SIX-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Just one game remains in the six-man season and it’s for all the marbles. The two top seeds in the bracket will meet in the ThunderBowl at CSU-Pueblo on Friday, with Idalia and Stratton slugging it out for the state championship. The game kicks off at 1:30pm.
#1 IDALIA WOLVES (13-0) VS #2 STRATTON EAGLES (11-2)
Championship history…Idalia appeared in eleven championship games between 1998 and 2010, and won eight of them. The Wolves have not played for a title since than run, making their first appearance in 15 years.
Stratton, on the other hand, is playing in the final game of the season for a ninth straight year. The Eagles are in their 10th six-man championship contest since dropping from eight-man. They have won four titles in the classification. They are moving back up to eight-man, where the program claimed six championships in nine title game appearances.
Season notes… Starting with a 65-14 win over Prairie to open the season, Idalia collected sportsmanship clock victories in all but two games this season. One was a forfeit win over Miami-Yoder and the other came in a 56-12 win at Otis.
The Wolves have outscored their opponents 787-135 this season. They are averaging more than 60.5 points per contest, and are allowing just over 10 points. Idalia has topped 60 points six times, with a season-high of 80 scored against Stratton. Including the aforementioned forfeit over Miami-Yoder, the Wolves have three shutouts on the season. They’ve allowed more than 20 points three times, including a season-high 32 to Stratton.
Stratton comes into the contest on an eight-game winning streak, and have outscored its opponents 366-144 in the streak. Overall, the Eagles hold a 590-313 scoring edge on the season. They are averaging just shy of 45.4 points per game, and allow just over 24 points a contest. They do not have any shutouts this season, but have held four opponents to a single touchdown.
The Eagles posted a season-high of 70 points in their quarterfinal win over Caliche, and they scored 66 points on two occasions. Their season low of 22 points came in a win against Otis. The defense allowed six points twice, and gave up a season-high 80 to Idalia in a loss.
Stat leaders… Idalia has rushed for 3269 yards, an average of 251.5 per game, with 65 touchdowns. Gabe Kechter leads with 1976 yards and 39 touchdowns. Kolby Morris follows with 401 yards and nine touchdowns, and Broderick Kite has added 394 yards and seven scores. Bode Monahan has tallied 254 yards and four TD in his freshman campaign.
The Wolves average just over 95 yards through the air, with Broderick Kite having recorded 750 yards with a 70% completion rate. The sophomore has thrown 21 touchdowns and no interceptions. His younger brother, Beckett Kite, has 261 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions, and Carson Helling has added 236 yards and four touchdowns, with zero interceptions.
Edward Keller leads the Wolves with 12 receptions, and the senior has tallied 108 yards and two TD. Hunter Drullinger has 10 catches for 158 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns. Kechter has a team-leading 281 yards on nine catches, with six going for touchdowns. Helling owns eight receptions for 249 yards and three touchdowns, and K. Morris has added four touchdowns and 105 yards on five catches.
Kechter paces the defense with 63 total tackles, and Hayden Drullinger follows with 55. Broderick Kite is next with 54, and Hunter Drullinger has 53. Helling has tallied 50, while K. Morris (49), Monahan (48), and Jace Morris (47) round out the top eight. Monahan, J. Morris, Hunter Drullinger, and Holden Soehner all have four sacks. Hayden Drullinger has four of the team’s 10 interceptions, and Helling has two. J. Morris leads with three fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks.
Vicente Botella has made 25 of 27 PAT kicks, and K. Morris is 35 for 53.
Stratton runs for 204 yards per game, with 2649 yards in 13 games. Drew Fox leads the way with 1697 and 32 touchdowns. Judson Isenbart has tacked on 419 yards and five touchdowns, and Grady Steerman has notched 242 yards and four TD. Von Isenbart is the fourth player with triple digit yardage, adding 149 yards and three scores.
The aerial attack for the Eagles has picked up 1517 yards, an average of close to 117 yards per game. V. Isenbart has done most of the damage, accounting for 1458 yards, 25 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Corbin Notter has thrown for 59 yards and a TD.
J. Isenbart is the top receiver, having snagged 41 passes for 595 yards and 12 TD, while Gavin Ruhs has caught 30 for 605 and 11 touchdowns. Fox is third with 17 catches for 181 yards.
Ruhs leads a very aggressive defense with 128 tackles. V. Isenbart has tallied 109, while Steerman and J. Isenbart have 106 apiece. Fox is three away from becoming the fifth Eagle in triple digits. Steerman is tops with six sacks, while Haxden Mills and Fox have added five and a half and five, respectively. V. Isenbart owns 15 interceptions this season, and 31 in his career. J. Isenbart has picked off six passes. Von leads with six fumble recoveries, and Ruhs has forced four.
Brais Novoa has nailed 55 of 75 PAT kicks and one of four field goals. That successful FG covered 37 yards.
Postseason path… Idalia reached the finals by beating #16 Hanover 65-6 in the opening round, #8 Sierra Grande 56-7 in the quarterfinals, and #4 Peetz 52-0 in the semifinals. In last week’s win, Kechter ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns, and Broderick Kite threw a pair of TD passes.
Stratton took care of #15 Flagler in the opening round, 48-8, then beat #7 Caliche 70-32 in the quarters. Last week, the Eagles got a TD pass from V. Isenbart to Mills with under 20 seconds to play to go up 28-24 on #3 Cheyenne Wells. V. Isenbart then broke up a final pass in the end zone to secure the victory.
Previous meeting… Idalia built a 52-16 halftime lead and rolled to an 80-32 victory, its first over Stratton in 10 match-ups. Kechter ran for 300 yards and five touchdowns, and the Wolves also got two rushing TD from Broderick Kite, and one apiece from Monahan and K. Morris. Monahan also had a kick return for a touchdown. Fox ran for two scores for Stratton, and V. Isenbart connected with J. Isenbart for a pair of touchdowns.
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