With one week of the shortened season in the books, most of the preseason favorites in eight-man have already shown why they were so well thought of by the coaches. Nine of the preseason top-10 played in week one, and all but two picked up lopsided wins. For one, it would cost them a spot in the poll this week.

Sargent, one of the favorites in a loaded Mountain division, earned a quality 22-8 win on the road over Gilpin County, rumbled for 329 rushing yards in the victory. Payton Brown tallied 176 of those yards, but it would not be enough to keep the Farmers in the rankings, as they fell from ninth to eleventh.

This week, the Farmers will host one of the two newcomers to the top-10, league opponent Dove Creek. The Bulldogs checked in at #10 this week, after they avenged a 2019 playoff loss to Vail Christian, 52-20. Dove Creek ran at will against the Saints last week, piling up 494 yards on 49 run plays. Gage Bailey amassed 190 yards and a score, to lead the way, while Gauge Thompson (150) and Chorbin Cressler (149) both went over the century mark. Thompson and Cressler each scored three times on the ground, and Cressler also hit Thompson for a TD pass. Hayden Gray had a huge defensive effort, registering 19 tackles, with two sacks.

Sargent eked out a 26-24 win over the Bulldogs last season, despite being outgained 364-202. Defense played a major role in that victory, as the Farmers forced three turnovers, including a 94-yard pick six by Blake Behil. Five members of that defensive unit recorded double digit tackles, led by Braxton Asbell, with 19. Gray led all players with 20 tackles for Dove Creek.

Friday will also see the league openers for #4 Sanford and #5 Mancos. Sanford, coming off a 50-12 win over Soroco last week, hosts Sangre de Cristo, who dropped a 46-6 decision to previously tenth-ranked Rangely in its opener. The Thunderbirds allowed more than 300 yards and five TDs on the ground in their loss, and now face one of the top running backs in the classification, in Sanford’s Kelton Gartrell.

Meanwhile, Mancos enters its contest at Norwood having earned a 52-6 win over Hayden in week one. The Bluejays got five touchdowns in that win from Chase Moore, including four on the ground. Colt Fury led the strong defensive effort with 13 tackles, four of them for loss. This will be the season opener for Norwood and the Mavericks’ senior QB Tyler Wytulka. Wytulka accounted for more than a thousand yards of offense in only five games last year. He also averaged better than 10 tackles a game.

Despite its 40-point win over Sangre de Cristo, Rangely fell out of the top-10 this week, falling to a tie for twelfth. The Panthers were the only Northwest team to grab a victory in the first week of the season, that featured non-league contests. Keihlin Myers ran for two scores and threw for another in the victory over Sangre, and Anthony Lujan tallied a sack and a blocked punt to spur the defense and special teams units. Soroco ran for more than 400 yards in a 48-34 loss to Rangely last season, with Tyler Wixom going for 190 and four scores.

Because of COVID-19 issues, #9 West Grand was unable to play last week, and the Mustangs will have to wait until next Tuesday to take the field for the first time this season. They will visit Hayden, knowing a win gets them a share of the Northwest lead. The Mustangs have won seven straight against Hayden, including a 40-0 blanking last year. Jakob Buller ran for 221 yards and two scores, and also tossed a pair of TDs in that victory.

Sedgwick County’s run at matching state history got off to a great start, as the top-ranked Cougars topped McClave 55-12 last Saturday. Sedgwick County had the running clock rolling midway through the second quarter. The Cougars will be heavily favored to extend their winning streak over Akron to eight straight when they host the Rams in Plains play on Friday. Akron fell to new #8 Crowley County 35-0 last week.

Adam Schultz ran for 202 yards and two scores in that win for the Chargers, who also got more than 100 yards and a TD from Tach Brewer in the passing game. The Chargers will flip opponents with Sedgwick County, as they host McClave on Friday. The winner claims an early share of the lead in the Arkansas Valley race.

Fowler had to wait until Tuesday to get its season underway, but the Grizzlies made the most of their early week trip to Caliche. With new signal caller Damian Romero under center, the Grizzlies shut the Buffs out, 46-0. Up next for the second-ranked team is a home tilt against Wiley, who lost its opening contest to Merino, 16-0. The Panthers struggled to do much on offense against the #6 Rams, only gaining 61 yards in the game.

Merino jumps into Plains division play on Saturday, as the Rams visit a very young Caliche squad. The Rams are 3-1 in the last four meetings with the rival Buffs, but over the last eight, the teams are split evenly. A second loss this week would make a postseason appearance a very tall task for Caliche, while the Rams need a win to aid their efforts to qualify.

Also in the mix, not only in the Plains chase, but also for a potential playoff spot, is #3 Dayspring Christian. The Eagles pulled away from Springfield to claim a 56-32 victory. It was a 22-18 lead for Dayspring at the half. Christian Still threw for 333 yards and five scores, and added 139 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground to lead the Eagles. Hayden Lasley led Springfield with 192 yards and two rushing TDs.

The Eagles head to Haxtun on Friday night as both squads begin league play. Haxtun was involved in a shootout with Holly, coming up just short, 48-44. The Fightin’ Bulldogs trailed 21-6 early in the second quarter, but were only down 21-20 at the half. Haxtun has dropped 12 of the last 13 match-ups with Dayspring Christian, including the last two.

Seventh-ranked Pikes Peak Christian used a strong outing by its defense to overcome a 6-0 halftime deficit and claim a 30-6 victory over Lyons. The Eagles got three sacks and three turnovers, and also held the Lions, who were playing their first eight-man contest, to just 23 yards on the ground. Mick Kopriva recorded 2.5 sacks, and Ben Schneider had a fumble recovery and an interception. The Eagles will open Southern conference action at home on Saturday against Calhan. Calhan took care of Elbert, 28-6, last week.

Other key contests in the classification this Friday will see Simla visit Swink, as the two unbeatens open Southern play, and Holly (1-0) visiting Springfield.