SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – OPENING ROUND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The opening round of the six-man playoffs is scheduled to begin this weekend, with all of the games slated for Saturday at either 1pm or 2pm. However, heavy snowfall covering most of the Eastern Plains is causing a plethora of issues. The dates and times listed in our preview are from the latest updates we have received from the schools involved.
#1 CHEYENNE WELLS (9-0) VS #16 PRIMERO (6-2) SUNDAY 1PM
Season Notes… Cheyenne Wells has the longest current winning streak in the classification at nine. The Tigers won the Southeast Division, giving up an average of 14 points a game in league play. They scored close to 66 points per contest. Overall, the Tigers outscored their opponents 567-150 in the regular season. Zack Dickey threw for 625 yards and 16 touchdowns, with Corey Hill (13/273/6) as his top target. Trey Scheler ran for 1242 yards and 25 TD, while Ethan Garay added 706 yards and 17 TD. Scheler led the defense with 74 total tackles. Chason Turner had a team-high seven sacks, while Scheler and Bryson Hyle recorded five interceptions apiece. Hill and Kelby Leonard were each credited with three fumble recoveries.
Primero ended up finishing third in the Southwest Division behind Sierra Grande and Branson/Kim, who handed the Bulldogs their only losses in the regular season. They outscored their opponents 375-152 on the season, with a forfeit victory on the slate. Brett Kendall has been a dual threat on offense, throwing for 1220 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also running for 1041 yards and 21 more TD. Gabe Sintas has posted a 31/696/18 receiving line. Jairo Vicente Dominguez leads the defense with 66 total tackles and four interceptions. Kailain Sanford has a team-leading seven sacks, and Ralsten LePlatt has four fumble recoveries.
Series history… First meeting in MaxPreps era.
#8 ARICKAREE/WOODLIN (6-3) VS #9 FLEMING (7-3) SATURDAY 1PM
Season notes… The Bison finished fourth in the East Central, behind Stratton, Otis, and Idalia. They were outscored by those three by a tally of 147-40. Overall, Arickaree/Woodlin had a 359-254 scoring advantage this season. Austin Wright has 824 passing yards with 15 touchdowns, and 897 yards with 11 TD on the ground. Jorge Ramos has added 474 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, while also leading the offense with 18 catches for 276 yards and six TD. Dillon Noletubby has recorded a 14/347/7 line Zarron Skubal leads the defensive unit with 121 tackles, while Ramos is also in triple digits with 112. Wright needs two tackles to join them. Skubal and Wright have 10 sacks apiece, and Noletubby is tops with three interceptions.
Fleming finished as the runner-up in the North, dropping the regular season finale by a 45-30 score. The Wildcats lost their final two games of the schedule, also falling to Idalia. They outscored their opposition by a 446-348 margin. The running game powered Fleming during the regular season, with Grant Kuntz recording 1708 yards and 28 touchdowns. Conner Marchant gained 641 yards and 12 TD. Treyson Kirkwood has passed for 646 yards and 10 touchdowns. Kuntz had a team-high five touchdown catches, but Dane Cunningham leads with 13 grabs and 218 yards. Marchant (89), Kuntz (76), and Peter Brekel (67) lead the Wildcats in tackles. Kuntz has both of the team’s interceptions.
Series history… Fleming holds an 8-2 lead, including the last three in a row, but the last meeting was in 2021.
#4 IDALIA (8-2) AT #13 PRAIRIE (5-5) SATURDAY 1PM
Season notes… Idalia was third in the East Central behind Stratton and Otis. The Wolves were outscored 91-35 by those two, but had a 496-187 edge overall. Freshman QB Broderick Kite has thrown for 683 yards and 13 TD, with Tate Towns being his favored receiver (24/345/5). Gabe Kechter (1297/29) and Garret Drullinger (725/10) are a tough combination in the backfield. On the defensive side, it’s Kechter (95), Towns (77), and Haydan Drullinger (73) leading in tackles. G. Drullinger is tops with five sacks, just ahead of Kite, who has 4.5 on the season. H. Drullinger leads with three picks.
