MileHigh Prep Report

SIX-MAN FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Six-man will have a different look this season, with reclassification and realignment occurring in the offseason. Two teams moved up to eight-man, as postseason regulars Stratton and Sierra Grande left the ranks. They are replaced by one team that did not field programs last year, Antonito. Two others were not able to field squads at the varsity level, with Washington County (formerly Arickaree/Woodlin) dropping early in the preseason and Cotopaxi canceling this week. There are only four divisions this cycle, down from five.

EAST CENTRAL

The East Central lost Stratton, last year’s runner-up, to eight-man, and Washington County, but grew with the addition of several teams from the old Central division. Bethune, Deer Trail, and Kiowa come in from the Central, and after playing the last two seasons as an independent, Flagler finds a home.

Idalia not only won the league last year, but went on to beat Stratton 38-8 in the championship game to win the program’s ninth title overall. The team also broke the single season scoring record, putting 825 points on the board in its undefeated 14-0 campaign.

Their run for a repeat begins with last year’s Player of the Year, senior Gabe Kechter. Kechter rushed for 2137 yards and 42 touchdowns, while sitting out a game. In six of the 13 he played, Kechter had eight or fewer carries. He enters the season with 5301 career rushing yards, just 850 away from matching the six-man record of 6151 owned by Woodlin’s Harold Klausner. Klausner’s all-time all-classification record of 160 total touchdowns is also within reach, with Kechter beginning the season with 116.

Junior Broderick Kite is back after throwing for 780 yards and 21 touchdowns against no interceptions. He also ran for 469 yards and nine scores. Including Kechter and Kite, the Wolves return their top five rushers. Kolby Morris (414 yards, 9 TD), Bode Monahan (269 yards), and Jace Morris (135 yards). They will follow a veteran offensive line that includes seniors Jaasiel Estrada and Juakin Sawatzky.

On the defensive side of the ball, Kechter led the team with 82 tackles last year. Kite added 63, while Hunter Drullinger and Monahan tallied 54 apiece. Monahan, Drullinger, J. Morris, and Holden Soehner recorded four sacks apiece.

Otis was third in the conference last year, with losses to Idalia and Stratton. The Bulldogs made it to the quarterfinals before falling in a 31-30 heartbreaker to Peetz. The 8-4 final record was the fourth straight winning mark for Otis.

The Bulldogs don’t return much production from last season, with senior Cambric Klinzmann providing most of it. He ran for 919 yards and 15 touchdowns, caught 23 passes for 319 yards and eight TD, and is the only player on the roster who attempted a pass. Junior Milo Kendrick will help after catching four passes, two for touchdowns, in five games.

Klinzmann is the only returning Bulldog in the top six on defense, as he led the unit with 148 tackles. He also forced seven fumbles, and a blocked a punt. Fellow senior Malakye Reese had 32 tackles. Otis will have to build with a lot of youth, with five freshmen and three sophomores on their 14-man roster.

Genoa-Hugo/Karval was fifth in the league, with Washington County in fourth. The Pirates did not win a league game, and at 1-8 overall, it was the third straight losing season for the program. They lost their final eight games of the season after beating Briggsdale 25-7 in the opener.

Gone is last year’s leading rusher, but the Pirates have junior quarterback Ryker Lockhart returning. He finished with close to 1100 yards through the air, and was second on the team with 304 yards on the ground. His top receiver graduated, but the Pirates have three returnees who recorded double digit receptions. Spoke Carr, a senior this year, had 22 grabs, three for touchdowns, and Tayler Thelen caught 18 passes, with three TD. Cash Stone had 16 receptions, and Clint Hale led the team with four touchdowns.

Lockhart also led the defense, racking up 111 tackles, 40 more than anyone else on the team. He registered five of the unit’s six interceptions. Carr was third with 57 stops, and Hale collected 42.

Of the three teams coming in from the Central, Kiowa had the highest finish, taking second on a tiebreaker over Deer Trail. The Indians, who finished 4-6 overall, got that spot with a 60-47 victory over Deer Trail. The program has not had a winning record (two at .500) since joining six-man as an independent in 2019.

Kiowa did not have full stats available, but should return a core than includes Jacob Crippen, Adler Krieg, John White, and Colby Current, all of whom were solid contributors on offense. White is a key on defense, as he tallied 103 tackles last season. Crippen added a pair of interceptions.

Deer Trail came painfully close to making the postseason, but losses to Kiowa and Briggsdale in the final two contests ended the season for the Eagles at 4-6. That was the third consecutive season under .500 for the program.

