Heading into the final week of the regular season, only one division title is still up for grabs, but there is more at stake. As many as eight to ten teams are in contention for the final three or four play-off spots.
Most of the focus this week falls upon the East Central championship game, with #5 Flagler/Hi-Plains (8-0, 7th RPI) hosting #3 Stratton/Liberty (7-1, 4th RPI) on Friday. While both programs would love to add a conference title to their record, the bigger prize this week is the bump in play-off seeding that comes along with the win. For Stratton/Liberty, a victory most likely secures a top three seed, and would keep the Knighted Eagles away from a rematch with #1 Kit Carson (8-0, 1st RPI) until a possible state championship clash. A loss, and they could fall as far as seventh. For the host Thunder, they could climb into the top four or wind up anywhere from seventh to 10th.
The Thunder rested several key players in last week’s 63-26 victory at Weldon Valley (0-8, 27th RPI). One who did see limited reps was Cody Banks, who finished with 186 yards and four touchdowns on five carries, as Flagler/Hi-Plains raced out to a 44-0 first quarter lead. Banks also intercepted three passes on defense.
Many of the top players for the Knighted Eagles have been seeing limited action most of the season, as they have found themselves in a number of contests with the mercy clock. Last week saw that scenario once again unfold, as Stratton/Liberty led Arickaree/Woodlin (1-7, 16th RPI) 44-0 at the half. The Knighted Eagles would go on to a 65-20 victory, with Alex Cruz playing a starring role. The freshman led the team with 93 yards and two scores on the ground and he added a kick return for a third TD. Sophomore Charlie Clapper tallied 91 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and tied for team-high honors with seven tackles.
Stratton/Liberty is 2-1 against the Thunder, taking the last two meetings. The Knighted Eagles scored two non-offensive touchdowns in last season’s 74-19 victory. Cody Banks had two of the three Flagler/Hi-Plains touchdowns.
Friday night will also see another important clash in the East Central, but the impact is at a different end of the play-off spectrum. Otis (2-6, 20th RPI) can not only secure a third place finish inside the division, but the Bulldogs have a very good shot at claiming the final postseason spot with a victory over Arickaree/Woodlin. Likewise, the Indian-Mustangs, who enter the week holding a play-off spot, are in contention for that final spot with a victory.
Despite poor records, both teams have strength of schedule working in their favor. Entering this final week, A/W’s opponents had posted a .768 winning percentage, tops in the classification. Otis, meanwhile, has one of the top numbers for OOWP (opponents’ opponents winning percentage). Arickaree/Woodlin enters the contest having dropped three straight, while dealing with a number of injuries. Otis has given up the third most points in the classification (452), but the Bulldogs are coming into the home game with a 70-63 victory over Idalia (1-7, 22nd RPI) last week. Arickaree/Woodlin has won four of the last five against the Bulldogs, including a 66-50 victory last year.
Saturday will have the majority of the important contests and three will be intra-divisional. Tenth-ranked Briggsdale (5-3, 12th RPI) hosts #7 North Park (6-2, 8th RPI) in an key North Division clash. Fleming (8-0, 5th RPI) has already locked up the division, and #6 Prairie (6-2, 6th RPI) is settled in as the runner-up, so the winner of Saturday’s game takes third. The teams are very close in RPI and both are pretty much locks to make the postseason. However, the outcome could mean several positions for each program. A loss by North Park most likely puts the Wildcats on the road in the first round. Briggsdale needs a win and a lot of help to improve its position enough to host next week.
North Park picked up a big non-conference victory over Sierra Grande (3-5, 23rd RPI) 51-13 last week, getting the Wildcats back on track after falling to Fleming the week before. Destry Schmidt (115 yards, 4 TD) and Eli Houston (85 yards, 2 TD) combined for 200 yards and six scores on the ground in the win. Briggsdale had its four game winning streak snapped last week, as the Falcons fell 63-14 to Fleming. They only trailed 15-14 after the first quarter, but in what has become a trend this season, Fleming pulled away to pick up a lopsided victory. North Park has won three straight against the Falcons, and four of the last five overall.
