In a season which will see teams only play two-thirds of the schedule they normally would, and with most not having had traditional summer workouts, continuity will be key. That’s why so many of the regular characters are projected to be postseason challengers in six-man.
Stratton/Liberty opens the season #1 in the coaches poll and for good reason. The Knighted Eagles have played in each of the last three state title games, winning it all in 2019, and return Player of the Year candidate Jaret Lichty. Lichty rushed for 1900 yards and 36 touchdowns last year and has a very good shot at finishing his career with more than 5000 yards and 100 touchdowns on the ground. He also posted a career-high 131 tackles a year ago.
Helping pave the way for the offense is senior lineman, Tyler Hase, who coach Toby Kechter said is one of the best in the state. Hase will be called upon to anchor the line, after Stratton/Liberty graduated its other two starters. The disruptive Alex Cruz will be back after racking up five sacks (tied for first on team) and a team-leading five fumble recoveries. Two-time Class 3A state golf finalist, Braden Wedel, is the most experienced option to replace the departed Zeke Craig at quarterback. Wedel hit on six of seven passes last season, for 67 yards and a score.
The Knighted Eagles will be playing in a new conference for this year, and many feel that all five members could make the postseason. Joining them in the East are Kit Carson, Cheyenne Wells, Eads, and Hi-Plains. All five made the top-10 in the preseason coaches poll.
Defending state champion, Fleming, is in the familiar surroundings of the North division, and while the Wildcats were second to Stratton/Liberty in the first poll of the year, they garnered ten of the 14 first place votes. Gone is 2019 Player of the Year, Brandon Williams, a four-year starter for the Wildcats on both offense and defense, but coach John King brings back enough key pieces to make yet another title run.
Kade Comstock, who has been the starting QB for Fleming since the second game of his freshman season, is back to lead the charge as a senior. He has thrown for at least 700 yards in each of his three seasons, including 952 yards last year. Comstock had a ridiculous touchdown to interception ration of 23 to 2 last season. He will have to form a relationship with a new set of ends, as his top two targets from last year are gone. However, the return of Chris Goss, who caught 11 balls last year, will help buy some time. Goss also ran for just under 500 yards in 2019.
Charles Hobbs is the top returning rusher for Fleming, after running for 663 yards and nine scores. For an offense that relies heavily on the run game, the Wildcats return six of the top seven backs from lat year. Defensively, much of the attack centers on senior end Brady Kuntz, who recorded 127 tackles and nine sacks last year. Goss was third on the squad with 94 stops. Kuntz is also an impact player on special teams, as five of his 25 kick returns in 2019 went back for touchdowns.
Picked as the top challenger for the crown in the North is Prairie. The Mustangs have been postseason regulars under Justin Kerns, and as one of four programs to have participated in the Colorado Rural Football League season (as Raymer), they could very well have an advantage over the Wildcats for the top spot. Many of the starters and key rotation players already have two games of full contact under their belts, and they shined in going 2-0.
No one impressed as much as Arek Wulf, who ran for more than 500 yards in those two games. Kerns spreads the workload, with nobody having more than 44 attempts last year, but Wulf still led the team with 618 yards and nine TD, on only 37 carries. Claytin Hove, Levi Troudt, and Maverick Mertens will all be called upon to help keep Wulf fresh, and move the chains.
Replacing a veteran signal caller is never easy, but Andy Long looked comfortable in assuming that role. He was quick in his decision making, and threw accurate passes routinely. Defensively, Long was one of the leaders last season, and along with Mertens and Wulf, should be again this year. Parker Jaeger will help, returning after a freshman season which saw him record a team-best six sacks.
Kit Carson took a perfect mark into last year’s semifinal clash with Fleming, and for long periods of the contest, it looked like a second straight title game appearance might be in the cards. However, the eventual champs used a 22-6 fourth quarter to shuffle the deck and claim a 68-52 victory.
The Wildcats lost a number of key players off that squad, including leading rusher Jayden McCombs-Farmer. But, Sullivan Farmer is back to provide senior leadership to a team that could lean heavily upon several sophomores. Farmer threw for just under 800 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior, but he lost his top three targets to graduation. Danial Arnold, who caught 10 passes for 189 yards and four TD is back, and he could be asked to be a bigger part of the offense as a runner this year.
Three of the top four ground gainers are gone from 2019, making sophomore Paul Mitchek the top returner, with 390 yards as a freshman. Alex Mitchek, also a sophomore, and junior Brett Mayhan, should anchor a solid offensive line.
Staying in the East, Cheyenne Wells is the third league team in the top five of the preseason poll. The Tigers will have to replace a ton of production, in all three phases, with the graduation of four-year starter Quade Pelton. During his time in the black and orange, Pelton put up video game numbers for the Tigers, but the baton has been passed.
Look for Cade Mitchek to be a bigger part of the attack, after registering more than 900 yards and 19 touchdowns as a runner, and snagging 28 passes for 558 yards and nine scores in the passing game. Preston Hernandez and Evan Worley combined for 35 receptions, more than 600 yards, and 17 TDs, meaning whomever is asked to step in under center will have three quality targets. Sophomore Ty Scheler could be the front runner, despite only throwing one pass in 2019.
One of the most dynamic players in the classification, Dominic Coleman, helps make Granada the favorite in the Southeast. The junior quarterback accounted for more than 2700 yards from scrimmage last year, with 1618 through the air and 1135 on the ground. In his young career, Coleman has already thrown for more than 3200 yards. He’ll be leading the Bobcats under the guidance of a new head coach, as former assistant (and Granada alum) Traegon Marquez takes the helm this season.
