League overview: The Central League has a much different makeup from what it was a year ago. Calhan, Pikes Peak Christian and Simla welcome Elbert, South Park and St. Mary’s for competition in 2022. Calhan and Pikes Peak Christian are both playoff teams from 2021 while Elbert is coming off a three-win season, South Park was winless, and St. Mary’s didn’t field a team. Calhan and Pikes Peak Christian seem like the likely front runners for the league title, and both are hoping that postseason play is once again in their future, but no one should count out Simla, who returns a lot of talent from last season. There are certainly some reasonable predictions that could be made about this league but there will certainly be some unknowns to be factored in. Although this is St. Mary’s first on the field since the spring of 2020, it is also the first time the season will drop down to the 8-Man level.
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Calhan
Head coach: Luke Billington
2021 Record: 8-2 (5-1 Southern League)
Returning All-State Players: None
Although they lost a few All-State players to graduation, this year shouldn’t result in much of a step back for the Bulldogs. They return Aiden Jack who amassed 919 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He was also the team’s leading passing, throwing for 277 yards and five scores. Calhan was a run-heavy offense in 2021 and with Logan Jack bringing back 530 additional rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Getting over 1,400 yards of ground production is a great start for Calhan and its hopes of duplicating and bettering last year’s success. The Jack brothers were also the team’s top tacklers last season and Tayten Blasingame was No. 3 on the list. He and Aiden Jack each had four sacks which gives the Bulldogs one of the best pass rushing attacks in the classification.
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Elbert
Head coach: Shawn Graves
2021 Record: 3-5 (2-3 Central League)
Returning All-State Players: None
There is some internal uncertainty with Elbert considering it is playing in a new league. Coach Shawn Graves stresses that improvement on defense is needed for the team to find the success it wants this year. What will certainly help in that regard is Waylen Potestio – the team’s No. 2 tackler in 2020 – is back. Graves also expects a good season for Peyton McDonald, who had 23 tackles as a junior. Quarterback Logan LaFollette threw for 1,342 yards and ran for another 886 and should be a marquee player on the 8-Man landscape this fall. The Bulldogs won their first game last year before that momentum got zapped by a three-game losing streak which came completely at the hands of league opponents. This year, Elbert sees all four of its non-league foes before in its first four games of the season.
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Pikes Peak Christian
Head coach: Michael Weigl
2021 Record: 4-4 (3-2 Southern)
Returning All-State Players: None
The Eagles did what they needed to do to advance to the 8-Man playoff bracket, but ran into a tough Vail Christian team in the first round. Samuel Edwards will return as a senior leader after totaling 51 tackles, recovering two fumbles and picking off two passes in 2021. The rest of the roster is young, but there is some experience that was gained last year. Sophomore Eddie Harmon was third on the team with 65 tackles and he tied Edwards with the team lead in forced turnovers with four (two fumble recoveries and two interceptions). The Eagles lost of ton of production on offense and might struggle early but Thomas Solis has the potential to have a breakout year after catching five passes for 98 yards and three touchdowns. Pikes Peak Christian opens the season against a playoff team in Merino then will settle into its schedule with three non-playoff teams before jumping into league play.
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Simla
Head coach: David Guy
2021 Record: 6-3 (4-2 Southern League)
Returning All-State Players: Wille Swennes
Although they didn’t make the postseason, the Cubs had a good final stretch of the season last fall. They went 4-1 and beat a playoff team in Calhan – on the road, no less – and are looking to ride that momentum into another competitive season. Sophomore Caston Cox had a good freshman outing at quarterback, throwing for 1,073 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also ran for 564 yards, second only to Brayden Glover who will be back for his senior season. Junior Brent Bowker will be a key piece of the team’s success as he led the Cubs in receiving (408 yards, six touchdowns) and sacks (4.5). Simla has a great combination of experience and returning talent that it should make noise across the state. It is looking for its first playoff appearance since 2019 when it lost to Fowler 40-0 in the first round. The non-league schedule for the Cubs is stacked and includes Fowler, Sanford and Sedgwick County.
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South Park
Head coach: Corree Rivas
2021 Record: 0-9 (0-5 Central League)
Returning All-State Players: None
The Burros are hoping to put an end to a losing streak that dates back to Nov. 6, 2020. Last season was a bit of a forgetful experience as they struggled on both sides of the ball. A big reason can be chalked up to an extremely young roster that didn’t have a single senior on it. That alone provides hope that the team will be able to take a step forward in 2022. Jayden Hammer and Jackson Miller each led the team in key offensive categories and both should be back on the field this fall. South Park aims to get some momentum in non-league play in the first four weeks of the season. The Burros travel to Sargent to start their season on Aug. 26.
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St. Mary’s
Head coach: Jim Cristelli
2021 Record: Did not field a team
Returning All-State Players: None
Participation numbers have trended down for the Pirates in recent years. It was just back in 2015 that they were competing at the 2A level. After five seasons at 1A, the Pirates are now in the 8-Man classification. Part of that adjustment, according to head coach Jim Cristelli, is adjusting to the nuances of the 8-Man game compared to 11-man football. Senior Will Trechter and junior Chris Allen saw significant playing time in the spring of 2021 when St. Mary’s last played and will enter this season as the leader of the team. Allen recorded 19 tackles as a freshman that year while Trechter had 11. Because the Pirates didn’t play last year and are now an 8-Man team, they’ll enter the season as a big unknown in the league landscape.
