EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – OPENING ROUND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The chase to a state championship in 8-man begins in earnest, as 16 teams start the opening round of the play-offs this weekend. A new champion will be crowned later this month, as two-time titlist, Haxtun, did not make the bracket. Seven of the eight contests this round are on Saturday. The games are listed in bracket order.
#1 MCCLAVE (9-0) VS #16 HOEHNE (5-4) SATURDAY 1PM
McClave put the finishing touches on its Arkansas Valley title by beating Springfield 48-6 last week. The Cardinals did it with just over 250 yards of offense. Cash Phares ran for 75 yards and two scores, and Drew Howe added 65 yards on the ground, and Kolten Randel scored twice in that phase of the attack. Reid Kliesen also had a rushing TD. Tayden Martinez led the defense with seven tackles, while Kliesen and Randel added six stops apiece. Kielan Mallard tacked on a pick-six, and Roxas Maggart recovered a fumble.
Hoehne got into the bracket by beating Center 58-22 to win the Big 6 Southern title last Thursday. The Farmers got a big performance from Brody Silvey, who ran for 300 yards and six touchdowns, and also returned a kick for another score. Marcus Dasko added 123 yards and a TD through the air, with Antonio Cantoria hauling in the scoring pass. Bracyn Seeders topped the defense with 13 tackles, and Dylan Alvarado and Koye Foster had nine apiece.
McClave beat Hoehne 60-22 earlier this season, with Randel running for 137 yards and three touchdowns, and Phares adding three more touchdowns on the ground. Mallard recorded another pick-six. Silvey was held to 60 yards rushing, but did catch a TD pass from Dasko. Dasko had another one to Cantoria, plus one on the ground.
#8 FOWLER (7-2) VS #9 AKRON (6-3) SATURDAY 1PM
Fowler secured second place in the Ark Valley with a 22-8 win over #13 Las Animas last week, as the Grizzlies outscored the Trojans 16-8 in the second half. Bronson Damgaard led the Grizzlies with 109 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and Brock True also ran for a score. Hilario Alvarez threw for 90 yards, with True catching five passes. True tied for the team lead with 11 tackles, matching the tally of Taten Phillips. Wade Clemmensen notched 10 tackles, including one of the team’s four sacks, and also had an interception.
Akron had its four-game winning streak snapped in a 30-0 shutout loss at the hands of #2 Sedgwick County. The Rams ended up finishing second in the Plains with the defeat. They were held to just over 100 yards on the ground, with Jefferson Hunt accounting for 56. Jax Kusel had 33, to go with 49 passing. Mason McCoy caught five passes for 30 yards. Trent Kautz was one of three defenders with double figure tackles, as he recorded 14. Hunt tallied 13, and Kusel had 10. Kautz had a sack, and both Kusel and Hunt recovered a fumble.
Fowler broke a five-game losing streak to the Rams earlier this season, when the Grizzlies claimed a 46-28 win at home. The game was decided in the second quarter, where Fowler outscored Akron 32-6. Alvarez threw for 121 yards and four touchdowns, with True and Bryce Froman each catching two. Damgaard added 138 yards and two scores in the running game. Kusel led Akron with 114 rushing yards, and Hunt added 103. Each scored two touchdowns.
#4 SIMLA (9-0) VS #13 LAS ANIMAS (6-3)
Simla completed its regular season with a 68-0 blasting of Monument Academy, the third shutout in Black Forest play by the Cubs. The defense picked off five passes, and returned three for touchdowns. Ethan Kissam, Ty Stanko, and Tyson Pfost all had pick-sixes, and Jack Pyatt and Logan Rayfield had the other two interceptions. Evan Guy threw two touchdowns, including a 74-yarder to Tatum Kochera.
Las Animas slipped to third in the Ark Valley with its 22-8 loss to Fowler last week. Braydon Ortiz accounted for the lone touchdown for the Trojans, as he ran for 131 yards and a TD. He also threw for 101 yards. Nicholas Duran caught three passes for 42 yards, and Jerome Ethridge caught one for 45 yards. Scott Banister led a busy defense with 16 tackles. Jesus Lopez and Duran each added a dozen, and Josiah Martinez tacked on 10. Duran also registered an interception.
Simla is 2-0 against Las Animas since 2004, but those games were in 2018 and 2019.
#5 HAYDEN (8-1) VS #12 CROWLEY COUNTY (6-3) SATURDAY 5PM
Hayden ran its winning streak to five with a 48-12 victory at Plateau Valley last Friday. The Tigers led 8-6 after one, and pulled away with a pair of 16-0 frames in the middle of the game. Peyton Johnson ran for 125 yards and three scores, and also had a TD pass to Carson Campbell, and Noah Weber added 142 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Campbell was one of four Tigers with double digit tackles, recording 13. N. Weber and Jarrett Davis had 11 apiece, and Ryder Weber tallied 10.
