SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK SEVEN by Kerry Sherman

SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK SEVEN

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

The week seven schedule in six-man includes a number of key match-ups among the leaders in multiple leagues. Those clashes are highlighted by the #1 vs #2 contest inside the East Central on Thursday, when top-ranked Stratton hosts Otis. Even outside of the games that feature league leaders, there are many other top challenges on the slate. All rankings are from the Thursday morning version of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.

#1 STRATTON EAGLES (6-0) VS #2 OTIS BULLDOGS (6-0) THURSDAY 7PM

Last Saturday saw Stratton dispatch another top challenger inside the East Central, as the Eagles built a 50-0 halftime lead over Idalia and went on to beat the Wolves 57-14 to remain unbeaten and run the program’s winning streak to 20 games. Charlie Tagtmeyer tossed three TD passes to reach a career-high 14 on the season. Two of those went to Cyler Notter, who scored four times on seven offensive touches. Von Isenbart picked off his fifth pass of the season to lead the defense. Otis had its hands full early in its Saturday match-up at Genoa-Hugo, as the Bulldogs trailed 20-6 after one quarter. They got a 38-32 at the half and pulled away for a 70-52 victory. Austin Hornung and Tayte Smith each had a pair of TD passes, and Smith added one on the ground to go with 173 yards. Sawyer Packer snagged two scoring passes, and Mitchell Stivers scored a rushing TD and one more on a pick-six. Stratton earned two wins over the Bulldogs last year, 64-20 in the regular season and 46-13 in the state semifinals.

#3 GRANADA BOBCATS (5-1) VS #14 EADS EAGLES (3-3) FRIDAY 7PM

Granada can all but lock up the East crown on Friday with a win over Eads, as it would give the Bobcats victories over the next three teams in the league standings. They handled Cheraw 56-16 last week, thanks to a 24-0 second quarter. Granada only led 16-8 after one. Eads was in a knock down, drag out brawl with Walsh last week, trailing 8-6 at the end of the first quarter. Walsh pulled out to a 20-6 halftime lead, but Eads kept it close in the second half, eventually falling 26-18. Stockton Mitchek threw for a TD and ran for another, while Keenan Smith recorded a season-high 15 tackles. Eads can create some havoc in the league with a win, as it would create a possible three-way tie. The Eagles eked out a 52-46 win last year, snapping a string of six straight Granada victories in the series, including the first four between the two programs in six-man.

#4 WALSH EAGLES (5-1) VS #11 CHEYENNE WELLS TIGERS (2-4) FRIDAY 7PM

Both teams enter the contest 2-1 in the East division, with each having lost to Granada. The winner would remain in contention for the league title with an Eads upset of the Bobcats. Cody Malone threw two touchdowns for Walsh in the win over Eads last week, one apiece to Leyton Jones and Lane Runkle. Jones went for 132 yards on the ground with a TD, and Ethan Barwick added a short touchdown run of his own. Trey Scheler scored three rushing touchdowns for the Tigers in their 65-16 win over Kit Carson in the Cheyenne County Showdown last week. The sophomore ran for 118 yards, helping Cheyenne Wells amass 230 in that phase. Perry Chadwick completed all four of his passes with one going for a TD to Carson Noe. Chadwick also had a kick return for a score. Cheyenne Wells has won seven straight over Walsh, including a 68-24 decision last year.

#5 IDALIA WOLVES (4-2) BYE WEEK

Hayden Drullinger and Anthony Palacios each had a rushing touchdown for the Wolves in last week’s 57-13 loss at Stratton. Drullinger also recorded a blocked PAT for Idalia, who has a bye this week. The Wolves will return to action next Thursday with a key East Central contest at Genoa-Hugo.

#6 BRANSON/KIM BEARCATS (4-1) VS #18 PRAIRIE MUSTANGS (3-3) SATURDAY 1PM

Branson/Kim took a major step towards wrapping up the Southwest title last week with its 50-24 win over Primero. The Bearcats got a monster effort from Kolter Cranson, who rushed for 269 yards and five scores. The junior also added 11 tackles and an interception. Brock Doherty went over the 100 yard mark on the ground with a TD, and he scored on a reception from Owen Doherty. Brock led the Bearcats with 16 tackles. Sitting outside of the top-16, an upset would be massive for Prairie, who fell 32-8 at La Veta last week. Brennan Bringelson continued his strong sophomore season, accounting for the lone touchdown for the Mustangs with a rushing TD. He topped the century mark for a second straight week. Prairie pulled out a 36-34 win over Branson/Kim on the final play last year. That’s the only previous meeting between the two.

