EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK FOUR
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
While this week’s slate only includes two contests in which both teams are ranked, the rest of the schedule will provide a ton of movement in next week’s rankings. Five teams who just missed out on the top-10 in our most recent MileHigh Prep Report Media Poll will have a shot at climbing into the rankings. This will be the final week where the MHPR Media Poll will be used in our previews, as next week, we will shift to the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, as the regular season nears the midpoint.
#1 SIMLA CUBS (3-0) AT SEDGWICK COUNTY (2-1) FRIDAY 7PM
Simla’s defense pitched a second straight shutout in last week’s 53-0 win over #9 Sanford. The Cubs have outscored their opponents 153-6 so far this season. Treven Kochera sparked the defensive effort, recording 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. TJ Eurich added a pick. On the other side of the ball, Caston Cox threw for 218 yards and five scores on 9-12 passing. Eurich and Kochera each had two TD grabs. Sedgwick County, one of the teams that just missed out on being ranked, is also coming off a shutout. The Cougars blanked Crowley County 44-0, with Owen Harris (153 yards, 1 TD) and Brady Mollendor (140 yards, 2 TD) combined for 293 yards on the ground. Mollendor added 89 yards and a TD on three catches. Tate Renquist chipped in a pair of interceptions for the defense. Simla’s 42-23 win last year snapped a three-game losing streak in the series. Eurich had 336 total yards and six touchdowns in the victory.
#2 HAXTUN FIGHTIN’ BULLDOGS (2-0) VS #3 MANCOS BLUEJAYS (3-0) SATURDAY 1PM AT SOUTH PARK HS
Haxtun jumped out to a 30-0 first quarter lead last week against #7 Holly, and had the sportsmanship clock rolling before the half in the 54-6 victory. Ryland Wolff threw for 122 yards and three touchdowns, two to Keegan Colglazier, and added 105 yards with two scores on the ground. Grant Staatz also had 105 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Josh Wright had three sacks for a defense that finished with eight sacks, two picks, and two fumble recoveries. Kail Wayman tallied 245 yards and four TD passes for Mancos as the Bluejays rolled Merino 66-12 last week. Levi Martin piled up 144 yards and two rushing scores, and added 100 yards and another TD as a receiver. Haxtun has won both previous meetings in the series, 40-0 in the 2021 title game, and 50-6 last year in the regular season.
#4 LYONS LIONS (3-0) VS MERINO RAMS (1-2) THURSDAY 7PM
Lyons saw its shutout streak end at 11 quarters, as the Lions gave up two fourth quarter scores in their 50-12 win over Vail Christian. They had the running clock in the third quarter. Miles Dumbauld threw for more than 220 yards and three scores, and also topped the century mark on the ground with another TD. Malik Sigg-Brown led the team with 132 rushing yards, and Maregu Sullivan recorded 139 receiving yards. Harper Leino added a pick-six for the defense. Merino dropped its second straight decision, falling 66-12 against Mancos. The Rams allowed 469 yards of offense in the loss. Lyons won last year’s meeting, 36-16 behind three Dumbauld touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush) and two rushing scores from Sigg-Brown. Merino eked out a 20-16 win the year before.
#5 BYERS BULLDOGS (3-0) VS CALICHE BUFFALOES (0-2) FRIDAY 7PM
Chase Long showed out on both sides of the ball for Byers in its 58-36 win at Dayspring Christian last week. The junior QB threw for 214 yards and three TD, ran for another score, and recorded 10 tackles. Kaleb Willoughby added 92 yards and two rushing scores, and also snared three passes for 146 yards and another TD. He was also the top defender, registering 14 stops, 11 of them solo. Caliche came off its bye and got outscored 54-30 at Elbert last week, dropping the Buffs to 0-2 on the year. Byers is looking for its first win in the series, with Caliche having won three straight. Last year, the Buffs pulled out a 28-22 victory in OT. The Bulldogs had led 22-8 entering the fourth quarter.
#6 DOVE CREEK BULLDOGS (2-1) VS HAYDEN TIGERS (2-0) FRIDAY 7PM
Dove Creek held an 18-16 halftime lead against Melrose (NM) last week, seeking a 16th straight victory. However, the Bulldogs were outscored 26-8 in the second half and dropped their first game on the season, 42-26. They were held to just 168 yards of offense, 99 of it on the ground by Colten Fury, 48 on one run. Taber DeJane had a 90-yard kick return for a score, giving him two total touchdowns in the contest. After squeaking out a two-point win over Plateau Valley the week before, Hayden had no need for such dramatics last week, as the Tigers blanked Wiley 46-0. The defense recorded four takeaways, including a scoop-and-score by JD Case, and Cam Campbell gave the Tigers a pair of rushing touchdowns in the win. Gage Buffington ran for 164 yards and two scores and DeJane added a pick-six for the Bulldogs in last year’s 48-26 win over the Tigers.
