8-Man League Breakdown & Predictions (Arkansas Valley, Central, Mountain)
I have decided to only do 3 leagues at a time instead of the full 6 leagues. I am going to breakdown the league then at the end predict my champion and playoff contenders. I know these articles are a bit lengthy, but I try and mention every team.
Arkansas League
Most of the leagues in the 8-Man ranks had their names changed and most saw a team or two removed or added. The Arkansas League may be one of the toughest leagues in 8-Man this year with McClave, Springfield, Fowler, Hoehne, and Holly all qualify for the playoffs last year. Those same 5 teams all return a lot of talent and will make the Arkansas league one of the toughest leagues in 8-Man. Las Animas went 1-8 last year and have struggled to adapt to the 8-man ranks. Las Animas did not post many stats from last year. Las Animas also didn’t have any seniors last year, so every player will be returning. Las Animas may be more competitive this year, but they are playing in a very tough league and will have to be ready to work once they enter league play. Wiley went 2-7 last year and are only losing 2 seniors from last year. One of those seniors was a huge contributor on offense as he had over 1300 yards rushing. Wiley does return their starting QB and he will be a key for Wiley increasing their win total. Wiley will be looking to improve defensively this year as well after giving up 344 points. Wiley must improve their defense if they plan to compete with the top 5 teams in the league. I think Wiley May 3 games, but their defense is key to them improving. McClave went 6-4 last year and qualified for the playoffs. McClave did not post any stats from last year but they are only losing 2 seniors from their team. McClave had a top 10 defense last year giving up just 184 points. McClave should be competitive once again but with the loaded Arkansas league I see them as the fifth-place team but will be battling for a playoff spot. Springfield continued to improve and went 6-4 and qualified for the playoffs. Springfield does lose 4 seniors from last year’s including 2 starters on the offensive line. Springfield does have some size coming back and should be able to fill those holes. Springfield does have their main weapon on offense coming back and that is Beau Dukes who threw for 806 yards and ran for 1082 yard. Dukes will have to lead this offense once again if they plan to make it back to the playoffs. Defensively Springfield returns 6 of their 8 top tacklers but lose their leading tackler. Look for Beau Dukes and Patrick Jones to fill the hole left by their top tackler. Springfield should be a playoff contender again and possibly be looking at the league title. Hoehne went 8-2 last year and were upset in the first round by Caliche. Hoehne does lose 4 seniors to graduation including 1 offensive linemen and their starting QB. Hoehne does have some size coming back but will need someone to step up. Hoehne main hole to fill will be at QB but Hoehne is a run heavy offense so having Trystan Moltrer returning at RB will be huge. Hoehne defensively is returning 5 of their top 8 tacklers and have plenty of depth coming back. Hoehne last year was the 13th best defense and should improve this year. Hoehne is also a playoff contender and will challenge for a league title. Fowler went 9-2 last year and lost in the quarterfinals to eventual state champion Sedgwick County. Fowler loses a big senior class of 8 players but have more than enough talent coming back to challenge for a league title. Fowler does lose some size to graduation but have some size coming back. Fowler does improve at the skill position with QB Luke Bitter gaining another year of experience. Also returning is RB Quinton Flanscha who led Fowler in rushing. Defensively Fowler returns 4 of their top 8 tacklers but have the experience and depth to replace those starters. Fowler will need some players to step up but defensively Fowler should be at least a Top 10 defense. I have Fowler as my #2 team in league just behind my favorite. My Favorite to win the Arkansas League is Holly. Holly went 9-2 last year and lost in the Semifinals to Sedgwick County. Holly does lose a big senior class of 7 including depth on their offensive line. Holly will have to have some players step up on the offensive line, but this unit should be solid enough. Holly biggest return will be QB Kobe Davis who threw for 1733 yards, 20 TDs, and just 6 INTs. Davis will have his favorite two targets returning and his #2 rusher from a year ago. Holly though offensively will only be as good as their offensive line. Defensively Holly returns 5 of their top 8 tacklers. Holly defensively was a top 10 defense a year ago and should be the same this year. Holly is my favorite to win the Arkansas League but Fowler, Hoehne, Springfield, and McClave will all give Holly a run for the League title.
