MileHigh Prep Report

EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – WEEK FIVE

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

The regular season has reached its halfway mark, and the focus is shifting to league match-ups. However, there are still some big non-league contests on the schedule this weekend. Two of the top-10 teams in this week’s MHPR Coaches/Media poll have byes (#2 Simla, #4 Sedgwick County), and we have two games with ranked vs ranked implications. There is also a non-league showdown between two unranked squads who are both undefeated.

FRIDAY

#1 MCCLAVE (4-0) AT HOLLY (1-3)

McClave heads into its Arkansas Valley opener coming off a 60-22 win over Hoehne last week. The Cardinals led that 40-8 after one quarter. McClave piled up 346 yards and seven touchdowns on 20 attempts. Kolten Randel led the way with 137 and three touchdowns, and Cash Phares tacked on 64 yards and three scores. Drew Howe added 70 yards and a TD. Kielan Mallard had a pick-six, and Ryan Steinbrunn recovered two fumbles. Holly was unable to crack the scoreboard last week, as the Wildcats were shutout by #8 Las Animas 50-0. They allowed 356 yards (209 passing) on 33 total plays. Offensively, Holly turned it over four times, with two interceptions and two lost fumbles. Holly holds a 12-9 edge over McClave since 2004, but the Cards have won the last three, 60-6 last year.

#3 WEST GRAND (4-0) AT #6 HAYDEN (3-0)

The winner of this one keeps at least a share of the lead in the Western Slope, as West Grand and Hayden enter the game tied with Plateau Valley at 1-0- in league play. West Grand got there with a 48-0 win over Lake County last week. Landon Lockhart accounted for six touchdowns, throwing for 184 yards and three scores, and running for 62 yards and three more touchdowns. Walker Howell caught two passes for 96 yards and two TD, while Sanjay Geffers snagged five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. Lucus Hernandez recovered a pair of fumbles for the defense. Hayden’s league victory came at Vail Christian, 46-14 last weekend. Peyton Johnson completed three passes, two for touchdowns, and also ran for 103 yards and three more touchdowns. Carson Campbell ran for one and caught one, while Noah Weber had one receiving. Ryder Weber topped the defense with 12 tackles, and Daviahn Ervin added 10 (two sacks). West Grand is 13-6 against Hayden in the MaxPreps era, with three straight wins entering this match-up.

#5 MANCOS (3-1) AT COUNTY LINE (2-1)

Mancos rolls into this non-league contest on the heels of a 62-12 win over St. Mary’s last week. Hank Guiles threw for an even 200 yards with three touchdowns, and also ran for 102 yards and three more scores in the win. All three TD passes went to Traycer White. White added 10 tackles and two interceptions to his stat line. Gavin Smith also had 10 tackles, and he blocked a punt. Hunter Sturdevant tallied a pick and a fumble recovery, Tommy Jones had a pick-six, and Kameron Rosales returned a punt for a TD. County Line, the co-op between Sargent and Sangre de Cristo, had last week off, following a 36-14 win at Questa (NM) the week prior. Deckle Beiriger threw for 260 yards and five touchdowns, two apiece to River Hodgson and Lane Mattive, and one to Alan Fritz. Hodgson had 11 tackles to lead the team.

#7 STRATTON (2-1) AT #10 CROWLEY COUNTY (2-1)

Stratton had its bye last week, and the Eagles used it to iron out some kinks after a 44-12 loss to McClave a week earlier. Corbin Notter had 112 yards and a passing TD, and Nolan Notter finished with 82 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Ryan May caught the scoring pass from C. Notter. Emmett Bohnen topped the defense with 10 tackles, and Adan Estrada recovered a fumble. Last week also saw Crowley County on a bye after the Chargers beat Holly 34-16 the previous week. This is the first meeting between Stratton and Crowley County in the MaxPreps era.

#8 LAS ANIMAS (4-0) VS ROCKY FORD (2-3)

Braydon Ortiz racked up 209 yards and four touchdowns through the air, and also scored one on the ground is a 50-0 Las Animas win over Holly last week. That gave the Trojans an early share of the Ark Valley lead. Jerome Ethridge, Nicholas Duran, Armondo Varela, and Scott Banister each caught a TD, while Josiah Martinez and Cyler Jagers ran for one apiece. Banister (13) and Ethridge (12) combined for 25 tackles, and each picked off a pass. Rocky Ford lost its league opener 63-6 to Fowler last week at home. Jake Baca scored the lone touchdown for the Meloneers, as he ran one in. Leonel Ramirez recorded a team-leading six tackles, and Mathias Harmon added five. Omar Parra and Marcos Villegas each tallied four. Dating back to 2004, Rocky Ford is 7-5 in the series, but Las Animas has won four straight.

#9 FOWLER (3-1) VS SPRINGFIELD (0-3)

Fowler amassed 374 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in that 63-6 win at Rocky Ford last week. Bronson Damgaard tallied 103 yards and three scores, while Hunter Houston (60) and Hilario Alvarez (50) combined for 110 yards, and each scored twice. Garrett Pharr had the remaining touchdown. Alvarez also had a TD pass to Brock True. Taten Phillips stacked up 15 tackles to pace that unit. Springfield had a much-needed bye last week, following its 74-22 loss to Texhoma (OK). Coltin Woodhouse ran for 97 yards and two scores, and Logan Piper also punched one in on the ground. Drew George racked up 16 tackles, and Landon Spires added 10. Fowler has won nine of the last 12 meetings with Springfield, with all of the wins coming in succession since 2012. The last meeting was in 2021, and this one will be the first as Ark Valley foes.

CENTER (3-0) AT DEL NORTE (4-0)

Center and Del Norte meet for the first time as eight-man programs, and both have fared well so far. Center returns to the field after a bye last week. The Vikings had outscored Soroco 58-32 a week earlier. Cavit Gregory churned out 226 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and he threw for just over 100 yards and another touchdown. Joseph Cordova added one throwing and one rushing. Braxton Zander and Koy Gates had a receiving TD apiece. Brandon Lozano recorded 14 tackles, and Zander tacked on 10. Del Norte remained unbeaten with a 35-14 victory over Walsenburg last week. The Tigers did most of their damage in the ground attack, as they ran for 325 yards. Asher Albright led the way with 125 yards and two touchdowns, while Sawyer Roesch (82) and Samden Peterson (63) combined for 145 yards, and both scored once. Peterson also caught a TD pass from Brysan Medina. Carlos Valdez registered two sacks, and Peterson and William Keenan had an interception apiece. The Tigers are 10-5 against Center since 2004 in 11-man, but the teams have swapped victories the last four years, with Del Norte grabbing a 40-8 win last season.