifle, things are looking good for the Bear’s 6-footer.
“They said the last two kids they had to play the same linebacker position, both were three-year starters and both started as preferred walk ons,” Wells said. “They said that Hazen fits exactly into that mold. The preferred walk on, the body type and everything. So he would be the third in a row — kinda neat.”

Moss turned down scholarships to play at Colorado State University in Pueblo and for Division I University of Northern Colorado to play for the Broncos. He said he enjoyed Boise the few times he has been there and was drawn to Boise State because of the success of the program.

“I have been up there a couple times, talked to the coaches,” Moss said. “I have two uncles that live up there, that’s why I have been up there.”

Moss isn’t the only senior Bear who will be back on the gridiron next year, as offensive lineman Justin Stone signed a letter of intent to play at Western State College in Gunnison on Wednesday. Stone, who during his four-years at Rifle anchored an offensive line that made big holes for star running backs like Tyler Thompson, Colby McFarlin and quarterback/running back Moss. That’s how Western found out about Stone.

“At the end of the season, they called me up and started talking to me about maybe coming to visit and see the coaches. So I talked to them and to their offensive line coach,” Stone said. “Then I went up to visit a couple weeks ago. All the coaches were there and they talked to us and we saw the campus - got a little tour and hung out with some of the players. Toward the end of the day, they offered me a scholarship.”

Justin Stone Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos

Stone wasn’t able to say how much the scholarship was for, but Wells said that it was significant. He is one of four offensive lineman signed by Western on Wednesday, as Levi Greenly (Platte Valley), Andrew Pacheco (Chatfield) and Jordan Drake (Florence) will also be playing for the Mountaineers. Stone said he is pretty excited to head to Gunnison.

“It is pretty cold. That is one of the things I am not excited about, but it was a nice campus and it seems like a really cool place to go,” he said.

Moss and Stone join good company as Bears to play collegiate football, including last year’s three Thompson (Chadron State), Cody Boe (Orange Coast College) and
Caleb Powell (Mesa State), but the latest duo is one step above.

“Of all the kids we have sent to college in the last 10 years or so, both of them were offered more than any kid had ever been offered,” Wells said.

Another Western Slope League player, Steamboat Springs’ kicker Ben DeLine, also inked his commitment to a college, Colorado State University. He will head to Fort Collins to play for the Rams like his dad Steve did.