SIX-MAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW – OPENING ROUND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Sixteen teams are still in the hunt for a state championship as the opening round of the 6-man play-offs get started this weekend. Last year’s champ, Idalia, is the top overall seed, and the Wolves have been nearly unstoppable this season. However, there is no shortage of challengers, trying to unseat them. Two of the opening round games are scheduled for Friday, with the remaining six to be played on Saturday. The games are listed in bracket order.
#1 IDALIA (10-0) VS #16 BRIGGSDALE (3-6) FRIDAY 6PM
Idalia faced a ninth postseason qualifier in its 10 games during the regular season, and the Wolves downed #3 Prairie 59-20 last Friday. They got 125 yards and three touchdown passes from Broderick Kite, who also ran for 100 yards and two more scores. Jace Morris, Hunter Drullinger, and Jaasiel Estrada had a TD reception apiece, and Bode Monahan added 179 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. J. Morris led the defense with a dozen tackles.
Briggsdale lost its third straight game to close out the regular season, as the Falcons fell to #11 Flagler 42-33 last Saturday. The Falcons ran for 484 yards in that loss, with Sering Pino going for 274 and two scores, and Val Alvarez adding 164 and a touchdown. Kaden Sanders and Koyen Gebauer each added a rushing TD. Defensively, Gebauer forced a fumble and Alvarez recovered it.
Idalia owns a 5-2 record against Briggsdale, including a win in the 2021 opening round. However, the teams have not played since 2023.
#8 WILEY (7-3) VS #9 CALICHE (5-5) SATURDAY 1PM
Wiley locked up a home game in the opening round by shutting out North Park 68-0 last week, sending the Panthers into the postseason on a three-game winning streak. Mason Grasmick tossed a pair of touchdown passes, and Grant Mauch added one passing, one rushing, and another on a pick-six. Corbin Williams ran for one and caught one, while Devonte Pizarro reached the end zone on an interception return. As a team, Wiley picked off five passes and recovered five fumbles. Noah Summers and Mauch had one of each.
Caliche won its fourth straight game in a shootout, beating #13 Bethune 91-56 last Saturday. Avery Bell ran for 300 yards and six touchdowns, threw a TD, and also caught one. He returned a kick for another score. Tayten Gerk topped the century mark on the ground, and scored four touchdowns, and also caught a pair of TD passes. Brett Breidenbach threw for two touchdowns. Bell led the Buffs on defense with 13 tackles, and Grady Roth added 11 tackles and an interception.
Caliche beat Wiley each of the last two seasons, in the only two meetings between the two in the MaxPreps era.
#4 CHEYENNE WELLS (8-2) VS #13 BETHUNE (4-6)
Cheyenne Wells had its seven-game winning streak snapped by #2 Peetz 59-20 in a non-league match-up between a pair of league champs. The Tigers got a TD pass from Trevin Smith to Kelby Leonard, and a rushing score from Camden Rand for their two offensive touchdowns. Daryon Campbell struck for a 61-yard kick return to get the special teams on the board. Levi Mayhan recorded 12 tackles, and Leonard added 10.
Despite its 91-56 loss to Caliche last weekend, Bethune is in the postseason for the first time in 15 years. The Bobcats had six different players throw a pass, with Kyle Stevens leading the way by hitting on 11 of 21 attempts for 159 yards and two scores. Gavin Malave completed his only attempt for a TD. Josh Salinas caught two touchdown passes, and Adrian Ramirez six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Ismael Perla ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns, and Angel Millan had a rushing TD and a kick return for another score. Millan finished with nine tackles (one sack) and an interception.
Cheyenne Wells has won both previous meetings with Bethune, but the teams have not played since 2015.
#5 GRANADA (6-2) VS #12 HANOVER (7-2) SATURDAY 1PM
Granada bounced back from its heartbreaking loss to Cheyenne Wells in Week 9 to beat #14 Branson/Kim 52-0 last week. Alejandro Perez completed four of five passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns, with Angelo Martinez catching four passes for 155 yards and two scores. Cristiano Aguilar also had a touchdown reception, while Fernando Cadena and Sebastian Pizarro each added a rushing TD. Wyatt Pete and Pizarro both recorded a pick-six, and Cadena also intercepted a pass. Cadena led the defense with 10 tackles.
Hanover had its six-game winning streak snapped by #15 Genoa-Hugo/Karval, with the Hornets being held to a season-low six points (19-6). Joseph Molina had a solid night on the ground, running for 189 yards and the team’s lone touchdown. As a unit, the offense completed one of seven passes for 12 yards and four interceptions. They also lost three fumbles. The defense was busy, with six players recording at least nine tackles. Ben Hutto led with 12, and Lawson Carpenter added 11. Nolan Sweazy and Molina tallied 10 apiece, while Edgar Vera-Wences and Jonathan Quiroz-Reyes registered nine apiece.
This will be the first meeting between Granada and Hanover in the MaxPreps era.