Prairie ended up third in the North, with losses to Fleming (45-44) and Caliche (43-22) in league play. The Mustangs earned their spot in the bracket by beating Kiowa 57-6 last week. That helped them end the regular season with a 349-328 scoring advantage. Beau Carlson sits at 717 yards passing, with nine scoring passes on the year. Lane Schock (17/236/4) and Justin Schreiner (14/199/3) are the top receiving threats, and Schreiner leads the ground game with 1285 yards and 13 TD. Schock also has 13 scores on the ground. Schock has a big lead in tackles, leading with 93. No one else has as many as 60. Wyatt Walker‘s three sacks are the best on the team, as are Tyler Troudt‘s two picks.
Series history… Idalia has a 4-2 edge in recent meetings, including a 52-8 victory in the season opener this year. Prairie head coach Tyson Ramseier is a former Idalia standout.
#5 GRANADA (7-2) VS #12 BRANSON/KIM (6-3) SATURDAY 1PM
Season notes… Only a setback against Cheyenne Wells (75-39) kept Granada from the league title in the Southeast. The Bobcats rolled to a 433-255 edge over all of their opponents. They gave up 152 of those points in their two losses. Maddox Coleman has more than 1500 yards and 26 touchdowns through the air, and another 448 and five on the ground. The freshman duo of Sebastian Pizarro and Fernando Cadena combined for 973 yards and 14 touchdowns, with Pizarro missing the last three games due to injury. Terence Hainer (27/385/10) and Elijah Rodriguez (22/319/8) are the top two threats in the passing game. Cadena leads the Bobcats with 96 tackles, and Coleman is next with 87. Four players have at least three sacks, led by Cadena with four. Coleman has six of the unit’s 14 picks.
A wild 52-45 loss to Sierra Grande stood between Branson/Kim and another Southwest title. The Bearcats allowed 39 points in the rest of their league games, with 32 coming in a win over Primero. Kolter Cranson leads the Bearcats in almost every category, including rushing with 1385 yards and 23 TD. He’s also tops with 14 catches, 262 yards, and six touchdowns. Cooper Winter is the primary passer, racking up 438 yards and eight TD. Cranson tops the defensive stats with 76 tackles, while Will Doherty has 58 to rank second. Seven of Doherty’s stops have been sacks. David Gamez leads with four interceptions.
Series history… Granada has won all five previous meetings, including a 32-0 win this season.
#3 OTIS (9-1) VS #14 CHERAW (5-5) SATURDAY 1PM
Season notes… The only loss on the calendar for Otis came to Stratton (48-16), which kept the Bulldogs from winning the East Central title. The Bulldogs only allowed 85 points to their other nine opponents. Six players have tallied more than 100 yards on the ground, with Tayte Smith (540/11) and Mitchell Stivers (422/14) topping the chart. Austin Hornung has thrown for 669 yards and 19 touchdowns, with Charlie Kendrick grabbing 26 passes for 469 yards and 11 scores. Cambric Klinzmann stars on defense, registering 72 tackles, five interceptions, and three touchdowns.
Cheraw ended up fourth in the Southeast behind Cheyenne Wells, Granada, and Eads. Over the course of the season, the Wolverines outscored their foes 409-314. William Ledbetter (1080/22) and Tim Provost (893/16) have been one of the top rushing combos in the state, and they help open the passing game for Rhett Dutton. Dutton has thrown 745 yards and 10 scores. Braden Stoker leads the offense with 19 grabs for 256 yards and six touchdowns. Stoker also leads the defense with 101 tackles, ahead of Provost, who has 83. Stoker also has four fumble recoveries.
Series history… Otis won 46-12 back in 2016.
