In what has been an unpredictable regular season thus far, Stratton holds its spot at the top of the CHSAANow.com 6-Man football polls.
The Eagles face another stern challenge this week as they take on Genoa-Hugo in a big 1 vs. 3 showdown. That’s the only top-10 matchup on tap for this week as the rest of the ranked teams in the class try to assert their positions as the top teams in the state.
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(3) Genoa-Hugo at (1) Stratton (Saturday)
The Eagles are coming off another big win, this one over Cheraw. Alex Cruz ran for a team-high 144 yards while Tyler Notter added 97. They each found the end zone twice in the 60-14 win for the top-ranked team in 6-Man. They’ve already faced three teams that have been considered some of the best around the state and that will be the case again with Genoa-Hugo coming to town.
The Pirates have their own standout runner in Konner Rowden-Stum. He averages 102 rushing yards per game and has found the end zone seven times. Trey Smith has been an efficient passer, completing 72 percent of his throws for 425 yards and seven scores.
(2) Fleming at Crawford (NE) (Saturday)
The Wildcats got a quintessential bye week as they picked up a forfeit win over Granada last week. They’ll head to Nebraska for an out-of-state showdown to try and improve to 4-0 on the season.
In two games played on the field, Braylen Feather has emerged as one of the top two-way players in the state. He has thrown for 424 yards and eight touchdowns and has also picked off six passes on defense. He’s a big reason that the Wildcats looked dominant in their first two wins and a big reason that they expect to be back in the state championship mix.
Briggsdale at (4) Arickaree
A strong second-half performance led the Bison to a win over Idalia in Week 3. They now take on a 2-1 Briggsdale team that sits just outside the top 10.
The Falcons will have to figure out a way to slow down Logan Wright, who ran for 190 yards and three touchdowns last week. The senior has already eclipsed the 600-yard mark and has 13 touchdowns to his name.
Briggsdale has two close wins and a blowout loss to its name this season. Ball control will be an emphasis this week as the Falcons turned the ball over six times before they even got to their Week 3 game against Prairie.
(5) Otis at Idalia (Thursday)
As long as the Bulldogs keep winning big, they’ll continue to climb up the rankings. They’ve surrendered just 13 points to their opponents in three games and have put up big offensive numbers along the way.
Sophomore Tayte Smith has rushed for 389 yards and seven touchdowns already this season. Charlie Kendrick has been a big source of the defense’s production as he has intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble.
(6) Granada at Walsh
Granada followed up its first loss of the season with a forfeit as it didn’t have enough healthy players to compete against Fleming.
They’ll need a similar game they got from Maddox Coleman (135 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown) in Week 1 to get back on the winning track.
Cheraw at (7) Cheyenne Wells
The defending 6-Man state champion finally got in the win column with a 62-8 win over Peetz. Blake Gilmore scored five touchdowns in that win and is a crucial piece of that offense finding rhythm and getting the Tigers on a much-needed winning streak.
Cheraw lost to Stratton for its second straight loss of the year and fell out of the top 10 as a result.
Sangre de Cristo at (8) Branson/Kim (Saturday)
After dropping its season opener to Granada, Branson/Kim has rattled off two straight wins to maintain its spot at No. 8. The Bearcats would like to see the offense maintain some steady production and a game against the 0-3 Panthers could be exactly what they need.
(9) Eads at Kit Carson
Eads was the only new addition to the top 10 this week which they earned after beating Greeley County (KS) in Week 3. Heading into that game, Porter Spady had scored nine rushing touchdowns to show that the Eagles have some explosiveness on offense.
The Wildcats would love to win their second straight game after they went winless in all of 2021.
Manzanola at Deer Trail
The Eagles have outscored their opponents 186-39 so far this season. They’re looking to move to 4-0 this week and will ride sophomore running back Elvin Castro in that effort. He averages 164 rushing yards per game and has scored eight touchdowns.