#7 HOLLY WILDCATS (1-1) VS #10 AKRON RAMS (2-1) FRIDAY 5PM
Coming off a bye, Holly looked to tame Haxtun last week, but after allowing more than 300 yards on the ground, the Wildcats fell by a 54-6 count. The Wildcats turned the ball over four times and had a punt blocked in the defeat. Akron had its hands full with Fowler last week, holding just a 14-6 advantage entering the fourth. The teams exchanged scores in the first half of the final frame, but the Rams put the game away in the closing minutes on a Ryan McCaffrey TD run. Anderson Filla had 161 yards and two touchdown runs to lead Akron. Brock Swedlund also had a rushing TD for the Rams. The teams have split the six previous match-ups, with Holly winning 27-14 in the regular season last year and 50-48 in the playoffs. Three of the six meetings have been decided by a single score, and two more have been separated by 14 points or less.
#8 MCCLAVE CARDINALS (2-0) AT VAIL CHRISTIAN (1-1) SATURDAY 2PM
McClave took a 2-0 mark into its bye last week, and the Cardinals built that record largely behind a stingy defense. The Cards allowed just a single touchdown in each of those first two wins, and had seven takeaways. Vail Christian trailed Lyons 44-0 before Asher Morris got the Saints on the board about four minutes into the fourth quarter. Will Neumann hauled in a long TD pass a few minutes later, but the rally would run out of steam and time, as the Saints dropped to 1-1 with the 50-12 loss. This will be the first meeting between the Cards and Saints in the MaxPreps era (since 2004).
#9 SANFORD MUSTANGS (1-1) AT FOWLER GRIZZLIES (0-3) FRIDAY 6PM
Sanford could not carry the momentum of its big win over Sargent in week two into last week’s contest at Simla. The Mustangs saw the defending runners-up get the sportsmanship clock rolling midway through the third quarter as they fell 53-0 on the road. After allowing more than 200 yards through the air, the Sanford defense figures to get another tough test, as Fowler’s Gage Gottbehuet thew for 215 yards in the 28-14 loss to Akron. Gottbehuet also had 70 yards and two rushing scores in that defeat. Freshman Brock True hauled in 10 passes for 142 yards. Sanford won last year’s meeting 56-22 with Cash Caldon accounting for five touchdowns, three of them rushing and two more through the air. It was the first match-up between the two programs in 11 years.
WEST GRAND MUSTANGS (3-0) VS ELBERT BULLDOGS (3-0) FRIDAY 7PM
West Grand went on the road last week and handed Belleview Christian it first loss of the year, 52-8. The Mustangs blew the game wide open with a 28-0 third quarter. They outgained the Bruins 478-36 on the ground, with Joe Probst (157 yards, 3 TD) and Evan Crandall (147 yards, 2 TD) leaving the attack. Probst also had a TD reception in the win. Elbert topped 50 points for the second time this season in its 54-30 win over Caliche last week. The Bulldogs are averaging just a tick under 55 points a contest during their three-game winning streak to start the season. West Grand has won four of six in the series, including consecutive 46-0 decisions. Those games were seven years apart. The Mustangs picked off three passes in last year’s contest, one by Probst.
CUSTER COUNTY BOBCATS (3-0) VS SARGENT FARMERS (2-1) FRIDAY 7PM
Custer County put more than 60 points on the board for the second straight week, and also recorded its second shutout of the season, beating South Park 64-0 last week. The Bobcat defense allowed a total of 54 yards to the Burros, and also recorded four takeaways, including three interceptions. After winning its first two games of the year by a combined tally of 80-0, Sargent was involved in a third straight shutout last week. Only this time, the Farmers found themselves on the wrong end of a 46-0 score against Hoehne. In the clash of Farmers, Hoehne rolled up close to 400 yards of offense, but one bright spot for Sargent was the defense coming up with three takeaways. The Bobcats and Farmers met last year for the first time since 2009, with Sargent claiming a 42-20 victory. Sargent ran for more than 300 yards in that win.
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