He's the probable Class 3A football player of the year and the unquestioned marquee player entering the Class 3A state championship game.

But before handing the Most Valuable Player honor to all-everything Glenwood Springs quarterback Dakota Stonehouse, don't forget about Fort Morgan running back/safety Chris Cobbley.

The senior with the wrestlerlike frame - he's listed at 5-foot-7, 186 pounds - just as likely could tip the scales in the title matchup Saturday (2:30 p.m., Legacy Stadium) between the 13-0 squads.

"Believe it or not, he's not a wrestler, he's a basketball player," Fort Morgan coach Harrison Chisum said of Cobbley's winter sport of choice. "That's insane."

More mind-bending was Cobbley's performance in a 42-24 win against D'Evelyn in the semifinals. He rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns, intercepted a pass, placed a trick-play punt at the D'Evelyn 10-yard line and even filled in for a few series at fullback after starter Joe Hochanadel went down because of a left knee injury.

Had to be his best game this season, right?

"It's up there I guess," Cobbley said. "I've had a few other good games."

Cobbley's numbers - 1,881 yards rushing and 20 total touchdowns - will attest to that. They also lend credence to the notion that, although he hasn't received the amount of headlines afforded to Stonehouse and the Demons' dynamic passing game, he has been just as valuable a weapon for the Mustangs.

"He's a freight train," D'Evelyn coach Jeremy Bennett said. "Not super fast, but just massive. He has a low center of gravity and is just pretty impressive. He's the best running back we've faced all year."

Despite being bottled up early in the semifinals, Cobbley ripped off three runs of 30-plus yards, including touchdown jaunts of 35 and 46. All this from a guy who looks content to grind between the tackles for 5 or 6 yards at a time.

"That's the thing about Chris," Chisum said. "He doesn't look like he can, but if he needs to, he can get loose."

Of course, the Mustangs aren't solely made up of Cobbley, as two-way lineman Ryan Jensen pointed out when assessing why his back has been so successful.

"You gotta start with that offensive line," Jensen said. "We were getting good push, firing out, and that's what helps a lot, getting Chris those big holes to run through."

And don't forget the Fort Morgan defense, which forged a 5-0 victory in the turnover battle against D'Evelyn. Now the unit must prepare for its second straight shotgun-exclusive opponent in Stonehouse-led Glenwood Springs. Conventional wisdom suggests facing D'Evelyn gave the Mustangs a head start, but there are two edges to that sword.

"I think it kind of helps us, because we watched film of that game and now we know what they do against a spread offense," said Stonehouse, who has compiled 22 passing touchdowns and 20 more on the ground.

The Demons also found smooth sailing in the semifinals, routing Mountain View 47-14 despite the absence of starting receiver Connor Riley (broken left foot). In Fort Morgan, the Demons will face their fourth consecutive Tri-Valley League team in the postseason, and Stonehouse knows where the Mustangs are in the league's pecking order.

"Roosevelt, Berthoud and Mountain View were all strong teams," Stonehouse said. "But I think with Fort Morgan being undefeated and champions of that league, they'll be the best one."

Glenwood Springs again will be without Riley, but receiver Kevin Screen has caught 13 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns the past two games to help compensate for the loss.

"I did feel a lot of pressure, because he's a big part of what we do," Screen said. "But I think the whole team is just trying to get a win for Connor."

Championship

Glenwood Springs (13-0) vs. Fort Morgan (13-0) PLAYOFF ROAD

* First round: Glenwood Springs 51, Roosevelt 10; Fort Morgan 32, Elizabeth 0.

* Quarterfinals: Glenwood Springs 50, Berthoud 39; Fort Morgan 21, Summit 3.

* Semifinals: Glenwood Springs 47, Mountain View 14; Fort Morgan 42, D'Evelyn 24.

TROPHY CASE

* Glenwood Springs: The Demons are 2-0 in title games, both coming at the Class 2A level. The Demons beat Valley in 1978 and Fountain in 1980.

* Fort Morgan: The Mustangs are 3-1 in title games. They beat Rifle in 1952, Liberty (1992) and Evergreen (1999). The Mustangs previously made an appearance in 2001.

NUMBERS GAME

* Glenwood Springs: Quarterback Dakota Stonehouse has produced 14 touchdowns in three playoff games (eight passing, six rushing) and has tossed only three interceptions this season to go with 22 touchdown passes. He has 73 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions during the past three seasons.

* Fort Morgan: The Mustangs have outscored opponents 79-7 in the third quarter this season. They hadn't allowed a point in the third until Saturday, when D'Evelyn receiver Connor Davis found the end zone late in the quarter. Still, the Mustangs won the quarter 14-7.

GAME PLAN

1 This is the first neutral-site title game for 3A. Glenwood Springs, which would have hosted the game under the previous format, will travel 183 miles, Fort Morgan 89. "It'd be nice to play at home, but playing at a neutral site is going to be awesome," Demons receiver Kevin Screen said.

2 Despite giving up 24 points to D'Evelyn, Fort Morgan's defense is allowing only 9.5 points a game. All four shutouts have come against playoff teams.

3 The Glenwood Springs defense has allowed an average of 21 points a game in the postseason, which hasn't been a concern with its offense rolling up slightly fewer than 50 a contest.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

GLENWOOD SPRINGS

RUSHING (Att.-Yds.-TDs): Michael Hudson 145-1,547-28; Dakota Stonehouse 128-790-20; Luke Jacob 28-135-1.

PASSING (Cmp.-Att.-Yds.-TDs): Stonehouse 152-234-2,494-22.

RECEIVING (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): Kevin Screen 45-863-8; Connor Riley 33-699; Josh Galvan 23-321-4; Hudson 25-295-1; Bennett Nicola 16-199-2.

TACKLES: Keenan Hartert 115; Aaron Zancanella 102; Nick Ciano 71; Matt Snyder 65; Taylor Parsons 51; Moses Galvan 50.

SACKS: Zancanella 13; Hartert 4.

INTERCEPTIONS: Screen 3; J.Galvan 3; Nicola 2; Tyler Thulson 2.

FORT MORGAN

RUSHING (Att.-Yds.-TDs): Chris Cobbley 277-1,881-19; Isaac Rodriguez 66-345-0; Devon Deroche 61-340-3; Joe Hochanadel 76-325-6; Adam Hofman 14-167-1.

PASSING (Cmp.-Att.-Yds.-TDs): Garrett Pape 59-127-1,099-6.

RECEIVING (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): Casey Scott 31-605-4; Cobbley 13-205-1; Tanner Kinnison 4-143-1; Ian Moreno 8-124-1.

TACKLES: Keef Montel 108; Ryan Jensen 70; Kent Hall 65; Kinnison 62.

SACKS: Hochanadel 9; Jensen 8; Hall 6.

INTERCEPTIONS: Cobbley 8; Moreno 5; Kinnison 3.

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