EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK FIVE
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
For the most part, week five brings the end of non-league play across the state. There is just one league game on the slate, and a large number of the ranked teams on off. We are including the standings inside the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, along with our rankings in the MileHigh Prep Report Media Poll. Ranking in (*) indicates the Seeding Index, as of Thursday morning.
#1 MHPR/(2) SIMLA CUBS (4-0) VS (11) MCCLAVE CARDINALS (2-1) FRIDAY 6PM
Simla scored an early touchdown at Sedgwick County last week, but the hosts responded late in the first quarter and only trailed 7-6. That’s where the drama ended. The Cubs scored the next 34 points to claim a 41-6 victory. Caston Cox threw for 231 yards and three scores, one apiece to TJ Eurich, Brent Bowker, and Treven Kochera. Eurich added 109 yards and three rushing TD. The defense recorded three sacks and three takeaways. McClave held a 26-18 lead early in the fourth quarter at Vail Christian, but the Saints stuck twice in the final stanza, including the game-winner with about a minute left to stun the Cardinals. Ethan Bronniman tossed a pair of touchdowns and Will Pacino added two on the ground in the loss. This will be the first time McClave and Simla have met in the MaxPreps era.
#2/(1) HAXTUN FIGHTIN’ BULLDOGS (3-0) AT (16 six-man) FLEMING (1-3) SATURDAY 1PM
When Haxtun and Mancos squared off last Saturday, the game lived up to every bit of the hype surrounding it. Both teams moved the ball well, but had troubles finishing off drives. Haxtun led 16-14 heading into the fourth, but Mancos took the lead with a touchdown and two-point conversion. The Fightin’ Bulldogs tied it and then took the 28-22 win on a Ryland Wolff pick-six. Grant Statz went for 127 yards and a TD on the ground, and Wolff had a rushing TD and a passing score to go with his defensive heroics that included a second interception earlier in the game. Fleming’s struggles continued last week, as the six-man Wildcats were handed a 52-34 loss on the road by Crawford (NE). They were able to run the ball almost at will, with Wyatt Cochran going for 281 yards and three scores, and Matix Haney adding 120 yards with two TD. But, the defense could not get the necessary stops and they fell to a third straight defeat. This will be the third straight season that Fleming has stepped up to play its neighbors in an eight-man contest. They’ve dropped the previous two by identical 46-0 scores.
#3/(4) LYONS LIONS (4-0) BYE WEEK
Lyons heads into its bye week after handling Merino 48-18 last week. The Lions exploded for a 26-0 second half to pull away from what was a tight contest. Miles Dumbauld threw for 198 yards and three scores, and used his legs to add 141 yards and three more scores in the rushing attack. Camden Paznokas registered 20 tackles and a fumble recovery. After the bye, the Lions will open Central play at Byers next Friday.
#4/(3) MANCOS BLUEJAYS (3-1) BYE WEEK
It’s also time for the bye week for Mancos. The Bluejays got a strong effort on offense from Kail Wayman in the loss to Haxtun last week. He threw for more than 100 yards and ran for 128 and two touchdowns. Andrew Jaime had a pair of picks for the defense, which got 15 tackles from Levi Martin and 14 from Chris Medina. The Bluejays will come out of their bye week and open Mountain play at Sargent next Friday.
#5/(9) BYERS BULLDOGS (4-0) BYE WEEK
We said a lot of top teams were on their bye this week and that goes for Byers. The Bulldogs got themselves another sportsmanship clock victory last week after jumping on Caliche 46-6. They won 54-12. Kaleb Willoughby continued his strong start to the season with 168 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Chase Long added two TD passes and a running score, while AJ Engle had three of the team’s four takeaways with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. As noted earlier, they will host Lyons next Friday in the Central opener for both teams.
#6/(6) DOVE CREEK BULLDOGS (3-1) VS MONTICELLO UT (3-2) FRIDAY 7PM
Dove Creek got back into the win column last week in a big way, blanking Hayden 50-0. Colten Fury threw for two touchdowns and added a third on the ground, while Gage Buffington (125) and Taber DeJane (105) both went over the century mark in the ground game. They combined for three touchdowns, and DeJane added another as a receiver. Monticello has won two straight since losing to Mancos on the first of the month. The Buckaroo used a 34-0 second quarter to pull away from Plateau Valley last week, 55-28. They feature dual threat QB Jay McDonald, who was over 100 yards passing and rushing last week, and Thomas Fullmer, who ran for three touchdowns. Dove Creek won last year’s contest 52-22.
#7/(5) WEST GRAND MUSTANGS (4-0) BYE WEEK
West Grand overcame some early mistakes and got things rolling in the second quarter against Elbert last week. A 24-0 second quarter helped propel the Mustangs to a 50-6 win. Evan Crandall went for two bills and two scores on the ground, and Blake Terryberry two rushing touchdowns to go with a pair of passing scores. West Grand will come out of its bye next Thursday with a Northwest clash at Soroco.
#8/(12) AKRON RAMS (3-1) BYE WEEK
Akron’s bye falls at a pretty good time for the Rams, who won their third straight, 41-22 at Holly last weekend. Ryan McCaffrey threw four touchdown passes, two to Tucker Stahn, and added another TD on the ground, while Anderson Filla pounded out 185 yards and a TD in the rushing attack. He also had a touchdown reception. He and Wesley Couch each had an interception and Couch added a fumble recovery. The Rams will use the extra week to prepare for their Plains opener against Haxtun next Friday.
#9/(14) SANFORD MUSTANGS (2-1) AT QUESTA, NM (0-4) SATURDAY 6PM
Sanford’s defense held Fowler to 79 rushing yards on 26 attempts and eked out a 20-16 win on the road last week. The Mustangs gave the ball away twice on interceptions. They travel across the state line to take on a Questa team that hasn’t been able to get in gear this season. The Wildcats have scored 12 or fewer points in three of their four losses, and they are allowing an average of 47 points a game.
#10/(10) CALHAN BULLDOGS (3-1) VS (17) ELBERT BULLDOGS (3-1) FRIDAY 7PM
Calhan had everything clicking last Saturday, as the Bulldogs built a 45-0 halftime lead over Wiley. They would go on to claim a 66-8 victory. Logan Jack powered the offense with 166 yards and four scores in the ground game. Ethan Whitener got in on the fun with a pick-six. Elbert will be looking to bounce back from its 50-6 loss against West Grand. The defense did come up with a pair of takeaways, but gave up 527 yards of offense. This is the lone league match-up on the calendar this week. The winner will have the early edge in the Black Forest. Calhan has won the last two meetings.
OUTSIDE THE TOP-TEN
Holly (18) travels to St. Mary’s on Friday, needing a win to go into Ark Valley play next week with momentum. The Wildcats sit outside the top-16 in the most recent update to the Selection and Seeding Index, so every week is important down the stretch. St. Mary’s (35) got its first win of the season, beating Soroco 27-14. The Pirates have a tough road to get into the postseason, with three Black Forest teams in the top 17 of the Seeding Index still on the schedule.
Vail Christian (7) will try to use the momentum from last week’s wild finish against McClave to bolster its postseason seeding. The Saints visit Front Range Christian (22) who has quite a bit of work to do to get into the playoff field. The Falcons earned a wild 48-42 win at Dayspring Christian last week, despite allowing more than 500 yards of offense. Jack Edwards scored three rushing touchdowns and added another on special teams.
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