Class 6-Man First Round State Playoff Breakdown
The bracket is set and your final 16 teams are now fighting for a state championship. Your League Champions are: Genoa-Hugo (Central League), Stratton/Liberty (East Central), Prairie (North), Cheyenne Wells (Southeast), La Veta (Southwest). As we know the league champions received the automatic home game. 3 other teams also received home games they are: Peetz, Kit Carson, & North Park. I will run a breakdown on each game. Also last week I predicted the final 16 teams to get into the playoffs. I was spot on with the final 16 teams. All 16 teams that I predicted would make the playoffs made it into the playoffs. (They are posted in the 6-Man week 8 breakdown). Last thing I will post my predictions Today in a separate post as well as my 6-Man Awards!
#1 Stratton/Liberty vs #16 Briggsdale 10/27 @ 7:00pm
#1 Stratton/Liberty come into the playoffs as the #1 team in the State in both RPI and Power Rankings. They are a perfect 8-0 and won the East Central League. They have been very impressive this season racking up 3 wins over playoff teams. They also have played amazing defense this year. Besides the final game of the season against Flagler which they gave up 40 points they only gave up over 8 points once this year. Defensively they have only given up 12 ppg and 6 teams held under 10 points. Defensively they are led by Eltan Yarger who has 81 total tackles 3.0 tackles for loss and Phillip Pickard 9.0 sacks and 18 tackles for loss and 51 total tackles. Offensively they have been a scoring machine and have yet to be held under 45 points this year. They are averaging 57.5 ppg. On Offense they are a run first team with 2711 yards rushing and 46 TDs. Passing wise they have 421 yards passing and 13 TDs. Offensively they are led senior RB Jacob McCormick 1353 yards rushing & 24 TDs and Junior QB Tyson Lichty 343 yards passing 11 TDs and 1 INT. The strength of this team is their rushing attack and their outstanding defense. They have only been challenged once this year by Flagler and that was still an 18-point game. This could be a disadvantage but remember they did play #9 Otis and #4 Cheyenne Wells and blew past them
#16 Briggsdale was the final team to make it into the playoffs. They finished 5th in the brutal North League which qualified 5 teams into the playoffs. Overall Briggsdale went 4-4 & 1-4 in league. Briggsdale went 0-4 against playoff teams playing 1 of them close North Park (47-42) and losing the others big Prairie (56-0), Peetz (49-8), Fleming (52-8). Defensively they struggled at times giving up 38 ppg. Defensively they are led by junior Toby Cockerham 74 total tackles and senior Jordan Hale 60 total tackles. Offensively they have had their ups and downs. They had 3 games where they were held to under 10 points but 4 games where they eclipsed the 40-point mark. In total they are averaging 36.3 ppg. On Offense they are a run first team with 1720 yards rushing and 18 TDs. They have thrown for 650 yards and 13 TDs. Offensively Briggsdale is led by senior RB True Miller 562 yards rushing & 6 TDs and sophomore QB Tyler Blickem 562 yards passing & 12 TDs. The strength of Briggsdale is their rushing attack. They must improve their defense and their ability to score points against tough opponents. Briggsdale has played a tough schedule and most use their experience gained in those games.
Stratton/Liberty has yet to be seriously challenged by a team. Flagler gave them their best shot and fell short 58-40. Stratton/Liberty on offense is one of the best in 6-Man and must quickly establish themselves in this game. Briggsdale must weather or keep pace with Stratton/Liberty offense. Briggsdale will need to be able to score points. They also will face a very tough defense and must take care of the ball. Stratton/Liberty must not overlook any opponents as well and get their defense back on track after last week’s game. Stratton/Liberty is the heavy favorite and I am going with them to win 50-7.
