8MAN FOOTBALL – FIRST ROUND PREVIEW

For the first time in four seasons, there is a new top overall seed in the eight-man playoff bracket. Three-time defending champion Sedgwick County had its 30-game winning streak snapped in its regular season finale by Merino and the Cougars slid to #3 in the final RPI standings. That opened the way for last season’s runner-up, West Grand, to grab the top seed. This week’s games are previewed in bracket order.
 

#1 WEST GRAND (9-0) VS #16 FRONT RANGE CHRISTIAN (6-2) FRIDAY 7 PM

Driven by last year’s second place finish, West Grand put opponents on notice early this season, posting shutouts in two of its first three games. The Mustangs did not allow anyone to score more than 20 points against them during the regular season, as Jordan Knight spearheaded the defensive unit with 132 tackles. Offensively, Luis Dominguez has powered the Mustangs with 1239 yards rushing and 894 through the air. The senior has had a hand in 34 touchdowns this season, including one on a pick-six. Front Range Christian recorded its first winning season since 2005 and its six wins this season were the most since the program won 10 back in that same campaign. They were guaranteed a spot in the field by winning the Central division, despite finishing the regular season 20^th in RPI. The Falcons scored at least 44 points in five of their six wins, but only combined for 60 in their two losses. They allowed 106 points in those two contests. Sophomore QB Luke Hiltman is the classification’s leading passer with 1945 yards and 27 touchdowns.
 

#8 PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN (8-1) VS #9 VAIL CHRISTIAN (7-2) SATURDAY 1 PM

Pikes Peak Christian actually finished behind Vail Christian in the final RPI, but as a division champion (Southern) inside the top-10, the Eagles were guaranteed to host a first round game if their opponent was not also a league champ. Vail Christian finished third in the Northwest behind West Grand and Rangely. This is the second eight-win season in the past three years for Pikes Peak Christian, and the Eagles did it with defense. They allowed 14 or fewer points in every win, posting three shutouts. In their lone loss to Merino, they still only surrendered 22. The Saints needed more offense, as all but one opponent scored at least 22 points this season. Offensively, they topped the 50-point plateau five times. Jamison Lee leads Vail Christian with 1055 yards on the ground and just over 500 through the air, but it is tough to key on him as the Saints have five more players with at least 200 rushing yards.
 

#4 RANGELY (8-1) VS #13 AKRON (5-4) SATURDAY 1 PM

It has been a breakout season for Rangely, who had not won more than six games in a season in at least 15 years. The Panthers had won a total of six over the previous three seasons, but they had posted three consecutive winning campaigns prior to that stretch. Drew Brannan is the third-leading passer in 8-man with 1644 yards and his 24 TD tosses are second. Devin Ramirez (21/520/5) is his top target, while also leading the team with 711 yards and nine touchdowns in the ground game. After a rare losing season last year, their first in more than 15 years, the Akron Rams are back in the playoffs. However, they enter having lost four of their final six regular season games, including a 54-22 defeat at home last week by Dayspring Christian. As is usually the case, the Rams are run-heavy on offense, throwing for only 33 yards per game. Justin Traxler leads the way in the rushing attack with 1148 yards and 18 touchdowns. Derrick Poss has added 818 yards and eight scores.
 

#5 HOEHNE (8-1) VS #12 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (4-4) SATURDAY 1 PM

Thanks to a closing stretch that included wins in four of its last six games, Dayspring Christian is also back in the postseason after missing out last year. Like Akron, the Eagles suffered their first losing season in a long time, the last time coming in 2005. They will face a familiar opponent in the opening round, as they fell to Hoehne 54-36 early in the season. The Farmers came back from a 30-22 halftime deficit, using their dominating running game. Trystan Moltrer (235 yards) and Weston Hill (218 yards) combined for 453 yards in the contest. Through the first eight games of the season, that duo had combined for over 1500 yards. Kyle Rowe was close to 600 yards of his own, giving the Farmers a loaded backfield. Christian Still, the classification’s fourth leading passer with 1562 yards, had his second-best day of the season in the earlier loss to the Farmers, throwing for 265 yards and three scores. He was also picked off two times.
 

