Class 8 Man Week 9 League Breakdown
Final week of the season and time to rise up or fall out of the playoffs.
Central League
Pikes Peak Christian locked up the league title last week and have an easy game this week. They should easily win and be ready for the playoffs. Pikes Peak Christian is currently 5th in the RPI and are looking at either the #4 or #5 seed according to the RPI. South Park is sitting in 21st but will not get any help in this game to boost their RPI. A win will help but their OWP will drop. The only other team in the Central League with a chance at the playoffs is Justice. They will have a game to give them a boost. Justice host Rocky Mountain Lutheran and if they will they will get a big boost in the RPI. With Rocky Mountain Lutheran being 4-4 their WP will help Justice out but that is only if Justice can win the game. A lose will eliminate Justice from the playoffs. I think Justice will win the game and it will come down to about 5 teams fighting for the last 2 spots.
Pikes Peak Christian vs Belleview Christian Rocky Mountain Lutheran at Justice
South Park at Miami Yoder
RPI of teams in league: 5 Pikes Peak Christian .609, 17 Justice .503, 21 South Park .476
Northwest
The Northwest league has been one of the biggest surprises in all of 8 man. They have 4 team over .500 and it has been a very competitive race. Currently there are four teams in the race for the playoffs and the league title will be decided this week. Plateau Valley is sitting in 13th and should easily win this week and they should be able to have enough points to make the playoffs. They travel to Rangely and it is a must win game. They cannot lose this game if they lose they possibly could drop out of the playoffs. Soroco is sitting in 15th place and .015 ahead of 16th. It’s still very tight and they must win this week as well. Soroco host Hayden and a win should get them into the playoffs. A loss will eliminate them as well. They also must be leary of the teams behind them as some have some huge games. The league title game is between West Grand and Gilpin County. Gilpin County currently is sitting in 22nd place and are trailing behind 16th by quite a few points. Nothing is out of reach but Gilpin County will need a win here to make sure they get in. If they win the get the title outright but it won’t be easy. West Grand comes in on a good winning streak and are looking to lock up their second straight league title and a automatic home game. They will be the favorites but this will be a good game. Gilpin County has surprised a few teams this year and will hope to do it one more time. I am going with West Grand here by 21 points but this should be a fun game to watch.
West Grand at Gilpin County Hayden at Soroco
Plateau Valley at Rangely
RPI of teams in league: 6 West Grand .609, 13 Plateau Valley .546, 15 Soroco .523, 22 Gilpin County,
Plains
The Plains league race has been a fun one. One teams has completely dominated the league and that is Sedgwick County. They have a tough game this week against Dayspring Christian. Dayspring Christian is going to have to quickly bounce back from a loss to Merino last week. They will have a tough time dealing with the #1 defense in 8 man. Dayspring has struggled defensively and we will have to see if those problems get fixed or they are in risk of losing again. Dayspring Christian is a lock for the playoffs but are fighting with four other plains teams for possibly 3 home games. Sedgwick County controls their own destiny. With a win they grab the league title and the automatic home berth. They cannot catch Akron who is #1 in the RPI but I feel that when it comes down to it Sedgwick County has the head to head on Akron and will get the #1 overall seed. Just as long as Sedgwick County beats Dayspring Christian. I think Sedgwick County should will win by 28. Akron is sitting in second place and have that all locked up and will easily beat Caliche this week. They will probably end up with the #2 overall seed. A very interesting game for seeding and possibly for the last home game will be between Merino and Haxtun. Haxtun is in 11th and are a lock for the playoffs. They will be on the road in the first round but are a lock for the playoffs. They nearly pulled off a huge upset last week and gave up a last second touchdown to Akron. Haxtun will have to bounce back quickly. Merino is coming off a huge upset of Dayspring Christian and now must use that to try and grab a victory. Merino is sitting in 4th and are a lock for the playoffs as well. They have a chance at a home game but would need to jump Dayspring Christian for that spot. Merino will have the head to head on them so that might be possible but they have to beat Haxtun first. This game should turn into a shootout and I believe will be very high scoring. I am going with Haxtun in the upset by 3. The plains league is a lock for 5 of the 6 teams to get into the playoffs.
