8-Man Football State Championship Predictions and Breakdown
We have reached the end of the road. This season has really flown by. The 8-Man bracket had a few upsets and made for an interesting road to the Semifinals. The State Championship features the #1 vs #2 teams. Good Luck to both teams on Friday!
#2 Mancos over #1 Haxtun
Haxtun moved into the State Championship with a 46-26 win over #5 Holly. Haxtun built an early 20-6 lead in the first quarter and their defense continued to play well giving up no more than 8 points in a single quarter. Haxtun defensively forced 6 turnovers in the game and 3 sacks. Grant Statz, Isaac Andersen, and Kailin Kelley lead Haxtun in tackles all getting over 10. Kailin Kelley also had a defensive TD. Offensively Haxtun had a big day racking up 414 yards of total offense. QB Owen Knode had a big day racking up 171 yards of total offense. RB Isaac Andersen also had a big day with 109 yards rushing. Haxtun will now look to capture the State Title.
Mancos moved into the State Championship with a 26-16 win over Sanford. Mancos trailed after the first quarter but defensively they buckled down and shutout Sanford in both the 2nd and 3rd quarter to build a 26-8 lead. Mancos defensively did a good job of locking down Sanford rushing attack and forcing 5 INTs and 2 forced fumbles. Mancos defensively was led by Ayden Mathews and Chase Moore both had over 12 tackles in the game. Offensively Mancos racked up 381 yards of total offense. QB Ayden Mathews had a career day passing for 214 yards. RB Chase Moore also had a big day with 107 yards rushing. Mancos will be playing in their first every State Championship and look to end the Plains League dominance of the 8-Man ranks.
This is going to be a very physical football game. Both teams want to run the ball and control the line of scrimmage. Defensively both teams have proven they are physical, and this will come down to which teams’ offensive line can dominate the line of scrimmage. Offensively Haxtun features a two headed monster of Isaac Andersen and Michael Gerk. Mancos offensively features RB Chase Moore arguably one of the best RBs in 8-Man. Defensively this will be a battle in the trenches and which team wins that battle wins this game. Turnovers and special teams will also be key in this game. I am going with Mancos over Haxtun. This will be a tight battle and I can see either team winning this game. As I mentioned whoever controls the line of scrimmage wins this game. Good Luck to both teams this weekend!
Entire Bracket Prediction
I have missed two games on my predictions made before the State Playoff Started.
MileHigh Prep Report 