CLASS 1A FOOTBALL REPORT – CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
As Saturday’s Class 1A final rolls around, one of the last two teams standing is looking to claim its third title, first in a decade, while the other is aiming to build upon its state record of 22 championship crowns. We get a regular season rematch of Buena Vista and Limon, with this meeting coming from the ThunderBowl at CSU-Pueblo, with a 1:30pm kickoff.
#1 BUENA VISTA DEMONS (12-0) VS #2 LIMON BADGERS (11-1)
Championship history… It’s been a decade since Buena Vista hoisted the trophy in Class 1A, as the Demons accomplished the feat in 2015. Prior to that, the program won its only other title in 1999, when they took home the crown in Class 2A. The Demons finished runners-up in 2012 and 2014 in 1A, 2005 in 2A, and 1979 in AA. Buena Vista also took second in C 6-man (1952), and C 8-man (1958, 1963).
When it comes to football championships, Limon is the standard bearer, with the Badgers having won 22 in their history. Limon’s first state titles were in Class B (1933, 1938, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963), and then the team moved up to Class A, where they won championships in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1976, 1978, and 1979. The next round of hardware collection started in 2003 in Class 1A. The Badgers followed that win with titles in 2004 and 2005, 2018-2020, and then back-to-back again in 2022 and 2023. Limon also has second place finishes in B (1935, 1936, 1949), A (1972, 1973, 1986), and in Class 1A (2000, 2007, 2021).
Season notes… Buena Vista has outscored its opponents 496-119, with the offense averaging 41.3 points per game, and the defense allowing an average of just under 10. The Demons have picked up six sportsmanship clock victories to date, and posted a season-high of 54 points twice (Platte Valley, Steamboat Springs). They topped 50 points two other times, but were held to a season-low 13in a win over Limon. Defensively, Buena Vista tossed two shutouts, and held four other opponents to single digits. The most points allowed in a game (27) came against Centauri in the regular season. The Demons held Limon to a season-low 10 in their regular season meeting.
Limon holds a 454-129 scoring edge, and enters the contest on an eight-game winning streak since suffering the 13-10 loss to Buena Vista. The Badgers are averaging just over 37.8 points a game, and allowing 10.75 a contest. They posted a season-high 55 in a win over Holyoke, one of only two times they went over 50 this season. However, the Badgers did top 40 six more times. Their defense put together two shutouts, and kept three other foes in single digits. They also held Buena Vista to its lowest output of the season.
Stat leaders… The Demons run for close to twice as many yards as they get through the air, with the ground attack piling up 2665 yards (222.1 per game). Eli Schuknecht has gone for 1001 yards and 11 TD in 10 games to lead the way. Casen Pridemore has added 619 yards and six touchdowns, while Tucker Montoya has chipped in 334 yards and five scores. Abel Flowers is at 292 yards and six TD, while Dexter Whitemore comes in at 161 yards and three touchdowns. Reed Lundy is right at 100 yards with three TD.
The aerial attack has accumulated 1439 yards and 24 touchdowns to date. Hudson Wingo has been responsible for most of that, with the senior racking up 1290 yards and 23 touchdowns, while hitting at a 53.7% clip. Wingo has thrown seven interceptions. Lundy has added 149 yards and a TD with no interceptions on seven of 10 passing.
Caleb Pierce is the top threat in the passing game, having notched 31 catches for 677 yards and 16 touchdowns. Knox Reid is the only other Demon in double digit receptions, entering the contest with 17 for 306 and three scores. Schuknecht (7/146/2), Joe Bearss (6/112/0), and Montoya (5/134/1) all have more than 100 yards on the season.
Flowers leads the Demon defense with 100 tackles, 19 of them for loss. Pridemore follows with 82 stops, including 11 for loss, and Carter Stromer had 78 tackles, 16 for loss. Casius Ortlet also has 16 TFL in his season tally of 54 stops. Thirteen of Reid’s 45 tackles have been for loss. Logan Scott leads the team with five sacks, while Ortlet and Stromer have three apiece. Flowers has three of the team’s 13 interceptions, while Reid and Stromer have three fumble recoveries apiece. The unit has recovered 12 fumbles. Scott possesses a blocked punt on his ledger.
Ortlet has connected on 34 of 43 PAT kicks, and Scott is 13 for 19.
Limon’s attack is decidedly run-first, with the Badgers racking up 273.2 yards per game on the ground. That adds up to 3278 yards on the season. Jacob Jaklich is tops on the squad with 1004 yards and 17 touchdowns, and Camden Tacha adds 750 yards and 12 TD. Liam Yoder checks in with 535 yards and two touchdowns, while Drey Tacha has 400 yards and six scores. Zac Carr (156, 4 TD) and Brooks Scherrer (142, 2 TD) have combined for just short of 300 yards, with six touchdowns.
The Badgers only average a little less than seven pass attempts per game, and have thrown for under 700 yards on the season. Brooks Scherrer has accounted for 312 yards and six touchdowns, with two interceptions, while Aiden Kollath tossed for 183 yards and two scores before being sidelined by injury. Brody Scherrer comes in with 104 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions.
D. Tacha is the only Badger with more than 10 catches, as he goes into the contest with 14 grabs for 294 yards and four touchdowns. C. Tacha has eight catches for 207 yards and five touchdowns, and Brody Scherrer also has eight receptions.
Yoder paces the Limon defense with 51 tackles, and Dreison Davis checks in with 48. Keagan Mellott adds 46, and C. Tacha has 42. Z. Carr comes in with 37, and Ben Carr has 34. Mellott’s total includes 14.5 TFL, and Davis has 14. Z. Carr leads with six sacks, and Davis follows with five. Of the nine passes intercepted by the Badgers, Brooks Scherrer owns three. Six different defenders have a fumble recovery for Limon.
Danny Sontay has made 55 of 59 PAT kicks on the season, and he is one of two on field goal attempts, with the make coming from 20 yards out.
Postseason path… Buena Vista started its run to Pueblo with a 48-14 win over #16 Holyoke in the opening round. The Demons hosted #8 Meeker in the quarterfinals and put together a 40-14 victory. In last week’s semifinal round, Buena Vista was on the road at #4 Centauri, where the Demons got a 27-12 win behind 163 yards and three touchdown passes from Wingo. Reid, Pierce, and Flowers all caught one TD pass, and Flowers also scored on the ground. Schuknecht powered the run game with 150 yards on 25 carries. Flowers and Montoya each snagged an interception to help the defense shutdown the Falcons.
Limon saw a pair of familiar faces in the first three rounds of the postseason, beginning with #15 Flatirons Academy. The Badgers had beaten Flatirons 41-13 in the regular season, and nearly matched that final in a 44-16 opening round contest. Limon traveled to #10 Monte Vista in the quarterfinals and collected a 50-14 victory, setting up a rematch with #6 Wray in the semifinals. Limon owned 28-7 win over the Eagles in league play, and the Badgers backed that up with a 35-21 decision last week. Jaklich rumbled for 216 yards and four touchdowns, as Limon rolled up 388 yards on 49 carries.
Previous meeting… Limon traveled to Buena Vista in week four and the Badgers got off to a 10-0 halftime lead on a Z. Carr rushing TD and Sontay field goal, but the Demons got a pair of Wingo touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to secure the 13-10 victory. Reid and Pierce were each on the receiving end of one scoring pass. The Badgers were held to 116 yards on 33 carries. The Demons also recorded four takeaways.
MileHigh Prep Report 