League Champion: Holly
Playoff Contenders: Holly, Fowler, Hoehne, Springfield, McClave
Dark Horse: Springfield
How much did Springfield improve in the offseason will be the main question going into the season. If Springfield improved they have the weapons to push for the league title.
Central League
The Central League is one of the weaker leagues in 8-Man this season with just 1 team qualifying for the playoffs last year and only 2 teams finishing over .500 last year. The Central League does have Front Range Christian who is dropping form 1A down into the 8-Man ranks and Elbert moving from 6-Man to 8-Man. Belleview Christian went 1-5 last year, but only lose 2 seniors from last year teams. Belleview Christian has not had a ton of success recently but must improve on both sides of the ball this year. Belleview Christian plays just 1 non-league game and will rely on their league to get them into the playoffs. Justice went 4-4 last year and just missed the playoffs. Justice loses 5 seniors from last year team and were mostly skill players. Justice does look like they have some size coming back next year but getting them to play together will be key. Justice will be returning their QB and starting RB and both must improve coming into this year. Justice defensively should also improve and if they can they could compete for a league title as the Central League is wide open. South Park went 6-3 last year but just missed the playoffs. South Park does lose a big class of 7 seniors and will have some holes to fill. South Park could be losing 2 starters of the offensive line so getting the new starters up to date will be important. South Park also loses their starting QB but will return their main two RB’s and those two will have to carry the load early on. Defensively South Park had the 6th best defense last year but are losing 4 of their top 8 tacklers and lose their top 2 tacklers. South Park will need a leader to step up this year, but their defense should still be effective. Like everyone else in the league everyone has a shot at the league title and South Park is no different and with the success they had last year could help them this year. Front Range Christian drops into the 8-Man ranks after playing 11-man. Front Range Christian went 1-8 last year and struggled to get much going last year. It’s always tough to gauge how teams will do when dropping into the 8-man ranks. Front Range Christian does lose 7 seniors from last year’s team and will have to have players step up on the offensive line. Front Range Christian is also looking for replacement at QB and RB, so this year could be a bit of a rebuilding/adjustment year for Front Range Christian. Elbert went 2-6 last year in 6-Man but are only losing 1 senior. The 1 senior was a Center/Defensive Tackle replacing him will be important, but Elbert does seem to have some size coming back. Elbert may be able to use their size more effective this year playing in the 8-Man ranks. Elbert started a freshman at QB last year, so he should improve heading into his sophomore campaign and Elbert should improve at RB as well. Defense was Elbert biggest problem giving up over 350 points. If Elbert can improve on defense, then they will have a shot at the league title and like I said they have the size to play 8-Man which could be a disadvantage in the 6-Man ranks. Rocky Mountain Lutheran is the final team in the Central League. They won the Central League last year and qualified for the playoffs. Rocky Mountain Lutheran did lose 5 seniors from last year and were really hit hard at the skill positions. RML looks like they will be returning their offensive line which will be helpful. RML will need a new starting QB and starting RB. Rocky Mountain Lutheran defensively returns 4 of their top 8 tacklers but are losing their top 2 tacklers. RML will need players to step up this year and they could repeat as league champions. My early favorite to win the Central League is Rocky Mountain Lutheran due to the past success they have had. The Central League is wide open, but I think only the league champion is going to get into the playoffs.
League Champion: Rocky Mountain Lutheran
Since I think only the League Champion will get into the Playoffs I am putting Elbert, South Park, Justice, and Front Range Christian as League Championship Contenders.
