SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK SIX by Kerry Sherman

SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK SIX

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

As the regular season begins its second half, the important clashes just keep coming. More ranked vs ranked contests highlight the week six schedule in six-man, as teams keep working to improve their positioning inside the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index. We will use the Seeding Index for the rankings in the our preview the remainder of the season. The rankings are accurate as of Wednesday night.

#1 STRATTON EAGLES (5-0) VS #4 IDALIA WOLVES (4-1) SATURDAY 2PM

Stratton wasn’t supposed to have last weekend off, but after the Eagles received a forfeit from Hi-Plains, it worked out that way. The Eagles share the top spot in the East Central with Otis, and those two will meet next Thursday, but the focus must be on an Idalia squad that has played pretty solid defense all year. The Wolves gave up 14 fourth quarter points once the game had been decided last Saturday as they moved past Sangre de Cristo 59-20. They have allowed 24 or less points in their four wins this season. Gabe Kechter ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns on four carries, and Tarek Glanz added a pair of TD passes, one apiece to Garret Drullinger and Kagen Hoyda. Hoyda tallied a punt return for a score, and Kechter took one of his two interceptions back for a fourth touchdown on the day. Cyler Notter leads Stratton with more than 200 yards of offense a game, and has 22 total touchdowns on the year. Charlie Tagtmeyer has throw for 11 touchdowns in his 18 completions. Dating back to the days of the co-op with Liberty, Stratton has won eight of nine meetings with Idalia. That includes a 70-6 win last year.

#2 GRANADA BOBCATS (4-1) AT #23 CHERAW WOLVERINES (0-5) FRIDAY 7PM

Granada raced out to a 52-8 halftime advantage last Saturday at Cheyenne Wells and rolled to a third straight win on the year, 58-24. It was the third time in five meetings that the Bobcats have beaten the Tigers in a six-man contest. They are averaging better than 51 points a game this season, and more than 57 points in their four wins. Wins continue to be elusive this season for the Wolverines, who dropped a fifth straight game to open their schedule, 62-34 to Eads last week. Cheraw has given up 50 or more points in the last three games, and have only scored 88 points all season. Granada has won all five previous meetings with Cheraw in six-man, scoring 54 or more in four of the five. The Wolverines have only scored more than 30 points once in that span. Last year, the Bobcats took a 54-22 victory, with Maddox Coleman having a hand in five touchdowns. Jonus Guevara recovered four fumbles in the win.

#3 OTIS BULLDOGS (5-0) AT #9 GENOA-HUGO PIRATES (2-2) SATURDAY 2PM

Otis took the show on the road last week and picked up an impressive 56-0 shutout of La Veta. The Bulldogs had three players rush for more than 100 yards apiece, led by Tayte Smith with 119. Erick Thorn added 113, and Mitchell Stivers, 105. Each had two touchdowns. Smith also scored on a pick-six. Sawyer Packer was credited with a pair of receiving TD. Genoa-Hugo got itself in an early hole at Arickaree last week, falling behind 34-15 at the half. The Pirates made a run in the second half, but came up short, 46-41. Trey Smith threw for 271 yards and five scores, three to Konner Rowden-Stum, who also had a rushing TD. Rowden-Stum racked up more than 400 all purpose yards in the loss. Last year’s meeting between Otis and Genoa-Hugo came down to a missed PAT kick, with the Bulldogs taking a 37-35 victory. Tayte Smith ran for more than 200 yards and three TD, while Trey Smith threw for more than 250 yards.

#5 WALSH EAGLES (4-1) AT #13 EADS EAGLES (3-2) FRIDAY 7PM

Walsh got its bounce back victory 59-6 at Kit Carson, one week after coming up short by a score against Granada. The Eagles evened their East record at 1-1 thanks to a defensive effort that held the Wildcats to 115 yards of offense. Walsh got five takeaways and a blocked punt, with Henry Wright taking one of their four fumble recoveries back for a touchdown. Leyton Jones ran for three scores, while Lane Runkle and Ethan Barwick each rushed for two. Cody Malone nailed six of seven PAT kicks. Eads picked up its third consecutive win with the lopsided victory at Cheraw. Those Eagles have scored 193 points during the winning streak. They will look to make it four straight on the year and in the series with Walsh, with the last Walsh victory coming in 2018.

