8-Man Football Week 5 League Breakdown
We move to League Breakdowns for 8-man and 6-man with both classes starting league play. We will update who we think will win their respective leagues plus look at some of the big matchups inside the league and of course show the RPI of the teams in the league. I will update my League Predictions this last time and pick who I think will win player of the league. I will update the contenders weekly as those will change based on results and RPI. Also, this year I plan on doing League Awards along with my Yearly Overall Awards!
Arkansas Valley League
The Arkansas Valley League has been a bit of a disappointment to start the season with just 2 teams at or above .500. Fowler and Holly are the lone teams over .500 and are two of the 3 teams I think have a chance to win the league. Holly, Hoehne, and McClave all opened league play with wins and start with a head start in league. Fowler did not play a league game but open league play this weekend. This week we have Wiley vs Springfield, Fowler vs Holly, and Hoehne vs Las Animas. Two games catch my interest and we will go into those games. Wiley vs Springfield is a big game that will move a team to 0-2 on the league season and a huge uphill battle to make a run for the playoffs. Wiley scored the most points of the season last week against McClave last week which was 24. Wiley defensively has struggled to stop many opponents. We will see what adjustments Wiley makes heading into this game. Springfield offensively has not broke the 20 points mark but have played a very tough schedule playing against 4 top 20 teams. Defensively Springfield has given up 40 points in every game and will look to improve this week. The main game to look at this week is Fowler vs Holly. Fowler is currently the favorite to win the Ark Valley league and have 2 quality wins in the non-league season over Sargent and Akron. It’s never easy to go on the road to face Holly and Fowler will be tasked with that. Fowler defensively has played tough but the offense for Fowler has been the driving force. Fowler has had big performances from their main RB’s and they will need to come up big for Fowler this week again. Holly is 2-2 on the season with losses to Dayspring Christian and St. Francis KS. Holly played tough against Dayspring Christian losing 40-32 and have a quality win over Akron 28-14. Holly will be looking to snag a huge league win and will need QB Dakota Eaton to have a big day. This will give a huge leg up to one team heading into week 2.
Updated League Predictions:
League Champion: Fowler
Player of the League: RB Joshua Daniels Jr. Fowler
Playoff Contenders: Fowler, Holly, Hoehne
RPI: Fowler (6), Hoehne (22), Holly (30), McClave (34), Las Animas (37), Springfield (38), Wiley (39)
Central League
The Central league is off to a competitive start with 3 of the 5 teams over .500 and I think 3 contenders for the league title. Front Range Christian, Denver Christian, and Elbert are the three teams over .500. Denver Christian is off to a 2-0 start with wins over Justice and South Park but will have to face Front Range Christian and Elbert still. This is Denver Christian first year having a football team so we will see how Denver Christian plays. This weeks Central League games are Denver Christian vs Elbert and South Park vs Justice. Both games have a few story lines. South Park vs Justice will essentially eliminate a team from the league title race and probably any shot at the playoffs. Both teams have struggled early on and will be interesting to see who wins. The other game will give someone a huge league up in the league title race. Denver Christian is 2-0 on the season but played the two bottom teams of the league. Early on Denver Christian offense has been balanced in their attack but this will be the first real test for this Denver Christian team. Elbert is 2-1 on the season and have a quality loss to Custer County. Elbert is on a two-game winning streak beating Springfield and McClave. Elbert offense is a pass heavy attack with QB Nathan Tornone being the main offensive attack. Elbert success will depend on how the QB plays and how much this defense can continue to improve.
