This week’s semifinal round in Class 1A features four programs that are not no strangers to the final four. Between the four teams, they have 67 previous appearances in the semifinal round. More than half of those belong to two-time defending champion, Limon, who has been to this point of the playoffs 35 times in the past. Their opponent, Wray, is here for the 20th time in history. Strasburg is in the round for the fifth straight year, while Centauri is making its fourth consecutive appearance.  PHOTO BY OT SPORTSCHEK

Both games are scheduled for Saturday at 1pm. The winners will meet on Dec. 5th for the championship game, at CSU-Pueblo.

 

#1 LIMON BADGERS (5-0) VS #4 WRAY EAGLES (6-1)

This would normally be a rematch of league opponents, but the regular season contest between Limon and Wray was called off due to COVID issues around the Badgers. However, this will be the eighth time the two have met in the postseason, with Limon owning a 4-3 edge in the prior contests. They most recently met in last year’s quarters, with the Badgers claiming a 41-14 decision on their way to winning a second straight championship.

There is a major question mark surrounding the game this time around, and it’s the health of Limon star running back, Kory Tacha. The senior went down in last week’s 41-15win over Holyoke with what was feared to be a torn Achilles tendon. Prior to his injury, Tacha had run for 63 yards and a touchdown on six carries in the quarterfinal victory. He had 570 yards and 12 scores on the season. His absence would put more of the workload on the shoulders of Jeremiah Leeper, who also ran for 63 yards and a touchdown in the win over Holyoke. A junior, Leeper has 562 yards and six TDs this season, topping the century mark in four of Limon’s five games. Fellow junior, Ky Bandy, had season highs of 42 yards and two touchdowns last week.

When the Badgers do elect to put the ball in the air, junior quarterback Trey Hines has proven to be an effective thrower. Last week, he completed four of five attempts for 89 yards and a TD. On the season, he’s completed 16 of 24 throws, good for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Alex Carr, a 6’6” tight end, has caught nine passes on the season, covering 165 yards, and three scores. Tacha, and Brady Rockwell, are tied for second on the team with five catches apiece.

Defensively, Bandy’s 47 total tackles are equal to the next two on the team in that category. Just six of those are solos. Tacha (24), Gaige Hilferty (23), Kaysen Schmidt (23), and Trey Jeffries (22) round out the top five. Carr is responsible for three of the seven interceptions by the Badgers, with Hines adding two. Hines has also converted 24 of his 26 PAT kicks on the year.

As was evidenced in last week’s 38-13 victory over Hotchkiss, Wray goes as QB Tyler Collins goes. Trailing 7-0, Collins ran for three second quarter touchdowns to help the Eagles build a 24-7 halftime advantage. He would finish with 204 yards and four scores on the ground, while adding 87 yards passing. On the season, Collins has run for 1131 yards and 18 TDs and also thrown for 1096 yards and 11 more touchdowns.

Junior Arambula is second on the team with 133 yards and three rushing touchdowns, just ahead of Caeden Bauer’s 110 yards. Arambula leads the Eagles in receptions (31) and receiving touchdowns (5), and is second in yardage (398). Bryant Schoenthal is tops in yardage at 446, and is second with 18 grabs and three scores.

Arambula and Collins are also key members of the Wray defense, as they are one and two in tackles, with 64 and 61, respectively. Fellow senior, Alexis Aguilar, is next with 57, while sophomores Brady Collins (47) and Payton Wade (43) are fourth and fifth on the list. Tell Wade has a team-high six sacks, with the Collins brothers each having 3.5 to tie for second. Wray rarely attempts to kick after scoring touchdowns, with just seven tries. However, the Eagles have converted 19 two-point attempts, 14 by way of the run.

Limon is trying to get to its 28th state championship contest, as the Badgers are 27-8 all-time in the semifinals. A victory for Wray would even its record in the semifinals at 10-10, and send the Eagles to their first title game since 2010.

 

#2 STRASBURG INDIANS (7-0) AT #6 CENTAURI FALCONS (7-0)

This marks the fourth straight postseason in which Strasburg and Centauri have met, with all contests coming in either the semifinals or finals. The Indians have won all three of the previous clashes, taking the title in a 10-7 thriller back in 2017, and then punching their ticket to the championship games in 2018 (44-22) and 2019 (14-7).

While the Indians made easy work of their regular season schedule, outscoring opponents 325-0, their quarterfinal contest with #7 Meeker was a different story. Meeker drove right down the field on the opening series and scored the first points of the year allowed by Strasburg. The game went back and forth until the Indians stopped a two-point try by the Cowboys in the closing seconds to advance with a 36-34 victory.

Tristan Graf ran for a game-high 94 yards in the win, and the senior hit paydirt twice to lead the Indians. His 833 yards and 14 touchdowns this season both top the team, while QB Collin Russell, who ran for two scores of his own against Meeker, is second with 252 yards and eight TDs. Russell has also thrown for 705 yards and 13 touchdowns, without an interception. Graf’s 11 receptions are first on the squad, while Jack Swanson leads with 213 yards and six touchdowns.

Forty of Matthias Brown’s team-leading 49 tackles have been assisted, nearly matching the total tally of the team’s second tackler, A.J. Hemphill, who has 41 stops. His numbers would be higher, but the senior missed two games this season. Swanson (4) and Russell (2) have half of Strasburg’s 12 interceptions, with Hayden Turner adding a team-best two fumble recoveries. The Indians have scored seven touchdowns on returns, three by Swanson. He’s taken back two punts and an interception so far this year. Freshman kicker Julian Valencia has nailed 47 of 48 PAT tries.

Centauri also steamrolled its competition in the regular season, with the Falcons outscoring the opposition 348-15. Like the Indians, they also shutout all of their league opponents. They also had to go to the wire to win their quarterfinal contest, upsetting #3 Florence 20-17 last week. Centauri trailed 17-13 midway through the fourth quarter, before scoring what would hold up as the game winning touchdown.

McKay Russell completed 11 of 14 passes for 124 yards and two TDs, giving the senior 737 yards and 11 scores on the season. Mason Claunch toted the rock 36 times for 116 yards and a touchdown, marking his third straight game with more than 100 yards on the ground. The junior is just 14 yards shy of 1000 on the season, and now has 22 touchdowns. Baron Holman, who caught one of the TD passes last week, leads the team with 21 receptions, 376 yards, and five touchdowns..

Claunch has shown to have a nose for the football on defense, tracking down ball carriers to the tune of 78 tackles, six more than Zach Buhr’s 72. Dillon Brady (57), Holman (49), and Ben Tailleur (47) are numbers 3-5 on the swarming unit. It’s a very opportunistic group, that has recorded 20 takeaways, almost three a game. Buhr has five of those, with two interceptions and three fumble recoveries. He’s taken one of each to the house. As has Holman, who leads the team with three picks. As a team, Centauri has registered eight return TDs. Russell not only helps the Falcons score with his arm, but also his leg, as he’s kicked 36 of 38 PATs, and is also two of two on field goals, with a long of 35 yards.

Strasburg is attempting to reach a fifth straight title game, and would raise its overall semifinal round record to 7-1 in the process. Centauri, on the other hand, would make just its third championship game appearance with a victory on Saturday. The Falcons are 2-4 in their previous semifinal opportunities.