Marquez will also have bruising fullback, John Hainer (6’3′, 250 pounds) to help carry the load. As a freshman, Hainer ran for 490 yards and 12 scores, and caught 24 passes for 280 yards and one TD. Speedster, Ivan Yanez figures to be one of Coleman’s favorite weapons, after leading the team with 29 receptions and nearly 500 yards as a sophomore.
To take the next step, the Bobcats will have to improve on defense, stopping the run in particular. In last season’s opening round playoff loss to North Park, Granada allowed three different backs to gain more than 100 yards.
A team that knows a few things about running the ball is #7 Eads. The Eagles are the fourth team from the East in the preseason rankings, in large part because they return the state’s leading rusher, Damian Barnes. Barnes was electric at times last season, running for just under 2100 yards. He was also the team’s leading receiver and second leading passer. But, for the Eagles to be a true challenger, he’ll have to figure out the top defenses in the league. In two games against Kit Carson, Barnes was held to a total of 51 yards.
But, Barnes is far from the only key player back for Eads this season. Quarterback Cade McDowell threw for 562 yards and 11 TD last season, and was also the second leading receiver. The Eagles bring back their top three tacklers from 2019, led by Donte Sierra (62) and Zack Fowler (53). Fowler posted his numbers in only six games.
Right on their heels in the polls is Hi-Plains, who will be separated from former co-op partner, Flagler, this season. The Patriots will have many of the notable names from the co-op, including running backs Cody Banks and Chris Hile, center/defensive lineman Cooper Seaman, and end Nick Schroeder. They’ll be under the direction of former Patriot Chase McCullough, who was an assistant in the co-op. If the coaches who voted are right, the Patriots could be a very dangerous “last place” team.
One of the other teams that got experience in the CRFL earlier this fall was Briggsdale. So much of what the Falcons look to do centers around standout junior Malik Carlson. Carlson is the top returning passer and rusher for coach Rick Mondt, who always has one of the better passing attacks in the classification. Layne Brown, Isiah Nava, Shane Donoho, Braden Krise, Michael Bittinger, and Kyle Jones all showed the ability to catch the ball and also run with it during the two-game club season. Krise also proved effective as a passer.
Rounding out the preseason top-10 is Branson/Kim out of the Southeast. The Bearcats caught the attention of fans and coaches statewide by jumping out to a 7-0 record. After suffering a 30-29 defeat at the hands of Mountain Valley in the regular season finale, the Bearcats took down Briggsdale in the opening round of the postseason for the first playoff victory in program history. They would push Stratton/Liberty in the next round, before falling short 72-43.
Adam Lucero takes over for Brad Doherty running the show and he’ll have to replace the top passer, top two runners, and top two receivers. And that’s just on offense. Brody Doherty figures to step in at QB, while Peyton Cranson becomes the most experienced running back. The Bearcats do have some experience coming back on the line, led by Gabriel Islas-Sanchez. Cade Smith (57) and Cranson (52) were second and third on the team in tackles as freshmen last year.
The Central is expected to be a three team race between Genoa-Hugo, Kiowa, and Deer Trail. But, as history has shown, you can never overlook Hanover with coach Luke Decker in charge.
Kenny Book’s Genoa-Hugo team missed the playoffs last year, but only had one senior on the roster. The junior duo of Colby Simmons and Wyatt Miller will try to keep that from happening again. They combined for more than 2800 yards of offense, and 169 tackles as sophomores.
This will be Kiowa’s first full season of six-man, after only playing four games last year. The Indians went 2-2 in those contests. That experience will prove valuable for a roster that now includes five seniors.
Deer Trail went undefeated in league play last year, but dropped its last two games of the season to finish at 7-3 overall. The second of those defeats came at the hands of Fleming (72-27) in the opening round of the playoffs. Gone is Walker Morelock, with his nearly 1300 rushing yards and team-high 113 tackles, but the cupboard is far from bare. Kolter Eldringhoff threw for 1642 yards as a junior, and he’ll have his favorite target, Dayne Woodis (45/1022/16) back for his junior campaign.
Cotopaxi is the lone team from the Southwest that got any preseason love from the coaches and the Pirates do look to be the favorite in the division. Ty Coleman threw for more than 1500 yards and 23 touchdowns as a freshman, but he will be throwing to a lot of new targets. Three of the top four receivers from 2019 are gone, with only Jonah Bertolino back.
If a challenge is to be mounted inside the league, it could very well come from Mountain Valley. The Indians went 5-4 last year, and pushed the Pirates in a 47-33 loss. Kodiak Reigel and Tristan Martinez combined for 29 tackles in that loss. They’re both back as juniors.
Much of the early attention in the Northeast has centered around Idalia and Flagler, while a team like Arickaree/Woodlin could also find itself in the mix. Idalia returns a ton of speed in Yahir Enriquez and Eduardo Estrada, but the Wolves have to figure out how to stop people if they are to be a contender on the state scene. Flagler doesn’t have the recognizable names that Hi-Plains does after the break up of their co-op, but QB Camden Bledsoe and E/RB Ray Liggett give first year head coach Tim Biggers a nice start to build around. At Arickaree/Woodlin, the Indian-Mustangs were able to coax Paul Griese out of his one-year retirement to take over the program. Senior Tristan Niccoli returns after missing most of his junior season with a shoulder/collarbone injury.
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