#8 Genoa-Hugo vs #9 Otis 10/28 2:00pm
#8 Genoa-Hugo comes into the playoffs as your Central League Champion. Genoa-Hugo went a perfect 5-0 in league and 6-2 overall. Genoa-Hugo played a very tough schedule playing against 5 playoff teams going 3-2. Their losses were to #1 Stratton/Liberty (51-14) & #7 Kit Carson (52-34). Genoa-Hugo 3 wins against playoff teams were #14 Eads (64-21), #13 Hanover (59-27), and #16 Edison (73-25). Genoa-Hugo on defense this year gave up 25.1 ppg which is in the middle of the pack in 6-Man. They only held 2 opponents to under 10 points and in their two loses gave up over 50 points. Genoa-Hugo on defense is led by senior Caid Smith 114 tackles, 4 INTs, & 2 fumbles recovery’s and senior Nicholas Knutson 81 tackles, 1 INT, and 4 fumbles recovery’s. On offense Genoa-Hugo can attack you both on the ground and through the air. They have 1748 yards rushing & 28 TDs and have 1153 yards passing and 16 TDs. Offensively they are led by senior QB Caid Smith who has 862 yards passing 13 TD & 6 INTs and 900 yards rushing and 14 TDs. They also get good contributions from senior RB Nicholas Knutson 536 yards rushing and 10 TDs. Genoa-Hugo biggest strength this year has been their offenses ability to score points. Genoa-Hugo is averaging 55.3 ppg and in games where they didn’t break the 35-point mark they lost. Genoa-Hugo must be able to score points and get critical stops when needed. Genoa-Hugo must improve their defense or be prepared to score a ton of points.
#9 Otis finished second in the East Central League. They went 4-1 in league and 7-1 overall. They faced 3 playoff teams and went 2-1 against them. They lost to Stratton/Liberty (63-6). Otis two wins against playoff teams were #14 Eads (54-14) and #16 Edison (55-0). Otis on defense is giving up 18.9 ppg which is one of the better averages in 6-Man. Otis has held 3 teams to under 10 points and 5 teams to under 20 points. Otis on defense is led by senior Tyler Thorn 92 total tackles, 4 Tackles for loss, 3 INTs, and 2 fumble recoveries also contributing is senior Tate Goble 87 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 INTs, and 2 fumbles recoveries. On offense Otis is a run first team with 2070 yards rushing & 42 TDs and have thrown for 700 yards and 10 TDs. Offensively Otis is averaging 50 ppg on offense and have broken the 50-point mark in every win. In their lone loss they only scored 6 points and that tell you the tale of that game. Otis is led on offense by junior RB Bryce Miracle 1181 yards rushing and 25 TDs and helping out is junior QB Ty Hunt 565 yards passing 8 TDs and 2 INTs. Otis biggest strength this year has been their defense. 3 team broke the 20-point mark on them this year but their offense rose up to the occasion and scored 50+ points. Otis must improve against the run and must take care of the ball. When Otis faced Stratton/Liberty they gave up 307 yards rushing and had 5 turnovers.
This should be the second best game in the first round. They had 3 common opponents and both went 2-1 against them. The differences between comparing scores is simple Otis plays better defense by about 30 points total and Genoa-Hugo played better offense by about 30 points. Genoa-Hugo will probably need a stop or two and will need their defense to step up. If Genoa-Hugo cannot get defensive stops then Offensively they will need a near perfect game. Otis on the other hand has proven their defense can hold opponents. Their offense also has been very good breaking 50 points in all but 1 game. This game will hinge on one thing. Can Otis defensively stop or slow Genoa-Hugo. If Otis stops/slows down Genoa-Hugo this will turn into a blowout. If not, Otis can score points as well and this will turn into a shootout. Genoa-Hugo is the favorite due to their seed but I think Otis is the favorite looking at the whole picture. I am going with Otis in this game due to their defense and I have them winning 35-21.
#4 Cheyenne Wells vs #13 Hanover 10/28 @ 1:00pm
#4 Cheyenne Wells enters the state playoffs as your Southeast League Champion. They are 7-1 overall and went a perfect 5-0 in league. Cheyenne Wells played 3 playoff teams and went 2-1 against them. Their lone loss on the season was to #1 Stratton/Liberty 53-6. Their wins are over #7 Kit Carson 14-6 and #14 Eads 51-12. Cheyenne Wells was the runner up last year losing to Hi Plains/Flagler in the state championship. Defensively Cheyenne Wells has been outstanding holding 5 teams to under 10 points and only giving up over 20 points twice. Cheyenne Wells is only giving up 13.1 ppg on defense which makes them one of the better defensive teams in the state. On defense Cheyenne Wells is led by sophomore Quade Pelton 83 tackles & 9.5 sacks and they also get contributions from junior Jade Cozart 68 tackles and 6 sacks. On offense Cheyenne Wells is averaging 41.3 ppg and have broken the 40-point mark 6 times this year. Only twice were they held under 20 points and went 1-1 in those games. Cheyenne Wells is very balanced in their offensive attack throwing for 890 yards and rushing for 1456 yards. Offensively they are led by RB Wyatt Fishler 777 yards rushing and 9 TDs and passing wise they are led by sophomore QB Quade Pelton 709 yards passing 12 TDS and 260 yards rushing. Cheyenne Wells biggest strength this year has been their defense. A good example was against Kit Carson they only scored 14 points but their defense held Kit Carson to only 7 points. Cheyenne Wells main weakness must be scoring points on very good defense. Twice this year they were held to under 20 points and both were very good teams on defense.
