EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL REPORT – WEEK SEVEN
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
In just a few weeks, the eight-man field will be reduced to just 16 teams that will fill the postseason bracket. The last push gets started with some really big match-ups this weekend. This is our look at the games involving the top-10 teams in the CHSAA rankings as of Thursday morning. Third-ranked McClave is on a bye.
THURSDAY
#4 HAYDEN (4-1) VS RANGELY (3-2)
Hayden led Front Range Christian 30-20 late in the first half last week, and the Tigers ripped off the next 32 points and ran away with a 70-28 victory. Peyton Johnson led the offense with 199 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, and another 142 through the air plus a TD. Noah Weber added 155 yards and two touchdowns in the running game. Carson Campbell topped the defense with 11 tackles and a pick-six. In an all-Panther fight, Rangely rolled past Lake County 50-8 and remained unbeaten in the Western Slope. Hayden got a 72-30 win over Rangely last year and owns a 13-9 lead in the series, but the Panthers have won six of the last eight.
FRIDAY
#1 SIMLA (5-0) AT ST. MARY’S (0-5)
Simla got 125 yards and three TD passes from Evan Guy in a 59-0 Black Forest win over Elbert last week. Tatum Kochera caught two passes for 44 yards, with both resulting in touchdowns. Keygon Frihauf added one TD rushing, one passing, and one on a punt return. Landon Offut and Dacin Watts each blocked a punt. St. Mary’s dropped its league opener 34-12 to Calhan, as the Pirates were outscored 18-6 in the second half. The defense allowed 401 rushing yards, but did pick off two passes. The Pirates also turned it over three times, with two interceptions and a lost fumble. Simla has won all four meetings with St. Mary’s, the first three by shutouts. Last year was a 54-38 decision for the Cubs.
#2 WEST GRAND (6-0) AT #10 VAIL CHRISTIAN (5-1)
West Grand improved to 3-0 in the Western Slope with a 48-6 win over Plateau Valley last week, with Landon Lockhart running for 157 yards and two scores, and also throwing for 125 yards and two more touchdowns. Walker Howell added two rushing TD and one receiving. Howell (16), Lockhart (14), and Ruben Hatcher (13) were all in double figures in tackles. Vail Christian got off to a 20-0 first quarter and pulled away for a 56-18 win at Soroco. That kept the Saints one game behind the leaders in the league. West Grand has won three straight against Vail Christian, giving the Mustangs an 8-5 edge in the series.
#5 MANCOS (5-1) AT #9 SANFORD (3-2)
Mancos won its third straight and opened its Mountain league slate with a 32-13 victory over #17 Dolores last week. Hank Guiles rushed for 135 yards and two TD and also threw for 78 yards and two more touchdowns. Traycer White and Gavin Smith each caught one scoring pass. The Bluejays forced five turnovers, including four interceptions. Two of those were by White. Sanford built a 40-0 halftime lead over #19 Del Norte and went on to win by that score. Rylan Mortensen led a stingy Mustang defense with 11 tackles, and Ryan McCarroll picked off two passes. Offensively, Mortensen ran for three touchdowns, and McCarroll caught one. Sanford broke a five-game losing streak to Mancos with a 42-14 win last year, evening the series a nine wins apiece.
#7 STRATTON (4-1) AT #13 AKRON (3-2)
Stratton only ran three plays in the first quarter, and trailed #15 Clear Creek 6-0 two minutes into the second quarter, but Nolan Notter tied things with an 80-yard run, and the Eagles went on to take a 30-6 in their Plains opener. Notter finished with 182 yards on 12 carries. Gavin Ruhs and Corbin Notter also scored rushing touchdowns, and Judson Isenbart had a scoop-and-score for the defense, Emmett Bohnen led that unit with 19 tackles. Akron trailed Merino 8-6 at the end of the first quarter, but went on a run and took the Ram Fight by a 50-14 final. Jefferson Hunt starred on both sides of the ball, running for 272 yards and four touchdowns, and also recording 23 tackles. Jax Kusel made his return and tacked on 110 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Akron had seven defenders with at least 11 tackles, and got an interception from Mason McCoy. This is the first meeting between these two programs, as Stratton dropped to six-man the same year that Akron dropped to eight-man (2012).
#8 NORWOOD (4-1) VS #19 DEL NORTE (4-2)
Norwood is coming off its bye, which came a week after the Mavericks downed Hoehne 60-28. They only led 30-22 at the half, but while the offense kept putting points on the board, the defense held the Farmers off it until the fourth. Jackson McCabe accounted for more than 300 yards of offense, 197 on the ground and 114 through the air. He scored two rushing TD and threw one. Jace Bonacquista added two more running touchdowns, and he led the defense with nine tackles. Keegan Tackett forced two fumbles. Del Norte dropped its second consecutive game, falling to Sanford 40-0 in Mountain league play. Liam Kreutzer ran for 56 yards and also caught two passes for 52 yards to pace the offense. He tied Asher Albright for the team lead with eight tackles. Sawyer Roesch and Shane Robertson had a fumble recovery apiece. Norwood won six games over Del Norte between 2014 and 2019, all in 11-man.
SATURDAY
#6 SEDGWICK COUNTY (3-1) AT #15 CLEAR CREEK (3-2)
Sedgwick County began Plains league play by beating Haxtun 44-0 last Friday. It was the first shutout in the series by either team since SedgCo did it in 2017. The Cougars defense held Haxtun to just 89 yards of offense, only 51 on the ground. Owen Harris shared the team lead in tackles with Liam Amendt and Noah Harens with eight apiece. Harris also powered the offense with 310 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Nathan Gonzales added 113 yards and two scores. Clear Creek used a 15-play drive that covered most of the first quarter and into the second quarter to take a 6-0 lead at Stratton on a Skyler Clark TD run, but that would be the only points the Golddiggers would muster in the 30-6 loss. Sedgwick County grabbed a 38-20 win over Clear Creek in the first round of the playoffs last year. That was the only loss of the year for the Golddiggers.
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