Updated League Predictions:
League Champion: Front Range Christian
Player of the League: QB Luke Hiltman Jr. Front Range Christian
Playoff Contenders: Front Range Christian, Elbert, and Denver Christian
RPI: Denver Christian (14), Front Range Christian (16), Elbert (29), Justice (32), South Park (33)
Mountain League
The Mountain League looks very competitive and I think 4 teams will be battling it out for a league title and possibly playoff spots. Sanford, Mancos, and Dove Creek are all 1-0 to start the league season and take the early upper hand. The 4 teams I believe are league title contenders are: Mancos, Sanford, Sargent, and Dove Creek with possibly Del Norte & Norwood scarring teams if not take seriously. 3 games inside the mountain league this week with 1 team playing a non-league game. Norwood vs Sanford, Sangre De Cristo vs Dove Creek, and Del Norte vs Mancos are the 3 league games with Sargent facing Dolores Huerta in a non-league game. 2 games catch my attention this week. Norwood vs Sanford is a very interesting game. Norwood is 1-3 on the season and are hoping to bounce back from back to back losses. Norwood will hope to fix some defensive mistakes as they have given up over 40 points 3 times this season. Norwood offensively must have a big day from Tyler Wytulka to have any shot. Sanford did not play last week due to a forfeit win and used the extra week to get healthy and prepare for Norwood. Sanford has two wins over McClave and Swink but have not played a quality opponent yet this year. This will be their toughest game so far this season but the real test for Sanford will come in the next few weeks. Sanford will be looking to have big games from Clay Canty and Kelton Gartrell. The other big game inside the Mountain League is Del Norte vs Mancos. Del Norte is 2-1 on the season but have a pair of wins over teams who have not won a game this season. Del Norte did play Rangely who is 3-1 tough and surprised a few people playing Rangely so tough. Del Norte will face their toughest opponent this week. Offensively Preston Terrell and Marcus Romero will need to have huge days. This offensive line must be ready to stop a very aggressive defense, or it will be a long night for the Del Norte offense. Defensively Del Norte will have to continue and slow down a very good rushing attack. Mancos picked up a huge win over Sargent last week and will hope the momentum will carry into this game. RB Chase Moore had a huge game against Sargent rushing for 398 yards and 72 yards receiving. He seems to be the main cog in the Mancos offense and will need to have a big game again. Defensively look for Mancos to shut down Del Norte rushing attack and force them to throw the ball. This will be an interesting match up for both teams. A year ago Del Norte nearly upset Mancos so watch out for this game.
Updated League Predictions:
League Champion: Mancos
Player of the League: RB Chase Moore So. Mancos
Playoff Contenders: Mancos, Sanford, Sargent, Dove Creek
RPI: Mancos (4), Sanford (7), Dove Creek (15), Del Norte (19), Norwood (20), Sargent (23), Sangre De Cristo (25),
Northwest League
The Northwest League looks like a very competitive race this season with 5 of the 7 teams over .500. West Grand, Vail Christian, and Hayden all picked up big wins in the opening weekend. Soroco has yet to open league play and Rangely also will be in the race but lost a close one Vail Christian last week. 3 games this week inside the Northwest league. Gilpin County vs Soroco, Vail Christian vs West Grand, and Plateau Valley vs Hayden. One 1 game really catches my eye this week, but we will look at 2 games still. Game #1 is Plateau Valley vs Hayden. Plateau Valley is 0-4 on the season and are desperate for their first win. Hayden is off to a surprising 2-1 start and 1-0 in league. Hayden will be hoping to improve to 3-1 overall and put their name in the hat as a contender for the league title. I am very interested to see how much Hayden has improved this year. The main event in the Northwest league is Vail Christian at West Grand. Vail Christian is 3-0 on the season and have 3 quality wins over Front Range Christian, Norwood, and Rangely. Vail Christian was expected to be tough this season and so far, have lived up to the hype. They have not posted any stats, but I am guessing Jamison Lee is having a solid year so far at QB for Vail Christian. West Grand is 3-1 on the season with 2 quality wins and a quality loss. West Grand lost to #5 Caliche 60-36 but the game was much closer than the score indicates. The quality wins for West Grand are over Calhan and Custer County. West Grand last week beat Plateau Valley 42-6. West Grand offense is a run first offense with big performances so far this season by Rene Dominguez. QB Jakob Buller has also played well for West Grand so far. This will be another tough matchup for both these teams and could be critical in deciding the league champion.
