With the completion of the regular season last week, CHSAA has released the brackets for the 6-man playoffs. The following preview is in bracket order.
 
#16 PEETZ BULLDOGS (2-6) @ #1 KIT CARSON WILDCATS (8-0) FRIDAY 3PM
Peetz won its first two games of the season, but then finished with six straight losses. During that skid the Bulldogs were outscored 381-164 and they allowed at least 55 points in each contest. All six of those losses were to teams in the playoff field, including four of the top eight seeds. Cooper White leads the team with 1219 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing and 388 yards and seven touchdowns passing. His 70 tackles are second to Nolan Hill’s 97, and he leads the defense with three fumble recoveries and four blocked kicks. Hill has a team-high four interceptions, and he’s the leading receiver with 22 catches, 477 yards, and six TDs.
Kit Carson was ranked second to begin the season, but after beating Stratton/Liberty 48-14 in the opener, the Wildcats ascended to #1 and have remained there since. They were really only pushed once, a 51-43 win over Cheyenne Wells, but also held off Granada 56-40 later in the season. The Wildcats led that game by 30 points at the half and saw the Bobcats score 18 fourth quarter points to narrow the final margin. Five of their regular season opponents made the playoff field. Jayden McCombs-Farmer led the team with 901 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground during the regular season, but three other Wildcats had at least 283 yards, including Joe Bryan (329), Paul Mitchek (287), and Cordell Farmer (283). Sullivan Farmer topped the team with 468 passing yards, to go with 10 TDs, with McCombs-Farmer being the top target, catching 14 balls for 260 yards and seven scores. The Wildcats scored nine non-offensive touchdowns during the regular season. Bryan had four to pace the squad and McCombs-Farmer added three.
This will be the sixth time the two have met in the postseason, with Peetz having won all five prior contests. The last time they played in the playoffs was the 2017 semifinals, a game the Bulldogs won 62-36.
# 9 EADS EAGLES (5-3) @ #8 FLAGLER/HI-PLAINS THUNDER (8-1) SATURDAY 1PM
Eads secured its playoff spot by winning its last two games, and three of its last four. The only loss in that stretch came against Cheyenne Wells. The Eagles topped 60 points in all five of their wins during the regular season, but only scored a combined 84 points in their three losses. They went 1-3 against playoff teams, beating Walsh and losing to Kit Carson, Cheyenne Wells, and Granada. Much of their work this season has been on the ground, with Damien Barnes tallying 1760 yards and 31 touchdowns, and Angel Medina adding 545 and 14 TDs. Barnes had five games with over 200 yards, two of those were over 300. Barnes and Donte Sierra each have five takeaways on defense.
Flagler/Hi-Plains had been rolling, scoring at least 52 points in each of its last six on-field victories (they received a forfeit from Edison), but the Thunder was upended by Stratton/Liberty 67-21 last Friday. That was their only loss in four games against playoff opponents. They were outgained 427-58 on the ground in that contest, but on the season, the Thunder has averaged 247 rushing yards a game. Chris Hile, who missed two games with an injury, leads with 683, while Cody Banks (525) and Zayd Banks (453) aren’t far behind. Zayd Banks has thrown for 688 yards and 13 touchdowns, with Nick Schroeder (10/281/5) being the top receiver. Freshman Cooper Seaman has a team-high 4.5 sacks, and the defense has scored three times on interception returns.
This will be the first postseason meeting between the two programs, however, Eads did face Hi-Plains twice. The Eagles lost in the semifinals in 2009 and 2013.
#13 DEER TRAIL EAGLES (7-2) @ #4 FLEMING WILDCATS (9-0) FRIDAY 1:30PM
Deer Trail’s only losses of the regular season came against playoff teams Branson/Kim (49-12) and Cheyenne Wells (72-19). Those were the only postseason qualifying teams the Eagles faced during the regular season. They had won six straight prior to the loss to Cheyenne Wells last Saturday. This is the first playoff appearance for the program since making it to consecutive semifinals in 2011 and 2012. The Eagles have the state’s second-leading passer in Kolter Eldringhoff (1488 yards, 26 TDs), fourth-leading rusher in Walker Morelock (1188 yards, 18 TDs), and second-leading receiver in Dayne Woodis (41/970/16). Morelock leads the defense with 105 tackles.
