A new season of football begins on Thursday night, with two contests on the slate, one involving a ranked team. Haxtun, the defending 8-Man state champion, must wait until next week to being its bid for a repeat.
Seventh-ranked Sedgwick County gets the season going by crossing the state line on Thursday to face Dundy County-Stratton (NE), a state quarterfinalist in Nebraska. Sedgwick County fell to the Tigers 42-14 in the season-opener last year, after falling behind 22-6 in the first quarter. The Cougars committed the lone turnover in that contest and allowed close to 400 yards on the ground.
Sedgwick County must replace last year’s leading passer and rusher in Brody Parker, second leading rusher (Nolan Carlson), and top receiver (Levi Dille). Defensively, Carlson paced the Cougars with 95 tackles, more than the next two on the team, combined.
The defense might be in a little better shape than the offense, with Logan Edson (48 tackles) and Liam Buettenback (44 tackles) returning. In total, that unit returns six of the top ten tacklers from a year ago.. Jaxon Carlson, sixth on the team defensively as a freshman, will also help the offense, as he threw for more than 200 yards last season. Cameron Hackbart is the leading returning runner, having rushed for just short of 150 yards as a sophomore.
Friday’s slate is bursting at the seams with games not only featuring ranked squads, but also perennial postseason qualifiers. Headlining that schedule is a top-ten clash between #5 Dayspring Christian and ninth-ranked Sanford.
It’s the second straight year these two have met in the early portion of the season, with Sanford going on the road and taking a 60-38 victory a year ago. The Mustangs racked up more than 500 yards of offense, including 348 on the ground, but only return two players who picked up any yards in that contest. Cash Caldon ran for eight yards and caught one pass for four more, while Gauge Lewis snagged three passes for 57 yards. On the season, they ran for 279 and 276, respectively.
Lewis is the second leading receiver who returns this season, after catching 10 passes for 257 yards and two scores. McCray Larsen brought in 16 passes for 379 yards and four touchdowns. Flipping to the other side of the ball, Caldon (163) and Larsen (144) finished atop the team tackle board, with Lincoln Reynolds just missing out on a triple-digit season, registering 91.
Dayspring Christian returns a little more experience on the offensive side of the line from that contest, with Elijah Fusco, Zach Freeman, and Ezra Kayl combining for just over 100 yards. On the year, that trio averaged just a shade under 130 yards from scrimmage. Freeman ran for 423 yards and added 242 as a receiver, while Fusco ran for 189 and had another 52 on receptions, in just six games. All of Kayl’s 246 yards were as a receiver.
Defensively, the Eagles lost their top four tacklers, but do bring back their next four, and eight of their top 13. Jaxon Martin (61), Landen Bonnell (44), Nickolas Long (36), and Jackson Steward (33) all bring plenty of experience at bringing down the ball carrier back from last year.
For the second straight year, No. 3 Akron will be squaring off against Byers in the season opener. They met in Akron last season, with the Rams racing out to a 50-8 lead and then cruising to a 50-22 victory.
Ryan McCaffrey accounted for 178 yards of offense, 98 through the air and 80 on the ground. He tossed a pair of touchdowns and added another rushing, while Anderson Filla ran for a game-high 158 yards and two scores in his high school debut. Older brother, Jackson, added a pair of touchdowns of his own. The return of that trio, plus the speedy Ivan Losa, is a large reason why the Rams begin this season ranked so high in the coaches poll.
McCaffrey led the Rams with 1196 yards and 20 touchdowns as a passer, and was second to A. Filla with 623 yards rushing. His 11 touchdowns were tops on the squad. In total, the Rams return their top four runners, all of whom ran for at least 249 yards and scored at least five touchdowns. Losa led the team with 352 receiving yards and was one of three players with six scores.
While the Rams return their two top tacklers from last season in A. Filla (95) and Losa (67), they must replace Xavier Livesay, who was among the state leaders with 13 sacks. That unit was created a ton of takeaways, with 15 fumbles and 13 picks.
Byers will be breaking in a new signal caller, as Dean Kerns, who threw for more than 1400 yards and 17 touchdowns over the last two years, and ran for better than 500 yards with 13 scores last season, has graduated. The lone returning player on the roster who threw a pass last year is Chase Long, who as a freshman was 1-1 for 15 yards. It did go for a TD. The Bulldogs do bring back their top two runners from a season ago, as Ceasar Meza (636) and Zach Cary (623) combined for better than 1200 yards and 16 touchdowns as sophomores. Their classmate, Corey Russell, added 464 yards as well. Cary and Meza were first and third in receiving yardage.
That talented sophomore, now junior class, was also well represented on defense, as Kaiden Powell was the top tackler, recording 59 stops. Cary and Long tied for fourth with 47.