First and second place in the South East have already been claimed by Kit Carson and #4 Cheyenne Wells (7-1, 3rd RPI), respectively. However, the remaining four teams are still alive in the chase for the postseason. Ninth-ranked Granada (5-3, 9th RPI) has locked up a spot in the bracket, but the Bobcats’ opponent, Walsh (2-5, 14th RPI) could have an interesting wait to learn its fate with a loss.
Granada gave Kit Carson one of its tougher challenges last week, but the 56-40 loss was the third in four games for the Bobcats. Walsh is on a similar skid, but the Eagles have not played in two weeks. Granada won last year’s meeting 51-43, the first between the two long-time 8-man foes as members of the 6-man ranks.
Eads (4-3, 10th RPI) also looks to be a sure bet for the postseason field, but the Eagles face a Cheraw (3-5, 19th RPI) that needs a win, and some help, to make the bracket. Eads had lost three of four before picking up a 68-33 win over Hanover last outing. The Eagles led 42-8 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, Angel Medina and Damien Barnes each rushing to two touchdowns in the game. Cade McDowell threw a career-high three TD passes, in just four completions. The defense also came up with six fumble recoveries, three by Barnes.
Cheraw dropped its fourth game in a row, falling 60-22 at home to Cheyenne Wells last week. The Wolverines, who got two touchdowns from Simon Rodriguez, trailed 52-6 at the half. They have dropped all 13 contests with Eads since 2006, with last year’s 38-34 decision being the closest in the series.
Two of the bigger non-conference match-ups on Saturday have Prairie hosting Cotopaxi (6-2, 13th RPI) and Deer Trail (6-1, 12th RPI) welcoming Cheyenne Wells to town. All four teams should be comfortably in the field, with Deer Trail making the bracket as the Central champion. The Eagles, winners of five straight, would need a win to have any shot at hosting a first round game. They are slated to receive a forfeit victory from Cripple Creek-Victor this week, which would run the streak to six consecutive. Cheyenne Well has recovered nicely after its loss to Kit Carson three weeks back. Last week, Quade Pelton rushed for 134 yards and three scores, and Cade Mitchek had four total touchdowns, including one on a punt return.
Prairie already owns a win this week, as the Mustangs won a rescheduled contest against Weldon Valley 63-18 on Tuesday. The varsity was done just over midway through the first quarter, allowing the younger players to gain valuable experience. David Speicher returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown, and Kade Samber took a kick return back for a score.
The game with Cotopaxi was originally scheduled for Friday, but was moved back to Saturday during the week. That decision not only benefits Prairie, but also the Pirates, who have a round trip of more than 500 miles. The Pirates earned their second straight win, 59-25, over Primero (1-6, 26th RPI) last week. Prairie’s head coach, Justin Kerns, mentioned Cotopaxi’s passing game as a key challenge this week. The Mustangs faced the Pirates late last season, with Prairie claiming a 60-30 victory on the road.
Finally, a non-conference game that could really shake up the bottom of the bracket has #8 Branson/Kim (7-0, 2nd RPI) facing Mountain Valley (4-3, 18th RPI) at La Veta on Saturday. Strength of schedule could drop the Bearcats three of four spots, even with a victory, but the larger impact would come if Mountain Valley pulls out a win. The Indians would vault into the mix for one of the final two spots. To do so, the Indians must beat a Branson/Kim squad that has only had two games decided by fewer than 30 points, and is coming off a 74-0 win two weeks ago against Primero.
Other games to keep an eye on this weekend have Kiowa (2-1, 15th RPI) visiting Manzanola (4-4, 21st RPI) and Genoa-Hugo (3-5, 24th RPI) traveling to Idalia, both on Saturday.