The Eagles took a hit in the offseason when they learned that last year’s leading rusher, Mursal Hussein, would not be able to play his senior campaign. Helping soften the blow is the return of Chris Manriques-Bustamante, who threw for 1713 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior. However, his top four targets from a year ago are gone, leaving Leo Carranza and Sebastian Anguiano as the top guys back, with five catches apiece.

Hunter Meredith is the only one of the top six tacklers back for Deer Trail, after he finished third with 81. Anguiano had 26, and it tailed off from there. Meredith added three forced fumbles, two recoveries, and four blocked kicks.

Bethune brought its program back to the varsity level in 2022, and the Bobcats had collected just five wins in their first three seasons. Last year, they came up with four and had a chance at more. They had two losses by a total of four points. They return all but two players from last year.

That includes a strong sophomore class of Angel Millan, Gavin Malave, Kyle Stevens, Adrian Ramirez, and Aidan Orona. That group combined for close to 1500 all-purpose yards, and nearly 300 tackles. Also back are a pair of seniors, Ismael Perla and Josh Salinas. Perla had more than 2000 yards from scrimmage, 1651 on the ground, and Salinas caught 16 passes, second on the team, in only six games.

Flagler is the only newcomer to the league who made the postseason last year. The Panthers, playing as an independent, finished the season at 7-4, eventually losing to Stratton 48-8 in the opening round. Flagler lost three seniors and an exchange student.

However, the Panthers return quite a bit of their production on offense. Keegan Isenbart led the team with 907 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground as a junior, and Gabe Harvie, one of the players from neighboring Hi-Plains who compete for Flagler, threw for a team-high 347 yards and four scores. Dillon Brent added 290 passing yards and three more touchdowns.

The biggest hit came on defense, where they lost two players with triple digit tackles, and their next leading defender. Harvie leads the returnees with 51 stops. Jordan Wilson tallied 37, and Jayden Hile collected 25. Harvie registered five of the team’s seven picks. The Panthers will miss Adria Castells, the exchange student, who starred on special teams with nearly half of his kick-offs resulting in touchbacks, while converting 31 of 41 PAT kicks.

NORTH

The only division with the same composition as last year is the North, that neither gained nor lost anyone with reclassification and realignment. Four members of the league made the postseason last year, including league champion Peetz.

Peetz put together an unbeaten regular season, and reached the semifinals before being shutout by Idalia, 52-0. The 11-1 season helped the Bulldogs to their highest win total in the MaxPreps era. Expectations are high with the return of a number key pieces.

Senior Dylan Wagner heads up that group after a junior year that saw him record 1152 yards and 21 TD on the ground, and 311 yards and six touchdowns passing. Conner Schumacher added 671 and 14 TD rushing, 241 passing, and 11 catches for 107 yards and three scores. Tanner Wood tacked on 419 yards rushing, and 361 on 14 receptions.

Wagner (133), Wood (97), Parker Reker (82), and Schumacher (80) return to lead a very aggressive defense. Wagner, Reker, and Schumacher combined for seven of the unit’s 14 interceptions, while Wood forced three fumbles, recovered two, and blocked two kicks.

There was a three-way tie for second place, with Prairie getting the nod for the spot. The Mustangs were bounced in the opening round of the postseason by Cheyenne Wells, 45-16, ending the season at 5-6. It was the second straight year finishing with that record, and the squad goes into this season looking for its first winning mark since 2021.

While the Mustangs have to replace last year’s leading rusher, the passing attack brings back Liam Bringelson (764 yards, 9 TD) and Derek Dollerschell (185 yards, 4 TD). The top two receivers are gone, but sophomore Tatum Bailey is primed for a big season after recording 15 catches for 244 yards and five touchdowns.

Bailey was also one tackle off the team lead as a freshman, finishing with 81. Wyatt Walker was fourth with 56, despite only playing in seven games. Dollerschell tied for the team lead with three picks.

Caliche made it two postseason appearances in two years as a six-man squad. The Buffs amassed a 19-5 record in their first cycle in the classification, 9-3 last year. After beating Stratton 34-24 in the regular season, Caliche fell to the same team 70-32 in the quarterfinals.

The Buffs have to replace a 2000-yard rusher in Zachary Yost, but with Mason Hernandez (804 yards, 14 TD), and Avery Bell (302 yards, 5 TD), they return some good experience. Bell only played in four games, and also threw for 104 yards. Brett Breidenbach led the passing game with 357 yards and five touchdowns, and he’ll have last year’s leading receiver, Cooper Rockwell (13/142/3) back.

Hernandez was a tackling machine as a sophomore, racking up 197 stops to lead the team. Rockwell was second with 95, and Tayten Gerk followed with 93. Gerk and Grady Roth each had three fumble recoveries.