Sedgwick County at Dayspring Christian Akron vs Caliche
Merino vs Haxtun
RPI of Teams in League: 1 Akron .719, 2 Dayspring Christian .662, 3 Sedgwick County .617, 4 Merino .617, 11 Haxtun .559
Southeast
Granada is your league champion and should easily win this week. They have had a great season with a lot of young talent. Granada is sitting 10th in the RPI. Holly faces Las Animas this week and that won’t help their RPI to much they are sitting in 14th. They have a .011 lead on 15th and .026 lead on 16th but 6 Man had huge jumps in RPI in the final week so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. Just as long as Holly beats Las Animas they should be able to grab a playoff spot. A huge game this week is Springfield traveling to McClave. Springfield has made a huge surge jumping from 28 to 24 to now 20 in the RPI. They have put themselves in the conversation for a playoff spot and I think a win could do it for them. Springfield will get a good boost with a win and I think their only chance at making the playoffs is with a win this week. McClave is going to have to quickly bounce back from last week and also cannot feel completely comfortable with where they are in the RPI. They are in 12th but a loss will drop their RPI a bit. They will get in with a win this week but a loss will could make it a lot more interesting. I am going with Springfield to pull the upset here by 7. The South East has been an interesting league race all year and I am excited to see how it turns out.
Granada vs Wiley Las Animas at Holly
Springfield at McClave
RPI of teams in league: 10 Granada .582, 12 McClave .559, 14 Holly .534, 20 Springfield .484
Southern
Hoehne has locked up the league title and currently sits 7th in the RPI. They should get a very good seed for the playoffs. They should easily win this week and prepare for the playoffs. Simla is currently the last team in at 16. They must win this week against Custer County. If Simla wins they will get a nice boost in the RPI but a loss will knock them out. Simla had the 6th toughest SOS in 8 Man so their WP is low and that is what is hurting their RPI. A win will give Simla a nice boost and possibly a playoff spot. Fowler is in 19th and I am not sure if they have enough points left to get them into the playoffs. They need to win first and hope the numbers fall in their favor. I am not sure if they will get everything they need to get into the playoffs but winning must be the key. I think they will win this week by 10. The Southern League is more than likely a two team’s league and that is only if Simla wins or if Fowler wins. Will be interesting to see the final RPI numbers for this league.
Hoehne vs Swink Custer County at Simla
Kiowa at Fowler
RPI of teams in league: 7 Hoehne .604, 16 Simla .523, 19 Fowler .492
Southwest
Are league Champion will be decided this week when Sargent travels to Mancos. Mancos is sitting in 18th and with a win or loss will get a nice bump in RPI. They will probably have to upset Sargent though to get into the playoffs. They will have a tough time doing that with a top 5 defense coming to town. Sargent is sitting in 8th place and with a win should get an increase in their RPI. Sargent’s RPI has been lowering every week due to their very weak league. They have dominated their league and this is a must win game for them heading into the playoffs. Sargent I think will win by 31. Norwood received a forfeit win from Dove Creek already and will finish in second if Mancos loses to Sargent. They are a lock for the playoffs and will be on the road in the first round. They are 9th in the RPI and will be a tough team to beat. The only other team trying to get into the playoffs is Sangre De Cristo. I think they will come up short because they are not getting enough points in their final game. The Southwest League looks like a two team’s league unless Mancos get some major help from teams ahead of them.
Sargent at Mancos Norwood at Dove Creek
Sangre De Cristo at Sanford
RPI of teams in league: 8 Sargent .602, 9 Norwood .591, 18 Mancos .501, 23 Sangre De Cristo
Class 8 Man Player of the Week
Class 8 Man Player of the Week goes to Brady Gore of West Grand High School. In West Grand victory over Soroco Gore threw for 153 yards on 6 of 16 attempts and 2 touchdowns he also ran for 123 yards on 2 touchdowns.
MileHigh Prep Report 