8-Man League Predictions (Mountain, League 2, Black Forest)
We move into the 8-man ranks and I will give my league predictions. I will be doing 8-Man and 6-Man different than 1A and 2A because Kerry Sherman did a full break down of each team, that article is posted below. I am splitting 8-Man into two articles. For this article I will explain why I am doing my predictions.
8-Man Season Preview Article:
Mountain Conference
1. Mancos
2. Dove Creek
3. Sanford
4. Sargent
5. Dolores
The Mountain League continues to be one of the tougher leagues in 8-Man Football. They finally broke the hump and a team from the Mountain League won a state title. Dove Creek is your defending State Champions, and they had a great run to the title. My preseason pick to win the Mountain League is Mancos. Mancos lost a lot of talent last season and were still able to make a run to the semifinals this year. They do lose a big piece at QB but return their top two rushers in Kail Wayman and Levi Martin from last season. I also think Mancos on defense will be one of the top schools again with 8 of their top 10 tacklers back. Dove Creek is my pick to finish in second place. As mentioned, Dove Creek is your defending State Champions. Dove Creek is in a similar position as Mancos last season. They lose a very good senior class, but I don’t expect much of a drop off. Dove Creek offensively returns a key leader in Gage Buffington. Defensively Dove Creek returns a key leader as well in Tyson Beanland but lose a lot of depth returning just 3 of their top 10 tacklers. Sanford is my pick to finish in 3rd place but still a playoff contender. Sanford was young & inexperienced last season, and they will look to build of the experience gained. Sanford returns key players offensively in QB Cash Caldon and RB Lincoln Reynolds. The defense should also be in good shape returning 5 of their top 10 tacklers. Sargent is my pick to finish in 4th place but are my dark horse pick to push for a playoff spot. Sargent has been led by a group of upcoming juniors and we will see if they take a big step forward this season. Sargent will need their offense to fully click this year and that starts at QB where there is a battle going on. The RB spot is led by Cooper Gosar. Defensively Sargent returns 5 of their top 10 tacklers but have a key piece back in Trenton Lovelace who should anchor the defense. Dolores wraps up the Mountain Conference. Dolores played their first full season of varsity 8-Man last year and went 0-8. They have a storied past but can they rebuild the program to the old success.
My predictions for the Mountain Conference
League Champion: Mancos
Playoff Contenders: Mancos, Dove Creek, Sanford
Dark Horse: Sargent (They are very young can they take the next step)
Player of the League: Kail Wayman Sr. Mancos
Others to watch for: Levi Martin Sr. Mancos, Broc Imel Sr. Mancos, Andrew Jaime Sr. Mancos, Cole Dainty-Guilfoyle Sr. Mancos, Tyson Beanland Sr. Dove Creek, Taber Dejane Sr. Dove Creek, Gage Buffington Sr. Dove Creek, Cash Caldon Sr. Sanford, Lincoln Reynolds Sr. Sanford, Roj Larsen Jr. Sanford, Cooper Gosar Jr. Sargent, Trenton Lovelace Sr. Sargent, Trayton Traweek Jr. Dolores,
8-Man League 2
1. West Grand
2. Plateau Valley
3. Rangely
4. Vail Christian
5. Hayden
6. Soroco
8-Man League 2 or formerly know as the Northwest League should be very interesting this season. League 2 has no clear-cut favorite in the preseason and coaching will be a very big factor. Trying to come up with a prediction for this league was not easy. West Grand is my preseason pick to win League 2. West Grand is a well-coached team and that will make a huge difference when all teams in this league lose key pieces. West Grand offensively will be searching for new player makers, but I could see Varian Villabous and Evan Crandall emerging this season. Defensively West Grand could be a dominate unit returning 6 of their top 10 tacklers. Defense and coaching are the reason I am going with West Grand to win the league. Plateau Valley is my pick to finish in second place and a playoff contender. Plateau Valley returns the most offensive weapons in League 2 with QB Parker Richardson. He will be searching for some new targets and a new RB. The offensive line for Plateau Valley also returns some size. The defense for Plateau Valley has the most question marks losing their top two tacklers from last season. Plateau Valley does return 7 of their top 10 tacklers but who steps up and becomes a leader this season. Rangely is my pick to finish in 3rd. Rangely is another team who could push for a league title. Rangely will return QB Kobey Chism but Rangely will lose a 1400 yards rusher to graduation. Rangely Defensively returns 6 of their top 10 tacklers but only 2 of their top 5. Rangely has some holes but with leadership coming back could push for a top spot. Vail Christian is my pick for 4th place. Vail Christian lose many of their skill players from a season ago but return their offensive line. Vail Christian will look for players like Hunter Gilbert to step up this season. If the younger players step up don’t expect much of a drop off from a 7-2 record last season. Hayden is my pick for 5th place. Hayden come into the season losing a good senior class that got them to the playoffs. Hayden will be searching for new playmakers across the board but look for Ethan Silva to step up this year. Defensively Hayden was hit hard by graduation returning just 2 of their top 10 tacklers. Soroco rounds out League 2. Soroco is still looking to rebuild their program. Soroco will return RB Dorain Hotchkiss but will be searching for a new QB. We will see if Soroco can get going in the right direction this season.
