The duo is two of the top five recruits in Colorado in the Class of 2027, according to 247Sports.<\/a> They are also major reasons why Valor Christian could have the firepower and depth to topple Cherry Creek, the two-time defending big-school champion that has won six of the last seven crowns<\/a> and has appeared in eight straight title games.\n<\/p>\n Valor Christian lost to Cherry Creek in the semifinals each of the last two years, including a narrow 21-13 defeat in 2025.<\/a> Following that loss in which the Eagles led early in the fourth but couldn\u2019t finish off the upset despite four Cherry Creek turnovers, Valor Christian head coach Mike Sanford declared his program had \u201cclosed the gap\u201d between themselves and the vaunted Bruins after the latter smoked them in the semifinals in \u201924, 42-17.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOur 2026 schedule is not for the faint of heart, and that\u2019s by design,\u201d Sanford said. \u201cWe have a special core of players, our seniors next year are fantastic in so many ways, and our (junior-to-be) class has a bunch of depth. I really like our team for this upcoming season.\u201d<\/p>\n Valor Christian stacked its schedule this fall,<\/a> no doubt to prepare the Eagles for an inevitable clash with Cherry Creek late in the playoffs. The Eagles open their season at home on Aug. 21 against Kinkaid, a private-school powerhouse in Houston, then host Faith Lutheran (Las Vegas) the next week.<\/p>\n After that, the Eagles travel to take on California juggernaut Mater Dei on Sept. 4, and following a bye, host Cherry Creek on Sept. 18. Valor Christian could also be tested in its league by Legend (Oct. 2 at home), Pine Creek (Oct. 17 in Colorado Springs) and Regis Jesuit (Oct. 30 in Aurora). Coleman\u2019s game-breaking ability at wideout and Russell\u2019s blocking at left tackle will be critical factors in Valor Christian\u2019s success amid that grueling regular-season slate and into the playoffs.\n<\/p>\n Coleman, who caught 45 passes for 975 yards and nine touchdowns last season, combines speed and size that is difficult for defensive backs to cover. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder, who is also a track standout, ran 10.67 in the 100 meters as a sophomore, and Sanford says he intends to get Coleman more targets this fall.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cOne significant mistake I made in 2025 is (Coleman) probably should\u2019ve touched the ball a little bit more,\u201d Sanford said. \u201cHis volume was OK, but when you realize he essentially averaged nearly one-fourth of a football field (at 21.7 yards per catch) every time he touched the ball, it goes to show he\u2019s got incredible explosiveness, top-end speed, big-play playmaking ability. So he\u2019s got to be a huge focal point to what we do offensively this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Russell boasts a strong football pedigree<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Russell will start at left tackle in 2026 after playing right tackle as a junior, center as a sophomore and all across the line as a freshman. Russell had 35 Division I offers, but chose Washington over other finalists in USC, Miami and Georgia.\n<\/p>\n The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder is the second notable blue-chip Valor Christian offensive lineman to head to Seattle in recent years, following Roger Rosengarten<\/a>, who starred for the Huskies and now plays for the Baltimore Ravens. Russell\u2019s storied family athletic legacy was a driving factor in the lineman\u2019s development.\n<\/p>\n Russell\u2019s dad, Matt Russell, is a CU Hall of Famer who won the 1996 Butkus Award as the nation\u2019s top linebacker. After a brief NFL career, Matt Russell was a scout for the Patriots and Eagles, then worked for 12 years as a Broncos\u2019 front-office executive<\/a>. He\u2019s been a senior personnel director\/advisor to the GM for the Eagles since 2022<\/a>.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Russell\u2019s mom, Sonja Russell (n\u00e9e Nielsen), was a first-team All-Big 12 volleyball player for the Buffs at the turn of the century. The lineman\u2019s sister, Delaney Russell, was a volleyball star at Valor Christian, where she was the 2023-24 state Gatorade player of the year before going on to Montana<\/a>. And the lineman\u2019s cousin, Brady Russell, just won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks as one of Seattle\u2019s core special team players.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up having all those mentors in sports really impacted me a lot,\u201d Reis Russell said. \u201cThat was the main driver to me being able to get this far in the game. I\u2019ve got a long way to go, but having people who\u2019ve done it before me at a high level has really helped me throughout this process.<\/p>\n \u201cLeaning on my dad and what he\u2019s done through football, and my mom and my sister\u2019s successes in volleyball, it\u2019s always showed me the way, especially with their work ethic. It\u2019s really created a picture of what it takes to be able to perform at that level.\u201d<\/p>\n Russell will be key in protecting the blind side of Valor Christian QB Titus Huard, who already has a stack of Division I offers<\/a> heading into his junior season. Other critical returners for the Eagles include junior-to-be offensive lineman Davis Moon, junior-to-be linebacker Evan Ingalls, senior-to-be defensive back Brandon Wright, and senior-to-be tight end Noah Pacheco.\n<\/p>\n Plus, Valor Christian is also getting a boost via the pending transfer of running back Kashus Clarvoe, who starred for Broomfield as a freshman. Clarvoe announced his intention to transfer to Valor Christian<\/a> last month.\n<\/p>\n The running back has yet to be cleared in the transfer waiver process<\/a>, but Sanford says Clarvoe has already been admitted to Valor Christian as a student for the 2026-27 school year and that he expects Clarvoe to receive full eligibility from CHSAA via a bona fide move.<\/p>\n Clarvoe, the lone freshman to earn CHSAA Class 4A first-team all-state honors<\/a> last year, burst onto the high school scene by rushing for 1,815 yards and 18 TDs. He averaged 9.6 yards per carry and posted nine games with 100 yards or more on the ground. If he\u2019s cleared, Clarvoe will fill an immediate need for Valor Christian, which graduated its two top tailbacks from last season in Chase Hanosh and Channing Fox<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Considering the aforementioned talent across both the line and skill positions, Russell believes Valor Christian is in a strong position to pursue the program\u2019s ninth title, its first since 2018.<\/a> Cherry Creek remains loaded, with four of the top recruits in the Class of 2027, headlined by the state\u2019s No. 1-ranked player in offensive lineman and UCLA commit Jackson Roper.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe came up one possession short of beating Creek last year,\u201d Russell said. \u201cThis year, coming in with that motivation is huge for us. And we\u2019re going to hopefully be able to flip things around and go for it all this year and get that ring.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Valor's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/TDP-L-CREEK-VALOR3C1A1335.jpg\")
Valor\u2019s Titus Huard (8) passes the ball to Valor\u2019s Chase Hanosh (26) during the 5A semifinal football game that resulted in a 21-13 win for Cherry Creek at Stutler Bowl in Greenwood, Colo., on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (Photo by McKenzie Lange\/Special to The Denver Post)
\nLoaded for a state title run<\/p>\n