SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK THREE
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The third week of the regular season brings with it a handful of top match-ups, including two featuring a pair of ranked teams. The East Central league figures to be a knock-down, drag-out challenge throughout the season, and this week we get our first look at one of those big fights. All rankings come from our MileHigh Prep Report Media Poll.
#1 STRATTON EAGLES (2-0) AT CHERAW WOLVERINES (0-2) FRIDAY 7PM
Top-ranked Stratton raced out to a 26-0 first quarter lead over Granada last week and the Eagles were on their way to a 16th win with the sportsmanship clock. Cyler Notter had six touchdowns in the win, five on the ground, to go with 176 rushing yards. He also recorded three sacks. Charlie Tagtmeyer tossed three touchdown passes, giving him seven in two weeks. The senior threw 10 all of last year. Von Isenbart collected his fourth interception. As expected, Cheraw has been stout on defense, allowing a total of 45 points in two games. However, the offense hasn’t cooperated, as the Wolverines have been held to just 24, including six in last week’s loss to Branson/Kim. Stratton is 4-0 all-time against Cheraw, and has scored at least 60 points in every previous meeting.
#2 OTIS BULLDOGS (2-0) AT HI-PLAINS PATRIOTS (0-2) FRIDAY 7:30PM
Otis scored 30 points in each of the first two quarters last week and collected a 60-13 at home over Briggsdale. Erick Thorn ran for 130 yards and two scores, and Tayte Smith added a pair of his own TD runs, as well as a pick-six for the Bulldogs. Hi-Plains had to forfeit last week’s game to Miami-Yoder due to a shortage of healthy players. The Patriots dropped their opener to Weldon Valley 79-39. Smith and Charlie Kendrick each ran for three touchdowns in Otis’ 58-6 win over Hi-Plains last season.
#3 GENOA-HUGO PIRATES (2-0) BYE WEEK
The Pirates rolled into their bye week with a 66-29 win over Kit Carson last week. Trey Smith threw for 135 yards and three scores, while Konner Rowden-Stum had two rushing and two receiving. Levi Yoder (two rushing) and Shane Reid (two receiving) also had a pair of touchdowns apiece. Genoa-Hugo will return to action next Friday against Stratton.
#4 GRANADA BOBCATS (1-1) AT FLEMING WILDCATS (1-1) SATURDAY 1PM
In the few short years that Granada has been in six-man, the Bobcats and Fleming have given us some memorable games. One only has to go back to last year’s wild state semifinal contest, which Fleming pulled out in OT to refresh the memory banks. Granada’s Maddox Coleman threw for a touchdown and returned a kick for another in last week’s loss to Stratton. Wyatt Cochran had a second straight 200-plus rushing day in Fleming’s 56-24 loss at Idalia in 103 degree heat last Friday afternoon. Fleming is 4-0 against Granada, with the three on field victories coming by five, six, and eight points. The Wildcats also took a forfeit win in the regular season last year.
#5 IDALIA WOLVES (2-0) VS #6 ARICKAREE BISON (2-0) FRIDAY 7PM
Tate Towns scored four times and Idalia ran for more than 300 yards as a team in their 56-24 win over Fleming last Friday. It was the third win in the last four meetings for the Wolves in the series, and evened the overall mark at 7-7 in the last 18 years. Zarron Skubal sparked Arickaree’s defense to a 40-0 shutout of North Park last Friday, with the junior recording 25 tackles, including 5.5 sacks. The Bison also got three total touchdowns from Dillon Noletubby, while Nic Hermes, Brayden Hill, and Austin Wright each scored one. Arickaree won last year’s contest with Idalia 28-14, and owns a narrow 8-7 edge dating back to 2005.
#7 WALSH EAGLES (2-0) VS PRIMERO BULLDOGS (2-0) FRIDAY 7PM
Walsh’s defense kept Mountain Valley off the board into the fourth quarter, and the Eagles got three return touchdowns in the 59-6 road victory. Axeton Bishop had a scoop-and-score, Conner McDonald registered a pick-six, and Leyton Jones had a punt return score to go with a pair of receiving TD. Samuel Wright added a pair of interceptions in what was a five takeaway effort for the Eagles. Brett Kendall hauled in three TD receptions, while Jairo Dominguez scored three times on short runs to power Primero past Deer Trail 60-12 last week. Marcus Hahn added two rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Walsh is 5-0 all-time in the series, including a 61-14 win last year. Jones had five total touchdowns in that win, while Kendall and Hahn each had one for Primero.
#8 PEETZ BULLDOGS (2-0) VS #10 CHEYENNE WELLS TIGERS (0-2) FRIDAY 2PM AT ARICKAREE
Peetz gained an early share of the North division lead with last week’s 36-14 win over Prairie. The Bulldogs led 28-0 after three quarters. Chance Segelke threw for 106 yards and three scores, two to Noah Naegele, and Rhyder Bayne added 196 yards on the ground. Peetz recorded five takeaways, giving the Bulldogs 12 in two games. Cheyenne Wells did not have the services of Perry Chadwick last week and the Tigers were blitzed by Cheylin (KS) 50-0. The Cougars were a semifinalist in Kansas last year, and their passing attack racked up 190 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s win. Ethan Garay topped the century mark on the ground for Cheyenne Wells, and Trey Scheler had 11 tackles with a sack. Cheyenne Wells led 46-0 at halftime last year, on its way to a 62-8 win over the Bulldogs.
#9 SIERRA GRANDE PANTHERS (2-0) AT BRANSON/KIM BEARCATS (1-1) SATURDAY 1PM
Sierra Grande found itself in a classic 6-man track meet last Friday against Eads. The Panthers got 285 yards and five passing touchdowns from Aron Ojeda, and three rushing scores from Tyler Kester, in a 58-47 win over the Eagles. Kester led the defense with 23 tackles (20 solos), an interception, and a blocked kick. Owen Doherty threw for 171 yards and four TD, two to Brock Doherty, in Branson/Kim’s 25-6 win over Cheraw. Kolter Cranson added three interceptions and a blocked kick. The teams have split the last two meetings, with each winning on the road. Sierra Grande took a 39-36 win two years ago, and the Bearcats pulling out a 28-22 decision in OT last year. The winner gains an early share of the lead in the Southwest.
Outside of the top-10, La Veta (1-1) hosts Mountain Valley (1-1) on Friday, with the winner also holding an early share of the lead in the Southwest. Jessey Montunnas led the Redhawks to a 44-34 win at Hanover last Saturday, throwing for five touchdowns. Brayden Nix went for more than 200 on the ground. Riley Heater hooked up with Jacob Martinez for Mountain Valley’s lone touchdown in the loss to Walsh.
In the North, Prairie (1-1) hosts Briggsdale (0-2). The Mustangs are already 0-1 in the division after last week’s loss to Peetz and can ill-afford another league defeat so early in the season. In defeat last week, Briggsdale (along with their foes from Otis) provided us with another reminder of what makes high school sports about so much more than the final score. Late in the contest, Carlos Valdez, a sophomore who lost both legs early in life in a boating accident, caught a TD pass for the Falcons. Players, coaches, and fans from both sides celebrated the moment, which will resonate long after the final score has been forgotten. OTSportsCheck has a great article on the piece that I will share later today.
Saturday afternoon will see Weldon Valley (2-0) visiting Hanover (0-2) in what should be the toughest test to date for the Warriors. They have rolled Hi-Plains and Bethune in the first two weeks, but will face a Hornet squad that played well in last week’s loss to La Veta. The Warriors have not posted more than three wins in a season since 2009.
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