Hanover finished second in the Central League behind Genoa Hugo. They went 4-1 in league and 5-3 overall. Hanover played against 4 playoff teams going 1-3 against them. Their lone win over a playoff team was a 41-36 win over Edison. In their 3 loses none of them were close losing to Cotopaxi (57-6), Genoa-Hugo (59-27), and North Park (49-12). On defense Hanover has struggled at times but has also had some success holding 4 teams to under 20 points. Hanover is giving up 28.1 ppg and most of that can be attributed to the 3 loses they have. Defensively Hanover is led by junior Andrew Morris 56 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks also helping on defense is senior Cody White 53 tackles 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 INT, and 3 fumble recoveries. On offense Hanover is scoring 39.4 ppg and broke the 40-point mark in all 5 of its wins. Hanover on offense can attack on you both on the ground and through the air with 670 yards passing and 1016 yards rushing. They are led on offense by senior QB Cody White 598 yards passing & 14 TDs and leading the team in rushing is junior Dorian Pillsbury 493 yards rushing. Hanover biggest strength has to be their ability to force turnovers. Hanover has forced 20 turnovers this year and used good field position to power their offense. Hanover biggest weakness is they struggle on offense against good defense. In all three loses they struggled to score points only breaking the 20-point mark in one of those games.
Cheyenne Wells enters this game as the favorite. They must take care of the ball and must get their offense going in the right direction. Hanover on offense will be tested by one of the best defenses in 6-man. Due to playing a top defense their own defense must play with some intensity and must be able to slow down Cheyenne Wells. Hanover also must get their rushing attack going and control the clock. Cheyenne Wells must continue to play physical defense and because of their defense they are a huge favorite. I have Cheyenne Wells winning big 48-14.
#5 North Park vs #12 Sierra Grande 10/28 @ 1:00pm
#5 North Park enters the game finishing third in the North League. North Park record is 5-2 overall and 3-2 in league. North Park played against 6 playoff teams going 4-2 against them. Their two loses were to #2 Prairie (52-12) & Peetz (63-13). Their 4 wins were against #11 Fleming (31-25), #6 La Veta (41-36), #16 Briggsdale (47-42), and #13 Hanover (49-12). North Park on defense has struggled most of the year giving up 29.8 ppg and have held only 2 teams to under 20 points. North Park on defense has played their best in the fourth quarter closing out tight games against Fleming, La Veta, and Briggsdale. On defense North Park is led by senior Nic Martin 62 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries’ also helping on defense is Blayden Fletcher 50 tackles and 1 sack. North Park has had to win quite a few games with their offense and are scoring 31.1 ppg. They have broken the 40-point mark 4 times. Offensively North Park is a run first team with 1528 yards rushing but can throw and have 611 yards passing. On offense they are led by senior RB Blayden Fletcher 882 yards rushing and 16 TDs and their passing attack is led by senior Austin Berton 591 yards and 13 TDs.
#12 Sierra Grande finished 3rd in the Southwest League. They went 6-2 overall and 4-2 in league. Sierra Grande played a relatively weak schedule with only 2 playoff teams on their schedule. Sierra Grande went 0-2 against playoff teams losing to La Veta (53-19) and Cotopaxi (70-35). Sierra Grande on defense is middle of the pack giving up 28.1 ppg. They did keep 3 opponents to under 20 points. On defense Sierra Grande is led by senior Arthur Rodriguez 74 tackles, 3 INTs, and 3 fumble recoveries. Also helping on defense is freshman Christian Decamelano 73 tackles. On Offense Sierra Grande has been very good scoring 54.1 ppg. Sierra Grande has broken the 40-point mark in all 6 of its wins but in them loses didn’t break the 40-point mark. Offensively Sierra Grande is a run first team with 2192 yards rushing and 720 yards passing. On offense Sierra Grande is led by senior RB Dakota Aragon 826 yards rushing and 11 TDs and their passing attack is led by Arthur Rodriguez 675 yards passing and 12 TDs. Sierra Grande biggest strength is their ability to score point and control the clock with their rushing attack. They have 36 total touchdowns from running the ball. Sierra Grande biggest weakness is their defense. They only played 2 playoff opponents and still gave up 28.1 ppg. Against their two playoff teams they gave up over 50 in both games.
