Week 8 Class 8 Man League Breakdown
Northwest
The Northwest League Champion won’t be officially decided until next week but one team with a win this week will be in complete control of their destiny. The big game of the week is Soroco at West Grand and it looks to be a good one. Soroco lost last week to Plateau Valley 34 to 20. Soroco had a tough time stopping the run and gave up 385 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. They were effective running the ball as well and ran for 237 yards but couldn’t score enough to win. Soroco now has to upset West Grand for a chance to win league. Soroco faces off against Hayden next week so an upset here would give them a legit chance at a league championship but it won’t be easy. Soroco is sitting in 14th in the RPI so nothing is a lock for them yet. A loss to West Grand will not hurt their RPI but it will have to beat Hayden next week to have any chance at the playoffs. West Grand is on a three game winning streak and have been on a tear since entering league play. They have one more tough game next week against Gilpin County. If West Grand wins this game they cannot be declared Champions but will just have to beat Gilpin County next week and actually if Gilpin County loses this week to Rangely they would be the champions. West Grand is sitting in 5th in the RPI and are nearly a lock for the playoffs. They would love to have that league championship though and a guaranteed home game. I am going with West Grand by 17. Gilpin County faces off against Rangely and must win to keep any chance at a league title. They are also sitting in 23rd so a win is a must. Plateau Valley is also looking to make a splash in the playoffs and are sitting in 13th and have a great chance to make the playoffs if they can win out. One loss could kill any chance at the playoffs so nearly every week is an elimination game for them. They should be able to win out as they face Rangely next week.
Soroco at West Grand Rangely at Gilpin County
Hayden at Plateau Valley
RPI of teams in league: 5 West Grand .599, 13 Plateau Valley .546, 14 Soroco .519, 23 Gilpin County .472
Plains
Sedgwick County is in control right now of the plains league and will easily win this week when they play Caliche. With a win and also having Akron and Dayspring Christian loss they would lock up the league title this week but I don’t see either of those happening this week. Akron faces off against Haxtun this week. Haxtun bounced back from back to back losses by blasting Caliche last week 50 to 16. Haxtun is looking to finish in the top four of league this year and more than likely a playoff spot. Haxtun is currently in 11th place in the RPI and are still somewhat on the bubble. A win here would give them a big boost and probably lock them into the playoffs. They are going to need their offense to be top notch this week. Akron is one of the better defenses in 8 man so it will be tough sledding there. Akron is coming off their biggest victory of the season. They got a great 10 point victory over Dayspring Christian 37 to 27 and that still gives them a chance at a league title. Akron in the victory ran for a whopping 500 yards and must bring the same game plan this week. Akron now is #1 in the RPI and a lock for the playoffs. They want to stay one back of Sedgwick County and hope they fall next week to Dayspring Christian. Akron also if they finish #1 would probably get the #2 seed and a home game. I am going with Akron here by 21. One more big game is Merino at Dayspring Christian. Merino held Sedgwick County to their second lowest scoring total on the season but struggled to get their offense going against the best defense in 8 man. Merino right now is hoping to finish in fourth just like Haxtun but those two square off in the finale and that could possibly be for fourth and fifth place. Merino has struggled against the top teams putting up points on offense. They will be facing a defense that has been subject to giving up points. So Merino will need their offense to get going this week. Merino is currently in 10th and with a win will give them a lock in the playoffs but a loss won’t hurt them that much. Dayspring Christian will have to quickly bounce back this week after losing to Akron last week. DCA has struggled on defense this year against the top teams. They have surrendered over 50 points twice this season and over 30 points three times. Their offense has been what keeps them in games and has won those two 50 points games for them. DCA couldn’t get their offense to score enough last week against Akron and now if they want to win league will have to upset Sedgwick County who looks to be a juggernaut again this year. DCA is ranked 3rd in the RPI and are a lock for the playoffs as well. They are on track to grab a home game in the first round of the playoffs. I am going with DCA in a high scoring game against Merino by 10.
Caliche at Sedgwick County Akron at Haxtun
Merino at Dayspring Christian
RPI of teams in league: 1 Akron .706, 2 Dayspring Christian .680, 3 Sedgwick County .657, 10 Merino .588, 11 Haxtun .574
Central
The League Champion in the Central league will be decided this week baring an upset in the final week. Pikes Peak Christian and Justice have been the two best teams in the Central League and we finally get to see them square off. Justice is having a great season this year and have won 5 straight games after opening with a loss. They have a quality win against Plateau Valley. Justice is currently in 17th in the RPI. Their OWP is really low so this game will help with that but a loss even to a good team like Pikes Peak Christian could lower their RPI a bunch. Justice would rather have the league title then risk relying on the wildcard berth. They can do that by beating Pikes Peak Christian. Pikes Peak Christian is also having a great season and have played a tougher schedule than Justice. They have a quality loss to McClave who is 5-2 and a quality win against West Grand 6-1. They are sitting in 9th in the RPI but want that guaranteed home game in the first round. Pikes Peak Christian will be the favorite here. If they win they have a really easy game next week. I am going with Pikes Peak Christian by 24. South Park is currently sitting in 22nd but I don’t think there is enough quality points to make a run for the playoffs. Winning out will help their case but their OWP won’t improve too much in the last two games.
