EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – WEEK SIX
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
As the regular season enters its final month, league play dominates the Week Six schedule in eight-man. While three of the other divisions have already played at least one week of league competition, the Plains, Big 6 Southern, Black Forest, and Mountain will all just be starting that slate. With the CHSAA rankings powered by MaxPreps being the only metric for determining the postseason field and bracket, we shift to those rankings for the remainder of the season.
THURSDAY
#5 MCCLA VE (5-0) VS #10 LAS ANIMAS (5-0)
In a clash of co-leaders in the Ark Valley standings, one of the remaining unbeaten teams in the classification will fall. McClave jumped on Holly early last week, scoring 30 points in the first quarter, and getting the sportsmanship clock rolling before half, as the Cards led 52-0 at the break. They would go on to claim a 58-6 league victory. Cash Phares had 111 yards and two touchdowns on just four carries, and both Kolten Randel and Josh Arellano threw a touchdown pass. Randel also ran for one, and Drew Howe tacked on two more on the ground. Defensively, Howe picked off two passes, returning one for a score, and Randel added an interception and a fumble recovery. Las Animas also rolled in its league opener, topping Rocky Ford 51-6. Ethan Baca threw for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both to Jerome Ethridge, and Josiah Martinez ran for 158 yards and three TD. Cyler Jagers added a pair of rushing touchdowns. The defense, which limited the Meloneers to just four yards rushing, and 70 yards total, got an interception from Jagers, and a fumble recovery by Armondo Varela. McClave and Las Animas have played 11 times since 2014, with the Cards winning all 11. Last year, it was a 52-24 victory.
#9 V AIL CHRISTIAN (4-1) AT SOROCO
Vail Christian had its fans on the edge of their seats last week, as the Saints led Plateau Valley 40-30 entering the fourth quarter of a back-and-forth contest. The Cowboys cut it to 40-38 in the final frame, but Vail Christian held on to win by that score. Rayman Romanin thew for 204 yards and a TD, while also running for 181 yards and two scores. Bode Owens also had two rushing touchdowns. Jack O’Shaughnessy recorded two fumbles for the Saints’ defense, and Jason Hansen picked off a pass. Soroco fell to 0-2 in the Western Slope with a 52-20 loss to Rangely last week. The Rams also have a league loss to Plateau Valley. Vail Christian has won eight straight against Soroco, and nine of 12 since 2010. The Saints grabbed a 42-8 victory last season.
FRIDAY
#2 WEST GRAND (5-0) VS PLATEAU V ALLEY (2-3)
Speaking of crazy contests in the Western Slope, West Grand needed a late interception to hold off #3 Hayden 38-36. The Mustangs ran for 329 yards in the contest, 164 by Landon Lockhart, and 138 by Ruben Hatcher. Lockhart scored three times, and also threw a TD pass to Sanjay Geffers. He tallied 127 yards through the air. Walker Howell was busy on defense, racking up 19 tackles and a fumble recovery. Lockhart added 14 stops and an interception, and Hatcher tallied 11 tackles. Plateau Valley’s upset bid against Vail Christian came up just short, with the Cowboys falling 40-38, Vance Sheffield put in a workhorse effort, running for 308 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries. He also caught three passes for 43 yards. Rhett Junge registered 112 yards passing, with a TD to Marshal Jennings to his credit. Jennings led the defense with 13 tackles, and Junge added 10 plus a fumble recovery. West Grand has won 10 of 13 meetings with the Cowboys since 2004, including wins each of the last two years.
#3 HAYDEN (3-1) VS #14 FRONT RANGE CHRISTIAN (4-1)
Hayden steps out of Western Slope play for this non-league showdown, with the Tigers looking to bounce back from their heartbreaking 38-36 loss to West Grand. Peyton Johnson helped them run for close to400 yards by piling up 227 yards and two touchdowns. Carson Campbell had two rushing scores of his own. Campbell also caught a TD from Johnson. Jarrett Davis recorded 16 tackles, and Rodney Ramos DeJesus was credited with a fumble recovery. The defense also scored a safety. Front Range Christian got a big Central division victory last week, beating Lyons 55-15 on the road. Lawson Edwards completed four passes, three for touchdowns. Two of those went to Judah Hayes, and the other was to Jake Carlson. Edwards added 200 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, and Carlson tacked on 226 yards and two touchdowns. Carlson and Edwards were also standouts on defense, recording 16 and 12 tackles, respectively. Two of Edwards’ were sacks. This will be the first meeting between Hayden and Front Range Christian in the MaxPreps era.