North Park is the favorite in this game. They beat La Veta during the season and it was a very good matchup. Sierra Grande lost to La Veta 53-19 and Sierra Grande didn’t get much going on offense or defense and they must improve if they plan on upsetting North Park. North Park has a good chance to get their rushing attack going strong but North Park must play solid defense especially with Sierra Grande rushing attack racking up over 2000 yards. I am going with North Park to beat Sierra Grande 42-21.
#3 Peetz vs #14 Eads 10/28 @ 1:00pm
#3 Peetz enters the playoffs on a two-game winning streak and finished second in the brutal North League. Peetz is 6-1 and 4-1 in league. Peetz played a 4 playoff teams this year going 3-1 against them. Their lone loss of the season was to #2 Prairie (44-41). Peetz 3 wins are against #5 North Park (63-13), #16 Briggsdale (49-8), and #11 Fleming (39-26). Peetz on defense is giving up 17.8 ppg and is one of the tougher defenses in 6-Man. During the season they held 4 teams under 20 points and only gave up over 30 points once. The lone time Peetz gave up over 30 points was a 3-point shootout with Prairie and both teams broke the 40-point mark. Peetz on defense is led by senior Hunter White 58 tackles and 2 sacks and leading Peetz on defense is senior Logan Sircy 51 tackles and 5 INTs. Offensively Peetz has been outstanding averaging 48 ppg and breaking the 40-point mark in 7 games this year. The lone game under 40 points was a 39 -26 victory over Fleming so really close to 40 still. Peetz can attack you both through the air and on the ground, they have 909 yards passing and 1633 yards rushing. Peetz passing attack is led by senior Tre Fehringer 658 yards, 17 TDs, and 0 INTs and Peetz rushing attack is led by junior RB Bryson Long 703 yards rushing and 11 TDs. Peetz biggest strength is their ability to score point on any team. Good defenses like Prairie or even North Park struggled to slow down Peetz dynamic offense. Peetz biggest improvement must be limiting teams on offense. Peetz at the end of the year gave up over 20 points in their final 3 games and must get back to the way they played defense at the beginning of the year.
#14 Eads finished 3rd in the Southeast League. They went 4-4 overall and 3-2 in league. Eads played 4 playoff teams going 0-4 against them. Their 4 loses are to #9 Otis (54-14), #8 Genoa-Hugo (64-21), #7 Kit Carson (53-7), and #4 Cheyenne Wells (51-12). Eads defensively struggled against playoff teams giving up over 50 points in all 4 games. In their 4 wins Eads only gave up over 20 points once. Eads on defense is led by senior Trey McDowell 59 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss and leading Eads is senior Trevor Randel 50 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. Eads offensively had some growing pains after losing a very talented senior class. Eads was balanced in their attack passing for 654 yards and rushing for 1389 yards. Their rushing attack was led by senior Damian Hernandez 575 yards rushing and 10 TDs and Eads passing attack was led by senior QB Trey McDowell 305 yards passing and 4 TDs. Eads biggest strength has been their rushing attack. They have 25 rushing TDs and are averaging 173.6 yards per game. Eads biggest weakness is their defense against quality opponents. Eads saw a lot of very good teams and should help their defense in the playoffs.
#3 Peetz is the huge favorite in this game. Peetz played quality opponents all year and beat 3 of 4 playoff teams and have a very dynamic offense. Eads biggest weakness is their defense and Eads will need to be able to score 40+ points on offense. Peetz is my pick in this game 50-7.
#6 La Veta vs #11 Fleming 10/28 @ 1:00pm
#6 La Veta is your Southwest League champion going 7-1 overall and 6-0 in league. La Veta played 3 playoff teams going 2-1 against them. La Veta lone loss was to North Park in a dandy 41-36. La Veta two victories over playoff teams were Cotopaxi (70-38) and Sierra Grande (53-19). La Veta is middle of the pack with their defense giving up 22.9 ppg. They held 4 opponents to under 20 points one of which was a playoff team. Defensively La Veta is led by junior Ty Warren 66 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, and 4 fumble recoveries. Also helping on defense is senior Eric Morgan 56 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. La Veta offensively is one of the higher scoring teams with 57.1 ppg and they broke 50 points in all but 1 game this year. Their lone loss they were held to 36 points but gained valuable experience against a top team. La Veta on offense is one of the more balanced teams with 1418 yards passing and 1731 yards rushing. La Veta is led by senior QB Eric Morgan 1381 yards passing, 27 TDs, 2 INTs, and 562 yards rushing. His main target on offense is Ty Warren 580 yards receiving and 470 yards rushing. La Veta biggest strength is their offense and against 3 playoff teams were never held under 35 points. La Veta offense will need to carry them in the playoffs. La Veta biggest weakness is relying too much on the pass and not establishing their rushing attack. La Veta in past years seems to get upset due to relying on their passing attack to much they must establish their run game and use their passing attack to open their rushing attack up.
