Top match-ups around the state last weekend dropped the number of unbeaten teams from seven to five. One more is guaranteed to fall this week, as two will clash in the Mountain division.
Even though the game won’t be played until Saturday, #5 Mancos visiting #6 Sanford leads off the preview. With both teams undefeated, the stakes are high, but when you factor in the winner becoming the favorite in the Mountain, they go off the chart.
Sanford picked up its third shutout of the season last week, downing Custer County 41-0. The defense has only allowed 26 points in five games. The 41 points marked the second fewest points the Indians have scored all year. This begins the make or break portion of the schedule for Sanford, with Del Norte, Dove Creek, and Sargent still on the slate.
Mancos, who cruised to a 64-8 win over Sangre de Cristo last week, already owns wins over two of those three. The Bluejays will close out the season at Dove Creek in three weeks, but they also have a tough road trip to Norwood next week. Featuring a run-heavy offense, Mancos only has two players with more than one reception, Christian Cova (eight) and Chance Garcia (three). The Bluejays are just 3-6 against Sanford, but the wins have been in the last three meetings.
The schedule includes one other rumble between ranked opponents, as the third leg of the round robin in the Ark Valley takes place on Friday. Eighth-ranked Holly puts its three-game winning streak on the line when it visits #3 Hoehne, winner of four straight. Hoehne earned a 44-0 win over Fowler last week, while the Wildcats eked out a 29-28 victory over the Grizzlies two weeks ago. The winner on Friday will be alone atop the division standings.
Springfield, who beat McClave 30-26 last week, can still be a factor in the race, as the Longhorns have yet to play Holly. McClave is also on the remaining schedule of both Holly and Hoehne, so the Cards can have an impact on the final standings.
Last year, the Wildcats snapped a six-game skid against Hoehne, earning a 33-14 victory in non-league action. Kobe Davis sparked the offense with 238 passing yards and three rushing touchdowns, while Brendyn Nordyke starred on defense with three fumble recoveries.
It’s not only homecoming week for #5 Caliche, but the Buffs also get to welcome in one of their rivals, Merino, for a key Plains division clash. Merino has had the upper hand in the series, winning 12 of the last 16, including the last three in a row. Adam Zink, who has rushed for 1134 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, ran for 211 and a score in last year’s 14-6 loss for Caliche. The Buffs enter this year’s installment of the rivalry having scored 171 points over their last three games. Merino’s offense hasn’t been as explosive, as the Rams enter with a 1-2 mark and just 71 points scored over the same stretch.
Seventh-ranked Rangely will try to bounce back from its first loss of the season, a 20-6 decision against #2 West Grand, with a road trip to Hayden on Friday. The Panthers struggled to generate a consistent offense against the Mustangs last week, totaling only 169 yards for the game. The defense also struggled, allowing 437 yards, including 371 on the ground. Hayden has dropped its last two and is near the bottom of the Northwest division, but the Tigers have won 11 of 14 against Rangely, including the last two.
Akron got back into the top-10 after beating Merino 26-21 last week. The Rams check in at #9 ahead of Friday’s game at Byers. Justin Traxler and Derrick Poss each went over 100 yards on the ground last week and the duo combined for four touchdowns. Byers began its first season of 8-man with two wins, but since opening league play, the Bulldogs have gone 0-3 and been outscored 167-42 by its Plains division opponents.
Tenth-ranked Sargent, who can still make a ton of noise in the Mountain division, takes a two-game winning streak into Friday’s 7 Mile Border War against Sangre de Cristo. The Farmers held off Norwood 27-22 last week with Jacob Deacon and Frank Torrez each topping the century mark on the ground. Sargent has won five of six match-ups with the Thunderbirds, including the last three. Last year, it was a 58-0 shutout for the Farmers.
Unbeaten Soroco has yet to crack the rankings, but the Rams can take solace in the fact that they are tied with #2 West Grand (bye week) for the top spot in the Northwest. Jace Logan posted video game numbers in last week’s 64-46 victory over Plateau Valley, rushing for 480 yards and nine touchdowns on 34 carries. The senior is over 1400 yards on the season, with 28 touchdowns, and his career totals are 6496 yards and 92 TDs. Those figures put him seventh on the all-time rushing yardage list and tied for 11th all-time in rushing touchdowns, regardless of classification, in state history. He will look to continue his assault on the record book and keep the Rams moving toward a potential league title with a Friday night game at Vail Christian.
And finally, Pikes Peak Christian, who knocked Simla from the ranks of the unbeatens last week, can nearly lock up the Southern division crown this week. The Eagles visit Custer County on Friday night and a victory leaves them needing a win over Swink in two weeks to claim the crown outright. Swink needs to beat Calhan on Saturday and Simla next week to keep pace. A loss in either of those games, coupled with an Eagle victory this week, and Pikes Peak Christian wins the division.