#6 PEETZ BULLDOGS (4-0) AT #16 FLEMING WILDCATS (1-4) THURSDAY 7PM

Peetz improved to 2-0 in the North with last week’s 56-16 victory at North Park, with Chance Segelke (three) and Rhyder Bayne (two) combining for five touchdown passes. Noah Naegele hauled in three, while Patrick Moreno and Conner Schumacher each had one. Dylan Wagner added two on the ground and Bayne tacked on another. The Bulldogs also recorded five takeaways, three on fumbles. The win snapped a four-game skid against the Wildcats, and Peetz will be looking to snap another four-game losing streak against a different squad of Wildcats. Fleming, who fell 59-0 to 8-man #1 Haxtun last week, has not lost to Peetz since 2018.

#7 ARICKAREE BISON (4-1) VS #28 HI-PLAINS PATRIOTS (0-4) FRIDAY 7PM

Nic Hermes led the Bison charge last week, as the senior ran for 200 yards and three scores, while also throwing for 117 yards and two more touchdowns in Arickaree’s 46-41 win over Genoa-Hugo. Dillon Noletubby ran for two scores of his own, and freshman Jorge Ramos snagged both TD passes from Hermes. Zarron Skubal (4) and Austin Wright (3) combined for seven sacks, and the defense recorded five takeaways on the night. After surrendering the forfeit loss to Stratton last week due to injuries, Hi-Plains will be seeing its first action in three weeks. The last time the Patriots were on the field for a game, they dropped a 75-7 decision to Otis. Arickaree rolled past the Patriots 72-8 last season.

#8 BRANSON/KIM BEARCATS (3-1) VS #12 PRIMERO BULLDOGS (4-1) SATURDAY 1PM

Branson/Kim had last week off and will take a 3-1 mark into Saturday’s key Southwest match-up with Primero. Kolter Cranson (520 yards, 9 TD) and Brock Doherty (319 yards, 4 TD) lead the Bearcat rushing attack, and the duo have added five more receiving scores between them. Doherty paces the defense with 43 tackles, and Cranson has three interceptions. Primero’s 75-26 win last week over Antonito saw Brett Kendall run for five touchdowns and throw for two more. DeShawn Sanchez added a special teams TD on a punt return, as the Bulldogs won their second straight contest. Branson/Kim has won all four previous meetings in the series, with the Bearcats scoring at least 70 points in each of the last three match-ups.

#10 SIERRA GRANDE PANTHERS (4-1) AT #19 SANGRE DE CRISTO THUNDERBIRDS (2-3) FRIDAY 7PM

After three straight close contests, Sierra Grande finally had a game in which the Panthers could take a deep breath. They bounced Mountain Valley 47-0, with five different players finding the end zone. Manny Miranda and Tyler Kester each had two touchdowns, while Brian Ontiveros, Jadyn Martinez, and Carlos Lopez each had one. Sangre’s loss to Idalia last week marked a second straight in the wrong column for the Thunderbirds, who have been outscored 113-20 in that skid. Sierra Grande won last year’s meeting 67-0, with Aron Ojeda tossing a pair of touchdowns to Kester, and Ontiveros returning two punts for scores.

#11 CHEYENNE WELLS TIGERS (1-4) AT #18 KIT CARSON WILDCATS (1-4) FRIDAY 2PM

This rivalry game sees both teams looking to get their respective seasons kick-started. Cheyenne Wells has allowed 50 or more points in three of its four losses, while the Wildcats have given up at least 59 points in their of their four losses. The Tigers have won the last three in the series and five of the last seven.

#14 BRIGGSDALE FALCONS (1-3) AT #20 NORTH PARK WILDCATS (1-3) SATURDAY 2PM

Following a bye, Briggsdale heads to Walden needing a win over North Park to keep a share of the lead in the North, while the Wildcats just need wins to help their postseason chances. Both teams lost their last contests, but a win in this rivalry not only bolsters playoff chances for the winner, but brings bragging right via the WWE-style belt. North Park holds the belt after last year’s 54-34 victory.

#15 LA VETA REDHAWKS (2-3) VS #17 PRAIRIE MUSTANGS (3-2) FRIDAY 7PM

Just more than four hours separate Prairie and La Veta’s schools on the map, but the distance between the two in the Seeding Index is a lot shorter. La Veta has dropped its last two, with the Redhawks being outscored 136-64. Brayden Nix provided a bright spot in last week’s loss to Otis, rushing for 146 yards and adding 36 receiving, while recording a team-high 12 tackles. Freshman Brennan Bringelson ran for 174 yards and five touchdowns in Prairie’s 58-6 Homecoming victory over Weldon Valley last week.