MileHigh Prep Report Preseason Rankings 8-Man
Note: I am just going to quickly give the rankings and a quick breakdown of what they are returning. Later on in August full league breakdown.
Class 8-Man
| Rank | Team | Notes |
| #1 | Sedgwick County | Sedgwick County is going for the rare 4 peat. They will be returning tons of talent including their leading rusher Layne Green. Sedgwick County will have to replace their starting QB but with the Top 8-Man defense coming back this team is already the favorite to win their 4th straight title. |
| #2 | Holly HS | Holly returns key players at their skill positions. Holly returns QB of the Year Kobe Davis and a Top defense as well. Holly did lose some depth on their offensive line and developing their younger players will be key. Holly played Sedgwick County in the semifinals and saw what it will take to beat them. |
| #3 | West Grand HS | West Grand was the runner up last year and lose some key pieces from that team including their starting QB and top 2 tacklers. Luckily for West Grand Luis Dominguez took plenty of snaps at QB. Hugh Wheatley who broke out on the scene last year will also be key for this offense. |
| #4 | Fowler HS | Fowler loses experience and size off their defense but a solid core on defense will help Fowler replace those players. Fowler also returns their QB Luke Bitter and RB Quinton Flanscha. Fowler will need some players though to step up on defense this year. |
| #5 | Hoehne HS | Hoehne loses just 4 seniors but all 4 were big pieces on this team. Hoehne will have to find a starter at the QB position but with leading rusher Trystan Moltrer back they will lean heavily on him. Defensively Hoehne must improve from last year after being the 13th best defense. Hoehne must find leaders on their defense that lost 3 of their top 5 tacklers. |
| #6 | Merino HS | Merino was impressive last year going 8-2 and finishing much better than I expected. Merino loses just 3 seniors from their team last year. Merino returns key players at the skill positions. QB Cade Conger will need to have another big season. Merino must improve their defense to at least a top 10 defense and with an early exit in the playoffs they will have some motivation. |
| #7 | Caliche HS | Caliche is losing just 2 seniors and have plenty of experience coming back. Caliche had some growing pains last year giving up 313 points on defense. Caliche will look to improve their defense this year. Caliche offense will be in good shape returning Adam Zink who had over 2000 yards rushing. |
| #8 | Dayspring Christian | Dayspring Christian may be losing some key pieces on their defense but with some key pieces coming back they will look to quickly fill the holes. Dayspring Christian returns their QB with another year of experience. Dayspring Christian though must get players to step up this year. |
| #9 | Springfield HS | Springfield made a big improvement last year going 6-4. Springfield lost only 4 seniors and return some key pieces from their team. Springfield will have to fill a couple holes on their offensive and defensive lines. Springfield offensively returns Beau Dukes on the offensive side and defensively they must improve. |
| #10 | Haxtun HS | Haxtun loses 5 seniors to graduation and possibly 2 lineman. Haxtun does return some key players on the skill position side of the ball with Drew Coffin and Braden Anderson. Haxtun though has some holes on defense that they must fill and some lineman that must step up. |
| #11 | Norwood HS | Norwood loses some of their lineman from last year and must get players to step up to fill their spots. Norwood does return Will Gabriel on the offensive and defensive side of the ball which should help the younger players get up to speed. |
| #12 | Sargent HS | Sargent loses a good senior class including their starting QB and most of their main defensive players. Sargent does return Frank Torrez and a good group of junior. Sargent will need some Sophomore and Juniors to step up to fill holes on defense but they do have a good tradition of playing solid defense. |
| #13 | McClave HS | McClave did not post many stats from last year but lose only 2 seniors. McClave also sported a Top 10 defense last year and they will be tough again this year. |
| #14 | Simla HS | Simla struggled last year going 1-8 but had a ton of sophomores and juniors playing last year. Simla I think will be the surprise team this year and should improve from last year. |
| #15 | Soroco HS | Soroco loses some of their key players from defense but return potential POY in Jace Logan. Soroco will be a team to watch if they can get their younger players to step up. |
| Other Teams to Watch | ||
| Akron | Akron also struggled last year going 3-6. Akron though returns key players and should have a solid defense. Akron must figure out problems on their offense this year to have success. | |
| Mancos | Mancos lost key pieces from their playoff team. Mancos will need their upcoming Junior class to step up and could make another return to the playoffs. | |
| Rangely | Rangely returns their entire defense but must take the next step this year and get their younger players to play hard. | |
| Rocky Mountain Lutheran | Rocky Mountain Lutheran lost some key players from their playoff run a year ago. Rocky Mountain Lutheran though will be fighting for a playoff spot in the Central League. | |
| Byers, Vail Christian, Front Range Christian | All 3 schools drop from 11-man football to 8-Man football. It will be interesting to see how these 3 schools adjust to playing 8-Man. | |
| Sanford | The Southwest league is wide open and if Sanford can get their team together could push for the league title. |
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