Class 6 Man First Round Playoffs Breakdown
#2 Fleming 62 over #15 Otis 12
I dropped the ball on this game. I forgot it was Thursday. Fleming did beat Otis on Thursday. Which I would have predicted.
#1 Kit Carson vs #16 Idalia
Idalia is a surprise guest to the playoffs but is coming off a pair of good victory’s heading into the playoffs. Their biggest victory was an upset of Arickaree/Woodlin which is what propelled them into the playoffs. Idalia has played a brutal schedule this year playing against 7 out of 8 playoffs teams. They were handled in all of those games and they have already played Kit Carson this year. They lost to Kit Carson 57-18. Last week Idalia beat Cripple Creek-Victor They ran for 198 yards and threw for 107 yards. Idalia will have a tough time upsetting the #1 team in the state. They will have to stop Kit Carson rushing attack and also be able to run the ball which has been tough for them against the better teams.
Kit Carson is your #1 overall seed and played a great season. They played against 6 playoff teams and of course are undefeated on the year. They have been dominate scoring the ball and are averaging 48.6 ppg. Their defense is not the best in 6 man but it’s still good they are allowing 21.9 ppg. Last week they played Walsh and beat them easily 60 to 14. They threw the ball extremely well throwing for 283 yards they also ran for 101 yards. On the ground they are led by Chris Bryan who is averaging 63.0 yards per game and the team averages 145.8 yards per game. Kit Carson on offense is pretty balanced throwing for 181.6 yards per game. They will look to control the game with their defense and hope to repeat the same performance from the first game.
Kit Carson is one of the better teams in the state and they will be looking to prove that this year. Last year they were a top 5 seed so improving on last year is a key. Kit Carson and Eads have 2 common opponents and Idalia lost to both Eads and Cheyenne Wells and Hi-Plains and Kit Carson beat both of them. Kit Carson should dominate this game and I am going with them by 45.
#8 North Park vs #9 Cheyenne Wells
Cheyenne Wells is having a great season and it was somewhat of a surprise. They were not picked to be a big time playoff contender and they have proven that they are. They played against 6 playoff teams this year and went 3-3 against the playoff teams. They had a habit this year of giving up leads. They were beating Stratton/Liberty and let them back in the game and also had a lead against Eads and let them come back as well. Cheyenne Wells could be the dark horse in the playoffs but as a #9 seed you have to play a very tough team right off the bat and then have to play the #1 overall seed so whichever team wins here will have a very tough run. Cheyenne Wells is averaging 41.5 ppg on offense and allowing 19.1 on defense. Their defense is one of the best but need to learn to put opponents away when they can. Cheyenne Wells is balanced on offense and are led by do it all QB Jaime Huerta. Huerta is averaging 78.3 rushing yards per game and 139 passing yards per game. He will need to have a big game to push his team to the victory. Also Cheyenne Wells will need their defense to step up in the playoffs and prevent teams from coming back.
North Park had a very up and down season. They started with a loss to Fleming but then ran off three straight before falling to Pawnee and then winning the next three to finish with a 6-2 record. They only played against 3 playoff teams and only played one out of league game against Hanover who didn’t make the playoffs. North Park played in the tough Northern League and finished in a three way tie for second place. They went 1-2 against playoff teams. North Park is a run first offense and are averaging 266.1 yards per game on the ground. They are led by Noel Pizana who is averaging 112.4 yards per game. He is the catalyst for the offense and will need to have a good game. North Park’s offense is averaging 47.5 ppg and defensively are allowing 20 ppg. Their defense against the top teams has not been that affective. They allowed over 28 point to all three playoff teams which must be improved.
These two have 0 common opponents so it will be tough to compare these teams. North Park has struggled defensively to stop the top offenses. They allowed 46 to Fleming, 56 to Peetz, and 28 to Pawnee. Cheyenne Wells was able to slow down the top offense a bit more. Only allowing one team to break 40 points and that was Stratton/Liberty. Both teams on offense have proven they can score points so it will come down to which team on defense come to play. I am going with Cheyenne Wells here on the slight upset victory. Cheyenne will win by 17.
