In 2019 and 2020, Stratton (then a co-op with Liberty) and Fleming faced off in the 6-man football state championship team and both times, it was the Wildcats walking away with the title.
The Eagles are hoping things go a little differently this time around. They’ve proven they’re the team to beat in 2022 by amassing a 13-0 record and outscoring their opponents 739-178.
Since 2017, the Eagles have advanced to every championship game but have only won two state titles in that stretch.
This is the year that could be different and that was evident in Week 1 when they rolled to a 53-6 win over Cheyenne Wells, the very team that beat them in the state title game last fall.
Stratton rushed for nearly 300 yards as a team in that effort with Alex Cruz and Cyler Notter leading the way. Cruz led the way with 141 yards and two touchdowns while Notter added 125 and matched the two scores. That was only the beginning as Stratton faced three straight playoff teams in a row, getting wins over Granada, Cheraw and Genoa-Hugo.
In total, seven of Stratton’s 10 games came against teams that would go on to make the 2022 playoffs and that includes the regular season finale against Fleming.
If the state title game is anything like the regular season matchup, it could be an early day for all parties involved. The Eagles rolled to a 53-13 win behind another solid performance from Cruz. He accounted for two rushing touchdowns and also returned a fumble for a score.
The good news for the Wildcats is that they held the Stratton rushing attack in check better than most teams this year. They held the Eagles to 177 total yards on the ground and neither Cruz or Notter broke the 50-yard mark.
Stratton was still able to score four rushing touchdowns as a team and the defense forced four Fleming turnovers. A similar performance on Friday would like earn Stratton its third title since 2017.
But here’s the thing about Fleming: the team doesn’t just go away when it seems like it’s supposed to. The Wildcats stunned Stratton at home in 2019 to win the 6-man title and beat the Eagles again a year later when the game was moved to CSU-Pueblo for the first time in classification history.
Fleming lost just two games this regular season, one to Stratton and the other when it took on defending 8-man champion Haxtun.
Outside of those two performances, the Wildcats certainly looked the part of a team that could win a state title. They didn’t see the tough schedule that Stratton had, but when the playoffs started they showed that they were a top-notch team to deal with. They averaged 67 points per game and showed a diversified offensive attack.
Blake Feather rushed for over 200 yards in the first round while Nolan Japp went for over 150 in the second-round win over Granada. That effort put Japp over the 1,000-yard mark for the year and his production will be crucial in helping the Wildcats beat Stratton for the third time in four years.