Fleming went 4-0 against playoff teams, all from within the North division. The Wildcats outscored their opponents 499-126, allowing 20 or more points twice. Brandon Williams went over the 1000 yard mark for the season last week, and he’s scored a team-high 20 rushing touchdowns. Charles Hobbs (527) and Chris Goss (381) give the Wildcats depth in the attack. Kade Comstock has added 711 yards through the air, with Eric Resendiz being the favorite target. Resendiz has 22 catches for 308 yards and 10 TDs. Williams leads the defense with 96 tackles (21 for loss) and he has four of the team’s 16 interceptions. Brady Kuntz is second on the team with 71 stops, and leads the way with five sacks. As a unit, the defense has 33 takeaways. The Wildcats have blocked nine kicks and two punts, and have scored eight non-offensive touchdowns.
The programs don’t have any previous playoff match-ups, and this will be the first meeting between the two since September of 2004.
#12 COTOPAXI PIRATES (6-3) @ #5 PRAIRIE MUSTANGS (7-2) SATURDAY 2PM
It’s a short turnaround for the Pirates, who just played at Prairie last Saturday. They dropped that hard-fought contest 20-12, after allowing 12 fourth quarter points to the Mustangs. Tyler Sawyer rushed for 119 yards and two scores in the contest, giving him totals of 694 and nine for the season. Cotopaxi had won two straight and five of six before that loss. Ty Coleman is one of the top passers in the class, having tallied 1293 yards and 22 touchdowns, and he has a number of quality targets, led by Frank Ogden with 31 catches for 483 yards and 13 TDs. The defense, which held Prairie to negative rushing yards last week, is led by Liam True, who has 63 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries.
Before being held to -1 yard on the ground by the Pirates, the Mustangs’ season-low had been 66 yards in a loss to Fleming. With the running game stymied, Mitch Dollerschell and the passing attack stepped up. The senior QB threw for 221 yards and three scores, giving him 1172 yards and 25 touchdowns on the season. Arek Wulf caught four passes for 135 yards and two TDs, and made his presence felt on defense with a game-high 13 tackles and three sacks. On the season, he is the team’s leading rusher with just short of 500 yards, but the Mustangs have five other players who have rushed for more than 100 yards on the season.
While last week’s game had a playoff feel to it, this will actually be the first time the two teams have met in the postseason. Prairie has won regular season match-ups each of the last two seasons.
#14 MOUNTAIN VALLEY INDIANS (5-3) @ #3 CHEYENNE WELLS TIGERS (8-1) SATURDAY 1PM
Without question, Mountain Valley would have been watching the postseason on the sidelines had the Indians not upset Branson/Kim 30-29 last week. The Indians did not have a win over a playoff team prior to that victory, as they had losses to North Park and Cotopaxi in their only other contests against postseason opponents. Salvador Vigil, who missed most of the season with injury, threw for 259 yards and three scores in just his second contest of the season. Elijah Roberts was on the receiving end of two of those scoring tosses. The duo also reversed roles, with Roberts throwing a 65-yard TD to Vigil. Roberts is the team’s leading rusher with 881 yards, and he’s one of four players with double digit receptions. Cedar Ross leads that unit with 18 catches for 275 yards. After turning in a 23 tackle performance last week, Ross has a team-high 92 on the season.
Following their heartbreaking loss to Kit Carson, the Tigers responded to win their final three games on the regular season, averaging better than 68 points along the way. Quade Pelton (1072 yards, 20 TD) and Cade Mitchek (820 yards, 17 TD) have combined to power the Tigers on the ground. They’ve also combined for 30 catches, 582 yards and 10 touchdowns in the passing game. Preston Hernandez has eight touchdowns on just 12 catches, and his five interceptions lead the defense. Pelton has an astounding 142 tackles, while Mitchek and Evan Worley each have 79. Cheyenne Wells has scored 10 non-offensive touchdowns, four by Mitchek and three apiece by Pelton and Dillon Ball.
This is just the second time Mountain Valley has made the 6-man bracket, as the Indians fell to Granada in the opening round last year. It’s the fourth straight year in the field for Cheyenne Wells, who lost to Fleming in the first round last season.
