Legacy Lightning football looks to build on a promising 2020 abbreviated season
BROOMFIELD, Colo. (BVM) — The 2021 football season continues to kick off all around the country; as it does, many teams have eyes on them with expectations high for a great year.
In Colorado, in the 5A Northern League, one of those teams with many eyes on them is the Legacy Lightning. They are coming off a solid abbreviated 2020 season and are looking to repeat that for the 2021 season.
The Lighting are led by their head coach Corey Heinz. Heinz took over the program for the 2018 season, posting a 5-7 total record and a 4-1 league record. In 2019, the Lightning had a bit of a rougher year, posting a 3-8 total record and going 0-1 in the playoffs. The 2020 abbreviated season brought success with it, though; the Lighting posted a 4-3 total record, going 3-1 in the 5A North league.
A 4-3 record for a season as abnormal as 2020 can be considered a success. Preseason preparation was extremely abbreviated, which means there was significantly less time in the offseason for teams to install game plans and gather valuable reps on the practice field. There was even a point in 2020 when teams thought that playing football would not have been possible. So, to post a winning record and place 3rd in a division is a success, no doubt.
So, after making the playoffs in 2019 and posting a strong 2020 season where the Lightning would have made the playoffs if there were playoffs, expectations at and around Legacy are high. But, beyond the statistical reasons, there are also other reasons why the future is bright for Legacy in 2021.
Take, for example, Legacy’s dangerous offensive weapon, senior running back Braleon Tate. Tate is coming off a staunch 1st team all-conference campaign where he was one the most significant players for the Lightning’s strong 2020 season. In 2020, Tate played six out of the seven games for the Lighting, posting 643 rushing yards and 169 receiving yards, totaling 843 total yards for the season (averaging 135 yards per game).
Tate seems to be poised for an even stronger 2021 season. In the two games the Lightning has played in 2021, Tate has posted 197 rushing yards and 39 receiving yards, and seven interception return yards on two interceptions. Tate is already averaging about 120 total yards per game, even evolving his game to dominate on defense as well as offense, averaging one interception per game. Although it has only been two games, Tate is on pace to have a better season than 2020, which could be dangerous for opposing defenses and offenses.
Another area to keep an eye on for the Legacy Lightning in 2021 is the quarterback position. In the previous two years, the Lighting has been through three separate quarterbacks. In 2019, the Lightning split reps between two quarterbacks: senior Brayden Harris and sophomore Adarius Edwards. Harris, the senior, went 86/150 for 1,020 yards and four touchdowns. Edwards, the sophomore, went 111/148 for 1,207 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sadly for the Lightning, though, after the 2019 season, their sophomore stud Adarius Edwards transferred to Wasatch High School in Herbert City, Utah, where he is flourishing.
The 2020 season brought Jaiden Peterson (a senior for the 2020 season who rode the bench under Edwards and Harris for the 2019 season) as the Lightning’s quarterback. Peterson posted 66 completions out of only 94 attempts for 792 yards and seven touchdowns. These numbers are a bit below average, but understandably so, because of the dominant season of Braleon Tate, the Lightning’s all-conference running back.
The 2021 season brings the Lightning their fourth starting quarterback since 2019, junior Jadon Carter. In the two games for the 2021 season, Carter has gone for 17 completions out of 42 attempts for only 198 yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions.
The Legacy Lightning is currently 0-2 for the 2021 season, narrowly losing their season opener by one point before losing their next by 13 points last Thursday. The season is still incredibly young, though, with eight games left in the season, plenty of time for the Lightning to bounce back from this rocky start and possibly even make their way into the playoffs.
All eyes will be on Coach Heinz to bounce back from the rocky start and have hope of a playoff season. It will be interesting to see how he will integrate his star running back, Braelon Tate, to possibly take pressure off his junior QB, Jaiden Peterson. This could allow Peterson to bounce back from his rocky start and step into a game manager role to complement their star RB. If this is all done successfully, Legacy Lightning football has an incredibly bright future for the 2021 season.
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