The eight-man playoff field was cut in half, and seven of the top eight seeds are still in the bracket. The lone upset saw Sanford put an end to Sedgwick County’s run of consecutive titles at six. The lower seeds will host this week’s quarterfinal games.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY OT SPORTSCHECK
#1 HAXTUN (10-0) AT #8 AKRON (7-3) SATURDAY 1PM
Haxtun jumped out to a 28-0 lead on #16 Byers and had the running clock implemented by the half. The Fightin’ Bulldogs rolled to a 56-16 victory to advance to the quarterfinals. Owen Knode hit on eight of 11 passes for 149 yards and two scores, with most of the damage going to Michael Gerk. Gerk caught four passes for 90 and two touchdowns, and the junior also ran for 124 yards and three more scores. Isaac Andersen added 118 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Defensively, Andersen and Maclin Tempel each had 10 tackles to lead Haxtun, while Grant Statz added nine. Tempel and Statz each recorded a sack. The Fightin’ Bulldogs held Byers to just 144 yards of offense, 45 on the ground.
Akron also used a big first half to get itself into the quarterfinals. The Rams led Calhan 26-0 after one quarter and were up 41-6 at the intermission. They would go on to claim a 47-22 victory. Their offense went for 314 yards on the ground, 161 by Anderson Filla. Ryan McCaffrey completed five of seven passes for 101 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for one score. Ivan Losa had two rushing TDs and one receiving, while Evan Pieper and Evan Vogt each had one TD as receivers.
Anderson Filla led the Akron defense with 12 tackles, with Losa adding 10 and McCaffrey being credited with nine. Pieper tallied a sack and an interception, and Xavier Livesay picked up his 13th sack of the year.
Haxtun wrapped up the regular season with a 58-0 win over Akron two weeks ago. Gerk and Andersen each topped the century mark on the ground, with both scoring twice. Tempel had three sacks, a blocked punt, and a fumble recovery, while David Avery had two interceptions. Andersen also added an interception, and Ryan Davis recorded a sack for the Fightin’ Bulldogs. Akron was held to 43 yards of offense in the loss.
#4 DOVE CREEK (7-2) AT #5 HOLLY (9-1) SATURDAY 1PM
Dove Creek was the only team to post a shutout in the opening round, as the Bulldogs blanked Crowley County 50-0. Kade Hankins (134 yards, 1 TD) and Chorbin Cressler (117 yards, 2 TD) combined for 251 yards on the ground, with three scores. Gage Buffington added 70 yards, and both he and Logan Drummond reached paydirt. Cressler added a touchdown pass, and a TD reception.
Quaden Huffaker had a team-high 11 tackles, while four others added eight: Cole Taber, Tyson Beanland, Taber Dejane, and Audric Chadd. Beanland, Chadd, and Blane Johnson all recorded a sack, with Beanland adding a blocked punt, and Hankins registered an interception.
Holly overcame three turnovers to register its eighth straight win, a 37-20 victory over Swink. The Wildcats only led 15-13 at the half, but used three second half touchdowns to pull away for the win. Dakota Eaton threw for 206 yards and two scores, and the senior QB was one of three players with a rushing touchdown. Daunte Maldonado, who had a team-high 84 rushing yards, and Dominique Maldonado were the other two. Donovan Pecina added 77 yards on the ground, and four catches for 70 yards and a receiving touchdown. Fernando Dominguez contributed three catches for 75 yards and a score.
Pecina (13 tackles), Andre Salgado (12), and Daunte Maldonado (11) were all in double figures for tackles, with Pecina adding two interceptions and a forced fumble. Colby Swopes nailed down his classification-leading 15th sack, and Devin Eaton also dropped the QB in the contest. Salgado helped the cause with his first pick of the season.
These two programs have not met during the MaxPreps era, dating back to 2004.
#3 VAIL CHRISTIAN (10-0) AT #11 SANFORD (6-4) SATURDAY 1PM
Vail Christian played a game of “keep-away” in its opening round win over Pikes Peak Christian. The Saints built a 24-8 first quarter lead and limited Pikes Peak Christian to just 33 offensive snaps in the 46-14 decision. Vail Christian ran 56 plays in the contest and did not turn the ball over.
For the first time since its loss to Vail Christian earlier in the season, Sanford was healthy for its opening round contest at Sedgwick County. The Indians entered the contest looking for their first win over the Cougars, who had defeated them 72-32 in last December’s title game, and 42-0 just a few weeks prior to the beginning of the playoffs. Sanford found itself in control early, and the Indians exacted a measure of revenge with a 36-18 victory.
Josh Holman went down with an injury in the second quarter, but the senior QB had already tossed a pair of touchdowns at that point. Kelton Gartrell reached the end zone three times on runs to help the Indians oust the six-time defending champs.
This week will be another rematch for the Indians, who dropped a 36-22 decision to Vail Christian back on September 24th. Taylor Shull threw for 222 yards, including an 85-yard TD connection to Jeffrey Hall, and Vincent Nowicki powered the ground attack with 124 yards and three scores for the Saints. Gartrell left that contest in the first half with an injury, and Holman also went down in the second half.
#2 MANCOS (8-0) AT #7 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (7-3) SATURDAY 12PM
Second-seeded Mancos wasted little time in jumping on top of Fowler in its opening round contest, as the Bluejays led 16-0 after one quarter and 38-0 at the half. They would go on to a 59-12 victory. Chase Moore ran wild, going for 213 yards and six touchdowns on the day, and Ayden Matthews added 100 yards and a TD. Matthews was nearly flawless throwing the ball, completing seven of eight attempts for 104 yards. Kail Wayman and Chris Medina each caught three balls.
Wayman and Matthews each recorded nine tackles to lead the defense, with Medina (8) and Moore (7) combining for 15 stops. Wayman also contributed an interception. Mason Goodwin tallied two sacks and two fumble recoveries, while Kaiden Wyatt recovered one fumble. Wyatt also shared a sack with Cole Dainty-Guilfoyle.
Dayspring Christian got a special offensive performance from Garrett Krehbiel in the Eagles’ 58-30 win over Merino in the first round. The senior QB ran for 335 yards and six touchdowns, and also threw for 212 yards and two more scores. Jacob Martin caught three passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns to help the Eagles avenge a 30-22 loss to Merino just two weeks earlier.
The Dayspring Christian defense did surrender more than 350 passing yards to the Rams, but that unit also came up with three sacks and three takeaways. Caleb Kayl and Zach Freeman each had an interception, and Isaiah Bryant added a fumble recovery, while the sacks were recorded by Ethan Bonnell, Wyatt Eichman, and Connor Clark. Clark’s 10 tackles were tied for game-high honors.
This will be the first meeting between the Bluejays and Eagles during the MaxPreps era.
