EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – QUARTERFINALS by Kerry Sherman

EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – QUARTERFINALS

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Seven of the top eight seeds advanced through the opening round, but that doesn’t mean that the round was devoid of drama. Along with the one upset, there was one contest that had to go two overtimes for a victor to be determined. All four quarterfinals kickoff at 1pm on Saturday. The games are listed in bracket order.

#1 AKRON (10-0) VS #9 MANCOS (7-3)

Last week… Akron ran out to a 42-0 lead midway through the third quarter and moved on with a 42-16 win over #16 Crowley County. The Rams only attempted one pass on the blustery afternoon, and amassed 304 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Jakzon Livesay ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns, while Jace Curtis tacked on 112 yards and a TD. Kolten Randel scored twice. Curtis and Randel led the defense with 11 tackles apiece, while Livesay notched nine. Tucker Webb and Mason Porteus added eight apiece.

Mancos was tied after one quarter in its opening round contest at #8 West Grand, but the Bluejays exploded for 40 points over the next two frames to pull away for a 56-26 win, the lone by a road team in the round. Jonah Ritter powered the running attack with 232 yards and five touchdowns, while Michael Resner added 164 yards and a TD. Resner also had 124 yards and two aerial scores. James Potts tacked on one rushing and one receiving. Ritter was also busy on defense, racking up 19 tackles. Levi Gardner tallied 10.

Series history… This is the first meeting between the programs in the MaxPreps era.

#4 SANFORD (9-1) VS #5 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (7-3)

Last week… Trason Gartrell had a huge game for Sanford in the opening round, as the senior ran for 260 yards and six touchdowns, and also threw for one. The Mustangs downed #13 Las Animas 49-16. JD Faucette added 113 rushing yards, and Colter Canty caught a TD pass. Faucette and Gartrell recorded nine tackles apiece for the defense, while Colton Reynolds and Bryce Keck tallied six each. Canty picked off a pass and Faucette recovered two fumbles.

Dayspring Christian held a 12-8 halftime lead over #12 Byers in the opening round, and then the Eagles seized control with a shutout in the second half, allowing them to advance with a 33-8 victory. Hawkins Flanagan ran for one touchdown and threw two more, while Owen Crust caught two and threw for one. Elijah Martin added one on the ground. AJ Soucie paced the Eagles with a dozen tackles, and Martin and Flanagan tacked on 10 apiece. Crust and Martin each had an interception.

Series history… Sanford leads 2-0 in the MaxPreps era, with the victories coming in 2021 and 2022.

#3 MCCLAVE (10-0) VS #6 NORWOOD (8-2)

Last week… McClave got out of the gates in a hurry against #14 Elbert, racing to a 24-0 first quarter lead. The Cards would go on to claim a 47-22 victory over the Bulldogs. Drew Howe ran for 97 yards and four touchdowns, and Mason Barr added 150 yards and a TD. Cope Meston also reached paydirt on the ground. Tuff Kelley and Ryan Steinbrunn had five tackles apiece to lead the Cardinals, with one of Kelley’s being a sack. Kelley also added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Kielan Aragon also had a fumble recovery, and Meston picked off a pass.

Regulation was not enough to settle the score between Norwood and #11 Simla, as the teams worked a pair of overtimes. Norwood outlasted the Bear Cubs, earning a 46-44 victory. Cole Bray had a strong effort on both sides of the ball, running for two touchdowns and catching one, and also racking up 18 tackles. Brycen Rummel threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for more than 100 yards. Jackson Dinsmore tallied 12 tackles and a scoop-and-score.

Series history… This is the first meeting between the two programs in the MaxPreps era.

#2 HAXTUN (9-1) VS #7 SEDGWICK COUNTY (5-4)

Last week… The Fightin’ Bulldogs did all of their damage in the first half of their opening round win over #15 Plateau Valley, scoring 22 points in each of the first two quarters. They would take the win by the 44-0 count. Zach Statz posted 124 yards and three rushing touchdowns, and Haxtun also got scores from Colin Cone, Seth Seger, and Kanin Koberstein. The Fightin’ Bulldogs picked off three passes, one apiece by Statz, Gabriel Becerra, and Corbin Andersen. The defense also came up with five fumble recoveries, with Becerra and Andersen each recording one. Seger, Austin Knox, and Ryan Chaney also had one apiece, and Knox forced two.

Sedgwick County got off to a 24-6 first quarter lead over #10 Clear Creek, and that proved to be too much for the previously undefeated Golddiggers to overcome. The Cougars advanced with a 38-20 victory. Owen Harris was the workhorse for SedgCo, toting the rock 29 times for 226 yards and four touchdowns. He had a 93-yard gain in his tally. Harris also led the defense with 16 tackles. Cooper Edson and Noah Harens added eight stops apiece. Harens also had a punt return for a TD.

Previous meeting… Statz ran for 145 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-8 win by Haxtun two weeks ago. Harris scored the lone Sedgwick County touchdown on an 80-yard run.