EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – WEEK SEVEN by Kerry Sherman

EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – WEEK SEVEN

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

We continue to see teams playing key league match-ups, and this week gives us a huge one in the Plains division, with the #1 team in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index (Haxtun) being challenged by the #3 team (Akron) on Friday. The second-ranked team (McClave) gets week seven started on Thursday.

THURSDAY

#2 MCCLAVE (5-0) VS SWINK (0-5)

Last week… McClave came off back-to-back bye weeks and looked a lot like it did before the break, shutting out an opponent. Mason Barr led the Cards with 243 yards and four touchdowns on 11 carries in a 51-0 romp against Rocky Ford. Drew Howe added 155 yards and two scores on seven attempts. The duo also added an interception apiece. Jr. Mungaray and Grady Ebright had eight tackles each. Swink opened Ark Valley play with a 48-8 loss to Holly. The Lions have been shutout twice and only scored a total of 21 points thus far.

Series history… McClave has won the last nine meetings, and 13 of the last 16. It was a 55-0 win for the Cardinals last year, with Barr running for 79 yards and a TD. Ryan Steinbrunn rushed for two scores, and Tuff Kelley caught two. Ryker White (47) and Kyler Lagergren (36) combine for 83 rushing yards for Swink.

FRIDAY

#1 HAXTUN (6-0) AT #3 AKRON (5-0)

Last week… Haxtun pitched its second straight shutout, and third of the season, in a 48-0 win over rival Merino. The Fightin’ Bulldogs amassed 390 yards on the ground, 185 by Coleman Firme, and 156 by Colin Cone. Both scored three times. Chase Goddard caught one from Cone. Firme racked up 21 tackles, while Carter Lock and Corbin Andersen both tallied 11. Akron was on a bye week after beating Dayspring Christian 34-8 in a non-league clash. Jace Curtis, Kolten Randel, and Jakzon Livesay all scored a rushing touchdown for the Rams; Mason Porteus and Jax Kusel had a receiving TD apiece.

Series history… Each team has won eight in a row, with Haxtun having the current winning streak. That includes a 46-20 victory in last year’s title game. Zach Statz ran for 130 yards and two Fightin’ Bulldogs touchdowns. Kusel scored on a fumble recovery for Akron.

#8 CLEAR CREEK (5-0) VS BELLEVIEW CHRISTIAN (1-4)

Last week… Mitchell Harvey ran for 212 and four touchdowns, as Clear Creek beat Gilpin County 60-32. The Golddiggers piled up 486 on the ground, with Jacob Young going for 102, and Nathan Guerrero and Skyler Clark adding 90 and 82, respectively. Drake Isaacson recorded three sacks, and Young tallied two. Belleview Christian dropped its third straight, falling to Justice by a 34-16 count. Daniel Canda ran for one score, and Jonathan Mallory added another rushing TD.

Series history… Last year was the first meeting between the two, with Clear Creek winning 64-8. Donovan Miller, Leo Manwarren, and Titus Canelos all recorded an interception for the Golddiggers. Canda led the Bruins with nine tackles.

#9 ELBERT (5-1) VS SOUTH PARK (1-4)

Last week… The Bulldogs made it four straight wins by outscoring St. Mary’s 52-21. Ethan Tesman threw for 328 yards and four touchdowns, and also ran for 128 yards and three TD. Eli Cornell made 14 grabs for 309 yards and all four touchdowns. Cornell and Jeremiah LaChausse both picked off a pass. The Burros were outmatched by Byers, who handed them a 54-8 defeat. Byers racked up more than 400 yards of offense, over 300 of it on the ground.

Series history… Elbert has won five in a row and six of the last seven. Last year, the Bulldogs rolled to a 72-8 victory, with Tesman throwing for three scores and running for another. Niko Eaton ran for the lone Belleview Christian touchdown.

SATURDAY

#4 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (5-1) AT MERINO (3-3)

Last week… Trailing 22-20 entering the fourth quarter, Dayspring Christian got the winning TD in the final frame to beat Sedgwick County, 28-22. Hawkins Flanagan had three rushing touchdowns for the Eagles, and Elijah Martin added 115 yards and a TD. Those two combined for 26 tackles, 14 by Martin. Merino wasn’t able to get much going offensively against Haxtun in a 48-0 loss. The run defense also had its issues, as the Rams allowed close to 400 yards on the ground.

Series history… Merino has won three straight and holds a 15-11 lead in the MaxPreps era. The Rams stacked up 389 rushing yards, 110 by Jacob Frank in last year’s 36-12 win. Martin ran for one score for the Eagles, and Max Krehbiel caught one.

#5 MANCOS (4-1) VS VAIL CHRISTIAN (3-2)

Last week… Mancos moved to 2-0 in the Mountain division with a 42-22 victory over Dove Creek. Michael Resner had a big night on the ground, running for 223 yards and a TD. James Potts and Jonah Ritter had a rushing touchdown apiece. Vail Christian climbed to 2-1 in the Northwest with a 42-8 win over Soroco. Five different Saints reached paydirt, with Colt Buckley scoring twice in the ground attack. The defense picked off three passes and recovered three fumbles.

Series history… Mancos won the only previous meeting, taking a 50-6 victory last year. Resner had a TD pass to Ethan Wyatt in that win.

#6 SANFORD (4-1) AT SARGENT (1-4)

Last week… The Mustangs won their Mountain division opener 54-24 over Norwood, with Trason Gartrell rushing for 234 yards and six touchdowns. Colton Reynolds led the Sanford defense with 11 tackles, and he also had an interception. Sargent dropped to 0-1 in the division with a 51-0 loss to Dolores. It was the fourth straight loss by the Farmers, the second in a row by shutout.

Series history… Sanford has won six in a row, four by shutout, one by forfeit, and last year’s match-up by a 52-20 score. JD Faucette and Gartrell both had a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Mustangs.

#10 PLATEAU VALLEY (4-2) AT LAKE COUNTY (0-5)

Last week… Plateau Valley lost for the second straight week, dropping a 56-38 decision to Hayden. Colter Ralston threw for 276 yards and three scores, but the Cowboy defense allowed more than 400 yards on the ground. Riley Junge led a trio of defenders with double figure tackles, racking up 15. Austin Grundy and Grant Bevan added 13 and 12, respectively. Lake County had a bye after losing to Hayden by a 58-6 tally. Sylas Westendorf accounted for the lone Panther TD, running one in.

Series history… Plateau Valley pitched a 40-0 shutout last year. It was the first meeting between the two. Ralston threw five touchdowns, connecting with five different receivers. The Panthers were held to minus-three yards of offense.

BYE WEEK

#7 SEDGWICK COUNTY (3-2)

OTHER KEY GAME

BYERS (4-1) AT SIMLA (3-2) SATURDAY