#3 PRAIRIE (8-2) VS #14 BRANSON/KIM (6-3) SATURDAY 1PM
Prairie’s biggest loss last weekend had little to do with the scoreboard, where the Mustangs fell 59-20 to Idalia. In that defeat, they lost their leading rusher, and one of their too defenders, Derek Dollerschell to a serious leg injury. At the time of his injury, Dollerschell had rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown, thrown for 100 yards, and caught two passes for 11 yards and another score. Liam Bringelson finished the night eight of 14 for 124 yards and two touchdowns, with the second going to Tatum Bailey, who caught six passes for 111 yards. Wyatt Walker and Owen Kilmer led the defense with a dozen tackles apiece.
Branson/Kim couldn’t get much going offensively in last week’s 52-0 loss to Granada, as the Bearcats were held to 57 yards rushing. They did throw for 142 yards, but also gave the ball away three times on interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Cooper Winter was 17 for 23, for all 142 yards. Michael Archuleta and Tate Baker caught six passes each, and Cash Neugebauer caught five. Winter made nine tackles, and Collin Doherty had seven and an interception.
Prairie won the only two previous meetings with Branson/Kim, back in 2022 and 2023.
#6 FLEMING (7-3) VS #11 FLAGLER (6-4) SATURDAY 1PM
Fleming’s season has included losses to the top three seeds, and a win over the fourth. The Wildcats had last week off after playing for 10 consecutive weeks. Their last outing was a 72-14 loss to Idalia two weeks ago. They were down 60-8 at the half in that contest. Will Mollohan threw a TD pass to Draven Oldenburg,who returned a kick for Fleming’s other TD.
Flagler closed out the regular season with a 42-33 win at home last Saturday over Briggsdale. Keegan Isenbart went for 272 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, and Dillon Brent caught a TD pass from Gabe Harvie. Trevor Moore added a rushing touchdown. Harvie stacked up 12 tackles, and Brent added 11 and a fumble recovery. Ian Ayres tallied nine, and Axle Lahm had eight. Quim Castells converted four of five PAT kicks, and also nailed a 35-yard field goal.
There have been no games between Fleming and Flagler in the MaxPreps era.
#7 OTIS (6-3) VS #10 WALSH (6-4) SATURDAY 2PM
Otis is back in action after receiving a forfeit victory over Eads last week. The Bulldogs have not been on the field since the week before that, when they suffered a 59-26 loss to Peetz. Cambric Klinzmann had 220 yards and three rushing touchdowns in that setback, and Aiden Knudsen caught a TD pass from Raegan Torres. Klinzmann also tallied 12 tackles, and Milo Kendrick and Torres added seven apiece. Aiden Horinek, Malakye Reese, and Knudsen all recorded six stops.
Walsh concluded its regular season with an important 35-20 victory over Mountain Valley last week. The Eagles got 85 yards and two rushing scores from Grady Mundell, who also threw for two touchdowns. Dallas Alley also had a TD pass. Woodrow Wright, Gage Caddick, and Jaxson Frazee all caught a TD pass. Wright and Mundell were busy on defense, recording 13 tackles apiece. The Eagles picked off four passes, two by Mundell, and one apiece by Alley and Caddick.
The only other previous meeting between Otis and Walsh in the MaxPreps era was back in 2022. The Bulldogs took the win in that contest.
#2 PEETZ (9-1) VS #15 GENOA-HUGO/KARVAL (4-5) FRIDAY 6PM
Peetz sewed up the #2 seed in the postseason with its eighth straight win, a 59-20 decision over #4 Cheyenne Wells. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 33-8 halftime lead, and never let the Tigers get back into the contest. Dylan Wagner was a Swiss Army Knife, as he threw for 68 yards and three scores, ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught two passes, both for touchdowns. He accounted for 242 yards from scrimmage. Bryson Leach tacked on two TD passes and a touchdown catch. Colton Segelke added two TD catches, and Conner Schumacher ran for one. Wagner also led the defense with 18 tackles, and the Bulldogs also got 17 tackles from Schumacher, 15 from Parker Reker, and 14 from Leach. Schumacher was a perfect 3-3 on his PAT kicks, and he also hit a 33-yard field goal.
Genoa-Hugo/Karval’s 19-6 upset of Hanover was the third consecutive victory for the Pirates, and it helped keep them in the play-off bracket. Ryker Lockhart connected on 12 of 15 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns, with Tayler Thelen hauling in two of the TD passes. Cash Stone ran for 106 yards, and also caught seven passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. Ethan Britten and Lockhart had 11 tackles apiece to pace the Pirate defense. Gabe Carr, Spoke Carr, and Thelen all added eight tackles. Lockhart picked off three passes, and G. Carr notched an interception and a fumble recovery. Clint Hale also recovered a fumble.
Peetz won the only previous meeting with the Pirates since 2004, with that coming in 2012.
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