Pikes Peak Christian at Justice (League Championship) Miami Yoder at Rocky Mountain Lutheran
South Park at Belleview Christian
RP of teams in League: 9 Pikes Peak Christian .590, 17 Justice .500, 22 South Park .478
Southern
We could have are Southern League champion after this week. Hoehne is in complete control and with one victory will lock up the league title. Hoehne faces off against Simla and this is their league championship game. Simla was handled last week by Fowler and they took some wind out of their sail a bit. They can rebound though and could force a share of the league championship by upsetting Hoehne. Simla is currently in 18th and will get a boost win or lose in this game but will need a ton of help to get into the playoffs. Hoehne is one victory away from the league title and a home playoff game. They are currently in 8th place and I feel are a lock for the playoffs. They played a tough non-league schedule with a 2 point loss to Sargent and a 1 point loss to Dayspring Christian. Hoehne should easily handle Simla this week and lock up the Southern League title. I am going with Hoehne to win by 30. Fowler is also in the hunt for a playoff spot. They are sitting in 16th and just need to win out to give themselves the best chance possible. They would also need to hope that Sargent, Akron, and Wiley keep winning as well to boost their RPI. Fowler cannot afford a loss in the final two games or will be out of the playoffs.
Fowler at Swink Hoehne at Simla
Kiowa at Custer County
RPI of teams in league: 8 Hoehne .594, 16 Fowler .510, 18 Simla .499
Southeast
Granada has all but locked up the league title and barring a huge upset are your league champions. They face Las Animas this week and should walk away victorious and then face Wiley in the final week which will be a bit tougher but they should beat them easily as well. Granada has improved every week this year and they will be a scary team next year with the amount of youth they have. Granada is in 7th in the RPI. The big game this week is Holly at McClave. Both teams have already lost to Granada so they are hoping for an upset at the top for any chance at league. The winner of this game will have the best chance at the playoffs and a possible chance at the league title if Granada falters. Holly narrowly came from behind last week and came up just 8 points short. They now have to quickly rebound from the loss and try to grab a very important victory. Holly is sitting in 19th and are in need of a victory. This game will help both Holly and McClave in terms of RPI win or loss. McClave feels a bit better about their playoff chance they are sitting at 12th and with a win here would nearly be a lock for the playoffs. McClave must keep Holly at bay in scoring and they could pull the victory off. I am going with McClave in the narrow 7 point victory. Wiley is sitting at 21 and Springfield at 24 and the loser will be eliminated from the playoff chase. Both teams have improved each week and now this is a huge game for both teams. Wiley will be the slight favorite but Springfield has improved each week and the victor will still have a chance at the playoffs but will need some major help. I am going with Springfield to win here by 10.
Las Animas at Granada Holly at McClave
Springfield at Wiley
RPI of teams in league: 7 Granada .596, 12 McClave .568, 19 Holly .498, 21 Wiley .483, 24 Springfield
Southwest
Sargent has locked up the league title but have a huge rivalry game this week against Sanford. I don’t think Sargent will get pushed too much and should walk away with the victory. Sargent is sitting in 4th place in the RPI but this game won’t help out Sargent to much in terms of RPI but keeps them on pace for the league title game next week against Mancos. Mancos hosts Dove Creek this week and cannot lose this game. If Mancos loses this game it will severely hurt their playoff chances. A win helps in terms of League but won’t help much in the RPI part. Mancos should easily win. Mancos currently sits in 15th place and are right on the bubble they may drop out of the top 16 this week but have a great chance to boost their RPI next week against Sargent. Sangre De Cristo is currently 20th and should grab another victory this week against Del Norte. This game won’t help Sangre to much in the RPI standings. Sangre will need a few things to go their way for them to have a chance at the playoffs but they must win out to give themselves a chance. Norwood is currently in 6th place and are a lock for the playoffs. They are face Palisade JV and I am not sure how this effects the RPI so we will have to wait and see come Sunday.
Sanford at Sargent Del Norte at Sangre De Cristo
Dove Creek at Mancos Palisade JV at Norwood
RPI of teams in league: 4 Sargent .605, 6 Norwood .599, 15 Mancos .510, 20 Sangre De Cristo .485
8 Man Player of the Week
The 8 Man Player of the Week goes to Bridger Reese from Akron High School. In Akron upset defeat of Dayspring Christian Reese ran for 206 yards on 25 attempts for 8.2 yards per carry and also 2 touchdowns. He was part of the 500 yards rushing Akron had against Dayspring Christian.
MileHigh Prep Report 