The regular season is nearing its conclusion in six-man, and three league champions could be crowned this weekend. Fleming (North), Deer Trail (Central), and Kit Carson (South East), all have the opportunity to win their respective divisions with victories this weekend. Each has already secured no less than a share of the title, but wins give each the outright championship. They would join Branson/Kim (South Central) and Cotopaxi (South West) in punching their tickets to the postseason.
Kit Carson (7-0, 1st RPI) enters another week as the #1 team in the classification and the Wildcats will visit #10 Granada (5-2, 8th RPI) on Friday. Kit Carson locked up a share of the South East title with last week’s 46-14 victory over Walsh (2-5, 14th RPI). The Wildcats have won at least seven games in each of the last seven seasons, and can wrap up their second consecutive unbeaten regular season with a win on the road.
Granada has dropped two of its last three games, including last week’s 62-26 non-conference defeat at the hands of #3 Stratton/Liberty (6-1, 3rd RPI). The Bobcats allowed more than 300 rushing yards in that contest, and their special teams gave up two kick returns for touchdowns.
Kit Carson rolled to a 60-24 victory over the Bobcats last year, the only meeting between the two programs. Jayden McCombs-Farmer rushed for more than 100 yards, and both he and Joe Bryan scored two touchdowns in the running game. Cordell Farmer caught three touchdowns and also threw one for the Wildcats. Dominic Coleman threw for 200 yards and two scores for Granada in the loss.
Second-ranked Fleming (6-0, 5th RPI) used a big second half to move past #7 North Park (5-2, 9th RPI) 36-12 last week. The two squads of Wildcats were tied 6-apiece at the half, but Fleming pulled away with a 22-0 third quarter, giving them a share of the North division title. Brandon Williams led Fleming with 120 yards and three scores on the ground, and his 17 tackles led all players in the contest.
Briggsdale (5-2, 12th RPI) found itself in a shootout with Otis (1-6, 20th RPI) last week. The Falcons led 28-18 at halftime and looked to have things well in control after outscoring the Bulldogs 32-7 in the third quarter. However, Otis found some life and put 31 points on the board in the final frame. Briggsdale still took home a 76-56 victory. Ty Blickem threw for 196 yards and three scores, and Malik Carlson ran for 127 yards and two TDs to pace the Falcons. The defense came up with four interceptions, two apiece by Carlson and Coy Cox. Carlson also recorded one of the team’s two fumble recoveries. Briggsdale tallied four non-offensive touchdowns in the win.
The Falcons will need another strong effort this week as they look to beat the Wildcats for only the second time in the last 15 meetings. Briggsdale’s only win in that stretch was in 2013, as Fleming has won five straight in the series. Williams and Brady Kuntz each rushed for three touchdowns in last year’s 52-21 Fleming victory. A number of scenarios come into play if Briggsdale pulls out the victory, including a possible three-way tie for the division.
Deer Trail (5-1, 10th RPI) guaranteed itself no less than a share of the Central title by downing Hanover (3-4, 22nd RPI) 47-28 last week. Hanover led 28-26 late in the third, before the Eagles scored the final 21 points of the contest. Kolter Eldringhoff threw for 224 yards and four touchdowns, with Dayne Woodis catching seven balls for 133 yards and a TD. Brett Stombaugh caught a pair of TDs and Walker Morelock added three rushing touchdowns. Morelock finished with 238 yards on the ground.
Colorado D&B (2-4, 29th RPI) dropped its fourth straight after opening the season with two wins. Two of those losses have come by way of forfeit, including one last week to Genoa-Hugo (2-5, 24th RPI). The Bulldogs have only had three games scheduled with Deer Trail in the past, and only one was actually contested on the field. Last year, the Eagles took a 69-46 victory with Eldringhoff throwing for five touchdowns and rushing for two more. The teams have also exchanged forfeits in the past.
