Week 6 8-Man League Breakdown
Ark Valley
The Ark Valley league opened with a bang. Granada was able to keep things rolling with a nice 50 to 22 win over McClave but the big game from last week was Springfield vs Holly. Holly was able to grab a monster league win 31 to 30 over Springfield. Most people would call that an upset but I predicted a close game Holly just made the last play to win the game. Things don’t get any easier for Holly as now they host Granada in another big league battle. In essence if Holly pulls the upset they essentially lock up the league crown as they have faced the second and third best teams. Granada will still have to face Springfield but a win will put their fate in their own hands. This game will be a fun game to watch I expect it to be a barn burner and go down to the wire. I am expecting over 30 points scored by both teams. Springfield travels to Las Animas and should grab their first league win of the season and to get back on track. This league should get three teams into the playoffs. Wiley faces off against McClave this week and if Wiley wins will go to 2-0 in league play and could also make a case for a playoff spot.
Granada at Holly Springfield at Las Animas
McClave at Wiley
Central
Vail Christian and West Grand are still the two top teams in league after last week. Vail Christian grab a big league win over Elbert 58 to 22. West Grand actually lost last week but it was a non-league game, they lost to Plateau Valley 25 to 14. This league will come down to those two teams for the league crown. Vail Christian does have a tough game this week against Gilpin County but they should be able to grab the victory and move to 4-0 in league play. Nederland is looking to stay in third place when they face Justice this week. West Grand once again plays a non-league opponent in Hayden and is looking for a victory against a non-league opponent. This league might only get one team into the playoffs.
Elbert at Pikes Peak Christian Vail Christian at Gilpin County
Justice at Nederland West Grand at Hayden (non-league)
Mountain
There were some good games last week in the Mountain League. Sargent squared off against Mancos in what I thought would be a good test for Sargent. Sargent ended up blowing out Mancos 68 to 12 and now I believe sets up a great game when they face Dove Creek. Sargent cannot look past this weekend when they face Sangre De Cristo. Sangre De Cristo demolished Sierra Grande last weekend and pushed themselves into a tie for second place. Sargent should grab the win if their defense keeps playing the way they are and if their offense can keep running the ball with effectiveness. The other big game from last week was a non-league game between Dove Creek and ranked Hoehne. Dove Creek was able to pull the upset and grab a monster key win 28 to 24. That win catapulted Dove Creek into the rankings and are looking to challenge Sargent for the league crown. Dove Creek faces Del Norte this week and should be an easy win. Sanford will be looking for their second win of the season when they face Sierra Grande and Mancos has a non-league game against Shiprock Northwest. This league might be able to grab three playoff berths but for sure will get 2.
Sargent at Sangre De Cristo Sanford at Sierra Grande
Dove Creek at Del Norte Mancos at Shiprock Northwest (NM) (non-league)
Plains
This the most exciting league in 8 Man. Every week there is a big game and this week is no exception. The big game this week is between #1 Dayspring Christian and #4 Akron. Dayspring Christian blanked Caliche 26 to 0 which is the lowest amount of points they have scored so far this year but it was still a win. Akron is coming off a monster win over Merino 42 to 0. That final score surprised me but Akron dominated the game and are looking to build off that game for this weekend. I believe the game will be a high scoring affair. Both teams will score over 30 points and will come down to which defense steps up more. Akron has faced a tougher schedule than Dayspring Christian which will prepare them for this big game. The next game is between Caliche and Haxtun. Caliche is looking to rebound from their loss to Dayspring Christian. Their offense was couldn’t get anything going and will need to bounce back. A loss for Caliche will nearly destroy any chance at making a run for a league title and maybe even the playoffs. The only nice thing for Caliche is they quality of opponents they face week in and week out. Haxtun is looking to rebound after getting slammed by Sedgwick County 52 to 14. At one point Haxtun was winning and then Sedgwick County got their offense rolling and this turned into a blowout. Haxtun will need their defense to step up this weekend and their offense to get back on track. I think Haxtun will grab the victory and go to 1-1 in league play. The last game for the plains league is Merino traveling to Sedgwick County. Merino was completely stunned by Akron last week. Merino’s offense couldn’t get on the board last week and their defense was toasted on the ground last week. Merino is going to have to quickly rebound as they are facing the best offensive team in 8 Man. Sedgwick County was scared early on in the game but then rolled to a monster victory. Sedgwick County has yet to score under 40 points this year and 14 was the most they have allowed all season. Sedgwick County is going to be looking to continue their offensive assault this week against Merino. I don’t think Merino will be able to slow down Sedgwick County and Sedgwick wins big again this week. Right now I believe this league gets 5 teams into the playoffs 6 might be too much of a stretch.
Caliche at Haxtun Merino at Sedgwick County
Akron at Dayspring Christian
Southern
The Southern league is a three team race. Kiowa, Hoehne, and Simla are the three teams to watch out for. Kiowa was able to grab a nice win against Swink 50 to 14 and Simla beat a good Fowler team. Hoehne was not in the same boat as the other two teams they had a non-league game and were upset by a very good Dove Creek team. Hoehne will get a chance to right the ship this week when they face Swink. Hoehne should win easily and get back in the win column. The big game is between Kiowa and Simla. Kiowa and Simla are both looking to go 3-0 in league and keep pace with Hoehne. Kiowa is having a great season so far and their one loss to Granada is a good loss. They have a key win against Caliche. Simla is still looking for that key win. They have losses to good teams but they have yet to grab that key win. They will have their chance this week against Kiowa but I just don’t see them scoring enough points to upset Kiowa. This league will get 2 teams in for sure and more than likely grab a third team in, it really depends on how many teams the plains gets and the Western Slope.
Swink at Hoehne Kiowa at Simla
Fowler at Cripple Creek Custer County at Rocky Mountain Lutheran (non-league)
Western Slope
Once again the Western Slope should be won by Norwood. The one team I thought would challenge them was Soroco and they were blasted 51 to 13. This league is a one playoff team league more than likely and I don’t see anyone challenging Norwood for the league crown. The other teams will be looking to try and grab as many wins as possible and present their case at the end of the year for a playoff spot. A key game this week is Rangeley at Soroco. Rangeley with a win would get to 3-4 overall and 2-0 in league. This is a must win for them and a loss will hurt any chance they have at a playoff berth. The only other team that might have a chance at the playoffs could be Plateau Valley. They grabbed a nice win over West Grand last week and if they could challenge Norwood could get some more considerations. Plateau Valley has yet to play a league game but I think they can finish in second place in league and could also get consideration for a playoff seed but can only afford to loss to Norwood from here on out.
Rangeley at Soroco Norwood at Plateau Valley
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