Stratton/Liberty took home the state crown last year, the second title for the co-op program in a six-year span. The Knighted Eagles have the chance to become the first team to repeat since Fleming won back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012. That’s just one of the story lines to follow this season.
KIT CARSON AND STRATTON/LIBERTY MEET IN OPENER, POSSIBLY IN FINALS AGAIN?
Kit Carson ended Stratton/Liberty’s unbeaten run in the regular season finale last year, but the Knighted Eagles returned the favor. Stratton/Liberty avenged the 28-22 loss by handing the previously unbeaten Wildcats a 57-18 defeat in the championship clash. Kit Carson threw for 195 yards in both meetings, but only tallied 117 yards on the ground, 20 in the championship game. Conversely, Stratton/Liberty only put the ball in the air a total of 11 times in the two games, but piled up 279 rushing in the first contest and 365 in the final affair.
With an adjustment made to the schedule this season, instead of waiting until the final game of the regular season to hook up, these two championship contenders will square off in the opener. Stratton/Liberty must replace six key players from last season, five who graduated and an exchange student who served as their kicker. One of those who won’t be back is a four-year starter at QB, Tyson Lichty, who will be replaced by Zeke Craig. Head Coach Toby Kechter noted that he felt Craig could have started for almost every other team in the classification last season.
The Knighted Eagles’ chances to repeat will be buoyed by the return of leading rusher Jaret Lichty, who rushed for 1450 yards and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore. The team will also return starters Trevor Frank, Tyler Hase, and Jon Gallardo, with two of the three expected to anchor the lines on both sides of the ball. Frank was one of the top tacklers last year, and led the squad with 11 sacks.
Kit Carson brings back the bulk of last year’s roster, only losing two seniors. However, those two were valuable in all three phases of the game. TJ Conaway started at quarterback, defensive back, and kicker. During his career, he converted better than 70% of his PAT kicks, and put 63 of 154 kickoffs in for touchbacks. Chris Bryan, a starter at end and punter, was the second leading receiver, fourth best tackler, and tied for the team lead with five fumble recoveries.
The Wildcats will have their top six rushers back, including Joe Bryan, who topped the team with 1042 yards and 20 touchdowns. Cordell Farmer and Daniel Arnold both went over 300 yards on the ground, and Jayden McCombs-Farmer was just short of that mark. Farmer is also experienced throwing the ball, so coach Curt Connelly has continuity at that position.
FLEMING, PRAIRIE LEAD LOADED NORTH DIVISION
The North Division had four teams listed in the preseason top 10 of the CHSAANOW.COM poll, with two in the top four. Fleming leads the group with a #3 ranking, as the Wildcats only losing one senior from last season. Quarterback Kade Comstock is back for his third year as the starter, having thrown for 1178 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore. He’ll have everyone who caught a pass last season back as targets this season. Eric Resendiz led that group with 26 catches, good for 375 yards and seven scores. Fleming also gets its top three runners back from last season, led by senior Brandon Williams, who was just under 1000 yards a year ago. Brady Kuntz and Chris Goss both rushed for over 400 yards last year. Williams is also the defensive leader for the Wildcats, recording 133 tackles as a junior.
Prairie, who won the division last year and like Fleming, reached the second round of the postseason before bowing out, is ranked fourth to begin this campaign. The Mustangs lost a large group of seniors, but still has plenty of talent left to be a challenger this go round. Mitch Dollerschell is back at QB, and he’ll have an experienced runner in the backfield with him, as Patrick Thompson is ready for his senior season. Carson Holzworth was the second leading tackler last year, and he should be the leader for an aggressive defensive unit.