Crowley County locked up second in the Black Forest with a 54-6 decision over St. Mary’s. It was the fourth win in the last five games for the Chargers, and a nice bounce back from their loss to Simla the week prior.
This will be the first meeting between Hayden and Crowley County in the MaxPreps era.
#3 WEST GRAND (9-0) VS #14 SANFORD (4-5) SATURDAY 1PM
West Grand finished an unbeaten run through the Western Slope with a 50-6 victory at Rangely. The Mustangs won their six league games by a total tally of 298-70. Landon Lockhart had 320 yards of offense, including 171 passing and 149 rushing. He ran for two scores and threw for a third. Ruben Hatcher added three touchdowns on the ground, and Sanjay Geffers caught four passes for 102 yards and a TD. Hatcher had a team-high 15 tackles, while Conner Stone finished with 11. Walker Howell added nine tackles and two picks.
Sanford lost its second straight, and third in four, in a tough 28-24 defeat by #6 Norwood. The loss dropped the Mustangs to third in the Mountain. They led 12-0 after one, but trailed 14-12 at the half. Both teams scored twice in the third. The difference in the contest was Norwood went 2-4 on conversions, and Sanford was 0-4.
West Grand beat Sanford 48-6 in the season opener behind Lockhart, who ran for 143 yards and two scores, and threw for 111 and two more touchdowns. Howell added 122 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, Hatcher rushed for 118, and Geffers caught two touchdowns. Colton Reynolds ran for Sanford’s only score. The Mustangs were held to 111 yards of offense in the contest.
#6 NORWOOD (8-1) VS #11 FRONT RANGE CHRISTIAN (7-2) SATURDAY 1PM
Norwood clinched the title in the Mountain with last week’s 28-24 win over Sanford. It was the eighth straight win for the Mavericks, who lost their opener to Hayden. Keegan Tackett, Daniel Zunich, and Cole Bray all had a rushing touchdown, and Jackson McCabe tossed one to Austin Garvey. Porter Black ran for a pair of two-point conversions. Tackett paced the defense with 15 tackles, and Colton Kepley had 13, including a sack. Jace Bonacquista and McCabe added 10 tackles apiece.
Front Range Christian put the Central championship in the books with a 42-0 shutout of Gilpin County. The Falcons only allowed 29 points in five league games. They got three passing touchdowns from Lawson Edwards, one apiece to Caleb Harms, Judah Hayes, and Jake Carlson. Carlson also ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Rex Krause recorded 12 tackles, and Carlson added 11. Hayes tallied three sacks, and Micah Brautigam picked off a pass.
This is the first meeting between Norwood and Front Range Christian since MaxPreps began tracking football in 2004.
#7 MANCOS (6-2) VS #10 STRATTON (6-3) SATURDAY 1PM
Mancos has not played in a couple of weeks, with the last game for the Bluejays coming on October 16. That was a 24-22 loss to Norwood. They had won four straight prior to that loss. With Norwood’s win over Sanford last week, the Bluejays ended up second in the Mountain.
Stratton got its second straight win last Friday, beating Merino 56-20 to take third place in the Plains. Corbin Notter had a nice night for the Eagles, throwing for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and running for 97 yards and two more scores. Austin Weickum and Judson Isenbart had a TD reception apiece, and Gavin Ruhs ran for two. Emmett Bohnen and Isenbart both finished with seven tackles, while Ruhs, Gunner Fye, Braylon Einspahr, and Kiptyn Dempsey all tallied five. Ruhs registered an interception.
Mancos and Stratton have not played in the MaxPreps era.
#2 SEDGWICK COUNTY (7-1) VS #15 VAIL CHRISTIAN (7-2) FRIDAY 6PM
Sedgwick County recorded its seventh consecutive win, beating Akron 30-0 to win the Plains. The Cougars have not lost since dropping their opener to McClave. Owen Harris stood out on both sides of the ball, leading the Cougars with 12 tackles, and also rushing for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Nathan Gonzales added 91 yards and a touchdown in the ground attack, and Noah Harens caught a TD pass from Lehgion Glende. Gonzales chipped in 11 tackles, and Cameron Smith picked off two passes.
Vail Christian finished the regular season with back to back wins, as the Saints downed Lake County 50-0 last week. Rayman Romanin threw for 141 yards and four touchdowns, with Finn Hooper, Owen Razee, Jack O’Shaughnessy, and Elijah Beckett each catching a TD. Beckett also had a rushing score. Quinn Cozzens had an interception to help aid the defense’s effort.
SedgCo and Vail Christian will be meeting for the first time in the MaxPreps era.
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