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New Castle, Glenwood Springs win TRYF titles

Baron ZahuranecRifle CorrespondentGlenwood Springs, CO Colorado
Paul Conrad The Aspen Times
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ASPEN, Colorado – The undefeated New Castle Titans won the Division II Super Bowl 35-21 over another unbeaten squad, Aspen, Sunday at Aspen Middle School.Twenty-three fifth- and sixth-graders were on the Titan squad that went 8-0 this year in the Three Rivers Youth Football league.In the Super Bowl, the Titans were led by quarterback Brooks Pressler, who ran for four touchdowns and a two-point conversion, and threw for another two-point conversion. Fullback Christian Keith added another rushing TD.

On the defensive side of the ball, Luke Pagni and Isaac Ryder, “played stellar at linebacker,” coach Rod Pressler said.This was the first game all season in which the Titans trailed. They were down 14-0 at one point, but were able to get the win.”We pulled the boys together (at halftime) and told them to get their heads in the game,” coach Pressler said. “They slowly turned it around and got the game on their side.”New Castle had some of the same kids who won the Super Bowl when they were in Division I as third- and fourth-graders. So they’ve tasted victory twice in their young football careers.”Our season was great. What more could you ask for?” coach Pressler said. “This is the perfect way for the sixth-graders to end their year.”The Titans were a defensive force that didn’t allow a single point in their first six games. Coach Pressler attributes that to the kids paying attention to defensive coordinator Forest Keith. “We were just fortunate with this group of athletes to go that long without being scored on,” he added.Along with coaches Pressler and Keith, the Titans had Kurt Lundin, Kent Keener and Wyman Bontrager walking the sidelines and handing out advice.

Their toughest game of the year may have been their seventh game of the season, a 13-12 win over Rifle. “They (Rifle) played some really good ball and we were lucky to come out on top,” coach Pressler said.The Three Rivers Youth Football league is made up of 14 teams from Aspen to Parachute to Meeker. The Titans had kids from both New Castle and Silt on the team.Coach Pressler said the season went so well partly due to the coaches and the parents.”It couldn’t have went any better,” he said. “It makes it all that much better for the kids with all their help.”Playing on the New Castle team this season were: Logan Barker, Kalin Bontrager, Dylan Bosworth, Noah Crisler, Max Doose, Damian Dufel, Colton Ellis, Hunter Findlay, Austin Gonsalves, Cole Harper, Greyson Keener, Keith, Zane Lundin, Diego Ortega, Pagni, Sam Parker, John Parker, Brooks Pressler, Nathan Qualls, Ryder, Joe Skramstad, Bobby Vandermark and Armondo Vasquez.



In the third- and fourth-grade division, the Glenwood Springs Demons beat Parachute 29-0 to win the Division I Super Bowl.The Demons were 8-1 on the year, with their lone loss coming earlier in the season to the same Parachute team four weeks earlier.”We really dominated,” coach Steve Beckley said. “This was the best I’ve seen them play.”The Demon defense came to play as they gave up very few first downs and “hardly any yardage at all,” Beckley said.The game started out a little bit rough though. The Demons fumbled on their first drive and Parachute recovered, but from there on out it was all Demons.”We had real good ball control and were getting four to five yards on every carry,” Beckley said.Their offense had the ball for most of the game and scored on each drive after their first mishap.”We had a great season,” Beckley said. “There was a great group of kids out there to work with.”During the season running backs Easton Gaddis, Shane Beckley, Cooper Cornelius and Jared Archuleta carried much of the rushing load. The offensive line anchored by center Ben Liotta and guard Zach Mensimer helped them pick up big gains.James Sowash, offensive and defensive line, Burley Quetone, linebacker, and Zach Niccoli, defensive and offensive end, were part of the defense that gave the Demons the Super Bowl title.


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