SIX-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – WEEK FOUR
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
We’re getting close to the halfway point of the regular season and there are still six unbeaten teams left in 6-man. That number is guaranteed to go by one, as two of those squads meet this weekend. All of the top-10 teams in this week’s MHPR Coaches/Media poll will be in action.
FRIDAY
#1 IDALIA (4-0) AT #8 WILEY (3-0)
Idalia went to Deer Trail last week and did its work early. The Wolves rolled to a 70-6 victory, moving them to 2-0 in the East Central. Gabe Kechter had four carries for 103 yards and three touchdowns, and added two catches for 37 yards and two more scores. Broderick Kite had three completions for 47 yards, with all going for touchdowns. Holden Soehner caught one. Bode Monahan, Beckett Kite, Creek Robertson, and Jace Morris all added one on the ground. Jaasiel Estrada registered two sacks and a fumble return for a TD. Wiley had it on cruise control in its outing against Antonito last week, with the Panthers pitching a 76-0 shutout of the Trojans. Wiley is averaging around 65 points a game. Idalia and Wiley have not played in the MaxPreps era.
#2 FLEMING (4-0) VS WELDON VALLEY (1-2)
Fleming jumped out to a 30-0 first quarter lead at Kiowa last week, and the Wildcats did not look back, picking up a 52-7 victory. Jaron Monroe took the starring role in the rushing attack and responded with 158 yards and four touchdowns on nine carries. Evan Vandenbark and Dylon Monroe each tallied a rushing TD, and Dane Cunningham caught one from Treyson Kirkwood. D. Monroe (15) and Evan Williamson (14) combined for 29 tackles. Weldon Valley hosted Caliche last week, with the Warriors attempting to win their second straight game. That did not happen, as they were overpowered by the Buffs, 52-6. Fleming has dominated this series, winning the last 19 in a row. Weldon Valley’s last win came in 2005.
#3 CHEYENNE WELLS (2-1) AT MANZANOLA (1-1)
Fresh off its bye week, Cheyenne Wells dismantled Walsh 69-0 last week, giving the Tigers a win in the South East. Trevin Smith tallied 133 yards and four touchdowns on eight carries, and he caught two passes for 51 yards and two TD from Marcus Bogenhagen. Camden Rand, Caden Muth, and Anthony Santiesteban all added rushing touchdowns. Santiesteban also scored on a kick return. Kelby Leonard recorded two sacks. Manzanola was on the opposite side of a shutout last week, as the Bobcats fell to Granada 63-0. This is their second straight week facing a ranked opponent inside the South East. These two teams have only played twice, back in 2014 and 2015. Cheyenne Wells won both.
#4 PEETZ (2-1) VS BRIGGSDALE (1-2)
Peetz tuned up for this North league tilt by handling Potter-Dix (NE) 58-20 last week. Bryson Leach threw two touchdowns, while Dylan Wagner and Conner Schumacher each ran for two. Schumacher also had one passing. Tanner Wood, Jaxon White, and Colton Segelke each caught one TD pass. Wood tacked on a 60-yard pick-six. Briggsdale had a rough night at home against Prairie last week, taking a 61-12 loss on the chin. Koyen Gebauer ran for one of the scores, and the other came on a pass from Kaden Sanders to Sering Pino. There have been some incredibly high scoring games in the series, which Peetz leads 14-9 in the MaxPreps era. That includes a 101-85 shootout in 2018. The Bulldogs have won the last two contests, while Briggsdale had won five in a row before those.
#5 OTIS (3-0) VS DEER TRAIL (0-4)
Otis won its second East Central contest of the season by beating Genoa-Hugo/Karval 69-14 last week. The Bulldogs got 226 yards and six touchdowns from Cambric Klinzmann on just nine carries. Raegan Torres tossed three TD passes, one apiece to Milo Kendrick, Malakye Reese, and Austin Sauer. Aiden Horinek had 11 tackles to lead the defense, and Torres added an interception. Deer Trail was held to just 131 yards of offense in its 70-6 loss to Idalia. Chris Manriquez-Bustamante threw for 64, and Hunter Meredith ran for 62. Meredith and Leo Carranza each recorded a sack. Otis has taken five straight in the series with Deer Trail, including a 52-12 victory last year.
#6 GRANADA (2-1) VS #10 CHERAW (2-0)
Granada bounced back from its loss to a Kansas opponent two weeks ago, and shutout Manzanola 63-0 last week on the road. That win was in South East play, and this match-up with Cheraw will be a league contest, as well. Cheraw has had an extra week to prepare, as the Wolverines were on a bye last week after handling Deer Trail 60-32. Elijah Nunez-Gomez and Maverick Barratt powered the team in that win, as they combined for 347 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Nunez-Gomez went for 199 yards and three scores, and Barratt had 148 and five. The defense came up with four takeaways, including two fumble recoveries by Hayden Casper. Granada has won all eight meetings with Cheraw since the Bobcats joined the six-man classification in 2018. Last year’s game ended in a 61-24 victory for Granada.
SATURDAY
#7 PRAIRIE (3-0) VS #9 CALICHE (1-3)
Prairie picked up its second North league win of the season in last week’s 61-12 victory at Briggsdale. Liam Bringelson had four touchdown passes, two to Derek Dollerschell, who also added more than 130 rushing yards and three touchdowns in that phase of the attack. Wyatt Walker scored once on the ground, and Case Kugler and Tatum Bailey each had a TD reception. Knox Kugler scored on a pick-six. After opening the season with three losses, one in league play, Caliche finally broke through with its 52-6 win at Weldon Valley last week. That evened the league record of the Buffs at 1-1. This series only began two years ago and each team has a victory. Caliche got the win in 2024, and Prairie responded with one last year.