Fleming went 4-7, posting just its second losing record since finishing 4-6 in 2017. All four wins by the Wildcats came in league play, and all five losses were to postseason qualifiers, including a 56-16 loss to Otis in the opening round. That was part of a three-game slide to end the season.

Treyson Kirkwood is back for his senior season after throwing for 1052 yards and 19 touchdowns. His top four targets all return in Conner Marchant (20/190/2), Dane Cunningham (19/186/3), Jaron Monroe (18/175/1), and Dylon Monroe (13/191/4). Three of those four star out of the backfield, with D. Monroe racking up 727 yards and 12 touchdowns, Marchant collecting 522 yards and nine TD, and J. Monroe gaining 471 yards and three touchdowns.

Marchant and D. Monroe give the Wildcats their top two tacklers back from last year, as they finished with 127 and 87. J. Monroe added 62, while Evan Williamson tacked on 38.

Briggsdale claimed fifth in the North after going 2-4 in the league, and 3-6 overall. The Falcons missed out on the postseason for a second consecutive year. Five of their six losses came to playoff teams, with the other being against Genoa-Hugo/Karval.

There is a big hole on offense, as the Falcons have to replace last year’s leading rusher and passer, Scot Francis, who combined for more than 2300 total yards of offense. Val Alvarez (192) and Asael Jimenez (186) are the only ones on the roster who went for triple digits on the ground last year.

Koyen Gebauer finished second on the team last season with 66 stops, and he’s likely to see that number grow significantly as a senior. Alvarez had 49, and Jimenez tallied 32. Gebauer forced two fumbles and blocked three kicks.

Sixth place in the North last year went to Weldon Valley, who finished the season 3-6 overall. The Warriors have not had a winning season since 2009, and they have not won more than three games in a season since that year.

Graduation hit Weldon Valley hard, as the top three passers and runners from last year are gone. That leaves only Seth O’Patik and Josh Wells from among last year’s most productive players. The team only had stats for seven games, and at that point O’Patik led the team with 258 receiving yards on 15 catches, and Wells ended with nine catches and 105 yards O’Patik is also a key returnee on defense after registering 32 tackles in seven games.

North Park suffered its third straight losing season in 2025, and the Wildcats also went winless for the first time since joining six-man in 2012. They had their struggles on both sides of the ball, allowing at least 48 points in every game, while only topping 20 points once. They were shutout three times, and held to six points twice.

With just eight players on the roster, three of them freshmen, North Park will have to lean on returnees like Junior Cereceres, who caught 14 passes for 114 yards and three scores, while also throwing for more than 100 yards. Jaxon Wolvington had 300 receiving yards on 14 receptions as a sophomore.

Duke Schmidt was third on the defense as a freshman with 45 tackles, and he also had a pick and a fumble recovery. Cereceres recorded 27 stops.

SOUTH EAST

The South East will look similar to last cycle, with one addition. Manzanola was shifted from the Central, returning the Bobcats to the league they called home when the program dropped for 8-man back in 2014.

Cheyenne Wells won the league for the second straight year, and the Tigers got their fourth league title in the last six seasons. With a 10-2 record, the program reached double digit wins for the fourth time since 2019. The Tigers made it to the semifinals, where they lost a thriller to Stratton, 28-24. The potential game winning touchdown pass was broken up in the end zone with no time left on the clock.

There will be some holes to fill, starting a QB and RB1. However, Trevin Smith should slide into the latter position after running for 926 yards and 18 TD as a sophomore. Caden Muth gives the team another solid option in the backfield, as he went for 379 yards and eight touchdowns last season. The QB spot could be harder to fill, as no one on the roster completed more than one pass a season ago. Smith, Camden Rand, and Marcus Bogenhagen each completed one.

The Tigers bring back their second, third, and fourth leading tacklers from 2025. Kelby Leonard came up one shy of 100, while Kooper Brossman and Smith added 59 and 56, respectively. Daryon Campbell, Levi Mayhan, and Muth add depth to the unit.

Eads pulled up in second place in the league last season, going 4-1 in the South East, but injuries to key players helped lead to a four-game losing streak to end the season at 7-4 overall. The Eagles lost to Branson/Kim 37-28 in the opening round. There were questions if the Eagles would be able to field a team prior to the start of practice, but they have nine players to start the season.

There are lots of spots that will need to be replace, but the Eagles do have some experience coming back on both sides of the ball. Brantley Buller was second on the team in passing as a freshman, throwing for 425 yards and six touchdowns. He’ll have Weston Mitchek back, after Mitchek caught 10 passes for 201 yards and two scores. Ethan Britten is the leading returning rusher, having gained 69 yards as a freshman.

