EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – WEEK THREE
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The season continues to roll along in eight-man, and we once again get some very interesting match-ups. The slate includes three clashes between teams ranked in the top-10 of this week’s MHPR Coaches/Media poll. Two of those feature teams in the top-four of the rankings.
FRIDAY
#1 MCCLAVE (2-0) AT #4 STRATTON (2-0)
McClave grabbed a 26-0 halftime lead over #6 Sedgwick County (then #2), and rolled to a 34-6 win. Cash Phares ran for 85 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries, and Drew Howe added 58 yards and one TD on the ground. Howe also threw for one score, with Ryan Steinbrunn on the receiving end. Kielan Mallard led the defense with nine tackles, a sack, an interception, and a blocked punt. Stratton used a suffocating defense to beat Calhan 30-0 last week. The Eagles only allowed 153 total yards and recorded four turnovers, including three picks. Corbin Notter sparked the offense with three TD passes, two to Judson Isenbart and the other to Gavin Ruhs. Nolan Notter added a rushing touchdowns. McClave and Stratton have not played in the MaxPreps era.
#5 AKRON (2-0) AT FOWLER (1-1)
Akron led Holly 8-0 after one last Saturday, and then the Rams struck for 22 points in the second and pulled away for a 48-6 victory. Jax Kusel ran for 132 yards, including a 74-yard TD, and also threw for 113 and another score. Trent Kautz caught that one and also ran for one. Jefferson Hunt ran for two. Hunt led the defensive effort with 20 tackles. That unit recorded seven takeaways, including two fumble recoveries by Tressel Webb. Fowler ran for 331 yards in its 66-28 win over Hoehne last week, with Bronson Damgaard going for 189 yards and five touchdowns. Hilario Alvarez added 72 yards and three TD, plus a passing score. Bryce Froman hauled in that TD pass, and also led the Grizzlies with 10 tackles, including a sack. Brock True and Nate Nesselhuf each recorded an interception. Akron and Fowler have quite a bit of history for non-league foes, meeting 13 times since 2012. The only year they did not play was in 2020 (COVID). Akron has won 10 of those 13 contests, including a 46-6 decision last year.
#7 WEST GRAND (2-0) VS #10 CLEAR CREEK (2-0)
West Grand made an early statement against formerly 10th-ranked Merino, building a 50-0 halftime lead. The Mustangs went on to earn a 50-6 victory. Landon Lockhart connected on six of seven passes for 201 yards and three scores, with two going to Sanjay Geffers. Lockhart also ran for a TD. Walker Howell and Drake Bustillos both added a rushing touchdown, and Lance Eisenman caught one. Ruben Hatcher registered a team-leading 14 tackles. Clear Creek also rode a big first half to a lopsided win over Gilpin County, turning a 38-0 lead into a 46-0 shutout. Defensively, the Golddiggers held Gilpin County to 94 yards of offense, limiting the running game to a negative one yard. This will be the first meeting between West Grand and Clear Creek in the MaxPreps era.
#9 LAS ANIMAS (2-0) VS ST. MARY’S (0-1)
Las Animas erupted for 42 first quarter points to get the sportsmanship clock rolling early in its 78-0 win over Walsenburg last week. Braydon Ortiz and Ethan Baca threw three touchdowns apiece, with Jerome Ethridge and Raymond Hernandez each catching two. Cyler Jagers went for 107 yards and two scores on just four carries. Hernandez and Tristan Carter both added fumble recoveries for touchdowns in the shutout. St. Mary’s opened its season with a 44-14 loss at Front Range Christian. The Pirates trailed 44-0 at the half. Reggie Harmon tossed a TD pass in the loss. Las Animas and St. Mary’s are meeting for the first time in the MaxPreps era.
SATURDAY
#2 SIMLA (2-0) VS #3 MANCOS (2-0) AT SARGENT HIGH SCHOOL
Simla scored all of its 43 points in the first half against Lyons, as the Cubs rolled to a shutout of the Lions. Evan Guy completed six of his seven passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns, all three to Tatum Kochera, who tallied 150 yards on those three catches. Guy also added a rushing touchdown, as did Ethan Kissam and Hayden Pfost. Pfost and Kochera picked off two passes apiece. Four quarters were not enough for Mancos to determine the outcome against St. David (AZ) last week. The Blue Jays were tied with their out of state foes at 24-all entering overtime, where each team scored a touchdown. The difference was a Michael Resner two-point conversion by Mancos, who won 32-30. Resner threw for 212 yards and three scores, and also tallied 144 yards and a TD on the ground in the win. Traycer White (6/135/2) and James Potts (3/77/1) combined for all of the team’s receptions. Potts also tacked on a rushing touchdown. Levi Gardner had a team-high 12 tackles. This is the first meeting between Simla and Mancos in the MaxPreps era.
#6 SEDGWICK COUNTY (0-1) VS SANFORD (1-1)
Sedgwick County was not able to crack the McClave defense until the fourth quarter in last week’s 34-6 loss to the Cards. The Cougars’ defense was on the field for 57 plays, 43 of which were runs by McClave, going for just shy of 200 yards. Offensively, the Cougars turned the ball over five times, including four fumbles. Sanford evened its record with a wild 28-26 win over Crowley County. Sedgwick County and Sanford have met three times in the MaxPreps era, most recently in the opening round of the 2021 postseason. Sanford won that meeting 34-18, after the Cougars had taken a 42-0 victory just two weeks earlier. The two also met in the 2020 title game in which Sedgwick County won the last of its six consecutive championships.
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