League overview: The new alignment of football leagues has resulted in the Arkansas Valley consolidating to just six teams, down from the eight that were there in the previous cycle. Gone are Fowler, Crowley County and Hoehne and in is Swink. That leaves the league with just two playoff teams from last year in Holly and Swink. The Wildcats claimed the league title and advanced to the 8-Man semifinals where they lost to eventual champion Haxtun. Swink lost to Holly twice last season but could still emerge as the biggest threat to dethrone the Wildcats as the league champion this fall.
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Holly
Head coach: Dayne Eaton
2021 Record: 10-2 (7-0 Arkansas Valley League)
Returning All-State Players: Colby Swopes (Second Team)
The Wildcats lost a lot with the senior class of 2022. A 900-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver are gone and the big challenge that Eaton faces is finding that production from the players that are returning. Duante Maldonado rushed for 747 yards and nine scores last year so he would be the natural fit to take over as the primary ball carrier. Colby Swopes could emerge as the top receiving target after racking up 513 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. His presence will be felt more on the defensive side of the ball. He led all of 8-Man with 18.5 sacks last year. If he can force quarterbacks into hurried throws, Dre Salgado will try and have another good year in the secondary as he picked off three passes. Swopes and Salgado could be the defensive formula that could allow the Wildcats to repeat as league champions.
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Las Animas
Head coach: Taylor Geisinger
2021 Record: 2-7 (0-6 Arkansas Valley League)
Returning All-State Players: None
A tough schedule that featured four playoff teams was a factor in Las Animas’ struggles last season. This season will be a fresh start for the program as Taylor Geisinger takes over and can help erase the misfortunes that the team faced in 2021. He’ll have a relatively young and inexperienced roster with the bulk of the production coming from seniors that have moved on. Rome Martinez showed flashes of potential and ran for 131 yards and will get a chance to thrive in a featured role. Brander Nichols will provide some leadership on defense after finishing second on the team with 79 total tackles. This young Trojans team will be tested early in the season as it opens against Calhan, a 2021 postseason qualifier.
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McClave
Head coach: Jeremy Mallard
2021 Record: 6-3 (4-3 Arkansas Valley League)
Returning All-State Players: None
There simply wasn’t enough room on the 8-Man playoff bracket for McClave despite the fact the team was over .500 overall and in league play. Reaching the playoffs has to be an expectation considering what the Cardinals will bring back in 2022. Ayden Gomez has a solid year at quarterback where he threw for 1,437 yards and 13 touchdowns. Aiden Martinez was the primary running back and rushed for 518 yards and 12 touchdowns. In just four games, Braden Marks rushed for 616 yards and six touchdowns. His return would be a welcome sight for a team intend on having a multi-dimensional offense. The pass-rush will be the strength of the Cardinals defense. The team combined for 24 sacks last season and every player that recorded a sack should be back this year. Ray Munguray led the team with seven. There is no reason to think that McClave can’t make the postseason this year and even establish itself as a dangerous team to face in the playoffs.
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Swink
Head coach: Dan Hiltz
2021 Record: 6-3 (5-1 Southern League)
Returning All-State Players: Ben Miner (Honorable Mention)
The Lions have some payback to dish out and moving into the Arkansas Valley League is going to be a great way to do it. They suffered two losses to Holly last year and would love nothing more than to get just one win against the Wildcats, which would be enough to claim a league championship. Swink will be a team with high expectations coming into the regular season. Quarterback Hunter Bauserman is back after throwing for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns. Garland Guerin had a monster junior season as he rushed for 1,421 yards and 15 touchdowns. He should be the tone setter for that offensive unit as it looks not just to get back to the playoffs but emerge as a state championship threat. Ben Miner is also back after totaling 111 tackles in 2021.
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Springfield
Head coach: Rafe Hutches
2021 Record: 0-9 (0-5 Arkasas Valley League)
Returning All-State Players: None
The Longhorns will do everything they can to forget the 2021 season happened. They struggled right out of the gate and never got on solid footing during the course of the season. Sophomore quarterback Collin Swanson should look a little more polished after playing in all nine games last year. He threw for 362 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Fellow sophomore Colby Batterton is looking to build on his freshman campaign where he ran for 712 yards and scored two touchdowns. He led the team in 100-yard games and could be a breakout player in the class next year. He also had a big impact on defense, finishing second on the team with 54 total tackles. Springfield will try and snaps its losing streak as it takes on Sargent to open the season.
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Wiley
Head coach: Rodney Yates
2021 Results: 3-4 (3-4 Arkansas Valley League)
Returning All-State Players: None
The Panthers got everyone’s attention in their first game of the year as they beat Crowley County. Their momentum quickly slowed, however, and they lost four of their next six games. They’ll try to improve on their 3-4 record this season but have a tough slate of games to do that. Two of their non-league contests include Sanford and Calhan, both of which made the playoffs in 2021. Like last season, the Panthers will try to get off to a good start as they travel to John Mall on Sept. 2.
