For the third straight week, six-man sees a clash of top-five teams. Week one had Stratton beating Prairie. Last week, it was Cheyenne Wells downing Stratton. This week’s featured match-up has #1 Granada visiting #5 Idalia on Friday.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ROZ LONG / OT SPORTSCHECK

While that meeting highlights the schedule, things get started on Thursday with an important fight in the North division. North Park (1-1) visits #6 Prairie (1-1) with both teams scoring lopsided wins last week. After falling 21-14 at Mountain Valley in week one, North Park dominated Flagler (1-1) 66-6 last weekend. Prairie responded from its week one loss to defeat Weldon Valley (0-2) 53-0.

North Park put up 30 first quarter points in its win over Flagler, and added 22 in the second to have the mercy clock rolling by the intermission. Hunter Sessions completed five of seven passes for 134 yards and three scores, one apiece to Preston Gonzales, Troy Gonzales, and Montgomery Ramsey. Ale Nugent and Cameron Gonzales each scored a pair of rushing touchdowns. Nugent added a fumble return for a TD and a kick return for a score.

Prairie got its mercy clock going by the half, thanks to a 35-point eruption in the second quarter. Andy Long connected on six of nine passes for 109 yards. Half of his completions went for scores. Claytin Hove topped the century mark on the ground, gaining 102 yards and scoring twice. David Speicher snagged two TD receptions, giving him four already this season.

The Mustangs own a 6-2 edge in the series, with wins in the last four meetings. The winner has scored at least 49 points in each game of the series.

Granada got its season off to a good start, beating Eads (0-2) 48-6 last week. Dominic Coleman had a had in six touchdowns, throwing for five and adding one on the ground. The star QB completed seven of nine passes for 167 yards, and Brandon Gonzales was good on his only pass of the night, hitting John Hainer for a 51-yard TD. Maddox Coleman caught four passes for 114 yards and three scores.

Idalia had little trouble dispatching league rival Otis (1-1) last Friday, as the Wolves turned a 28-0 first quarter lead into a 65-8 victory. The Wolves’ defense held the Bulldogs to 115 total yards of offense and forced two turnovers.

The teams have only played twice in the past, with each claiming a victory. Idalia won the first meeting (44-40) in 2018, while the Bobcats got the 53-38 win in 2019.

Friday sees an important clash in the South East, where Cheraw (1-1) and Walsh (1-1) both come into the contest off victories. Cheraw rebounded from its week one loss to Idalia by beating Mountain Valley 55-18, while Walsh evened its record with a 24-18 win over Cotopaxi. 

Freshman QB Tim Provost threw for 214 yards and four touchdowns for the Wolverines in their big win. Three of those scoring tosses went to Braden Harris. Daniel Escareno added two rushing touchdowns. The Wolverines did turn the ball over six times, including five lost fumbles, but their defense came up with five takeaways of their own. Marcus Reece and Tucker Rader each had a pick-six.

Walsh was tied with Cotopaxi at the half, 12-all, and then used a 12-0 third quarter to take control. After the Pirates scored in the fourth, the Eagles had to hold on for the six-point victory. Walsh was only able to complete two of 15 passes in the contest, but Leyton Jones put the offense on his shoulders, running for 254 yards and four touchdowns. The Eagles have had the upper hand in the series with Cheraw, winning five of seven meetings. However, the Wolverines took the 54-24 win last season.

Saturday’s contest between Deer Trail (1-0) and #10 Branson/Kim (2-0) not only features two unbeaten teams, but it is the first game on the new artificial turf in Branson. The game is just part of the festivities, that also include a community BBQ and a concert.

But, back to the game. Deer Trail scored a Central division victory over Kiowa (0-2) 44-26 last week, with Dayne Woodis playing a starring role. The senior ran for 254 yards and five scores, and also added another touchdown as a receiver and one on a pick-six. On defense, Woodis recorded a team-high 14 tackles and two of the five interceptions by the Eagles. Joshua Britton also had two, and Raul Manriquez had one. Britton and Woodis each recovered a fumble, as well.

Branson/Kim took care of business against La Veta last week, beating the Redhawks 60-6. Peyton Cranson had three rushing touchdowns for the Bearcats, and Brock Doherty had three total touchdowns, one rushing, one on a fumble recovery, and one on a kick return. The Bearcats held La Veta to 86 yards of offense.

This is just the third meeting between the two programs. Deer Trail took a 60-28 win in 2018, and Branson/Kim got a 49-12 win in 2019.

In other games slated for this week, #2 Cheyenne Wells (2-0) will visit rival Kit Carson (0-2) on Friday, looking to have another big day. The Tigers defeated #4 Stratton 52-37 last Saturday, behind 330 all purpose yards and six total touchdowns from Cade Mitchek. After Flagler had to cancel its game with #2 Fleming on Saturday because of low numbers, the Wildcats have added a contest with Haxtun.  The Bulldogs were scheduled to face Wiley this week but that game has understandably been cancelled due to the tragic accident in Wiley that claimed the lives of four students.  The Fleming-Haxtun contest will be played as an eight man game throughout.

Also, Stratton and Otis will both be looking for a bounce back when they meet in Stratton on Saturday. The Eagles had two key players go down with injuries in the second half of last week’s loss, and their availability was uncertain earlier this week. Arickaree/Woodlin (1-1) and Hanover (1-1) meet up Saturday and A/W’s Logan Wright is looking for another big performance. The junior ran for 316 yards and seven touchdowns and completed two passes for another 64 yards in last Thursday’s 66-38 win over Hi-Plains (0-2).

Seventh-ranked Briggsdale (2-0), #8 Genoa-Hugo (2-0), and #9 Sierra Grande (2-0) each faces an 0-2 opponent this week. The Falcons, who defeated Pawnee (0-1) 66-12 on Monday, will visit Weldon Valley on Friday afternoon. Genoa-Hugo moved past Kit Carson 35-20 last week, and hosts Kiowa on Saturday. Sierra Grande will square off with La Veta on Friday.