With divisional play well underway we get some really nice pairings on the weekend schedule. Two of those divisional games will have ranked teams clashing, and there is also a non-conference game between top-five teams on tap.
Highlighting the Friday night slate is a fight between #2 Kit Carson and #7 Cheyenne Wells. The winner of this contest the last two years has won the division title. Even with a victory, Cheyenne Wells would need some help to lay claim to the South East crown, after falling to #9 Granada 80-64 last week. Quade Pelton rushed for 171 yards and threw for 158, accounting for five total touchdowns in the loss. Jade Cozart reached paydirt seven times in the contest, including four times on receptions. The senior also scored twice on rushes and once on a kick-off return.
The second-ranked Wildcats continued their roll last week, dominating Cheraw 64-0 in divisional play. Kit Carson has now outscored its opponents 257-20 through four games. The Wildcats are 3-2 in the short series against Cheyenne Wells, having won the first three meetings and then dropping the last two. The last three games have been decided by eight, six, and eight points.
The other huge match-up on Friday has #3 Otis playing host to #4 Prairie. The Bulldogs are smarting after suffering a 77-6 loss to top-ranked Stratton/Liberty last week. They were held to just 83 yards of offense in that defeat, with standout running back Bryce Miracle being limited to 31 yards on six carries by the stingy Knighted Eagles defense.
Prairie also knows what it’s like to be on the wrong end of the score against the Knighted Eagles as the Mustangs fell in the season-opener 66-23. They have since reeled off three North division wins, scoring 56, 64, and 60 points in those wins over Briggsdale, North Park, and Fleming. Walter Jordan leads a trio of backs over 200 yards on the ground with 237. Trey Moore and Devon Boling are the other two.
Granada’s win over Cheyenne Wells made the Bobcats 2-2 on the season, but more importantly 2-0 in the South East division. They are the third highest scoring team in the classification, averaging 57.5 points a game, having scored at least 40 in every contest. The Bobcats will look to improve to 3-0 in the league when they visit Cheraw on Friday. The road gets a lot tougher the next two weeks, with road trips to Stratton/Liberty and Kit Carson on deck.
Stratton/Liberty will be on the road this Saturday, taking on #5 Idalia as part of the homecoming festivities for the Wolves. The winner moves to 2-0 in the East Central and gains the inside track to the division crown. The Knighted Eagles have scored 60 or more points in every game, scoring a classification high 275 points in four games. Jaret Lichty (524 rushing yards) and Ethan Richmond (458 rushing yards) have combined for close to a thousand yards and 15 touchdowns in limited action. The defense has also been stellar, recording 15 sacks and 16 takeaways.
Idalia has won two straight since dropping a defensive struggle to Cheyenne Wells 26-14 in week three. The Wolves outscored Flagler/Hi-Plains 34-8 in the second half last week to pull away for a 78-42 victory inside the division. Workhorse running back Sam McGinnis was held in check by the Thunder, but Yahir Enriquez had a career night. The freshman tallied 292 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, and he added another 91 yards and a score on two receptions. Idalia has lost four of five meetings with the Knighted Eagles, including the last two by a combined score of 131-20.
The East Central is home to another big match-up on Saturday, as Flagler/Hi-Plains welcomes in #8 Arickaree/Woodlin. The Thunder allowed 401 rushing yards last week and surrendered close to 600 total yards from scrimmage. Their offense was spearheaded by Zayd Banks (90 passing, 94 rushing) and Michael Reece (118 rushing).
Arickaree/Woodlin is coming off its bye, so the Indian-Mustangs have had two weeks to prepare for the Thunder. In their last contest, the Indian-Mustangs defeated Granada 76-56, outscoring the Bobcats 32-12 in the fourth quarter for the victory. Flagler/Hi-Plains has won the only two prior contests with Arickaree/Woodlin since joining forces.
Sixth-ranked Peetz hosts Briggsdale on Saturday with the Bulldogs looking to keep pace with Prairie in the North. Peetz moved to 2-0 in the division after downing North Park last Saturday, 63-20. Bryson Long had a monster day for the Bulldogs, rushing for 246 yards and seven touchdowns. Cooper White got in on the fun, adding 140 yards on the ground and 74 through the air.
After a brief two-game skid, Briggsdale righted the ship last week to beat Weldon Valley 59-8. Four different Falcons hauled in touchdown passes, including Vincent Bauer and Kaleb Brown. Those two also scored on interception returns. The offense will most likely need to put up a lot of points if the Falcons are to end a five-game losing streak against the Bulldogs, as Peetz has scored 63 or more points in four of those five contests.
In a rare North-South contest, Manzanola will try to prove that its 4-0 start to the campaign is just the beginning, as the Bobcats host Fleming at Genoa-Hugo on Saturday. All four of their wins have come against teams in the bottom 10 of the RPI. Those teams are a combined 0-14. Their defense has recorded back-to-back shutouts, and the offense has been clicking. Dominic Martinez, Daniel Escareno, and Aaron Sotelo have already rushed for over 1100 yards between them.
It has been a rough start to the season for Fleming with just one win in four games. All three losses have come against teams currently in the top 10, so the Wildcats have faced the tougher schedule of the two. Their offense has been pretty balanced (by 6-man standards), with 465 yards through the air and 597 on the ground.