For Deer Trail, in just its third season since going without a program in 2015 and 2016, it is the first division title since 2012. That season, the Eagles shared the Southeast with Stratton/Liberty and Eads. They won the Central outright the previous season.
The lone division that cannot be won this weekend is the East Central. Stratton/Liberty and #5 Flagler/Hi-Plains (7-0, 7th RPI) will meet next week to decide that division, and both should roll this week. The Knighted Eagles will host Arickaree/Woodlin (1-6, 15th RPI) on Friday and Flagler/Hi-Plains will travel to Weldon Valley (0-6, 28th RPI).
Stratton/Liberty got 194 yards and three rushing touchdowns from Jaret Lichty in last week’s victory over Granada. Trevor Frank and Alex Cruz each supplied a kick return for a score, and Frank caught a pair of TDs from Zeke Craig. The Knighted Eagles will be looking for their fifth straight victory over the Indian-Mustangs, who have lost two straight in the division by a combined score of 106-6. Last week, they fell on the road to previously winless Idalia (1-6, 16th RPI). If the season ended today, the Indian-Mustangs would be in the playoffs.
Flagler/Hi-Plains overcame the elements to pick up a 72-27 victory over Peetz (2-5, 17th RPI) last Thursday. Playing in the snow and cold, the Thunder led 22-20 at the end of the first quarter, and did not allow another tally by the Bulldogs until the fourth quarter. Chris Hile ran for 286 yards and eight touchdowns on just 16 carries to power the Thunder in the contest. The Thunder will face a Weldon Valley squad that did not get its game against Prairie played last week. The Warriors have only scored more than 18 points in a game once this season, that was a 59-28 loss to Peetz in week one.
Cheraw (3-4, 19th RPI) enters this week needing a win over #4 Cheyenne Wells (6-1, 4th RPI) to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Wolverines have dropped their last three, with the last of those delivering a major blow to their postseason aspirations. Cheraw fell 48-36 at Kiowa last week, and the three victories on the record have come against teams that are a combined 5-14.
Cheyenne Wells had its third game with at least 70 points in its last five contests, as the Tigers beat Eads 73-32 last week. Cheyenne Wells led the Eagles 14-12 after one quarter and 40-26 at the half. The Tigers posted 31 points in the third to put the game away. Eads had success with the running game, as Damien Barnes ran for 233 yards and four scores.
Peetz finds itself in a similar situation as Cheraw, as the Bulldogs most likely need to upset #6 Prairie (4-2, 6th RPI) to have a comfortable shot at making the postseason. The two teams directly ahead of the Bulldogs in the RPI each have one win and both have games remaining against Otis, who is 20th in the standings, so there is a chance one could slip out of a playoff spot. But, a win makes life a lot easier heading into the final week of the regular season. The Bulldogs got themselves into this spot by dropping five straight games, with the defense allowing between 55 and 72 points in each of those losses.
Prairie will enter the game with an extra week of rest after not playing its scheduled game with Weldon Valley last week. That will give the Mustangs more time to devise a plan for handling Cooper White of the Bulldogs. White has amassed more than 1500 all purpose yards on the season, nearly 1000 on the ground. Carson Holzworth will lead the swarming Prairie defense, as he averages close to nine tackles a game. Maverick Mertens, Andy Long, Kade Samber, and Arek Wulf all record more than six tackles a night. The Mustangs have only won four of the last 13 meetings with Peetz, and they’ve lost four of the last five.
One last game that carries serious RPI implications is Idalia visiting Otis (1-6, 20th RPI) on Friday. Both teams are just 1-6 on the season, but as mentioned earlier, both are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Idalia currently owns the final spot after beating Arickaree/Woodlin last week and the Wolves could slide ahead of the Indian-Mustangs with a win over Otis. The Bulldogs finally got the offense rolling in last week’s loss to Briggsdale, but the four interceptions and six total turnovers are things that need to be corrected by the first-year coaching staff. Otis will wrap-up the regular season next week against Arickaree/Woodlin, so the Bulldogs have some control over their fate.