My predictions for 8-Man League 2
League Champion: West Grand
Playoff Contenders: West Grand, Plateau Valley, Rangely
Dark Horse: Vail Christian (lose a good senior class but have some pieces back that could push them to the playoffs or a league title)
Player of the League: QB Parker Richardson Sr. Plateau Valley
Others to watch for: Evan Crandall Jr. West Grand, Jackson Steinle Jr. West Grand, Varian Villabous Sr. West Grand, Jackson Bevan Jr. Plateau Valley, Virgil Kuper So. Plateau Valley, Kobey Chism Sr. Rangely, Hunter Gilbert Jr. Vail Christian, Grady Fretress Sr. Hayden, Ethan Silva Jr. Hayden, Dorian Hotchkiss Sr. Soroco
Black Forest League
1. Simla
2. Calhan
3. Elbert
4. St. Mary’s
5. South Park
The Black Forest League had just 1 playoff team a season ago in Simla. The league should see some improvement this season, but I am not sure if more than 2 teams are playoff contenders this year. Simla is my preseason pick to win the Black Forest League. Simla is also considered one of the favorites to win the state title this year. Simla returns a lot of key players from last season with QB Caston Cox, RB TJ Eurich, and WR Brent Bowker. The offensive line will have a big hole to fill this year, but Simla has the weapons to be dangerous. Defensively Simla returns 7 of their top 10 tacklers and will make this unit one of the best in 8-Man. Calhan is my pick to finish in second and a playoff contender. Calhan will be a tough team this season. They lose a huge piece to graduation but return some leadership to help them out. Logan Jack is back to be the leader this year but who else steps up on the offensive side of the ball is key. Defensively Calhan returns 8 of their top 10 tacklers but lose two big pieces. Calhan season will really depend on who steps up this year. Elbert is my pick to finish in 3rd. Elbert took care of business against non-top teams but against the top teams struggled. Elbert will return some key pieces in QB Ethan Tesman and RB Logan LaFollette. The offensive line has the biggest question marks but if they can round into form could help this team push for a playoff spot. Defensively Elbert has the most question marks losing their top 4 tacklers from last season. St. Mary’s moves into year #2 of 8-Man Football. St. Mary’s will be looking for progress from their younger players. St. Mary’s will look for QB Michael Trechter and RB Dominick Martinez to take the next step this year. Defensively St. Mary’s return 8 of their top 10 tacklers so this unit should show improvements. South Park rounds out the Black Forest League. South Park won just 2 games last season but will hope to build off last season. South Park returns a very young team but the work they put in during the offseason is the only way they will get better. South Park will look for QB Caden Jamieson and RB Gavin Street to make big improvements. Defensively South Park returns 9 of their top 10 tacklers. We could see South Park make a big jump this year.
My predictions for the Black Forest League
League Champion: Simla
Playoff Contenders: Simla, Calhan
Dark Horse: St. Mary’s (How much do they improve going into year 2 of 8-Man)
Player of the League: RB/LB TJ Eurich Jr. Simla
Others to watch for: Caston Cox Jr. Simla, Jared Hodgson Sr. Simla, Brent Bowker Sr. Simla, Wyatt Stanko Jr. Simla, Logan Jack Sr. Calhan, Austin Cochran Sr. Calhan, Logan LaFollette Sr. Elbert, Ethan Tesman So. Elbert, Dominick Martinez Sr. St. Mary’s, Chris Allen Sr. St. Mary’s, Ryan Strub Jr. St. Mary’s, Caden Jamieson So. South Park, Dyllan Newman Sr. South Park, Gavin Street Jr. South Park
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