EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK NINE by Kerry Sherman

EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – WEEK NINE

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

It’s the penultimate weekend of regular season play in 8-man, and a lot is at stake. Several league titles will be secured, and with them, guaranteed spots in the postseason will be locked up. Entering the weekend, one of the likely league champions sits outside the top-16 of the most recent CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, and that could mean someone could get bumped from an at large berth.

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THURSDAY

#12 PLATEAU VALLEY (5-2, 3-1 NORTHWEST) AT #16 RANGELY (5-3, 3-2 NORTHWEST) 7PM

Last week… Plateau Valley had the week off, following a 40-0 win over Lake County. Colter Ralston threw five touchdowns in that victory, with each going to a different receiver. London Mitchell caught one of them, and added a rushing TD as well. Riley Junge helped the defense get involved for the Cowboys, recording a safety. Rangely took a 56-0 victory over Lake County, with the defense holding the opposing Panthers to 52 yards of offense. As of Thursday afternoon, Rangely would own the final at large spot into the postseason bracket, but would likely lose that spot to the champion of the Six County league.

Series history… Plateau Valley has won 12 of the last 15 meetings, including the last six. Rangely’s last win came in 2016.

FRIDAY

#1 HAXTUN (6-1, 2-0 PLAINS) VS #19 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (4-4, 0-3 PLAINS) 7:30PM

Last week… Haxtun was on its bye after beating Akron 48-0 the previous week. Ryland Wolff (152), Grant Statz (146), and Zach Statz (106) all went over the century mark as the Fightin’ Bulldogs amassed more than 400 yards on the ground. Dayspring Christian was handed a second loss in a month by Akron, 32-14. It was the fourth straight loss for the Eagles, who allowed 379 rushing yards. Elijah Martin had 112 and two touchdowns for DCA. Hawkins Flanagan racked up 19 tackles and Jackson Polk added 16.

Series history… Dating back to 2004, Dayspring Christian holds a 12-8 edge. However, Haxtun has won the last four meetings.

#2 MANCOS (6-1, 3-0 MOUNTAIN) VS NORWOOD (3-4, 1-2 MOUNTAIN) 7PM

Last week… The Bluejays had their hands full with Sanford in a clash between league leaders, but eventually pulled out a 34-20 victory. Brandon Vannest ran for 149 yards with two scores, and also threw for 114 and two more touchdowns, one apiece to Michael Resner and Gavin Smith. Jonah Ritter added 128 and a touch on the ground. The Mavericks roughed up Sargent, 52-16, with Owen Tackett (175/1) and Brycen Rummel (132/2) combining for more than 300 rushing yards and three touchdowns. As a team, Norwood ran for 450 yards and six TD. Coulter Shumway racked up a pair of sacks.

Series history… Norwood owns an 8-5 lead in the MaxPreps era (2004-current), but all of the wins by Mancos have come in the last five meetings.

#3 MCCLAVE (7-0, 3-0 ARK VALLEY) AT #9 SPRINGFIELD (6-1, 3-0 ARK VALLEY) 7PM

Last week… Ethan Bronniman threw for 256 yards and four tuds in McClave’s 64-18 win at Holly. Tuff Kelley caught four passes for 126 yards and a TD, and Ryan Steinbrunn returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown. Springfield got 150 yards and three touchdowns on the ground from Colby Batterton in a 44-0 shutout of Swink. Batterton also had a 65-yard punt return for a score in the win. Colin Swanson added two rushing touchdowns, and Wyatt Cohoon recovered a pair of fumbles.

Series history… Springfield owns a narrow 10-8 lead in the MaxPreps era, but McClave has won three straight and four of the last five. The winner is the champion of the Ark Valley.

