League overview: Denver Christian’s move to 1A makes the Plains League a six-team league in 2022. Unfortunately for a lot of people, two of the teams in this league have claimed the last eight state championships in the classification. Sedgwick County and Haxtun have pretty much dominated 8-Man play for the last decade, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see that trend continue into this year.
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Akron
Head coach: Jerome Weers
2021 Record: 7-4 (3-3 Plains)
Returning All-State Players: Ryan McCaffrey (Honorable Mention)
Junior Ryan McCaffrey (not of those McCaffreys) will be instrumental in getting Akron back to the postseason. He threw for 1,196 yards and 20 touchdowns last year and also ran for 623 yards and 11 scores. He was the second leading rusher on the team behind returning sophomore Anderson Filla (755 yards). Filla also led the Rams with 95 tackles while grabbing one interception and recovering one fumble. Akron starts the season against Byers and St. Mary’s before things get a bit tougher with Fowler and Holly to wrap up non-league play.
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Caliche
Head coach: James Grinde
2021 Record: 2-7 (1-5 Plains)
Returning All-State Players: Seth Marick (Honorable Mention)
Grinde joins the Buffaloes with 11 years of high school and collegiate coaching experience. His goal is to turnaround the fortunes of the Caliche program and he might just have the personnel to do it. Seth Marick is back after earning All-State honorable mention honors. He ran for 1,101 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Tanner Gerk, Chance Mitchell, Dylan Harms and Joey Vergillo are also players that Grinde is excited to have on the field this season. He has high hopes for what he can help these players accomplish under the Caliche banner. “We always talk about getting 1% percent better and focusing on the process instead of the outcome,” he said. “The outcome for us is obviously a championship. We want our guys to be the best they can be, so we strive to get better at the little details, and the rest will take care of itself.”
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Dayspring Christian
Head coach: Ben Fusco
2021 Record: 7-4 (4-2 Plains)
Returning All-State Players: None
Dayspring Christian was just nine points away from knocking off No. 2 Mancos in the 8-Man state tournament last year. It was a bit of a heartbreaker considering the Eagles were a senior heavy team that might take a small step back in 2022. Zach Freeman will likely step into a featured back role as he ran for 423 yards and seven touchdowns. Erza Kale hauled in 246 receiving yards and four touchdowns and he should help junior Isaiah Bryant grow into the quarterback position. The Eagles get a tough test to open the 2022 year as they face a state semifinalist in Sanford.
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Haxtun
Head coach: JD Stone
2021 Record: 13-0 (6-0 Plains)
Returning All-State Players: Michael Gerk, Maclin Tempel (First Team)
It had been a steady climb for the Bulldogs in recent years and that effort paid off when they claimed the 8-Man title last fall. They are the first team not named Sedgwick County to win the 8-Man state championship since 2014. They get a couple of first-team all-state players back in Michael Gerk and Maclin Tempel but there is a lot of work for this team to do to get back to that championship level. That work begins in Week 1 when the Bulldogs play an 11-man game against Holyoke. “As soon as we got through camp we started installing our 11-man stuff,” Stone said. “We have an 11-man scrimmage this Friday. It all comes from trying to find non-league games in our area.” The team believes an 11-man game will be a benefit to it through the course of the year.
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Merino
Head coach: Nathan Schmidt
2021 Record: 5-5 (3-3 Plains)
Returning All-State Players: Deacon Trenkle (Honorable Mention)
The Rams took four losses in a five-game stretch in the middle of the year, but still played their way into the 8-Man state tournament. They dropped their first-round game but have a chance to improve on that result this season. Coen Schmidt returns after throwing for 1,680 yards and 15 touchdowns and Deacon Trenkle is also back after running for 938 yards and 12 scores. Trenkle also led the team in tackles with 120 and forced two turnovers by hauling in an interception and recovering a fumble. The Rams see two playoff teams in the first three games as they open against Pikes Peak Christian then see Mancos two weeks later.
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Sedgwick County
Head coach: Chris Michel
2021 Record: 6-4 (4-2 Plains)
Returning All-State Players: None
For the first time in a long time, Sedgwick County enters the season as a hunter rather than the hunted. The Cougars couldn’t claim their eighth consecutive state title and now have to turn to an even younger team to try and get back to the top of the mountain. Sophomore Jaxon Carlson was serviceable as a passer and should only get better in time. Defensively, he grabbed an interception and recovered two fumbles which will ease worries on that side of the ball. The Cougars will head into Nebraska to open the year as they take on Dundy County-Stratton on Aug. 25.
