Upsets have given the eight-man semifinals a bit of an unexpected look this year. Neither of the top two seeds will be in action, and only one of the top four made it this far. Both games are slated for 1pm kicks on Saturday.
#5 HOEHNE FARMERS (10-1) AT #8 PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN EAGLES (10-1)
Despite not being a top four seed, it comes as a little surprise to see the tradition rich Hoehne Farmers in the semifinals. This is the seventh time the Farmers have made it to the final four since 2007, winning two state titles. They needed a 14-0 fourth quarter to move past #4 Rangely in last week’s quarterfinal contest. Kyle Rowe powered the Farmers to the victory, running for 208 yards and three touchdowns, while Weston Hill hit on all four of his pass attempts, tallying 94 yards and a TD. Dalton Hudson played a big hand in the win with a pair of fumble recoveries on defense.
In a group with three postseason heavyweights, Pikes Peak Christian is the outlier. The Eagles made the playoffs for just the second time in their history, and their two wins so far in the tournament are the first such in program history. Last week, the Eagles stunned the state by knocking off the top seed, West Grand by a 29-28 score. Pikes Peak Christian trailed throughout the first half, going down 14-2 at one point. After a back and forth second half, Tommy Harmon, who scored as a runner and receiver, would convert a 37-yard field goal with less than a minute to play, putting the Eagles up by a single digit and the defense would hold on for the victory.
This will be the first ever meeting between the two programs. Both teams enter with 10-game winning streaks after losing their season-openers to the other two semifinalists. Hoehne lost 40-8 on the road against Sedgwick County, while Pikes Peak Christian dropped a 22-6 decision at home to Merino.
#3 SEDGWICK COUNTY COUGARS (9-1) AT #15 MERINO RAMS (7-4)
In the quest for a fourth straight state title, Sedgwick County won a slugfest with fellow Plains rival #6 Caliche last week, 28-16. The Cougars jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead, but the Buffs fought back and only trailed 22-16 at the half. The only scoring after the intermission was a fourth quarter tally by Sedgwick County that put the game away.
Merino also got off to a hot start in its quarterfinal victory over #10 Holly, leading 15-0 in the second quarter. But, like the Cougars, they would only hold a one score lead at the half, 22-14. The Rams would hold a 28-22 lead midway through the fourth quarter when they were stopped on downs at the Holly one-yard line. Andrew Frank came up with an interception and the sophomore returned it for the touchdown to provide the final margin of victory, 36-22.
The Rams defeated Sedgwick County 27-24 in the regular season finale, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with around five minutes to play. They would give up a safety in the final minute, but the defense sealed the victory with an interception. That victory snapped a four-game skid against the Cougars. Since 2004, Merino is 12-5 in the series. Two of those meetings came in the postseason, with Merino claiming a 21-12 victory in the second round of the 2007 playoffs and Sedgwick County getting a 42-6 win in the 2016 quarterfinals.