While neither Swink, nor Fowler, begin the season inside the top 10, both were playoff teams last season. In an interesting twist from the new realignment, the teams switched leagues, with the Lions going from the Santa Fe to the Ark Valley, and Fowler go the opposite direction. Separated by just 24 miles, this is the first meeting since 2019. The Grizzlies have won nine straight in the series, with Swink looking for its first win since 2010.
Few teams in the classification return as much offensive production as Fowler, who will have all but 811 yards coming back. All of those were created by Bradley Roe who was their leading receiver with 791 yards. Gage Gottbehuet threw for 1230 yards and 20 touchdowns, and was one of six Grizzlies who ran for at least 148 yards, gaining 174. Justin Totten (390) and Erick Hernandez (372) led the way. Boyd Rogers is the top returning option in the aerial attack after registering 21 catches for 334 yards and six TDs as a junior.
Defensively, Fowler did lose three of its top three tacklers, but Harrison Proctor, who led the unit with 100, is back. Add Rogers (71) and Gavin Unrein (54) and that side of the ball should be in good shape. Rogers forced three fumbles, recovered three, and was second with two interceptions.
Swink, whose season began and ended with losses to Holly in 2021, brings back a very good offense, led by junior QB Hunter Bauserman. As a sophomore, Bauserman threw for 1159 yards and ran for another 501. He’s joined once again in the backfield by Garlon Guerin, who led the team with 1421 yards and 15 touchdowns. Two of his top targets in the passing game are gone, but Ben Miner, who led the Lions with 24 receptions, 582 yards, and four touchdowns is back.
Miner (111) and Guerin (81) will be back to lead the defense, that lost tackling machine Clay Roweth,, who led the entire state, regardless of classification, with 180 tackles. Cody Lockhart finished fifth on the team with 70 tackles, and was second with eight sacks.
Second-ranked Mancos came up short in its title bid last year, falling in the championship game to Haxtun. The Bluejays will begin their newest run to glory on the road, visiting Melrose (NM). Those Buffaloes already have a game under their belts, having won their contest last week 50-0. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2017. Melrose won that one, as well as the year prior.
After losing a large senior class that included Chase Moore and his career tallies of 5360 yards and 85 touchdowns on the ground. Kail Wayman, who was second to Moore last season with 443 yards and six scores. He will likely see those numbers skyrocket this season. The Bluejays also have Ayden Matthews back at QB after throwing for more than 800 yards and running for close to 400 more. Lane Greenlee is also back to anchor the offensive line, that will have a new look this season.
Matthews led the defense with 101 tackles, and he’ll have plenty of help back on that side of the ball, too. Chris Medina was only 10 stops behind him, while the trio of Wayman (64), Cole Dainty-Guilfoyle (41), and Broc Imel (39) all made a lot of plays as sophomores. Those key returnees combined for eight interceptions, with Wayman snagging three.
A program with whom Mancos is very familiar, #4 Dove Creek, starts off by hosting Plateau Valley. The Bulldogs won last year’s opener on the road, 56-22, after jumping out to a 30-0 first quarter lead. They utilized their ground game to control the clock, rolling up more than 400 yards in that phase of the game. Four players racked up at least 84 yards, led by Gage Buffington’s 130. He returns, along with Cole Taber and Cade Hankins. It was their third straight win in the series and 13th in the last 15 match-ups.
While that trio was busy accumulating just over 1600 yards and 22 touchdowns, their signal caller, Chorbin Cressler was running for 674 yards and throwing for more that 500. He’s gone, but nearly every other threat on offense is back.
The Bulldogs should be pretty strong on defense, too, returning six of their top seven tacklers from last season, including leader Quaden Huffaker (91). Tyson Beanland (7) and Audric Chadd (4) combined for 11 of the team’s 18 sacks in 2021.
The Cowboys bounced back from that opening loss to Dove Creek to win their next two games, but a four-game skid kept them out of playoff contention. They were hit very hard by graduation, losing close to 1300 yards passing and nearly 1700 yards rushing. However, one reason for optimism is the return of Dalton Crites, who racked up just short of 900 total yards on offense, and proved to be a major threat in the kick return game, with more than 600 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, Crites (62) and Cadden Rocha (58) were third and fourth in tackles, combining for 120. Bode Satterfield wasn’t far behind, with 52 of his own. Rocha was the team leader with four of the Cowboys’ 15 fumble recoveries.
The final game on Friday with a ranked team has #10 Simla visiting Hoehne. It’s the first meeting of the two powers since 2017. Not only did Hoehne win that match-up, but also each of the two previous ones, as well. They are 3-1 against the Cubs in the MaxPreps era.
Simla was very young last season, starting a freshman at QB (Caston Cox) and another at RB (TJ Eurich). The Cubs only had six seniors on the roster and return more than 3000 yards of offense, over 1700 of it from Cox. He was one of their top six rushers last year, all of whom return, including Brayden Glover, who led the team with 755 yards and 13 scores.