Britten was more productive on defense, where he tallied 56 tackles. Mitchek added 43, and Buller registered 21. Britten secured two fumble recoveries.

Granada entered the six-man ranks in 2018, and the Bobcats have not had a losing record as a member of the classification. Last year, they were 3-2 in the league, earning third place, and finished 6-4 overall. They made another trip to the postseason, but fell in the opening round to Sierra Grande by a 62-19 count.

The Bobcats return a very experienced group, especially on offense. Angelo Martinez (524 yards) and Alejandro Perez (465 yards) combined for just short of 1000 yards through the air. Sebastian Pizarro went for more than 1350 yards rushing, and Fernando Cadena added 377 yards despite missing time. Pizarro, Perez, and Cadena all caught double digit passes.

Pizarro (96), Perez (78), and Cadena (68) give the Bobcats last year’s top three tacklers back this season. Jesus Perez added 27 stops. Cadena snagged four of the team’s five interceptions.

Walsh bounced back from a one-win 2024 to finish 5-6 last year, securing fourth place in the South East and a playoff berth in the process. The Eagles fell to Caliche in the opening round, 57-24, dropping them below .500 for the year.

The Eagles had a very prolific passing attack, with Hudson Gourley recording 2703 yards and 45 touchdown passes as a sophomore. His TD total ranks his seventh all-time in the state for a single season. He also tied the state’s single game record with 10 in the opener against Primero. While the top two targets from last season are gone, Gourley still has a lot of guys back to throw to. Beau Foster (41/431), Grady Mundell (28/366/10), and Woodrow Wright (19/234/5) headline that group.

Wright and Gourley led the defensive effort with 93 and 87 tackles, respectively. Foster tacked on 51, and Mundell added 39. Gourley tied for the team lead with three interceptions, and also recorded three fumble recoveries.

The fifth place team in the league, Wiley, nearly got into the postseason, but at 4-6 overall, the Panthers came up short. It was an increase of two wins over their first season in the classification. A lot of young players saw action last year, leading to a large number of key returnees.

Grant Mauch is front and center after throwing for 1907 yards and 31 touchdowns, and running for 932 yards and 10 scores. Corbyn Williams was second in rushing yards as a freshman with 222. The top four receivers were either freshmen or sophomores, and three of them return. Devonte Pizarro (34/421/7) was tops, followed by Ivan Chavez (25/310/6), and Williams (13/243/4).

Mauch and Pizarro were a dynamic duo on defense, registering 113 and 106 tackles, respectively. Ashton Burkhart is the next leading returnee with 25. Mauch added two picks, five fumble recoveries, and two blocked kicks, while Pizarro notched four sacks and four fumble recoveries.

Cheraw ended up last in the league, officially going without a win in the South East after having to forfeit what had been a 54-51 decision over Wiley on the field. The Wolverines lost their first five and last four, going 1-9 overall.

The Wolverines won’t have their 1000-yard rusher from last year, but QB Rhett Dutton gives them experience at a key position. Dutton threw for 644 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior. The top six receivers are gone, along with the top three runners. On defense, Tylan White finished with 44 tackles as a freshman. Four and a half of those were sacks.

Since joining six-man in 2014, Manzanola has only had three winning seasons and has not made the postseason. The Bobcats posted their fifth straight losing mark, with their 3-7 record matching their highest win total during that stretch. Last year was spent in the Central, and had three two-game losing streaks.

Experience at running back with senior Danner Carroll, junior Jimmy James, and junior Michael Trujillo, who combined for close to 1000 yards, gives the team a reason to optimistic entering the season. James also saw time at QB last year. Carroll (43), Trujillo (36), Christian Vigil (34), and James (30) give the Bobcats four of their top five tacklers back from last year.

SOUTH WEST

The South West is going to look a little different this year, with Hanover and Miami-Yoder coming in from the Central, Antonito fielding a team, and Cotopaxi not fielding one. Also, Sierra Grande has moved up to eight-man.

Sierra Grande won the South West last year, but Branson/Kim was right there in second place. The Bearcats made it into the postseason and beat Eads 37-28 in the opening round. Their season came to an end in the quarters with a 70-21 loss to Cheyenne Wells, dropping the Bearcats to 7-4 overall. Branson/Kim has not had a losing record since 2018.

Last year’s leading rusher has moved on, but seniors Acoya Bartlett and Cooper Winter return to help lead the charge. Bartlett ran for 293 yards, and Winter added 181. Collin Doherty tacked on 125 as a freshman. Winter also threw for 1150 yards and 20 touchdowns. His top target is gone, but Bartlett and Cash Neugebauer are back after combining for 42 catches, just shot of 600 yards, and 11 touchdowns.