#4 Stratton/Liberty vs #13 La Veta
La Veta has had a great season this year going 6-1. The biggest knock on their record is they only played against 2 playoff teams and lost 54 to 51 to Cotopaxi. La Veta will be looking to prove they belong in the top teams but have a tough task against a very good team. La Veta on offense is averaging 55.3 ppg. And their defense is allowing 24.3 ppg. La Veta defensively has allowed over 50 point twice this year. La Veta is a pass first offense one of the few in 6 man which is a different element in the game. La Veta is averaging 270.2 yards per game through the air and 146.5 on the ground. La Veta offense is led by Trevor Warren. Warren is averaging 79.5 yards rushing and 144.3 yards passing. He will need to have his best game of the year to pull off a huge upset of Stratton/Liberty. La Veta will need their defense to be top notch to pull the upset.
Stratton/Liberty nearly ran the table before being upset by Hi-Plains in the season finale. They will have to bounce back very quickly because they are playing a tough team in the first round. Stratton/Liberty is a consistent team into the playoffs so they have that on their side. They played against 6 plays teams this year going 5-1. Stratton/Liberty on offense is very good they are averaging 56.4 ppg. Their offensive attack is run first. They are averaging 255.6 yards per game on the ground and only 114.9 through the air. Their rushing attack is led by Jacob McCormick who is averaging 142.3 yards on the ground. Stratton/Liberty on defense is giving up 23.6 ppg and will need to be on their toes against a pass heavy offense.
These two teams have 0 common opponent so getting a read on each team is tough. La Veta played a much easier schedule than Stratton/Liberty but their defense still allowed more ppg. La Veta will need their defense to bring their A game to stop a rushing attack that most teams have not. Stratton/Liberty has not faced a pass heavy offense yet this year so it will be interesting to see how they handle this offense. Stratton/Liberty must control the clock with their rushing attack and they will come out victorious. I am going with Stratton/Liberty to win by 21.
#5 Genoa-Hugo vs #12 Arickaree/Woodlin
Arickaree/Woodlin played a very interesting season this year. They started off great winning their first two games both of which are playoff teams. They hit a snag in the road after that losing four straight games the worst of which was to Idalia. They did rebound in the final week of the season by knocking off Otis and getting their offense back on the road. Arickaree/Woodlin has struggled defensively this year. They are giving up a whopping 41.6 ppg. They have given up over 38 points in 6 of the 7 games so if they want any chance at the upset they will have to improve their. Offensively Arickaree/Woodlin is averaging 39.0 ppg and want to run the ball first. They are averaging 230.4 ppg and are led by Kevin Ramirez who is averaging 133.3 rushing yards per game. Arickaree/Woodlin played all 7 games against playoff teams and went 3-4 against them. Like I said earlier if Arickaree/Woodlin wants to escape the first round they must sort out their defensive struggles.
Genoa-Hugo is the surprise team into the playoffs and they have a ton of momentum. They started rough losing 2 of their first 3 games but have won 5 straight games since that. Genoa-Hugo played against 3 playoff teams going 1-2 against them. A big key for Genoa-Hugo is to stay healthy and they could have a chance at upsetting a few teams. They are on upset alert this week against a good team. Genoa-Hugo on offense is averaging 48.4 ppg and attack you both on the ground and through the air. Their offense is led by QB Brandon Ravenkamp who is averaging 117.2 passing yard per game. Defensively Genoa-Hugo is allowing 24.8 ppg and will need to be able to do that this week. Genoa-Hugo must be able to stop the run if they want to move onto the next round.
Both teams have one common opponent and that is Stratton/Liberty. Genoa-Hugo lost to them 84 to 34 and Arickaree/Woodlin lost to them 54 to 28. If that is any indication at all this looks like it will be a good game. Offense will be the key for both teams. Whichever team can control the tempo of the game will win. I am going with Genoa-Hugo to move on. I have Genoa-Hugo winning by 10.
#3 Hi Plains vs #14 Walsh
Walsh sneaks into the playoffs making a huge jump in the RPI in the final poll. They moved from 24 to 16 and grabbed one of the last playoff spots. Walsh offensively has struggled averaging 32.4 ppg which is one of the lower totals in the 6 man playoffs. Defensively they have also struggled giving up 44.8 ppg and that must be much lower if they plan on pulling the upset. Walsh played against 5 playoff teams this year losing to all 5 of them. They did play a tough schedule. I don’t have much more information on Walsh but their struggles have been stopping the top team offensives.