#11 NORTH PARK WILDCATS (6-3) @ #6 GRANADA BOBCATS (6-3) FRIDAY 1PM
A win last week over Briggsdale might have kept the Wildcats at home, but the 41-39 loss forces them to make the long trek across the mountains and down to the southeast corner of the state. The Wildcats finished fourth in the rugged North Division, dropping competitive contests to Prairie and Fleming, as well as Briggsdale. They also own wins over Cotopaxi and Mountain Valley, giving them a 2-3 record against playoff teams. North Park utilizes a three-headed monster in the running game, led by Destry Schmidt and his 850 yards and 19 touchdowns. Brock Follett is right behind with 844 yards and 10 TDs, while Eli Houston has added 630 yards and 11 scores. Montgomery Ramsey has half of the team’s eight touchdown receptions. Follett leads the team with 104 tackles, while Schmidt and Houston each have four interceptions. Both of Houston’s went for touchdowns.
Granada has made the playoffs in both of its first two seasons in 6-man, and the Bobcats are looking to improve upon last year’s run that ended in the quarterfinals. Overall, they’ve made the postseason seven of the past eight years, making two championship game appearances, both in eight-man. While all three of their losses this season came against playoff teams, the Bobcats also picked up a pair of wins over postseason squads, beating Walsh and Eads. That helped them finish third in the South East, which like the North, saw five teams reach the postseason. Dominic Coleman has backed up a solid freshman year with an even better sophomore campaign, throwing for 1466 yards and a 16:2 touchdown to interception ratio, to go with 1088 yards and 14 TDs on the ground. Six different receivers have amassed more than 100 yards this season, led by Ivan Yanez with 465. Angel Vega (282) and John Hainer (232) are both over 200.
There is no postseason history between the two programs.
#10 BRIGGSDALE FALCONS (6-3) @ #7 BRANSON/KIM BEARCATS (7-1) SATURDAY 11AM
Led by the state’s leading passer, Ty Blickem (1667 yards, 26 TD) and only 1000-yard receiver, Kaleb Brown (43/1004/17), Briggsdale finished third in the North Division and is in the playoffs for the first time in two years. The Falcons have not won a first round game since 2008. They come in having won five of their last six, scoring at least 67 points in four of those five victories. The Falcons went 2-3 versus postseason squads, picking up wins against Peetz and North Park. Coy Cox (112) and Luke Lambertson (81) are the top tacklers on the squad, and Cox has five takeaways, one behind Malik Carlson for the team lead. Briggsdale has scored seven non-offensive touchdowns, four on interception returns.
It’s the postseason debut for Branson/Kim and the Bearcats are looking to make the season even more memorable than it has already been. After winning a total of two games over the previous two seasons, they ran off seven straight victories to begin the year. They have allowed a classification low 111 points with a defense that has registered 30 takeaways. Elijah Aragon leads the unit with nine, four picks and five fumble recoveries. Teagan Keeler has a team-best six interceptions. Five of those takeaways has resulted in touchdowns, and the Bearcats also have three more scores in special teams. Finn Warner leads the offense with 1163 yards and 18 touchdowns in the running game, while Keeler has added 683 yards and 14 scores.
#15 WALSH EAGLES (2-6) @ #2 STRATTON/LIBERTY KNIGHTED EAGLES (8-1) SATURDAY 4PM
With just seven players on the roster, injuries have forced Walsh to play part of the season without a single substitution. Still, the Eagles are in the bracket for the first time since 2016 and their third time since joining six-man in 2014. They are looking for their first quarterfinal appearance in six-man. With limited numbers, everyone has been called upon to contribute in all phases of the attack, as five players have thrown a pass and run the ball, and all seven have receptions. Defensively, Coy McDonald had 85 tackles in just five games to lead the squad, but everyone had at least 15 tackles as of their last stat update.
Stratton/Liberty won it all last year after finishing second the year before, and the Knighted Eagles were the top-ranked team in the preseason. However, they began the year with Jaret Lichty on the shelf with a knee injury. He returned after the Knighted Eagles dropped the opener against Kit Carson, and they haven’t tasted defeat since. In fact, their narrowest win of the season came against Prairie, a 60-34 affair. Lichty leads the offense with 1154 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground, while Trevor Frank has added 854 yards and 15 TDs. Zeke Craig has completed almost 70% of his passes for 475 yards and 12 touchdowns against only one interception. Frank (78) and Lichty (76) have combined for 154 tackles to pace the defense. The team has eight non-offensive touchdowns, five by Lichty. Alex Cruz has a pair of kick returns for scores, and Frank has added another.