#4 MANCOS (4-1) AT #12 DOLORES (4-1)
Four teams in the Mountain division begin league play with 4-1 marks, including these two. Mancos comes into the contest on the heels of a 45-0 win over County Line (Sargent/Sangre de Cristo). James Potts rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns, and he caught a TD from Hank Guiles, who also ran for one. Traycer White was also on the receiving end of a touchdown pass from Guiles. White paced the defense with nine tackles and two interceptions, while Levi Gardner added eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Kameron Rosales also finished with eight tackles. Tommy Jones picked off a pass, and Niko Derizotis recovered a fumble. Dolores got a 41-6 non-league win over Custer County last week, with River Wickstrom throwing for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Kooper Thomas and Brayson Perez caught one apiece, and the running game got a touchdown from each of Miles Brown, Darren Hicks, and Branson Lee. Hicks was a ballhawk, picking off three passes. Lee led the defense with 14 tackles, and Daniel Jacket added 11. Mancos has won all four games against Dolores since the Bears joined eight-man. Last year it was a 40-0 victory by the Bluejays.
#7 CENTER (4-0) VS WALSENBURG (0-4)
Center enters Big 6 Southern play coming off a big 18-0 win over previously unbeaten #15 Del Norte. The defense starred for the Vikings in the victory, with Isaac Dutton recording four sacks, and Jaiden Martinez returning a pick for a score. Javi Quintana led with 10 tackles and an interception of his won. Devan Garcia and Yanixan Padilla both ran for a TD to lead the offense. Walsenburg had a bye last week following a 35-14 loss to Del Norte a week earlier. The Panthers have been outscored 189-20 on the season. Center and Walsenburg played 13 times between 2006 and 2019, with the Panthers holding a 7-6 advantage, but this will be the first game between the two in eight-man.
SATURDAY
#1 SIMLA (4-0) VS ELBERT (1-3)
Simla returns to action after a bye week that followed a 58-14 win at #18 Akron. Evan Guy had a huge night throwing the ball, completing 16 of 23 passes for 337 yards and six touchdowns. Tatum Kochera caught nine balls for 249 yards and three touchdowns, while Keygon Frihauf, Tyson Pfost, and Connor Maranville had a TD apiece. Ethan Kissam added 110 yards on the ground with one TD, and Jack Pyatt also tacked on a rushing score. Ty Stanko tallied a sack and a fumble recovery for the Cub defense. Elbert gave up 42 first half points to #19 Haxtun last week, and fell 42-6. Hunter Neville accounted for the lone touchdown, as he ran for 60 yards and a TD on seven carries. Neville also caught two passes for 48 yards. Cade Tervort registered a sack on defense. Simla has won 12 of the last 15 over Elbert, including the last six in a row. The Cubs eked out a 41-34 win last year..
#8 CLEAR CREEK (3-1) AT #13 STRATTON (3-1)
Clear Creek begins its first season as a member of the Plains against Stratton, who was part of the league prior to its run in six-man. The Golddiggers had few problems with St. Mary’s in last week’s 46-8 victory. That was a bounce back game for Clear Creek, who had lost to West Grand two weeks earlier. Stratton got a big effort from Nolan Notter on the ground in its 34-6 win at Crowley County. Notter ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns, and Gavin Ruhs added 66 yards and two more scores. Ruhs also caught two passes for 62 yards and another TD. Corbin Notter threw that touchdown pass. Ruhs toppedthe defense with 14 tackles and a forced fumble, while Ryan May added 13 tackles, including a sack. N.Notter tacked on a pick, and Judson Isenbart recovered a fumble. Clear Creek and Stratton have notplayed in the MaxPreps er
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