SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK EIGHT by Kerry Sherman

SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK EIGHT

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Two of the five divisions saw champions crowned last week, with Stratton’s win over Otis giving the Eagles tiebreakers over their two closest competitors in the East Central, and Hanover completing a perfect run through the Central. The Southeast will be settled on Friday, with Cheyenne Wells visiting Granada. The North and Southwest still have some key contests left on the schedule before their championships can be claimed. Rankings in this preview come from the Thursday morning release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.

THURSDAY

#10 ARICKAREE/WOODLIN (4-3, 1-3 EAST CENTRAL) AT GENOA-HUGO (2-5, 1-3 EAST CENTRAL) 7PM

Last week… Arickaree/Woodlin picked up its first league win, shutting out Hi-Plains 58-0. Zarron Skubal had eight tackles, a sack, a blocked punt, and a pick-six to go with a rushing touchdown in the victory. Jorge Ramos led the defense with 11 tackles, and also scored four touchdowns, three rushing and one on a kick return. Angel Palomo helped out with a 64-yard TD reception. The Pirates had their two-game winning streak snapped in a 58-6 loss at Idalia. Ryker Lockhart connected with Teghan Seymour for the lone TD in the loss. Garren McClendon collected an interception, the first of his career.

Series history… Arickaree/Woodlin leads 3-1, with the teams splitting the last two meetings. The Bison won 46-41 last season, and Genoa-Hugo got a 58-54 win two years ago.

FRIDAY

#1 STRATTON (6-1, 4-0 EAST CENTRAL) VS HI-PLAINS (0-7, 0-4 EAST CENTRAL) 7PM

Last week… Stratton’s defense picked off four passes, two by Von Isenbart, in a 48-16 win at Otis. Brody Webb had one of those picks, and also ran for 100 yards with two scores, while adding a TD reception from Isenbart. Stockton Fye also scored twice on the ground. Hi-Plains was shutout for the second straight game, 58-0 by Arickaree/Woodlin, and for the third time in the last four contests. The Patriots turned the ball over twice and allowed a blocked punt and a kick return TD on special teams.

Series history… Stratton has won 8 of the last 10, including three straight. Two of those were by forfeit.

#2 CHEYENNE WELLS (6-0, 5-0 SOUTHEAST) AT #5 GRANADA (6-1, 4-0 SOUTHEAST) 7PM

Last week… Trey Scheler ran for 188 yards and three touchdowns, and also had a pick-six in the Tigers’ 55-12 win over Eads. Ethan Garay rushed for a pair of touchdowns, and snagged an interception on defense. Kelby Leonard led the Tigers with eight tackles. Maddox Coleman threw two first quarter touchdowns for Granada, and also returned a fumble for a score, as the Bobcats built a 48-0 lead at Walsh. They would win 48-6. Fernando Cadena ran for one TD and returned a kick for another, while Alejandro Perez tallied two rushing scores.

Series history… With both teams in six-man, they have split their six meetings evenly. After Granada won the regular season meeting last year, 58-24, Cheyenne Wells got a 46-14 win in the postseason. The winner gets the Southeast championship.

#4 IDALIA (6-1, 3-1 EAST CENTRAL) VS #6 OTIS (6-1, 3-1 EAST CENTRAL) 7PM

Last week… Broderick Kite threw for three TD, two to Gabe Kechter, in Idalia’s 58-6 win over Genoa-Hugo. Kechter finished with 96 receiving yards and 87 rushing, with four total touchdowns. Kolby Morris converted five of six PAT kicks. Otis threw four interceptions in the 48-16 loss to Stratton, but also came up with three picks on defense. Charlie Kendrick, Tayte Smith, and Cambric Klinzmann each had one. Klinzmann finished with a career-high 21 tackles, and Kendrick added 14.

Series history… These teams have split the last 20 meetings right down the middle. Otis owns the last two wins, including a 64-21 victory last season.

#8 CALICHE (6-1, 4-0 NORTH) AT LA VETA (2-4, 2-2 SOUTHWEST) 7PM

Last week… Caliche received a forfeit from Flagler, pushing its winning streak to four. The Buffs step out of North division play for a long road trip, before closing the regular season with a pair of league games. La Veta used a 30-point first half to put a 60-12 win over Antonito on the ledger. David Roel went six for eight passing, with four of the completions going for touchdowns. Two went to Kaydyn Kent, who also had a rushing score. Sunny Kent had two rushing and one receiving.

Series history… First meeting in six-man. The programs met back in 2012, with Caliche earning an eight-man victory.

#11 FLEMING (6-1, 4-0 NORTH) VS BRIGGSDALE (3-3, 2-2 NORTH) 7PM

Last week… Fleming ran for 605 yards and 10 touchdowns in a wild 76-46 win over Peetz. Grant Kuntz piled up 324 yards with four TD, and Conner Marchant added 245 and six. Pierson Japp tallied 88 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Dallas Glass starred on both sides of the ball for Briggsdale in a 65-12 win at North Park, running for 143 yards and four touchdowns, and also recording a game-high 17 tackles. Scot Francis tallied 11 tackles, and Daniel Trujillo added 10.

Series history… Briggsdale broke an eight-game losing streak with a 39-35 victory last year, but in the MaxPreps era, Fleming holds a 16-2 lead.

SATURDAY

#3 SIERRA GRANDE (6-0, 3-0 SOUTHWEST) VS COTOPAXI (1-5, 1-3 SOUTHWEST) 6PM

Last week… Aron Ojeda tossed six TD passes, four to Jadyn Martinez and two to Rolando Najera, and added another score on the ground, as Sierra Grande outlasted Branson/Kim 52-45. Martinez and Bryant Tijerina collected 17 tackles apiece, and Martinez added a game-sealing interception in the closing seconds. Cotopaxi had the week off after the Pirates got into the win column for the first time this season by beating Antonito two weeks ago, 56-30. William Fong threw for 267 yards and five touchdowns, two apiece to Justin Howell and Joel Tezak. Howell added two more scores on the ground.

Series history… After winning five straight in the series, Cotopaxi lost the next three. The teams did not play last year, as the Pirates weren’t able to field a squad. Overall, Cotopaxi owns a slim 6-5 edge in the MaxPreps era.

#7 HANOVER (6-1, 5-0 CENTRAL) VS WALSH (1-6, 0-5 SOUTHEAST) 1PM

Last week… Hanover sewed up the Central title with a 39-0 win at Bethune. The Hornets scored three times on defense, with Tyler Decker and David Byers both recording pick-sixes, and Tanner Lindsey adding a scoop-and-score. Ty Hoffman scored the only touchdown for Walsh in its 48-6 loss to Granada. The junior also had a fumble recovery on defense. The Eagles blocked three kicks, one apiece by Jaxson Frazee, Beau Foster, and Henry Wright.

Series history… Hanover leads 1-0, winning 56-8 in 2021.

#9 PRIMERO (5-1, 2-1 SOUTHWEST) VS ANTONITO (0-6, 0-4 SOUTHWEST) 1PM

Last week… Primero had its bye after suffering a tough 54-44 loss to Sierra Grande the week prior. Brett Kendall had a huge outing in that contest, throwing for more than 300 yards with four TD and added 120 yards with two scores on the ground. Gabe Sintas caught three TD passes, and Matthew Pachorek snagged one. Rylan Trant threw a pair of touchdowns to Lucas Cordova in Antonito’s 60-12 loss to La Veta. Trant also had a blocked kick, as did Carmelo Duran.

Series history… Primero has won the last five meetings to grab a 5-3 lead in the series. Last year’s match-up was the first since 2017.