Despite losing a loaded senior class that included 2018 Player of the Year, Bryson Long (now at Chadron State), Peetz opens the season at #6. It’s hard to count the Bulldogs out with the history they’ve had under coach Scott Sorensen, but he’ll need to develop some weapons to go along with Cooper White, who ran for 805 yards, threw for 166, and was the team’s leading receiver with 12 catches for 196 yards. Charles Fehringer and Keegan McKnight are two of the younger players who could fill those roles on offense, after finishing fourth and fifth on the team in the running game. White is the top returning defender for the Bulldogs, but juniors Sterling Sorensen and Augustus Cowan will help steady that side of the ball.
The final team from the division to make the top 10 is Briggsdale, who checked in at #9. Featuring one of the most intricate passing offenses, the Falcons will have Ty Blickem back for his senior year. Blickem has thrown for close to 3000 yards over the last two seasons, with more than 2300 of that coming last year. He also tossed 36 touchdowns as a junior. Most of his top targets from last season are gone, but Blickem will have Kaleb Brown to throw the ball to. Brown is also the top returning runner, having finished last season with 281 yards, just ahead of Luke Stewart’s 276.
North Park nearly made it five of six from the North in the top 10, coming up just a few votes short. The Wildcats lost standout Bryce Carlstrom to Western Colorado University, but the leadership he and his fellow seniors provided last year helped their younger players develop and become a team generating some buzz. Brock Follett, Carlos Gonzales, Eli Houston, and Destry Schmidt give coach Chad Carlstrom an experienced core to build around.
CAN FLAGLER/HI-PLAINS OR IDALIA SUPPLANT STRATTON/LIBERTY IN EAST CENTRAL?
Not only is top-ranked Stratton/Liberty looking for its second straight state title, but the Knighted Eagles are trying to claim their third consecutive East Central crown. Flagler/Hi-Plains (#5) and Idalia (#6) are expected to challenge them this season.
Flagler/Hi-Plains has one of the most talented passers in the classification in Zayd Banks. The junior has thrown for just over 1200 total yards in his first two seasons, but the strong armed QB only has a 21 touchdown to 16 interception ratio in his career. He’s also coming off a knee injury that cut last season short. Chris Hile, who is the top returning rusher, added 441 passing yards to his 417 on the ground. Cody Banks is the leading receiver after catching 22 balls for 333 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman. Those three were the top tacklers last year, and their return should help the Thunder’s defense improve after allowing close to 48 points a game.
Idalia finished fourth in the East Central last year and the Wolves are poised to possibly improve upon that. While losing the power runner Sam McGinnis out of the backfield, Idalia returns an electric sophomore, Yahir Enriquez, who had his breakout game against Flagler/Hi-Plains last year. As a freshman, Enriquez torched the Thunder for 292 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, while also throwing a TD and adding one as a receiver. He finished the season with 821 yards and 17 touchdowns in the running game. Adding to the firepower for the Wolves is the return of quarterback Dax Towns. Coach Colby Newton said that Towns has become more comfortable with his read progression and stepping up in the pocket. That will be important for the Wolves, as he’s thrown 16 career interceptions against 21 touchdowns. Idalia will also need to see an improvement on defense to take the next step, and Coach Newton believes that a change to how they run their scout offense will make a big difference this season.
Arickaree/Woodlin made it four teams from the division in the rankings, but the eighth-ranked Indian-Mustangs may have trouble matching last year’s success. They finished second in the division and reached the semifinals before losing to Kit Carson, but they graduated five senior starters. Elijah Myers is a senior who will be counted on to provide leadership, and the Indian-Mustangs have speed on both sides of the ball in Tyson and Tyler Schneider.
CROWDED PACK CHASING KIT CARSON IN SOUTH EAST
Opening the season ranked #2, Kit Carson is expected to add another division crown to the trophy case. But, the field behind the Wildcats has some hungry challengers. Cheyenne Wells, which will break in a new coaching staff, leads that pack with a #10 preseason ranking. Granada garnered votes in the initial poll, while Cheraw and Walsh were each listed on one ballot.
