6 Man State Championship Breakdown
The first state championship will be handed out in the state of Colorado!
#9 Cheyenne Wells at #3 Hi-Plains/Flagler Saturday 1:00pm
The roll this week is reversed for Cheyenne Wells. They have been on somewhat of a revenge tour in the playoffs. The lost in the regular season to Kit Carson by 8 and Stratton/Liberty by 7. They beat both of those teams in the playoffs but not instead of them trying to get revenge for a regular season loss they now are hoping to hold off a team wanting to get revenge. Cheyenne Wells has played especially well this off season. In all three games so far they have broken the 50 point mark and might need to do that one more time. Last week Cheyenne Wells held off a comeback attempt again from Stratton/Liberty and won 64 to 30. Defensively Cheyenne Wells was able to grab a few stops late in the game and this time there was no comeback from Stratton/Liberty. Cheyenne Wells held Stratton/Liberty to 76 yards passing and 222 yards rushing. They forced 5 turnovers in the game which was the deciding factor. Offensively Cheyenne Wells showed a new aspect of their offense. Cheyenne Wells threw for 336 yards 6 touchdowns and 0 INT’s. That is the first game where they broke the 300 yard mark and now Hi-Plains/Flagler will have to adjust to that. Cheyenne Wells ran for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns. The offense is led by the two headed monster of Jamie Huerta and Kendall Pelton. Kendall Pelton threw for 189 yards, ran for 111 yards and had 7 receptions for 77 yards for a total of 5 touchdowns on the game. Jamie Huerta threw for 147 yards, caught 3 passes for 29 yards, and ran for 116 yards for a total of 7 touchdowns. Those two will need one more huge performance to win the state championship. Defensively Cheyenne Wells will probably need one or two big stops this week and I think they will be up for the challenge. Offensively if Cheyenne Wells has another huge offensive day they could pull one more upset on the way to a state championship.
Hi-Plains/Flagler has been a completely different team in the second half of the schedule. Since their 13 point loss to Kit Carson they have won 6 straight games and have been tested a few time down the road. They have played close games against Stratton/Liberty, Pawnee, Fleming, and Kit Carson. Two of those games came during the playoffs and last week’s upset victory of Fleming was a fun game. Hi-Plains was winning 30 to 14 at half time and had to hold off a major rally by Fleming in the second half and scored one last touchdown in the fourth quarter to win the game 38 to 32. Hi Plains defensively played really well holding Fleming to 94 yards passing and 246 yards rushing. They forced 3 turnovers in the game but also had 3 turnovers so they turnover margin was 0. Offensively Hi-Plains/Flagler attacked in a balance manner. They threw for 151 yards 2 touchdowns and 2 INT’s and ran for 190 yards and 3 touchdowns. Their offense was led by Riley Marzolf and Cameron Klann. Riley Marzolf threw for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cameron Klann ran for 154 yards 3 touchdowns and had 17 yards receiving. Hi Plains has shown in their past two playoff games that they can either win a game by scoring over 50 points or win a defensive game kept in the 30. This game Hi-Plains/Flagler might need a 50 point game to win. Cheyenne Wells offensively is dangerous but so can Hi-Plains offense. Hi-Plains/Flagler will need to keep their turnovers in check and cannot allow to have 3 turnovers. Hi-Plains/Flagler is hosting the game so they do have that going for them. They will need to use the energy from the crowd and will need to play one more great game to pull off the victory.
Both of these teams have played against 5 common opponents. Both teams played Walsh, Kit Carson, Idalia, and Stratton/Liberty. Cheyenne Wells beat Walsh, Idalia and split with Kit Carson and Stratton/Liberty. Hi Plains beat Walsh, Idalia, and Stratton/Liberty but lost to Kit Carson. These two schools also have played against each other. Cheyenne Wells won that meeting 60 to 34 but it was the first game of the season so I wouldn’t look into that game too much. Defensively Cheyenne Wells has the better numbers. They are only giving up 21.2 ppg. Hi-Plains on defense is giving up nearly 12 point more per game at 33.9 ppg. Offensively though Hi-Plains/Flagler is better averaging 53.5 ppg and Cheyenne Wells is averaging 45.9 ppg. Either way I could see this game turning into a shootout. This could go down to which team’s jumps out to a big lead first and is defending that lead instead of having to play catch up. Both teams are pretty balanced in their offensive attack. So you really cannot key onto one thing and win. Both teams have proven they can throw the ball and both teams have two very good leaders on offense. Another key is which team’s start players come to play. Cheyenne Wells star players are Huerta and Pelton and Hi Plains star players are Klann and Marzolf. Whichever duo has the bigger impact on the game they will win. On last key for the game is the turnover margin. I have mentioned this in nearly every game for every class because if you lose the turnover margin it will be nearly impossible for your team to win the game. This is a really tough decision on who to pick. Both teams are playing at an exceptional level and have both pulled upsets on the way to the state championship. But I am going with the team I think has been the hottest in the playoffs. I am going with Cheyenne Wells to win the state championship. I am picking them due to the fact that they have played the tough road and the tougher schedule. Also their offense is clicking on all cylinders. I have Cheyenne Wells winning in a shootout by 10.
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