Winter was just three tackles off the team lead last year, finishing with 111. Bartlett tallied 62, while Doherty added 53. Doherty ranked high in the classification with nine sacks, and he also picked off two passes.

After not fielding a team in 2024, Mountain Valley returned last season and tied for third in the league. The Wolves took the placing thanks to a 31-30 victory over Primero in league play. They ended the season with a 2-6 record overall. Both wins were inside the South West.

Tanner Shellabarger had a strong showing as a freshman, leading the team with 473 yards and six touchdowns in the ground game. Chase Shellabarger was second with 173 yards in his junior season, and Greysin Scanga also reached triple digits, going for 147 yards as a freshman. Tye Salaz led the aerial attack with 559 yards and eight touchdowns. Kyngston Taylor and C. Shellabarger had 16 catches apiece, while Wyatt Boehm tied Taylor for the lead with 162 yards.

Three freshmen led the Wolves’ defense, with T. Shellabarger recording 57 tackles, while Scanga and Taylor finished with 52 and 46, respectively. C. Shellabarger tallied 45, and Salaz (39), Boehm (36), Cashel Johnson (34), and Brayden Trejo (31) all topped 30.

The loss to Mountain Valley caused Primero to slide to fourth in the league, but the Bulldogs still finished with a winning record overall, checking in at 5-4. After struggling for a long stretch in six-man, the Bulldogs have put together three straight winning campaigns. They enter the season looking for their second postseason appearance after making the field in 2023.

After losing quite a bit to graduation, senior Ralsten LePlatt is the top returning player on offense. He ran for 712 yards and 12 touchdowns, and caught 22 balls for 299 yards with seven more scores. The Bulldogs need to find a QB and help at running back, as they lost QB1 and two of their top three runners.

The defense looks to be in a little better shape, with two of the top three tacklers back. Juniors Abram Dominguez and Jeremiah Montoya racked up 76 and 54, respectively. That unit also gets Joseph Chavez (39) and LePlatt (37) back. LePlatt forced five fumbles.

Following consecutive seasons with six wins, La Veta struggled to its second straight with only two wins. The Redhawks ended the year at 2-6, with one league victory giving them fifth place over Cotopaxi. They opened the year with a win over Manzanola, but endured two losing streaks of three games.

La Veta returns some really nice pieces on offense, beginning with junior QB David Roel, who threw for 746 yards and 13 TD. Marcelo Lofgren led the running attack with 535 yards and six scores, and the team also returns sophomore Weston Huff (202 yards) and Sunny Kent (196 yards).

Kent was last year’s team leader with 64 tackles, but Huff wasn’t far behind, picking up 60. Darren James added 51, and Lofgren tallied 30. James tied for the team lead with three sacks.

Hanover moves into the South West after a very nice run in the Central. The Hornets went undefeated for a fourth straight season last year, earning themselves a spot in the postseason each season. While Hanover posted its fifth straight winning season, it posted a 6-5 mark for the third time in that run. The Hornets were bounced out of the opening round by Idalia, 65-6.

The Hornets lost a 2000-yard rusher and their top two receivers, but they bring back two solid options at QB. Nolan Sweazy (337 yards, 5 TD) and Jonathan Quiroz-Reyes (235 yards, 6 TD) led the team in passing. Joseph Molina gives some stability at running back after going for 304 yards and five touchdowns.

Last year’s leading tackler has moved on, but the Hornets return the next three on the list. Edgar Vera-Wences tallied 73, while Molina and Quiroz-Reyes checked in with 64 and 62, respectively. Vera-Wences had five sacks in his tally, and Sweazy added four. Vera-Wences also registered eight forced fumbles and six recoveries.

After finishing 4-5 in back to back seasons, Miami-Yoder went winless (0-9) last year, including an 0-5 record in Central league play. The Buffs gave a forfeit to Idalia in the season finale.

Miami-Yoder lost most of its offensive production, but will return Jordan Hume, who put up a 44 catch, 620 yard, five TD season as a junior. Nobody else on the current roster caught more than one pass last year. Julian Beltran is the leading runner, with 16 yards last season, and along with Hume, combined to throw for 158 yards.

The defense brings back a little more experience, with Isaac Tinoco (38), Carson Gann (33), and Beltran (31) returning after finishing first, third, and fifth in tackles last year.

Antonito did not field a team last year, but did in 2024. That squad of Trojans went 0-7. No roster was available for this year’s team.