#4 DOVE CREEK (6-1, 2-1 MOUNTAIN) AT SARGENT (3-4, 1-2 MOUNTAIN) 6PM

Last week… Teagan Larimore ran for 146 yards and a TD, while Nicholas Aragon added 91 yards and two scores in Dove Creek’s 40-0 shutout of Dolores. Aragon added a pick-six and a receiving touchdown to his line. Cael Beanland aided the cause with an interception. Sargent wasn’t able to get much going in its 52-16 at Norwood, as the Farmer offense turned the ball over three times. Two of those were on interceptions.

Series history… The series is tied 6-6, but Dove Creek has won the last four meetings by a combined score of 186-32.

#5 AKRON (6-1, 1-1 PLAINS) AT #10 SEDGWICK COUNTY (4-3, 2-0 PLAINS) 7:30PM

Last week… Anderson Filla piled up 201 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Akron past Dayspring Christian 32-14. Jace Curtis added 111 yards and a TD, as the Rams rolled up 379 rushing yards. Caleb Poss led the defense with 15 tackles. The Cougars remained unbeaten by topping Merino 6-0 on a night that was dominated by rainy weather. Brady Mollendor ran for 73 yards and the game’s lone score. Owen Harris led Sedgwick County with 99 yards on the ground. Jace Ehmke snagged an interception for the Cougar defense.

Series history… Sedgwick County leads 9-5, including a pair of state championship game victories. Akron’s won the last two contests, including a tight 36-28 decision last year. The Cougars can make next week’s game against Haxtun be for the Plains title with a win this week.

#6 BYERS (7-0, 3-0 BLACK FOREST) VS CALHAN (3-4, 1-2 BLACK FOREST) 7PM

Last week.. In the first of two consecutive Bulldogs vs Bulldogs match-ups, Byers rolled to a 58-8 win over Elbert. Kaleb Willoughby and Gabe Price combined for 199 yards on the ground, and each scored a pair of touchdowns. Chase Long was an efficient 13-17 passing for 163 yards and two TD. Calhan snapped a two-game slide by handling South Park 46-8. The Bulldogs led 38-0 at the half and did not let the Burros into the end zone until the fourth quarter.

Series history… Byers has won three straight to take a 10-6 lead in the series. If that streak reaches four, Byers is the Black Forest champion.

#22 HOEHNE (4-3, 3-0 SIX COUNTY) VS CUSTER COUNTY (0-7, 0-3 SIX COUNTY) 7PM

Last week… Hoehne picked up its third straight win, beating Fowler in a clash of co-leaders in the Six County. The Farmers took sole possession of the league lead with a 40-22 victory, as Anthony Sandoval and Jake Magninat rushed for three touchdowns apiece. Sandoval nearly returned an interception for a score. That was one of four takeaways by Hoehne, as Conner Knezel, Matteo Moltrer, and Magninat all recovered fumbles. Custer County was held to a touchdown or less for the sixth straight game, as the Bobcats were handed a 58-6 loss by Crowley County. They’ve been outscored 370-48 on the season.

Series history… Hoehne has won six straight meetings, including an 84-12 decision last year. The Farmers can win the Six County crown with win and a Walsenburg loss at Fowler. Those two are tied for second place at 2-1 in the league, and they also play on Friday.

SATURDAY

#8 SIMLA (5-2, 2-1 BLACK FOREST) VS #11 ELBERT (4-3, 2-1 BLACK FOREST) 2PM

Last week… Simla bounced back from a loss to Byers by beating St. Mary’s 55-0. TJ Eurich went for more than 100 yards on the ground with four touchdowns, and added another 137 yards and two TD on four receptions. Caston Cox completed all seven of his pass attempts for 209 yards and those two scores. Evan Guy connected with Connor Maranville on a short TD pass as the back-ups got some valuable experience. Elbert dropped its contest with Byers 58-8, as Byers exploded for 30 unanswered points in the third quarter. Ethan Tesman and Kaleb Morano hooked up on a 43-yard pass for Elbert’s lone touchdown in the loss. Jeremiah LaChausse provided a highlight for the defense with his first sack of the season.