Mountain League
The Mountain League stayed the same from last year and they qualified 3 teams into the playoffs. The Mountain League will be up for grabs once again and should have some very good football games. Sangre De Cristo went 1-8 last year and lose 4 seniors from last year teams. Sangre De Cristo didn’t post many stats and have a new head coach this year. Sangre De Cristo will need players to really step up this year if they want to compete this year. Dove Creek went 2-7 last year but had 0 seniors on their team last year. Dove Creek has only 3 seniors this year and may be a year away from really competing for a league title. Dove Creek will be interesting to watch and see if they can grow as a team. Like I said I think Dove Creek is 1 year away from really competing for a league title. Del Norte had a lot of success last year going 6-3 but didn’t qualify for the playoff due to their RPI not being high enough. Del Norte does lose 6 seniors from last year and all were big contributors. Offensively Del Norte will be returning most of their offensively line minus 1. Del Norte will be returning Keegan Medina at QB but developing a rushing attack will be pivotal for Del Norte. Del Norte offensively should be effective and with most of their offensive line back should improve. Defensively is the big question mark for Del Norte. Del Norte loses 5 of their top 8 tacklers and will need some players to step up. Del Norte I have slotted as 5th in the Mountain League but could surprise a few teams if they can improve as a team. Sanford went 2-7 last year and lost 8 seniors from that team. One of the big changes for Sanford this year will be a new head coach. Even though Sanford is losing a big senior class they have plenty of talent coming back to make them dangerous. Sanford is returning QB Chase Holman, but Sanford will need to find a solid RB behind him. I am hearing Sanford is moving Dalton Gartrell who played RB last year to Center which will add some much-needed size to Sanford line. Sanford defensively will have some holes to fill as well and are returning 4 of their top 8 tacklers. Sanford should improve this year as a team and may fight for a playoff spot or a league title. Sanford will mainly need some players to really step up and should at least win 4 games. Mancos finished the season 8-3 last year but lost in the quarterfinals to Soroco. Mancos does lose 5 seniors from last year team and offensively they did not post any stats so it’s tough to see what they are losing. Mancos defensively loses 4 of their top 8 tacklers but return their top two tacklers both of whom broke 120 tackles. Mancos is hoping to be in the mix again for a league title but replacing the seniors will be key for Mancos. Mancos also could be a surprise team especially since we don’t know much about their offense. They may be losing two offensive linemen but not much else is known. Norwood last year went 6-3 and qualified for the playoffs but came up just short in the first round against West Grand. Norwood does lose 9 seniors from their team last year and looks like 2 or 3 offensive linemen. Norwood does return QB Will Gabriel who will have to lead this offense. Norwood must develop offensive linemen to fill the holes, but Norwood always seems to develop players. Norwood will also be looking for a starting RB and may need an upcoming sophomore to step up. Defensively Norwood is returning 4 of their top 8 tacklers but have some holes to fill on defense. Norwood should have enough experience coming back to make their defense tough. Norwood is always tough and should be once again. Norwood has holes on both sides of the ball but so does my favorite to win the Mountain League. Norwood should be in league title contention once again. My favorite to win the Mountain League is Sargent. Sargent may be losing a big seniors class but should have more than enough weapons and experience back to contend once again for a league title. Sargent loses 10 seniors from last year 7-4 team. Sargent loses 2 starters on the offensive line but was hit the hardest at the skill position. Sargent loses their starting QB and RB from last year. Sargent does have options coming back though. At QB Sargent could go to Kage Pepper or Frank Torrez/Eddie Gonzalez as all 3 took reps at QB sometime during High School. Also, at RB Frank Torrez was the #3 rusher and should be able to fill any role that Sargent needs him in. Braxton Asbell, Eddie Gonzalez, and Jacob Deacon could all get work at RB as well. Sargent always finds a way for their offense to be effective and I think this year will be no different. Defensively Sargent was hit hard by graduation losing 7 of their 8 top tacklers. Sargent does add Jacob Deacon who had 118 tackles last year. Sargent will need some players to really step up on defense this year. This unit may be Sargent’s weakness, but Sargent is well coached, and I expect them to still win the Mountain League.
League Champion: Sargent
Playoff Contenders: Sargent, Norwood, Mancos, Sanford, Del Norte
Dark Horse: Del Norte
They lost a class that lead their defense, but can their team regroup and have the same success they had last year. If Del Norte can keep improving this team could challenge for a Top 3 spot.
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