EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK SIX
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
We’re more than a month into the 8-man schedule and there has been no shortage of great match-ups to date. However, league play begins this week for just about everyone, and the intensity will only ramp up from here on out. There are so many important clashes on tap this week, and some could end up being de facto league championship games. From this point on, we will use the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index for the rankings in our preview. This is from the most recent release of the Seeding Index.
#1 HAXTUN FIGHTIN’ BULLDOGS (4-0) AT #10 AKRON RAMS (3-1) FRIDAY 7:30PM
Haxtun raced out to a 35-0 first quarter lead at Fleming last Saturday and put together a 59-0 victory. Grant Statz (163 yards, 3 TD) and Kailin Kelley (105 yards, 2 TD) led a rushing attack that piled up 431 yards and eight touchdowns. Those two, along with Keegan Colglazier and Corbin Andersen, each had 10 tackles. Akron took its bye last week following a third straight win, 41-22 at Holly the week before. Ryan McCaffrey threw for four touchdowns and added another on the ground in that victory, and Anderson Filla rushed for 185 yards. Haxtun has won five straight in the series, after the Rams opened their time in eight-man with eight consecutive head-to-head wins.
#2 SIMLA CUBS (5-0) AT #9 CALHAN BULLDOGS (4-1) FRIDAY 7PM
Caston Cox tossed three TD passes and scored twice on the ground in Simla’s 55-14 win at McClave last week, and TJ Eurich ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns for the Cubs. Eurich added a receiving TD, and Brent Bowker hauled in two. Dalton Hisle gave the defense a pick-six. Calhan needed a huge fourth quarter surge to get past Elbert last week, with Noah Nelson scoring the eventual game-winner with just 37 seconds to play. Calhan won the fight 50-48. Simla owns wins in three straight meetings with the Bulldogs and four of five overall.
#3 MANCOS BLUEJAYS (3-1) AT #19 SARGENT FARMERS (3-1) FRIDAY 6PM
Mancos returns to action after its bye week, looking to not only begin Mountain play with a win, but to also put the disappointment of its 28-22 loss to Haxtun the week prior. The Bluejays saw the game end on a walk-off pick-six. Andrew Jaime had a pair of interceptions and two pass break-ups in the loss. Sargent is also coming off a bye, but the Farmers had a different experience heading into their off week. They handed Custer County a 40-16 defeat, bouncing back from a shutout loss to Hoehne. After a string of four straight wins by the Farmers in the series with Mancos, the Bluejays have won the last five. Last year was a 60-6 decision.
#4 LYONS LIONS (4-0) AT #5 BYERS BULLDOGS (4-0) FRIDAY 7PM
With so many highly ranked pairings on the slate this week, the Central opener between Lyons and Byers just might be the centerpiece. Both teams are coming off byes, so both have probably had enough time to not only hone what they do well, but also to install a few new wrinkles, too. Lyons has outscored its first four opponents 194-30 with two shutouts. Byers holds a 182-76 edge, with a top-ten victory over Akron. With the league expected to come down to these two and Front Range Christian, the winner gets a huge advantage in that race. Lyons rolled 56-14 last year, ending a two-game skid in the series.
#6 DOVE CREEK BULLDOGS (4-1) AT #12 SANFORD MUSTANGS (3-1) FRIDAY 6PM
The grinder mill that is the Mountain division will see a second big game to open league play with the defending state champs heading to Sanford. Dove Creek topped the 50-point plateau for a fourth time this season in beating Monticello (UT) 58-18 last week. The Bulldogs rolled up 485 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, with Gage Buffington going for 217 and three. Taber DeJane added 149 yards and two scores. Colten Fury threw a pair of TD passes. Sanford had no issues with its out of state opponent last week, as the Mustangs blanked Questa (NM) 46-0. They’ve allowed a total of 24 points in their three wins this season. Dating back to 2009, neither team has won more than two straight in the series. Dove Creek has won the last two.
#7 SEDGWICK COUNTY COUGARS (2-2) AT #27 CALICHE BUFFS (1-3) SATURDAY 11AM
Sedgwick County had its two-game winning streak snapped by Simla (41-6) before going into the bye last week. The Cougars allowed more than 400 yards of offense and also surrendered three turnovers in that defeat. Caliche got on the schneid with its 58-14 win over Belleview Christian last week, using a huge 38-0 second quarter to pull away from the Bruins. The Buffs had only scored 50 points in their first three games, combined. Sedgwick County has won eight straight in the match-up, with Caliche having won seven consecutive prior to that.
#8 WEST GRAND MUSTANGS (4-0) AT #40 SOROCO RAMS (1-3) THURSDAY
In one of two games that were scheduled for Thursday, West Grand moved to 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Northwest with a 74-6 victory at Soroco. The Mustangs led 50-6 at the half. Blake Terryberry racked up four touchdown passes, two to Joe Probst, who also ran one in. Evan Crandall also had three total TD, and freshmen Walker Howell and Ruben Hatcher combined for three second half rushing scores. West Grand’s defense recovered three fumbles on the night. The Mustangs will host Rangely next Friday, while Soroco (1-4) visits Plateau Valley.
OUTSIDE THE TOP-TEN
Ark Valley play opens with a big clash between #15 McClave (2-2) and #31 Swink (1-3). Those two, along with #13 Holly (2-2) shared the league title last year. Swink won it on a tiebreaker, and while the non-league portion of the schedule did not go well for the Lions, grabbing a win over the Cards would jump-start their hopes of making the postseason. For McClave, a win not only gets its season back on track, but also snaps a two-game slide overall.
In the Northwest, #23 Rangely (2-2) hosts #22 Hayden (2-2) with both looking to match West Grand atop the league standings. The Panthers have not scored more than 28 points in a game this season, but are still 2-2, coming off a 24-0 shutout of Dolores two weeks ago. Hayden has dropped its last two since starting the year 2-0, including a league win over Plateau Valley in the opener. Vail Christian (2-2) is 17th in the Seeding Index and is also looking to grab an early share of the league lead with a game at home against #30 Plateau Valley. For the Cowboys, that early loss to Hayden makes this a near must-win.
Dayspring Christian (2-2) and Merino (1-3) usually meet up with a lot on the line in the Plains league and even though this is the opener for both, nothing has changed. The Eagles are 21st in the Seeding Index, while Merino is #16. For Dayspring Christian, it may take three or even four league wins to get into the postseason. The Rams would technically be in if the season ended today, but they could still be in the same boat as Dayspring Christian. Opening the league slate with a victory puts either team on the right track.
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