Two of those six seniors were leaders on defense, with Ethen Gonzalez and Caleb Churchwell combining for 158 tackles and four interceptions. Glover and Eurich were sandwiched between those two, recording 78 and 63 tackles, respectively. Brent Bowker, who was fifth on the unit with 44 tackles, led the way with 4.5 sacks, and his three interceptions were one fewer than the four registered by Eurich.
After winning the title in the spring of 2021, Hoehne struggled in the fall, finishing with a 4-5 record. The Farmers dropped their final four games, two by shutout, and failed to score in three of their losses overall. They may have been the youngest team in the class, with just one senior on the roster.
The Farmers did not post full stats last year, but if everyone who could return does, the on the job training from last year could make them dangerous this season. Rodney Yates, who previously guided the program in Wiley, takes over and will look to avoid the first run of consecutive losing seasons since 2004 and 2005.
Moving on to Saturday, a pair of opening weekend games feature ranked teams, with both traveling. First up is No. 6 Holly, who visits Custer County. After dropping a week two contest to Akron in OT, the Wildcats reeled on nine straight wins to reach the state semifinals. Their run ended there, as eventual champion Haxtun defeated them 46-26.
The Wildcats enter 2022 needing a new QB, after Dakota Eaton and his 2619 yards and 31 touchdowns have moved on. Eaton was also third in rushing with just under 700 yards, plus 11 more scores. Also gone are the team’s leading rusher, Donovan Pecina (963 yards, 10 TD) and leading receiver, Fernando Dominguez (53/1104/13). Pecina was third in that category.
However, Coach Dayne Eaton still brings back plenty of experience to make another deep run. Andre Salgado took a number of snaps behind center and threw for almost 300 yards. Daunte Maldonado (747 yards, 9 TD) and Dominique Maldonado (456 yards, 5 TD) lead the returning ball carriers, and Colby Swopes (28/513/7) was the #2 target in the passing game last season.
In the Maldonados, Holly has its top two tacklers back from last year. Daunte led with 96 and Dominique added 76. Salgado and Swopes combined for 144 stops, while Dylan Tamayo and Devin Eaton added another 100 between them. All told, the Wildcats bring back seven of their top ten tacklers. Swopes made a name for himself by terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, as he racked up 18.5 sacks. Salgado picked off a team-leading three passes, and Devin Eaton recovered five of the unit’s 14 fumble recoveries.
Custer County is coming off a one win season, and the Bobcats have just one winning season in the last decade. They bring back almost everyone from last season, including standout Garrett Olomon. As a junior, he led the team with 68 tackles, almost as many as the next four leaders on the team. Offensively, he was the top receiver with 400 yards, and his 537 yards of total offense also led the Bobcats.
Saturday will also see No. 8 Merino hit the road to play Pikes Peak Christian. This will be the fourth time in the last five years that these two squads have faced off in the opener, with only the 2020 COVID season being omitted. Merino has won all three previous meetings, including a 26-0 shutout last year.
The Rams did all of their scoring in the first half, and then let their stingy defense take over in the second half to preserve the shutout. Deacon Trenkle ran for 100 yards and threw for 55, accounting for a TD both ways. Defensively, he forced two fumbles, recovering one, and Kaden Piel recorded one of the team’s two interceptions on the day.
Those two lead a very experienced group of returnees, including Coen Schmidt, who took over at QB and recorded nearly 1700 yards and a freshman. Trenkle went on to rush for more than 900 yards, while Piel went for close to 300. The duo also give Schmidt his second and third top targets back, with only the departure of Derrick Alber, a 1000-yard receiver, keeping him from having his full complement back.
That very talented trio finished atop the defensive leaderboard for the Rams, with Trenkle (120), Schmidt (80), and Piel (79) combining for 279 stops. Despite missing three games, Tyler Frank was just two tackles away from 50 on the year. Two areas in which the Rams will need to see improvement are QB pressure and takeaways. They only had three sacks and a total of eight turnovers last year. Three of those takeaways were in the game with Pikes Peak Christian.
Despite having the smallest enrollment number in the classification, one that would put the program in the middle of the pack for 6-man (49 according CHSAA), Pikes Peak Christian has been a steady force in the classification. That includes having a pair of 10-win campaigns in 2018 and 2019. They are on their fourth head coach in as many seasons, with Michael Weigl taking over a squad that went 4-4 last year.
There is not much experience returning at the skill positions on offense, as the Eagles lost the top passer, top four runners, and four of their top six receivers. They do not have a player on the roster who completed a pass last season, and their top returning ball carries each gained three yards.
The defense is in a little better shape, despite losing six of its top eight tacklers. Eddie Harmon was third on the unit with 65 tackles as a freshman, and Samuel Edwards was next with 51. Those two, and Isaiah Wehner, each had two interceptions, and they combined for five fumble recoveries.