#11 Fleming finished 4th in the North League they are the only team with a losing record in the playoff at 3-5 and 2-3 in league. Fleming played the toughest schedule of any team in 6-Man. They played 6 of 8 games against playoff teams. They went 1-5 against playoff teams. Their lone win against playoff teams was a 52-8 win over Briggsdale. Their loses are to #5 North Park (31-25), Cody-Kilgore NE (9-0 in Nebraska), Hay Spring NE (7-1 in Nebraska), Peetz (39-26), and Prairie (32-30). Fleming despite playing a brutal schedule had a middle of the pack defense giving up 29.8 ppg. They were only blown out by one team and that was Hay Springs NE 50-34. Fleming defensively were led by senior Kobryn Mann 73 tackles, 5 TFL, and 1 INT and helping on defense was sophomore Brandon William 61 tackles and 3 TFL. Fleming on offense averaged 39.1 ppg and broke to 30-point mark in all but 2 games. Fleming offensively is run first with 1811 yards rushing and 411 yards passing. Fleming rushing attack is led by Senior Kolton Dickinson 1179 yards rushing and 15 TDs. Fleming passing attack is led by freshman Kade Comstock 373 yards passing 9 TDs and 2 INTs. Fleming biggest strength is their ability to run the ball. They are averaging 8 yards a carry and 301 yards per game and of course have 25 rushing TD. Another big strength for Fleming is they are very battle tested playing a very tough schedule. Fleming biggest weakness is not being able to score a ton of points. They rely a lot on their rushing attack to control the clock and their defense to hold up. They only broke the 40-point mark twice this year and in the playoffs a 40-point game may be necessary.
This should be the best game of the first round. La Veta and Fleming both lost to North park by the same amount and I fully believe this will be a great game. La Veta biggest strength is their offensive ability and being able to score points and Fleming strength is control the game with their ground attack. I see this turning into a high scoring game by both teams. La Veta will be on upset alert and they didn’t get a kind draw grabbing Fleming in the first round. Fleming will need a 40-point game to upset La Veta and I am just not sure if they can because of this I am going with La Veta to hold on in a high scoring 45-38 game.
#7 Kit Carson vs #10 Cotopaxi 10/27 @ 7:00pm
#7 Kit Carson finished second in the Southeast League going 7-1 overall and 4-1 in league play. Kit Carson played 3 playoff teams this year going 2-1 against them. Their lone loss was a defensive struggle losing to Cheyenne Wells 14-6. Their two wins against playoff teams were Genoa-Hugo (52-34) and Eads (53-7). Defensively Kit Carson has one of the better defenses giving up 13.4 ppg and have held 4 teams to under 20 points. No teams have broken the 35-point mark on this defense. Kit Carson on defense is led by sophomore Cordell Farmer 63 tackles and 2 sacks also helping on defense is junior T.J Conaway 61 tackles and 1 sack. Fleming is very young on defense so this will be their first time playing in the playoffs. Offensively Kit Carson is scoring 48.1 ppg and broke the 50-point mark 5 times this year. Kit Carson on offense is not putting up huge numbers but are very balanced with 742 yards passing and 1173 yards rushing. Kit Carson is led on offense by sophomore RB Jayden Mccombs-Farmer 425 yards rushing and 9 TDs and their passing attack is led by sophomore QB Cordell Farmer 404 yards passing and 5 TDs. Kit Carson biggest strength is their defense. Giving up under two touchdowns a game in 6-Man is very impressive as is holding Cheyenne Wells to just 14 points. Kit Carson will need their defense against a good offense this week. Kit Carson biggest weakness is their lack of experience. A lot of young players are playing this year and getting them, experience is the big key for Kit Carson.
