It’s a busy weekend around the state with a lot of RPI points on the line. Several teams can nearly wrap up their league titles, as well.
Friday night sees most of the top contests this week, with seven of the top 10 in action. The featured game in the southern part of the state has #9 Fowler hosting #5 Hoehne in a crucial Ark Valley clash. Hoehne looks to maintain a share of the division crown while the Grizzlies need a win to remain in the hunt after last week’s 29-28 loss to #4 Holly.
Fowler led that game 22-13 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats punched in a pair of touchdowns and two-point conversions to go up seven. The Grizzlies would respond with under a minute left to get back within one, but their two-point try failed.
Hoehne saw no such drama in its 44-14 victory over Las Animas. The Farmers jumped out to a 16-0 first quarter lead and cruised to a 44-6 advantage by the half. Weston Hill connected on four of five passes for 202 yards and two scores. Both TD passes went to Federico Orozco. The Farmers will be looking for their 13th straight win over the Grizzlies.
Heading to the Northwest division, we get our second clash of ranked opponents for the weekend with #7 Rangely hosting second-ranked West Grand. The Panthers are coming off their bye, so they had the opportunity to scout the Mustangs in their 48-14 victory over Vail Christian last week. West Grand exploded for 24 first quarter points and never looked back in handing the Saints their second straight loss. Rangely defeated them 46-22 the previous week.
Luis Dominguez has been the offensive standout for West Grand through the first half of the season, racking up 655 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground and 493 yards and 10 TD through the air. Jordan Knight is the defensive leader, registering 86 tackles, better than 17 per game. Rangely counters with a balanced offense, recording 875 yards rushing and 839 passing. Keep an eye on senior QB Drew Brannan, who has thrown for 749 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 46 attempts.
Top-ranked Sedgwick County has blasted its first two Plains league opponents by a combined tally of 100-14. The Cougars can move to 3-0 in the division on Friday if they can hand Haxtun its third straight loss of the season and its sixth consecutive in the series. Sedgwick County jumped on Byers 28-0 in the first quarter last Saturday and never really let the Bulldogs come up for air in the 58-8 contest.
Haxtun slipped to 0-2 in the division with its 44-14 defeat by Merino last week. After being tied at 8 following the first quarter, the Rams started to pull away with a 19-6 second quarter. The Bulldogs would not be able to close the gap in the second half. Haxtun could not generate a consistent ground game and was also bitten by the turnover bug, giving the ball away four times.
After spending much of the early portion of the schedule in the rankings, Akron and Merino will meet on Friday with neither in the top-10. However, both are just outside, looking in. Akron has not taken the field since falling 42-6 against Sedgwick County two weeks ago and they know that a second divisional loss all but eliminates them from the chase for that crown. Conversely, Merino enters the annual Ram fight knowing a victory keeps them alive for a potential Plains title. Merino snapped a three-game skid against Akron with a wild 28-26 victory last year.
While it’s still relatively early in the league calendar, the winner of Friday’s tilt between #10 Simla and Pikes Peak Christian will likely take home the Southern league title. Simla makes its first appearance in the polls this season following a 4-0 start. The Cubs became the last team in the classification to surrender points when Calhan got on the board last week. Brad Mazerall (198 passing, 3 TD), Darias Harms (186 rushing, 3 TD), and Joel George (109 receiving, 3 TD) proved to be Simla’s version of the triplets last week in the win.
Since opening the season with a 22-6 loss against Merino, Pikes Peak Christian has reeled off four straight wins, allowing a total of 12 points along the way. Though the series is lopsided in favor of Simla (5-2), the Eagles have won the last two meetings. George caught 16 passes for the Cubs in last season’s 29-12 loss.
Mountain division co-leaders Mancos (#3) and Sanford (#8) meet next week, with the league crown likely headed to the winner. Mancos is home this Friday against winless Sangre de Cristo. It could be a nice break for the Bluejays who have been tested in each of their last three games. After beating Merino 14-6 in week three, the Bluejays downed Sargent 38-20 two weeks ago and got past Del Norte 24-20 last week. Sangre has allowed 60 or more points in three of its four losses.
Sanford waits until Saturday to see action, when the Indians host Custer County in a non-conference game. The Indians had pitched consecutive shutouts before being pushed by Norwood last week. Still, Sanford has only allowed 26 points this season. The Bobcats posted a 50-0 shutout victory last week over Swink and they can make things interesting in the Southern division next week against Pikes Peak Christian. But first, they must focus on an opponent they haven’t played since 2005.
Fourth-ranked Caliche will also have a non-league contest on Saturday as the Buffs host South Park. Since its 38-20 loss to West Grand in week two, Caliche has rolled to consecutive victories in the Plains division, beating Byers 61-20 and Dayspring Christian 54-14. Adam Zink pounded the Eagles for 147 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, and Traevonn Walton added a 90-yard kick return for another score.
The Burros ended a two-game losing streak last week, upending Justice 48-18 in the Central division. A huge 28-6 third quarter was the difference in the contest as the teams went to the half knotted at 12. Camren Rullan rushed for 225 yards with three scores and threw for 119 yards and three more touchdowns, and Daigen Springer added 200 yards and a TD in the ground attack.