#6 SIERRA GRANDE (8-0) VS #11 EADS (5-4) SATURDAY 1PM
Season notes… Of the 175 points allowed by Sierra Grande this season, 117 came in Southwest play. The Panthers won the division, allowing 28 points to teams not named Branson/Kim or Primero. Aron Ojeda has racked up 1452 yards and 36 touchdowns through the air, with Jadyn Martinez snagging 44 passes for 836 yards and 19 touchdowns. Rolando Najera has added 24 receptions, 515 yards, and 14 TD. While the running game hasn’t played a huge role in the attack, Bryant Tijerina leads with 342 yards and six scores. Martinez nearly has as many tackles (85) as the next two Panthers combined. Carlos Lopez stands atop the board with 4.5 sacks, while Martinez has five interceptions.
Despite being decimated early in the season by injuries, the Eagles finished second in the Southeast behind Cheyenne Wells and Granada. They only scored 47 points in their four losses during the season, and finished with 18 fewer points scored than allowed. Shaine Winder went for more than 1100 yards on the ground, scoring 16 times. Karsten Buller caught 19 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns, with Adyn Hough throwing for 616 yards and 13 scores. Buller (47), Winder (41), and Case Nelson (41) are the top three tacklers for the Eagles.
Series history… Tied at a win apiece, with the Eagles winning in 2022, and Sierra Grande getting a victory last year.
#7 CALICHE (9-1) VS #10 HANOVER (8-2) SUNDAY 2PM
Season notes… In its first season of six-man, Caliche rolled to a North Division title. The Buffs outscored the league 252-134. Their lone loss came early in the season to Stratton (52-14). Zander Yost has been the workhorse of the offense, running for 1813 yards and 31 touchdowns. When the Buffs have put the ball in the air, Avery Bell has thrown for 483 yards and four scores. Much of that has gone to Yost, who has put up a 14/273/3 line. Those two are also key to the defense, with Bell recording 94 tackles and Yost adding 88. Clint Rockwell isn’t far behind with 85. Yost has four sacks and five picks.
Hanover got through the Central Division with little resistance, allowing a total of 45 points in five games. The Hornets had more trouble in games against top competition, losing to Idalia and Cheyenne Wells by a combined tally of 108-33. Junior Diaz has just over 1000 yards on the ground with 20 TD and David Byers has added 15 more rushing touchdowns. Tyler Decker is 81 passing yards shy of 1000 for the season, and he has 16 touchdowns to his credit. Nine have gone to Tanner Lindsey. Thomas Griffin has five more. Byers heads up the defense with 81 tackles, five of them sacks. Decker has seven sacks. JJ Aguilar owns three of the team’s 10 picks.
Series history… First meeting.
#2 STRATTON (9-1) VS #15 KIT CARSON (4-5) SATURDAY 2PM
Season notes… After dropping the season opener to Cheyenne Wells 53-40, the Eagles won their final nine games by a combined score of 482-125. For the East Central champs, that included a 228-45 edge in the league. Stockton Fye leads the running attack with 1100 yards and 22 touchdowns, while Brody Webb has added 405 yards and 10 TD. Von Isenbart has 838 yards and 18 scores in the aerial portion of the offense. Webb has been on the receiving end of 10 scoring passes. Five of the nine passes caught by Gavin Ruhs have reached the end zone. Defensively, Webb has been a tackling machine, recording 88 tackles in limited action each week. Isenbart has added 55 tackles and eight interceptions, while freshman Nolan Notter owns 9.5 sacks on the season.
Kit Carson got off to a 3-1 start, but lost four of its last five games. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, all four of those losses were in Southeast play. They finished fifth in that league. Their four wins match the victory total of the last three seasons combined. Kit Carson hasn’t done a lot on the ground, with Fernando Ferrales-Fierro leading at 211 yards and six TD, but Mason Marriott has been solid in the passing game. The sophomore has thrown for 1426 yards and 18 scores. Josiah Irwin has pulled down 37 receptions for 748 yards and seven touchdowns. Brennan Framel has five receiving TD. Framel is also the team’s leading tackler with 67. Marriott has shown big play ability on defense, intercepting seven passes.
Series history… Stratton has a 3-2 lead, with all five meetings coming while they were part of the co-op with Liberty. One of those wins came in the 2018 championship contest.
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