Quade Pelton and Kyle Nelson are back to lead Cheyenne Wells this season, and that duo gives first year head coach Myles Smith leadership on both sides of the ball. In the first three years of his career, Pelton has recorded 1762 yards passing, 1248 yards rushing, 430 yards receiving, and 337 tackles. The senior has had a hand in 64 touchdowns. Nelson served as the primary QB last year and he threw for 708 yards and nine touchdowns. The Tigers will need to replace Jade Cozart, who was the team’s leading receiver, while finishing second in rushing and tackles.
Granada made the playoffs in its first season of 6-man, but the Bobcats lost a large senior class. Still, they bring back a very talented sophomore quarterback, Dominic Coleman, who threw for more than 1600 yards. Caleb Dorenkamp will be called upon to help Coleman on offense as he’s the leading rusher to return, recording 137 yards last year. He was also one of the top receivers, hauling in 19 passes. The rest of the roster returns one reception. Dorenkamp will also be asked to lead the defense, as he’s the top tackler coming back. The Bobcats gave up at least 60 points four times last season. They went 1-3 in those contests.
Walsh went 4-4 last season, but all four losses were to playoff teams. For the Eagles to take the next step and earn a postseason berth, they will have to beat higher level competition. They will have Coy McDonald and Brendan Hodges back to aid that effort.
Cheraw will have its largest roster in five years, with 15 players this season. Seven of them will be freshmen. The Wolverines finished last year 1-7 and lost Lucas Hart to graduation. Hart led the team in rushing and tackling.
GENOA-HUGO FAVORED IN CENTRAL
After serving as the Central’s lone representative in the postseason last year, Genoa-Hugo is again favored to win the division. The Pirates just missed out on a top 10 spot in the preseason, and they bring back the core of last year’s playoff team. Kenny Book will have to replace his QB, as Greg Tidquist has graduated, but Levi Miller, Wyatt Miller, and Colby Simmons all got experience at the position when Tidquist had his season cut short by injury. One reason so many are high on the Pirates is that of that trio, Wyatt Miller is the oldest, and he’s just a junior. Book played a ton of freshmen and sophomores last season, and while they took some lumps, they still finished 5-4, 4-0 in the division.
Deer Trail looks like the top challenger in the Central, with Kolter Eldringhoff and Walker Morelock back to lead the way. Eldringhoff threw for more than 1100 yards and 27 touchdowns, while Morelock topped the Eagles with 1466 rushing yards and 19 TD. Add in top receiver Dayne Woodis, who was only a freshman last year, and the Eagles have a nice trio to build around.
OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH
Cotopaxi: The Pirates finished second to Mountain Valley in the South West last year and were knocked out in the first round of the postseason by Otis. They will have to replace last season’s leading rusher, but Tyler Sawyer was only 15 yards back. Collin Whipple, Frank Ogden, and Jonah Bertolino give the Pirates plenty of experience for the team to compete for a postseason spot.
Mountain Valley: After winning a combined six games in the previous three years, Mountain Valley claimed the South West crown with an unbeaten regular season. The Indians were bumped by Granada in the first round of the playoffs and finished with an 8-1 record. They might be without the services of QB Salvador Vigil to start the season, but he is one of the top returning passers after having thrown for 1265 yards last year. Elijah Roberts, who rushed for more than 900 yards last season, will help lessen the loss of last season’s leading rusher, Isaih Wellman.
La Veta: The Redskins had a rare losing season last year, posting a 4-5 record. They will feel the loss of Ty Warren to graduation, but most of the roster returns and will be looking to make last year a distant memory. Junior QB Kaleb Andreatta and senior running back Zach Holguin should have the team back in the postseason.
Manzanola: Manzanola shocked a lot of people by winning the South Central, claiming the title over La Veta. The Bobcats were eliminated by Stratton/Liberty in the first round of the postseason, but still finished with a winning record of 5-4, their most wins since posting the same mark in 2005. Senior Axel Escareno, junior Blake Williams, and sophomore Daniel Escareno were key players last year and all three should play major roles in building upon last year’s success.
