Class 1A Semifinals Breakdown
Official Coin Flip Results for State Championship: Meeker hosts if they win regardless of opponent, Bennett will not host regardless of opponent so Paonia or Strasburg will host.
#1 Meeker vs #4 Bennett Saturday 1:00pm
Bennett keeps rolling through playoff opponents and that was the case this week. They scored 35 first half point in their blowout victory over Peyton. The final score was 63 to 27 but this game was well in hand after the first half. Defensively Bennett played another superb game only giving up 81 yards passing and 128 yards rushing. They also caused three turnovers and won the turnover battle 3 to 1. Bennett was led in tackles by Ryan Packard who had 11 tackles. Offensively Bennett had no problem at all running the ball. They ran for 402 yards on 44 carries for 9.1 yards per carry. They also ran for 8 touchdowns. Their rushing attack was led by Jesse Rodriquez who ran for 186 yards 6 touchdowns and was averaging 12.4 yards per carry. Bennett has one of the better rushing attacks in 1A and has only been slowed down by one opponent. The 27 point allowed is the second highest they have allowed this year but most of them came in the second half and I don’t think that is a cause for concern. Bennett will be tested this week playing against a very good and very fast defense. They also will have their defense tested as well. They have yet to play a spread offense like Meeker so this should be a very good game.
Meeker went up this week against the power rushing attack of Platte Canyon and they came away victorious. Meeker won the tough battle 28 to 15 and played tough football for the first half before allowing the 15 point in the second half. Meeker defensively came to play they had to stop an offense who is rushing for over 300+ yards a game. They held Platte Canyon to 211 yards rushing but in the process of that gave up 95 yards passing to a non-passing team. Meeker also caused 2 turnovers and was led in tackles by Chase Rule who had a whopping 24 tackles. Offensively Meeker played tough a gritty against a big powerful team. They ran for only 166 yards but threw for 212 yards on 11 of 13 attempts and 4 touchdowns. Their passing attack was led by Logan Hughes who also ran for 36 yards. Meeker has an offense where either their passing attack or rushing attack can lead them to a victory and it showed in this game. Meeker defense will need to quickly recover from this game they were on the field for 66 plays compared to 43 of their own. Meeker will face another run happy team and will be tested on offense as well.
Both teams have 3 common opponents. They both played Highland, Ellicott, and Platte Canyon. Bennett beat Highland 49 to 0, Ellicott 66 to 20, and Platte Canyon 22 to 12. Meeker beat Highland 18 to 8, Ellicott 43 to 6, and Platte Canyon 28 to 15. The main game to look at to compare these two teams is the Platte Canyon game. Both played Platte Canyon tough and both pulled out 10+ point victories. Bennett is yet to face an offense that can spread you out and run the ball very well. Meeker is led by a very good quarterback who can run or thrown and makes smart decisions with the ball. Meeker also has not faced a rushing attack like this. Bennett has only been slowed down by one team all year and that was Burlington. The only nice thing is Paonia beat Burlington and Meeker did beat them so it could be possible for Meeker to slow down this rushing attack. The keys to the game will be defense. Meeker has shown it can slow down some of the top teams in the state. Meeker will need their defense to be ready for this very good rushing attack. They must limit the big plays from Bennett. Bennett will need their defense to come to play again. They do not want to get into a shootout like they did with Strasburg early in the year. Both of these teams are even in offensive output per game. They do it differently but are both very effective. Defense is completely the key to the game and Meeker has slightly a better defense than Bennett. I am going to go with Meeker to win this game by 14. I think Meeker will be able to slow down Bennett rushing attack enough and I think Meeker offense will score enough point to get them to the victory.
#2 Strasburg vs #3 Paonia Saturday 1:00pm
Paonia had one of the most exciting game of the entire weekend against Burlington. At halftime the score was 15 to 6 and still very much in the air. Burlington then scored the only points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 15 to 13. The fourth quarter got started with a quick touchdown by Paonia to give them a 22 to 13 lead. Then with 6 minutes left in the fourth Burlington scored again to cut the lead to 2 and needed the ball back with a chance to win the game. Paonia was able to hold off the late rally by Burlington and win the game 22 to 20 and advance once again to the Semifinals. I knew this game was going to be a good one and both teams didn’t want to lose. No offense stats have been input yet but Paonia is a power rushing team and I am sure that was their main focus on offense. Paonia now must get health and be ready for one of the most explosive offense in 1A. Paonia will need to have their best defensive output this week to pull the upset.
Strasburg was in their first tight game since playing Bennett early in the season. Strasburg pulled off a very tight 29 to 11 victory but the final score does not do justice to the tightness of the game. Strasburg on defense struggled a bit stopping the run. They gave up 204 yards rushing but were great stopping the pass only giving up 32 yards passing. Strasburg was able to win the turnover battle which was a huge key to their victory. They had 2 INT’s and were lead in tackles by John Still who had 10 tackles. Offensively Strasburg struggled to run the ball only rushing for 103 yards which might be their lowest total of the season. Strasburg was able to pass the ball effectively though and went 7 for 11 for 172 yards 3 touchdowns and 0 INT’s. Their passing attack was solid and proved to be the biggest factor of the game. Their passing attack was led by Conner Martin and he will be needed again this week. Strasburg will need to quickly figure out their problems on defense of stopping the run. Paonia rushing attack is a bit better than Cedaredge so Strasburg will be tested defensively again. Strasburg also must be able to run the ball and not completely rely on their passing attack again.
Both of these teams have 3 common opponents. They both played Burlington, Grand Valley, and Cedaredge. Paonia beat Burlington 22 to 20, Grand Valley 42 to 8, and Cedaredge 35 to 21. Strasburg beat Burlington 48 to 14, Grand Valley 54 to 0, and Cedaredge 29 to 11. The score to look at is the Cedaredge game and not the Burlington game. When Strasburg played Burlington it was to start the season off and Burlington has improved a ton since then. The Cedaredge and Grand Valley games are more of the games to compare. These teams are very evenly matched and both offense are led in similar way. Strasburg is one of the most explosive offensive teams in the state. They are averaging 432.5 total ypg compared to Paonia 309.2 total ypg. Paonia will look big time into the Cedaredge tap to see how they slowed down the run. I think if Paonia can slow down Strasburg run again they could pull the upset. Also Paonia must be able to run the ball for 200+ yards again. Strasburg on the other hand must get their defense ready for another power rushing attack. Paonia is a power football team who will come at you hard on the ground. Strasburg must get their rushing attack going as well I am sure they do not want to have to throw for almost 200 yards again to win. This should be a very good game and will come down to a few keys. The first key will be which defense can control the line of scrimmage. Whichever defense can stop the run the best will have the biggest advantage. I don’t think either team really wants to throw for over 15 times. The second key will be turnovers. Whichever team can limit the amount of mistakes will win this game. Paonia will need their defense to be on point if they plan on stopping this rushing attack. They will need to keep their offense on the field as well. Strasburg must be ready for some smash mouth football and have their defense ready to stop the run. I am going with Strasburg to eke out a close 7 point game. I just think their offense will be just enough to win them this game but Strasburg will be tested.
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