EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – WEEK EIGHT
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Just three weekends of football remain in the regular season for eight-man, beginning Thursday night. As things currently stand, one potential league winner sits outside of the top-16 of the current CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index. Fowler (#19) and Crowley County (#26) are tied for the lead in the Six-County, and don’t meet until the final weekend of the season. If neither climb into the top-16 of the metric by the end of the campaign, the team occupying the 16th spot would be bumped. Right now, that would be Springfield.
THURSDAY
#13 WEST GRAND (6-1) AT VAIL CHRISTIAN (3-3)
Last week… West Grand blasted Soroco 56-0, with Blake Terryberry throwing for 198 yards and three touchdowns, and also adding another score on the ground. Jack Burton and Landon Lockhart both ran for 85 yards and a touchdown apiece. Walker Howell snagged two receptions for 98 yards and a TD. Ethan Barr had a scoop-and-score to go with a receiving TD. Vail Christian held a 22-20 halftime lead in its non-league contest at Mancos, but the Saints were outscored in the second half 40-16 and fell by the count of 60-38. Asher Morris threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for two more scores, but the Saints were hurt by three interceptions. Sawyer Willis caught eight passes for 161 yards.
Series history… West Grand has won the last two meetings, 48-0 last year, to take a 7-5 lead head-to-head. Terryberry threw for three scores and ran for two more for the Mustangs in the win.
#15 DOLORES (4-1) VS DOVE CREEK (2-4)
Last week… The Bears had a bye, a week after handing Sargent a 51-0 defeat. River Wickstrom had two TD passes and one rushing in that victory. Michael Rantz caught a pair of touchdowns. Rantz also ran for one score and returned two punts for touchdowns as well. Dove Creek was doubled up by Norwood, 60-30. Cael Beanland ran for one TD and threw for another, and the Bulldogs also got a rushing touchdown from Nicholas Aragon and one receiving by Teagan Larimore. Aragon led the defense with 12 tackles, and Kycen Gritz returned a pick 100 yards for a score.
Series history… Dove Creek has won all three eight-man meetings between the squads, with last year’s 38-0 victory marking the third straight shutout by the Bulldogs. Larimore ran for 146 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs. Darren Hicks led the Bears with 10 tackles.
FRIDAY
#4 MCCLAVE (6-0) AT #11 LAS ANIMAS (5-1)
Last week… The Cardinals remained unbeaten with a 44-7 win over Swink. Drew Howe threw for 152 yards and three touchdowns, one apiece to Mason Barr, Tuff Kelley, and Cope Meston. Howe also had a pick-six defensively. Ryan Bronniman added an interception, and Grady Ebright led the defense with nine tackles. Las Animas downed Holly 58-6, setting up this showdown between the co-leaders in the Arkansas Valley. Braydon Ortiz hit on 16 of 18 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for three more scores. Orion Martinez rushed for 142 yards and a TD, and tied for team honors with seven tackles. Logan Servaes and Scott Banister also tallied seven stops apiece.
Series history… McClave has won all ten previous match-ups, the last three in shutout fashion. The Cards saw Barr run for 95 yards and add 67 receiving in a 36-0 win last season. Barr also picked off three passes. Martinez led the Trojans with 15 tackles, and Servaes added 11.
#5 MANCOS (5-1) VS #6 SANFORD (5-1)
Last week… Mancos stepped out of the Mountain division for a non-league tilts against Vail Christian The Bluejays used a big second half to pull out a 60-38 victory. Michael Resner ran for 166 yards and six scores, while Jonah Ritter tallied 165 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Resner also threw a TD pass to Ritter. Defensively, Resner intercepted two passes, and Joshua Peterson snagged one. Sanford helped set up this clash of leaders in the Mountain by defeating Sargent 57-6. It was Trason Gartrell running for 159 yards and three scores to lead the ground attack, while Huntley Duran (85) and Colton Reynolds (82) combined for 167 yards and three touchdowns. Reynolds scored two of them. Roman Edgar forced and recovered a fumble, and Jared McCarroll added an interception.
Series history… With a 34-20 victory last season, Mancos has won the last five meetings, taking a 9-8 lead in the series. Ritter racked up 128 yards and a TD in the win, while Gartrell piled up 136 and two touchdowns for the Mustangs.
#7 SEDGWICK COUNTY (3-2) VS MERINO (3-4)
Last week… The bye week fell at a pretty good time for Sedgwick County, as the Cougars were coming off a 28-22 loss to Dayspring Christian in Plains play. SedgCo held the lead before giving up a fourth quarter touchdown. Owen Harris raced for 189 yards and three TD in the loss. Merino fell to 0-2 in the division after also losing to Dayspring Christian, 50-6. The Rams gave up close to 400 yards of offense to the Eagles, just short of 300 on the ground.
