High school football players around Pikes Peak region sign letters of intent on early signing day
A handful of Pikes Peak Region football players signed their national letters of intent on Wednesday, which was the opening of college football’s early signing period.
Mason Miller of Pine Creek signed with Iowa State University. Miller played both linebacker and running back at Pine Creek but will play linebacker in college.
In three seasons at Pine Creek, Miller recorded 151 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, five interceptions and five forced fumbles. Miller helped lead Pine Creek to the 5A quarterfinals in 2023 and won his district’s Defensive MVP award.
Pine Creek’s Mason Miller tries to leap over Denver East defenders Nov. 10.
Iowa State, which competes in the Big 12 Conference, is 7-5 this season. The Cyclones have reached bowl eligibility in six of the last seven years.
Also from Pine Creek, offensive lineman Carson Caplan celebrated his commitment to Cornell University.
A 6-foot-3, 285-pound center, Caplan played four seasons on the Eagles’ varsity squad.
Because Cornell is an Ivy League institution, incoming student-athletes do not sign official letters of intent, so Caplan used Wednesday as a day to celebrate his pledge. The Big Red went 3-7 in the 2023 season.
Two players from Fountain-Fort Carson signed with Northern Colorado.
Running back Mathias Price is one of them. He ran for 2,018 yards as a senior, second most in Fountain-Fort Carson’s single-season history.
Fountain-Fort Carson’s Mathias Price carries Friday against Pine Creek.
Price, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, was a CHSAA First Team All-State honoree in 2023 after rushing for 27 touchdowns.
Fountain-Fort Carson’s Lincoln Fa’apouli also signed with Northern Colorado after starting 20 games in the past two seasons. Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, he combined for 51 pancake blocks while playing offensive tackle.
Fa’apouli is 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, and his presence helped FFC finish 8-4. The offensive tackle earned a spot on CHSAA’s All-State Football Second Team.
Northern Colorado competes at the NCAA Division I FCS level in the Big Sky Conference. The Bears finished 0-11 in 2023.
Jaxon Gutowski of Coronado signed with Dordt University. In two and a half seasons as the Cougars’ starting quarterback, he totaled 3,559 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and 699 rushing yards.
Coronado junior Jaxon Gutowski (11) runs the ball against Lewis-Palmer in the second quarter at Don Breese Stadium in Monument, CO. on Thursday September 1, 2022. (Laura Domingue/Special to the Gazette)
The Cougars struggled in each of his seasons on varsity, compiling a 3-27 record.
Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt University competes at the NAIA level. The Defenders went 9-3 in 2023 and reached the second round of the NAIA Championship Series.
Pine Creek’s Cameron Cooper embraces Mason Miller after Miller scored a touchdown against Denver East on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.