Class 8-Man Semifinals Breakdown
#1 Sedgwick County 11-0 vs Sargent 10-1 (Sat 1:00pm)
In Class 8-Man the top four seeds have advanced and they all won by 14 points or more last week. The closest game last week was Sargent vs Springfield and Sargent won 22 to 8. Besides that the top 3 seeds all won by more than 14.
Sedgwick County moved into the semifinals with a 52 to 21 victory over Hoehne. The 21 points surrender is the most points given up all year but their offense was still on fire scoring 52 points which is their 8th game over 50 points this year. Their offense was very balanced in the win going 7 of 9 passing for 202 yards and rushing for 253 yards on 25 carries. Sedgwick County slowed one of the better rushing attacks last week and face another one this week in Sargent.
Sargent had to beat a great team twice in one year and were able to do that when they beat Springfield 22 to 8. This is their first Semifinals appearance in over 20 years and they have a very tough matchup. In their win over Springfield they didn’t complete a pass but ran for 215 yards on 41 carries and relied on their defense to power them to victory. The 215 yards is the lowest amount of rushing yards they have had all year but when you play a team twice in one year what do you expect. On defense Sargent limited Springfield to only 237 yards which is also a very low for Springfield and the 8 points surrendered is their 4th game giving up 8 points or less. Sargent will need that defense once again this week.
These teams played two common opponents this year. They both played Wiley and Haxtun and both won by a good amount. Sargent beat Wiley 50 to 6 and Haxtun 64 to 20. Sedgwick County beat Wiley 50 to 6 and Haxtun 52 to 14. I think this is going to be a good game and there is a lot of inexperience for both teams when it comes to playoff experience. For Sargent to pull the upset they will need their rushing attack to control the tempo of the game. They must keep Sedgwick County off the field and cannot afford to have any big special team’s plays and turnovers. Akron proved you can slow down Sedgwick County and Sargent will be looking to follow the same example but must be able to run the ball and control the clock. For Sedgwick County to get to the state championship they need their defense to stop the run once again. They were already tested last week against Hoehne but I believe Sargent rushing attack is better. Only one team so far has held Sargent under 300 yards rushing and they are going to need to focus on that. Sedgwick County offense will need to keep moving the ball like they have all year and look for big plays on special teams. Sedgwick County is the favorite in this game but I believe Sargent will give them a good game. I have Sedgwick County winning by 14.
#2 Norwood 10-1 at #3 Akron 9-2 (Sat 1:00pm)
The best game of the Semifinals is #2 Norwood vs #3 Akron and it’s going to be a great game. Norwood is looking to grab that elusive state title and Akron is also looking for their first 8-Man title and looking to become the powerhouse they once were in 1A.
Norwood has only been challenged once all year and that was against Sargent who they beat 38 to 28. Besides that they blew everyone out but only played 3 playoff teams, including Sargent. Norwood advanced to the semifinals by blasting Dove Creek 49 to 14 and holding Dove Creek to only 64 yards rushing and 179 yards passing. They have scored over 49 points 7 times this year. They will be looking to use their offense again this week but play a very good defense.
Akron once again had to play Dayspring Christian and won by nearly identical scores beating them 30 to 7 the first time and this time beating them 36 to 7. Akron played a very tough schedule playing against 5 playoff teams and only losing in 8-Man to #1 Sedgwick County. Akron only completed one pass against Dayspring Christian for 14 yards and ran for 267 yards on 59 carries. On defense Akron scored one defense touchdown off an Interception and also had a special team’s touchdown. The 7 points given up is their 6th game giving up 7 points or less. They are going to need their offense to be more productive this week to pull the upset.
These teams have one common opponent and that is Plateau Valley. They both hammered Plateau Valley Norwood won 46 to 0 and Akron won 52 to 13. This will be one of the better games in the lower classification. Akron is looking to pull the upset and for them to do that they will need their defense to once again play great. Akron is the only team to limit Sedgwick County offense to 14 points they gave up a punt return for a touchdown that gave them 22 points. Akron’s offense has also been very good and must control the tempo of the game and keep Norwood off the field. For Norwood to avoid the upset they must control the tempo of the game. They cannot afford to leave their defense on the field against a very good power rushing attack. This is Norwood first game against a team that can run and throw the ball effectively so we will see how their defense will fair. When they played against an opponent with similar skill they gave up 28 points. Even though Akron is the 3 seed they might be the favorite in this game. They were battle tested all year and I think are tied for the best defense in 8-Man with Sedgwick County. Norwood didn’t play a tough enough schedule and are missing a close game plus I don’t think their defense is in the same class as Akron but that is why they play the game and it’s not played on paper. I still think this is going to be a great game but I have Akron winning by 14 points.
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