Updated League Predictions:
League Champion: West Grand
Player of the League: RB Rene Dominguez Jr. West Grand HS
Playoff Contenders: West Grand, Vail Christian, Rangely, Soroco, Hayden
RPI: Vail Christian (1), Rangely (3), Soroco (11), West Grand (12), Hayden (17), Gilpin County (28), Plateau Valley (31)
Plains League
The Plains league is loaded once again with 4 teams over .500 but we all know the league title will run thru 4-time defending state champion Sedgwick County. Sedgwick County, Caliche, Dayspring Christian, and Merino are all currently over .500 on the season and in my eyes the 4 teams who I think have the best shot at the playoffs. Haxtun and Akron will be competitive and never know if one of them could sneak into the playoffs as well. 3 games inside the Plain league this week, Sedgwick County vs Byers, Merino vs Haxtun, and Dayspring Christian vs Caliche. Two games catch my eye right away. Game #1 is Merino vs Haxtun. Haxtun is 1-2 on the year but have played a tough schedule with losses to #2 Holyoke (1A) and Dayspring Christian. The lone win for Haxtun is not a quality win but it was a needed confidence boost to a young Haxtun team. Haxtun has been a run dominated offense with Ike Anderson leading the way. Haxtun has played tough in all their games, but the inexperience of Haxtun is showing this season. I expect Haxtun to continue to improve as the year goes on. Merino is 2-1 on the season and had a bye last week. Merino has a quality win over #8 Pikes Peak Christian and a quality loss to #2 Mancos. Merino will be looking to bounce back from their loss to Mancos and will look to take care of the ball against Haxtun. Merino has not posted stats this year. The main event in the Plain league is #7 Dayspring Christian at #5 Caliche. Dayspring Christian is 3-0 on the season and have 3 quality wins over Holly, Hoehne, and Haxtun. Dayspring Christian was tested by Holly winning 40-32. Dayspring Christian had QB Christian Still back in the lineup and he had a good first game back throwing for 214 yards and rushing for 98 yards. Garrett Krehbiel still had an impact on the game rushing for 51 yards and looks like he will get plenty of carries for Dayspring Christian. Dayspring Christian defensively have played back to back good games holding Hoehne to 6 and Haxtun to 8. This will be Dayspring Christian toughest match up to date and will be a good test for this team. Caliche is 3-0 on the season and have 1 quality win over West Grand 60-36. Caliche is a run heavy offense with the rushing attack racking up 745 yards. Caliche rushing attack is led by Dylan Huss (345 yards) and Riley Stump (222 yards) and the rushing attack is gaining 9.3 yards per carry. Defensively Caliche has given up some points, 26 to Gilpin County and 36 to West Grand. We will see how much Caliche defense has improved this week. I think Dayspring Christian and Caliche will be a shootout and a great game.
Updated League Predictions:
League Champion: Sedgwick County
Player of the League: RB/LB Beau Parker Sr. Sedgwick County
Playoff Contenders: Sedgwick County, Merino, Caliche, Dayspring Christian
RPI: Dayspring Christian (2), Sedgwick County (5), Merino (8), Caliche (9), Haxtun (21), Akron (27), Byers (35)
Southern League
The Southern League has been very competitive so far this season with 4 of the 5 teams over .500. Pikes Peak Christian and Simla both picked up week 1 wins to start the league season off. I think the league will run thru last years league champion Pikes Peak Christian but look for the rest of the league to try and knock off the defending Champion. Two games inside the Southern League this week Simla vs Calhan and Swink vs Custer County. Both games will have some importance in the league race. Game #1 Swink vs Custer County is a huge game for both teams. Swink is 1-2 on the season and this is their first league game. Swink with a 1-0 start in league would be huge for this team. Swink has two quality losses to Fowler and Sanford but were blown out in both games. Swink will hope their rushing attack can dominate against an opponent of equal strength. Custer County is 2-2 on the season with a quality win over Elbert and 2 quality losses to West Grand and Simla. Custer County relies heavily on RB Cole Budds and he must have a big game if Custer County plans to move to 1-1 in the league standings. Defensively Custer County will have to be able to stop the run and we will see how much Custer County has grown in the early season. The main event in the Southern League is Simla vs Calhan. Calhan is 2-2 on the season and have a pair of quality losses. Calhan will be looking to rebound from their 58-0 loss to Pikes Peak Christian. Calhan is a run first team, but the passing attack has improved this year. QB/RB Brandon Eglinton leads the way on offense but big contributions from Ryan Campbell helps the offense stay balanced. Calhan is looking for their first quality win on the season and we will see if they can upset Simla in the rivalry game. Simla is 3-1 on the season with 1 quality loss to Sedgwick County and 2 quality wins over Hayden and Custer County. Simla is on a three-game winning streak and hoping to move to 2-0 in league play. This is a rivalry game and is always tough to play those on the road. Simla seems to be improving weekly and we will see how much this week. Simla has not posted stats on the year.
Updated League Predictions:
League Champion: Pikes Peak Christian
Player of the League: RB Nathan Seay Sr. Pikes Peak Christian
Playoff Contenders: Pikes Peak Christian, Simla, Custer County, Calhan
RPI: Simla (10), Pikes Peak Christian (13), Custer County (18), Swink (24), Calhan (26)
MileHigh Prep Report 