#10 Cotopaxi finished second in the Southwest League. They went 6-1 overall and 5-1 in league. Cotopaxi played 3 playoff teams going 2-1 against them. Their lone loss was to La Veta 71-38. Their two wins against playoff teams were #13 Hanover (57-6), and #12 Sierra Grande (70-35). Cotopaxi on defense is middle of the pack giving up 23.9 ppg. They have held 5 opponents to under 20 points and only given up over 35 points twice going 1-1 in those games. Cotopaxi is led on defense by senior Owen Voll 90 tackles and also leading the defense is senior Kurt Voll 67 tackles. Offensively Cotopaxi can be dynamic as they are averaging 61.4 ppg. They broke the 55-point mark in all but 1 game this year and scored over 70 points 3 times this year. In the one game Cotopaxi was held under 50 points they lost to La Veta. Cotopaxi is balanced in their offensive attack throwing for 973 yards and 1808 yards rushing. Cotopaxi is led on offense by senior QB Kurt Voll 851 yards passing 19 TDs and 2 INTs. Leading Cotopaxi rushing attack is Owen Voll 618 yards rushing and 14 TDs. Cotopaxi biggest strength is their ability to score points. Even in their loss they still broke the 30-point mark. They are very dynamic and will need that against a very good defense. Cotopaxi biggest weakness is their defense. I feel like at times Cotopaxi just wants to score points and they are ok giving up a lot of points. They will need focus in this game.
If I had to pick 3 games to watch this would be the third best game. The other two are La Veta vs Fleming, Genoa-Hugo vs Otis and then this game is 3rd. Cotopaxi can score points and have been able to all year they also have playoff experience from last year and this year are looking to pull the upset instead of it being the other way. Kit Carson is young and experience matters in the playoffs. Their defense has shown they are very good but they will be tested by this Cotopaxi offense. If Kit Carson cannot slow Cotopaxi they will need to score points and have also shown they can do that. Kit Carson is the favorite in this game and it will be a good one. I have this turning into a shootout with Kit Carson holding on late and wining 48-38.
#2 Prairie vs #15 Edison 10/28 @ 4:00pm
#2 Prairie won the North League with a perfect 5-0 league record and sit perfect overall at 8-0. They are the biggest surprise team of the year after not having a program two years ago and last year only winning 1 game. Now Prairie is the #2 seed and are looking for a state championship. Prairie played 4 playoff teams and won them all. They have playoff wins over Briggsdale, Peetz, North Park, and Fleming. Prairie has one of the better defense is 6-man only giving up 14.3 ppg and have held 6 teams to under 20 points. Only two teams broke the two-point mark and they were Peetz (41 points) and Fleming (30 points). In both games critical stops were made by Prairie defense which helped them win the game in the final minutes of the game. Prairie is led on defense by Trenton Holzworth 80 tackles and 15 TFL and helping on defense is Patrick Thompson 43 tackles and 3 TFL. Prairie on offense has been nearly unstoppable breaking the 40-point mark 6 of 8 games. Prairie was never held under 30 points this year and are averaging 52 ppg. Prairie is a run first team with 1945 yards rushing and 887 yards passing. Prairie is led by senior QB Trenton Holzworth 472 yards passing 7 TDs, 1 INT and 906 yards rushing for 18 total TDs and also helping on offense is senior RB Coltin Hove 606 yards rushing and 12 TDs. Prairie strength is their defense. They are only giving up 14.3 ppg and also make critical stops in games to help win or give the offense the ball back. Also, a big strength for Prairie is their offense they have a very dynamic QB and can attack you with many different players. Prairie weakness coming into the playoff is their defense has given over 30 points in 3 of their last 3 games. Prairie must get their defense back in shape and have a good chance this week.
#15 Edison finished 3rd in the Central League. They are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in league. Edison has not had a football program since 2013 and in year 1 got to the playoffs which is a big achievement for this team. Edison faced 3 playoff teams going 0-3 against them. Their 3 loses were to #9 Otis (55-0), #13 Hanover (41-36), and #8 Genoa-Hugo (73-25). On defense Edison is giving up 25.9 ppg and have held 4 opponents to under 20 points. They received a FFW in their final game so they should also be well rested and ready to go. Offensively Edison is scoring 30.3 ppg and broke the 40-point mark 3 times this year. No stats were input for Edison this year. Their biggest strength is they are well rested coming into this game and they have proven they can score points. Their biggest weakness is not playing good defense against top teams. Edison will continue to improve if they keep kids going out for their program and will be interesting to see how this team grows.
#2 Prairie is the heavy favorite and should cruise to the win. They have yet to lose a game and have been dominate in almost every game. Edison is getting valuable playoff experience and will be fun to see how their team grows. Prairie should win 50-7.
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