EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The eight-man season reaches its conclusion on Friday night, with a rematch of last year’s title match. Akron will be looking to flip the script after finishing second to Haxtun in 2024. The two teams will hook up at the ThunderBowl at CSU-Pueblo at 5pm.
#1 AKRON FIGHTING RAMS (12-0) VS #2 HAXTUN FIGHTIN’ BULLDOGS (11-1)
Championship history… This is Akron’s fourth title game appearance, with the Fighting Rams finishing runners-up in 2015 and 2016, as well as last year. In each of the three previous appearances, Akron squared off with a fellow member of the Plains Division. Akron also has second place finishes in Class A (1988), Class 1A (1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2009), to go with titles in 1985 (Class A), 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, and 2008, all in Class 1A.
For Haxtun, this is the fourth appearance in the last five years, with the Fightin’ Bulldogs winning it all last year and 2021, and finishing second in 2023. Haxtun won back-to-back-to-back eight-man titles in 1989, 1990, and 1991, and also claimed the crown in 2000 and again in 2004. The Fightin’ Bulldogs have runner-up finishes in 1997 and 2005. They also won the Class A championship in 1975 and 1981.
Season notes… Akron has outscored opponents 518-180 so far this season, with the Fighting Rams topping the 50-point mark five times, including a season-high 70 against St. Mary’s. They were held below 30 three times, including in a 28-24 win over Haxtun. Their defense has one shutout on the ledger, and that unit has held four other opponents to a single score. Only one team has scored more than 30 points against Akron, that was St. Mary’s (38).
Haxtun enters the championship game on a five-game winning streak since suffering its only loss of the season to Akron (28-24). The Fightin’ Bulldogs hold a 560-102 scoring edge during the season, with their season-low output coming in that loss. They scored a season-high 68 against Crowley County. Their defense recorded four shutouts, and six other opponents were held to a single score. The most points anyone scored on the Fightin’ Bulldogs this season was 32, by Wichita County (KS).
Stat leaders… Akron’s offense is skewed slightly toward the ground game, with that phase of the attack racking up 2469 yards (205.8 per game). Jace Curtis leads the team with 888 yards and 15 TD, while Jakzon Livesay has added 754 yards and a dozen touchdowns. Kolten Randel has gone for 601 yards and nine scores, and Jax Kusel has chipped in 148 yards and four touchdowns.
As a team, Akron has thrown for 1932 yards, an average of 161 per game. Randel has done much of that damage, with the sophomore throwing for 1741 yards and 22 touchdowns against only three interceptions. He’s completing 63.6% of his attempts. Curtis has hit on four of five tosses for 152 yards and three touchdowns.
Curtis leads the receivers with 31 grabs for 631 yards and six touchdowns, while Livesay adds 22 catches for 428 yards and five touchdowns. Mason Porteus has a team-leading eight TD on 19 catches. He also has 364 yards. Kusel is the fourth player with more than 10 catches for the Fighting Rams, checking in with 18 for 423 yards and five scores.
Randel leads a defense that sports four players in triple figure tackles, with 137 stops on the season. Livesay trails by three, and Porteus is one more back with 133. Curtis follows with 103. The Fighting Rams also have four more with at least 50 tackles, as Nolan Camacho enters the title game with 81, while Trent Kautz and Tucker Webb have 60 apiece. Clay Axtell rounds out the top eight defenders with 50 tackles. Porteus leads the unit with 8.5 sacks, and Camacho adds 6.5, while Dawson Bales has recorded 5.5. Akron has picked off 22 passes, seven by Randel and six from Curtis. They also have 19 fumble recoveries, with Randel’s four leading the way.
Haxtun’s offense is more run-heavy, with the Fightin’ Bulldogs having rushed for 3655 yards, an average of 304.6 per game. Zach Statz has already topped the thousand-yard mark on the season, as he enters the game with 1361 with 19 touchdowns. Colin Cone needs 68 yards to join him in that club, as the dual-threat QB has tallied 932 yards and 20 touchdowns. Coleman Firme also has a shot at hitting that milestone. He comes in with 894 yards to go with 11 touchdowns.
The passing game has accounted for 916 yards this season, averaging just over 76 yards a contest. Cone has registered 845 yards and 11 TD against two interceptions. The rest of the team has three touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Chase Goddard is the top target with 16 receptions, 373 yards, and seven TD. Statz is the only other player with more than 10 catches, checking in with 11, good for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Corbin Andersen has five catches for 133 yards and a TD, and Aspen Hart Starkebaum also has five receptions.
Haxtun’s dominant defense has only seen one player reach triple digit tackles so far, with Coleman Firme posting a team-high 119. Andersen follows with 87, and Seth Seger slides in with 82. Carter Lock is five back at 77, while Austin Knox and Statz have tallied 66 and 54, respectively. Knox has recorded nine sacks, one in front of Seger. Lock has chipped in five sacks. The unit has intercepted 15 passes, with eight different players having at least one. Statz tops the squad with three. Andersen and Seger each have two fumble recoveries. The Fightin’ Bulldogs have eight as a team.
Postseason path…Akron took care of #16 Crowley County in the opening round, 42-14, and followed that with a 62-26 win over #9 Mancos in the quarterfinals. Last week, they got 309 yards and four touchdown passes from Randel, two of those going to Curtis, in a 39-16 win over #4 Sanford. Porteus piled up 23 tackles.
Haxtun posted a 44-0 shutout of #15 Plateau Valley in the opening round, and the Fightin’ Bulldogs got past #7 Sedgwick County 42-6 in the quarters. In last week’s 50-8 semifinal victory over #3 McClave, Cone completed seven of 11 passes for 195 yards and four touchdowns. Goddard hauled in three of those scoring tosses. Statz added 159 yards and two scores on the ground. Knox led the defense with four sacks.
Previous meeting… The two met at Akron in week seven, where the Fighting Rams took a 22-16 lead into the half. Akron tacked on a TD in the third, and then had to hold on as Haxtun reached paydirt in the fourth to cut it to 28-24. Randel hit on 17 of 22 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns. Two went to Livesay, including a 97-yarder. Randel also scored on the ground and had a game-high 16 tackles. Statz went for 125 and two touchdowns on the ground for Haxtun, and Firme added a running TD. Firme (11) and Statz (10) combined for 21 tackles.
MileHigh Prep Report 