#7 PEETZ BULLDOGS (5-0) AT #15 BRIGGSDALE FALCONS (2-3) FRIDAY 7PM

After last week’s 54-34 win at Fleming, Peetz can lock up a share of the North league title with a win at Briggsdale on Friday. Neither team has lost a league contest, and they’re the only two who can say that. Rhyder Bayne had a hand in seven touchdowns against Fleming, throwing three and running for four more. He had 165 yards on just 10 carries. Noah Naegele snagged three TD receptions, and Conner Schumacher caught one. Chance Segelke tossed one. Tanner Fiscus and Kaeden Gebauer each scored twice on the ground and Fiscus also had a touchdown reception in Briggsdale’s 51-14 win over North Park last week. Scott Francis added a punt return for a score to keep the Falcons unbeaten in league play. Briggsdale has won four straight against Peetz, including a 49-14 romp last year. The last time the Bulldogs won was in 2018, a 101-85 shootout. It was their sixth straight win in the series at that point.

#8 ARICKAREE BISON (5-1) BYE WEEK

Arickaree set the tone early in last week’s 66-14 win over Hi-Plains, with Rylee Nichols returning the opening kick for a touchdown. The Bison got defensive touchdowns from Nic Hermes and Austin Wright, and Jorge Ramos had three total touchdowns for Arickaree, who is on its bye this week. The Bison return to action next Friday at Otis.

#9 SIERRA GRANDE PANTHERS (5-1) VS #12 LA VETA REDHAWKS (3-3) FRIDAY 6PM

While both teams would appear to be safely in the postseason field, a win not only helps bolster those play-off chances, but also keeps the winner alive for the Southwest crown, should Branson/Kim stumble down the stretch. Aron Ojeda, Manny Miranda, and Tyler Kester each had two rushing touchdowns in Sierra Grande’s 48-13 win over Sangre de Cristo last week. Ojeda, who also had a passing TD to Joe DeHerrera, ran for 107 yards, leading an attack that recorded 339 yards on the ground. Brayden Nix threw for 122 yards and two scores on just four completions in La Veta’s win over Prairie last week. Nix also had 87 yards and a touchdown in the ground game, while Kade Andreatta led with 97 yards and a TD. Jessey Montunnas also had a passing TD for the Redhawks. Sierra Grande has won four straight against La Veta, outscoring the Redhawks 286-78 in that stretch. That includes an 80-6 decision two years ago, and 102-58 last year.

#10 GENOA-HUGO PIRATES (2-3) AT #27 HI-PLAINS PATRIOTS (0-5) THURSDAY 7PM

Genoa-Hugo spent the first few weeks of the season ranked inside the top-four of the polls and Seeding Index, but since going into the bye week, the Pirates have dropped three straight (Stratton, Arickaree, Otis). Trey Smith has thrown for a total of 609 yards and 11 touchdowns the last two weeks, pushing him over 5000 yards in his career with 69 TD. He’s only been picked off 12 times in almost 500 career pass attempts. His cousin, Konner Rowden-Stum, has been his top target, snagging 28 passes for 580 yards and eight touchdowns. Rowden-Stum is also over 500 yards on the ground and is 23 away from 500 on kick returns. Hi-Plains flashed some bright spots in last week’s loss at Arickaree, with a trio of freshmen showing potential to help the Patriots turn things around. Gabe Harvie, Jaxson Cordell, and Donald Dutton all made several plays in the defeat. The Pirates won last year’s meeting 66-26 behind three Smith TD passes.

#22 HANOVER HORNETS (3-3) VS #26 MIAMI-YODER BUFFALOES (3-2) FRIDAY 7PM

#24 KIOWA INDIANS (3-3) AT #30 BETHUNE BOBCATS (0-5) SATURDAY 1PM

These two games are grouped together because only the champion of the Central will get into the postseason field, as no member of that league will rank high enough in the Selection and Seeding Index to earn an at large berth. That also means that only the top-15 in that metric will make the bracket. Kiowa and Hanover are both tied for the lead in the league, with both being unblemished in Central action. Miami-Yoder is tied with #25 Deer Trail one game back of the two leaders. Deer Trail is playing a non-league game this weekend. It’s likely that this race goes down to the final day of the season.

#17 MOUNTAIN VALLEY WOLVES (2-3) VS #19 SANGRE DE CRISTO THUNDERBIRDS (2-4) SATURDAY 1PM

This is another game that may fly under the radar, but the winner still harbors an outside shot at getting one of the final spots in the bracket. Neither has a chance to win the Southwest title, but both could still be a factor in who does grab the automatic qualifying spot for the league. Sangre visits La Veta next Thursday, while the Wolves go to Branson/Kim next Saturday and Primero the following Friday.