Hi Plains had a rough start to the season losing to Cheyenne Wells right off the bat but rebounded nicely winning 6 of their next 7 games. They are currently on a 3 game winning streak including a upset victory over Stratton/Liberty. Hi Plains played against 6 playoff teams going 4-2 against them. Hi Plains on offense has been very impressive. Averaging 53.3 ppg and have thrown the ball very effectively throwing for 185.6 ypg. They also run the ball very well rushing for 150.3 ypg. Their offense is led by Riley Marzolf who is averaging 155.8 passing ypg. Defensively is where Hi Plains must improve. They have allowed 34.25 ppg and must improve that if they plan on winning the state title.
This should not be a tough game for Hi Plains and a good warm up game for the next round. Hi Plains should win by over 40 points.
#6 Cotopaxi vs #11 Pawnee
Pawnee is having a great year after opening the season losing 3 of their first four. They have won 4 straight games and are on a good roll heading into the playoffs. Pawnee played against 4 playoff teams going 1-3 against them. Pawnee is averaging 44.4 ppg and are led by a strong rushing attack that is averaging 207.0 ypg. Their rushing attack is led by Bryce Schnug who is averaging 99 ypg. Defensively Pawnee is a middle of the back defense. They are giving up 23.3 ppg which is about average for the teams in the playoffs. Pawnee must get their rushing attack going to pull a huge upset.
Cotopaxi ran the table through the regular season but only played against 1 playoff team and that was La Veta. Cotopaxi is out to prove that even though the played a weaker schedule they are one of the better teams. Offensively they have blown past opponents averaging 48.3 ypg and like their opponent love to run the ball. They are averaging 203.6 ypg on the ground and are led by RJ Banta who is averaging 127.8 ypg. Even though Cotopaxi played an easier schedule they made sure they ran through all their opponents. Defensively they have been stout only giving up 15.5 ppg which is the best in 6 man. They will look to start their title run looking to avoid the upset.
These teams have no common opponents but the game will be decided by which team can control the line of scrimmage. Both teams want to run the football and who ever does that the best will win this game. Pawnee on defense has struggled this year and I see that being the deciding factor. I am going with Cotopaxi here to win by 21.
#7 Eads vs #10 Peetz
Peetz is having a great year going 6-2 with both losses to playoff teams. Peetz has played against 4 playoff teams going 2-2. They are looking to pull an upset here of the #7 seed. Their offense is the best in 6 man. They are averaging an outstanding 64.3 ppg and their offense is very high powered. They are averaging 269 ypg on the ground and 152.4 passing ypg. They are led by QB Bryson Long and RB Cody Wilson. Bryson Long is averaging 71.9 passing ypg but a total of 176.1 total ypg. He will be the key for this team on offense. Wilson is averaging 111.5 rushing ypg but also 12 tackles per game. If these two players play like they know how they will be tough to stop. Defensively is where Peetz will need to improve. They are allowing 29.9 ppg and that must drop lower if they plan to pull a couple upsets.
Eads grabbed a big come from behind victory last week against Cheyenne Wells. That victory will give them a huge momentum booster heading into the playoffs. Eads played against 5 playoff teams going 3-2 against them. Eads is averaging 44.8 ppg which is about the averaging for teams in the playoffs. Their offense is led by their rushing attack which is averaging 261.6 ypg. If their rushing attack is stopped they are in some trouble. Their rushing attack is led by Fred Turner who is averaging 175.0 ypg. Their passing attack will need to improve a bit as they are only throwing for 93.5 ypg. Eads on defense will also need to improve heading into the playoffs. They are allowing 29.4 ppg and that is also kind of high. If Eads improves their defense watch out for this team.
These two teams don’t have a common opponent. The key to this game will be defense. Both teams can score points especially Peetz. But whichever team can get one or two stops will win this game. I am guessing both teams break the 40 point mark. I am going to go with the upset in this game. Peetz offensively is very tough to stop and I don’t think Eads will be able to keep up with them. I am going with Peetz to win by 10.
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