#3 SEDGWICK COUNTY (7-1) VS #14 SIMLA (7-1) SATURDAY 1 PM

As mentioned in the opening, the Cougars fell at Merino last Friday, 27-24, ending a 30-game winning streak. It was also their first loss to an in-state opponent in 40 games, and it snapped a 20-game streak inside the Plains division. One of the most shocking aspects of the loss was that Sedgwick County held a 14-0 lead entering the second quarter. They open their chase of a fourth consecutive title against a Simla squad that finished second to Pikes Peak Christian in the Southern division. The Cubs have allowed 71 points all season, again second behind PPC. Sedgwick County is third with 76 points allowed. The big difference is that the Cougars did it against the eighth hardest schedule, while Simla faced the #37 SOS and Pikes Peak Christian went against the #35 schedule.
 

#6 CALICHE (7-2) VS #11 FOWLER (7-2) SATURDAY 1 PM

Despite finishing in a spot in the RPI that would normally guarantee a home game in the first round, Fowler finds itself on the road this weekend. The Grizzlies were dropped from eighth to 11^th by the committee, giving them a test against the runners-up in the Plains. Caliche’s losses this year were by 18 to West Grand early in the season and a 36-0 shutout by Sedgwick County. In the loss to West Grand, the Buffs scored 20 points, the most allowed by the Mustangs this season. Caliche is led by the state’s second-leading rusher, Adam Zink, who has 1636 yards and 19 TDs on the season. Dylan Huss (603) and Josh Kokes (392) have combined for close to a thousand yards between them. Fowler finished third in the Ark Valley with losses to Holly (29-28) and Hoehne (44-0). Quinton Flanscha is one of four backs with over 200 yards on the ground for the Grizzlies, with 736 yards, and he has one of the team’s four non-offensive touchdowns.
 

#7 SARGENT (7-2) VS #10 HOLLY (7-2) FRIDAY 5 PM

Sargent opened the season with a forfeit loss to Fowler and two weeks later the Farmers dropped to 1-2 after a loss against Mancos. They have not tasted defeat since. During the winning streak, the Farmers have won with offense, scoring 57 or more five times, and also with defense, as they edged Norwood 27-22. While known in the past for a strong running game, Sargent has added a very proficient passing attack to create headaches for opposing defenses. Frank Torrez leads the squad with 1338 yards (6^th in the state) and 17 TDs (3^rd in state) in the aerial attack, and he’s second on the team with 748 rushing yards. Jacob Deacon is tops with 936. Holly’s one-point win over Fowler was enough to give the Wildcats second place in the Ark Valley. They are led by three-year starting QB Kobe Davis, who is second in the state with 1691 yards passing. For his career, Davis is at 4755 yards with 52 touchdowns. His top targets are William Kennedy and Gus Dominguez, who have combined for 60 receptions, 1144 yards, and 12 touchdowns.
 

#2 MANCOS (9-0) VS #15 MERINO (5-4) SATURDAY 1 PM

Without question, Merino would not be in the field if the Rams had not beaten Sedgwick County last week. It pushed them into the top 15 of the RPI, and with one team from outside of the top 16 guaranteed a spot, the Rams would have been starting preparations for the winter sports season this week with a loss in that game. They face a Mancos squad that is looking to improve upon last year’s run that ended in the quarterfinals. The Bluejays have only allowed two opponents to score more than 18 points in a game and both of those scored 20. Four players have accounted for all 2895 rushing yards this season, led by Chance Garcia with 1122. Breccen Morelli (648), Anthony Medina (636), and Chase Moore (489) complete the group. Morelli has also thrown for 538 yards.