Series history… Narrow wins the last two years have pulled the Cougars to within one victory of tying the series, as Merino holds a 13-12 advantage. Sedgwick County eked out a 6-0 win last year. Brady Mollendor scored the game-winning touchdown in the first quarter.
#8 CLEAR CREEK (6-0) AT LYONS (1-5)
Last week… The Golddiggers remained alone atop the Central with a 49-0 shutout of Belleview Christian. They did all of their damage in the first half. Defensively, Clear Creek held the Bruins to just 61 yards of offense, all rushing. Lyons broke into the win column, defeating Justice 58-20, behind a running attack that piled up more than 600 yards. James Baer accounted for 326 of those, and three touchdowns. Grady Pickering also topped the century mark with 106 yards, and Calvin Russell added 98 yards and four touchdowns. Pickering had a team-high 15 tackles.
Series history… The teams played eight times in Class 1A during the MaxPreps era, with Lyons winning five times. However, Clear Creek got the win last year in the first match-up between them as eight-man programs. The Golddiggers amassed more than 300 rushing yards in a 47-14 victory.
#9 ELBERT (6-1) AT #12 BYERS (5-1)
Last week… Elbert had no issues with South Park, as the Bulldogs rolled up a 74-0 victory over the Burros. Ethan Tesman and Conner Rhoades had two passing and one rushing TD apiece, and Cole Nay added two receiving scores for Elbert. The Bulldogs scored four return touchdowns, including a scoop-and-score and a punt return by Jeremiah LaChausse. Byers did its part to make this a showdown for the lead in the Black Forest, handing Simla a 52-6 loss. James Maes went to work through the air, throwing for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Caleb Eastwood hauled in seven passes for 157 yards and a TD, and George Wyatt Earl had a pair of receiving touchdowns. Christopher Papaianopol aided the cause with a long pick-six.
Series history… This is just the fourth meeting between the sets of Bulldogs, with Byers owning a 2-1 lead in the previous contests. That includes a 58-8 win last year. Gabe Price scored twice for Byers, while Tesman had a TD pass for Elbert.
#10 NORWOOD (4-2) AT SARGENT (1-5)
Last week… Norwood leveled its Mountain record with a 60-30 victory over Dove Creek. Brycen Rummel threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Daniel Zurich, Jackson McCabe, and Cole Bray. Owen Tackett added 117 yards and three TD on the ground. Jackson Dinsmore led the Maverick defense with 14 tackles. Sargent wasn’t able to get much going in its 57-6 loss to Sanford, with the lone touchdown for the Farmers coming on a long reception by River Hodgson. Overall, the offense produced 117 yards from scrimmage, only six on the ground.
Series history… Sargent holds a 5-4 lead, but the Mavs earned a 52-16 win last year. Rummel ran for two scores and threw for another to lead Norwood in the victory.
#16 SPRINGFIELD (4-2) VS HOLLY (1-5)
Last week… Coltin Woodhouse had a big night for Springfield in a 62-20 win over Rocky Ford, as the sophomore threw for 161 and three scores, and ran for 150 and two more touchdowns. Gunnar Mackey went for 91 yards and two touchdowns, while also hauling in a TD pass. Chisum Roberson caught two passes for 111 yards, with both going for touchdowns. A week after getting into the win column, Holly was handed a 58-6 loss by Las Animas. The Wildcats gave up more than 400 yards off offense to the Trojans.
Series history… Holly had won five straight prior to a 52-6 win by the Longhorns last season. That tied the series at 10 wins apiece during the MaxPreps era. Mackey ran for 114 yards in that victory. Noel Lopez (12) and Jessie Pizarro (11) combined for 23 tackles to pace the Holly defense.
SATURDAY
#1 AKRON (6-0) AT #3 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (6-1)
Last week… The Rams outlasted previously unbeaten Haxtun to claim a 28-24 win in the Plains division. Kolten Randel threw for 309 yards and three scores, including a 97-yarder to Jakzon Livesay. Livesay finished with five catches for 178 yards and two TD. Randel also had a rushing touchdown, and a team-leading 16 tackles. Nolan Camacho added 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. With its 50-6 win over Merino, Dayspring Christian remained unbeaten in league play, making this a clash of leaders in the Plains. Hawkins Flanagan tossed three TD passes, one apiece to Max Krehbiel, Oliver Heenan, and Luke Martin. Flanagan also ran for two scores, as did Elijah Martin, who amassed 189 yards on the ground.
Series history… Akron made it five straight wins with a 34-6 decision earlier this year, but the Eagles still lead 10-8. Randel had a TD pass and a scoring run, and Akron’s defense collected three interceptions, two by Jace Curtis, in the win. Flanagan threw a touchdown pass to E. Martin for the lone Dayspring Christian score.
BYE WEEK
#2 HAXTUN
#14 PLATEAU VALLEY
MileHigh Prep Report 