Some huge league matchups are on tap as the 6-man slate of football games truly kicks into gear on Friday. Ranked teams such as Stratton, Otis and Granada all face off with league opponents and every game from here on out has an added weight of importance.
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(1) Stratton at Idalia
Stratton has looked like the 6-man team to beat all season and last week’s 65-0 win over Hi-Plains certainly didn’t deter that point of view. Seven players totaled 292 rushing yards for the Eagles. Sophomore Stockton Fye led the effort with 94 yards (on just two carries) and scored two touchdowns.
Idalia got off to a slow start to the season and beat Flagler last week to get its first win of the season.
(2) Fleming at Peetz (Saturday)
Fleming is still undefeated in 6-man play but did drop its first game of the season last week. They got shut out against the defending 8-man champion in Haxtun in a rare interclassification game. Brayden Feather threw for 156 yards but was intercepted three times. He’ll look to rebound and have a standout performance against Peetz.
(4) Genoa-Hugo at (3) Otis
On top of league implications, this game will likely have RPI and playoff seeding implications as well. The Pirates are coming off a a huge win over Arickaree and Trey Smith was a huge part of that as he threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll look for a similar performance to keep the momentum rolling for Genoa-Hugo.
This will be the toughest test of the season for the Bulldogs. They rolled to a 63-48 win over La Veta last week and did it with a heavy dose of running the football. Tayte Smith ran for 368 yards and seven touchdowns in that win.
(10) Cheraw at (5) Granada
Since Granada had to forfeit to Fleming, the team has played extremely well. The Bobcats beat Walsh 102-74 and then turned around and got a 31-20 win over defending state champion Cheyenne Wells. Brandon Gonzales threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns in that win over the Tigers.
Cheraw is back in the top 10 after falling out a couple weeks ago. The Wolverines beat Eads 52-34 last week thanks to Tim Provost’s three touchdown passes.
(6) Arickaree at Hi-Plains (Saturday)
Despite closing the gap in the fourth quarter, Arickaree lost to Genoa-Hugo 58-54 last week for its first loss of the year. Logan Wright threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns and will look to rebound in a big way to get the Bison back to their winning ways.
Kit Carson at (7) Cheyenne Wells (Saturday)
Cheyenne Wells needs a good stretch of play to end the regular season and that could start this week. Ty Scheler ran for 146 yards and two scores in last week’s loss to Granada and will likely be the focal point of the offense against the Wildcats this week.
(8) Branson/Kim at Primero (Saturday)
The Bearcats are going for their fifth win in a row and will try to move to 2-0 in league play. Peyton Cranson ran for 297 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s win against Cotopaxi. The defense also had a standout day as it forced three turnovers.
Weskan (Kan.) at (9) Deer Trail
After three straight league games, Deer Trail gets a bit of a breather as they host an out-of-state team in Weskan. The Eagles are still undefeated this season and could find themselves with a good playoff seed if they keep up this level of play. Raul Manriquez threw for 138 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over Kiowa.
