It’s just about time to begin the sprint toward the eight-man state championship, and once again, it looks as if everyone is chasing Sedgwick County. The Cougars begin the season ranked #1 in the coaches poll as they seek a record tying sixth consecutive championship. The Plains division juggernaut received 19 of 20 first place votes.
Coach Chris Michel’s program currently sits tied with Valor in second place, behind only Limon, who won six straight titles between 1963 and 1968. During this current run, the Cougars have only lost two games, and just one of those came to an in-state opponent (Merino, 2016).
Despite losing Beau Parker (1,800 yards – 38 TDs), the Sedgwick County offense should again be solid as QB Jared Ehmke returns. He completed 49 passes for 966 yards and 16 scores as a junior. Kaleb Fowler ran for more than 700 yards as a junior, and Brody Parker was close to 300. Terrance Heath, the top receiver from 2019, is back after hauling in 20 balls for 385 yards and eight scores.
Defensively, Sedgwick County brings back three of the top tackles from last season in Fabian Lopez (82), Nolan Carlson (67) and Tate Goddard (66). Heath recorded 58 tackles, including a team-leading eight sacks. The Cougars also return key players on the back end of the defense, as seniors Jaciel Villalobos (6) and Fowler (5) combined for 11 interceptions. Carlson (4) and Parker (2) also were responsible for multiple picks.
Last year’s runner-up, Fowler, checks in at #2 and the Grizzlies received the remaining first place vote. The Grizzlies had reeled off 12 straight wins in 2019 before running into the buzz saw that was Sedgwick County. Fowler scored just past the mid-point of the second quarter to knot the title game at 8, then surrendered 36 unanswered points to fall 44-8.
The Grizzlies lost dual-threat QB Luke Bitter, who threw for more than 1000 yards and also ran for just better than 750, as well as his top target, Johnathan Mobbley (22/310/5). However, they return a pair of backs who each went over 1200 yards on the ground as juniors. Jackson Bates (1275 yards, 19 TD) and Joshua Daniels (1266 yards, 21 TD) will keep the offense chugging along.
Fowler also has good news for its defense, as top tacklers Gabriel Proctor (189 tackles) and Braxton Bates (79) are back as seniors. Braxton recorded a team-high six interceptions, and was also good on 11 of his 12 PAT kicks, giving the Grizzlies a solid weapon in the kicking game.
Dayspring Christian is picked to be the top challenger to Sedgwick County in the Plains league, as the Eagles enter the season #3 in the rankings. They’ll have to improve upon their two meetings with the Cougars from last year, in which they were outscored 104-16. That includes a 48-0 beating in the semifinals.
The reasons for optimism are plenty, as the Eagles return two experienced passers in Christian Still (1476 yards, 18 TD) and Garrett Krehbiel (663 yards, 7 TD). Those two also happen to be the top returning runners. As a duo, they combined for close to 1300 yards and 21 touchdowns. Add in junior Wyatt Eichman, who rushed for 290 yards last year, and the ground game should be solid. Whichever passer gets the nod, he’ll have a plethora of weapons at his disposal, as six of the top seven receivers are back. That group includes Ethan Pratt and Jacob Martin, who each caught more that 20 passes as sophomores.
The defense took more of a hit due to graduation than its offensive counterpart. That unit lost its top three in terms of tackles, but Krehbiel (69) heads up the returnees. Connor Clark (53 tackles) was the team-leader with 5.5 sacks, while Still snared a team-best six interceptions.
A couple of postseason regulars in the Mountain division took back-to-back spots in the preseason poll, with Mancos (#4) checking in just ahead of Sanford (#5). Divisional opponent Sargent also made the top ten, receiving enough votes to be #9.
Sanford won the league last season, thanks to a wild 52-24 win over the Bluejays. Each team got a big game from their then-sophomore running back. For Mancos, Chase Moore ran for 135 yards and three scores, but he was upstaged by Kelton Gartrell, who posted 252 yards and three touchdowns on just six carries.
Moore would go on to finish the season with 1900 yards and 31 touchdowns. It looks like he will be called upon to carry an even bigger share of the offense, as the Bluejays lost a lot of pieces on that side of the ball. Defensively, however, Mancos looks to be in better shape, as the top three tacklers are back. Colt Fury leads the way after registering 170 stops as a junior, while classmate Christian Cova tallied 115. Moore was third on the squad with 88. That trio combined for seven interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.
Sanford reached the second round of the postseason without a blemish, but the season came to an end with a loss to Pikes Peak Christian in that round. Like their league rival, the Indians will lean heavily on their star running back, as Gartrell (1401 yards, 23 TD) is the top returning player on offense. Classmate Josh Holman showed explosiveness as a runner, receiver, and return man, racking up better than 94 all purpose yards a game. While those two will be big factors on defense, Brett Price is the top returning tackler, after sharing team-high honors with 75 stops last season.
Heading back to the Plains league, Merino gives the division half of the first six spots in the poll. The Rams dealt with a lot of key injuries last season, but still made the postseason as the third place finisher in the league. They slugged it out with West Grand in the opening round, eventually winning the defense dominated contest, 14-8. The next week, the Rams suffered their second shutout at the hands of Sedgwick County in a three week period.
Gone is dual-threat QB Cade Conger, who tallied more than 1300 yards from scrimmage, despite missing half of the season. Stepping up to replace him in the backfield will likely be Deacon Trenkle, who accounted for close to 450 yards in that role last year. The Rams also get leading rusher Andrew Frank back for a senior season, the same for Trent Elliott, who finished third on the team while missing four games. All but one player who caught a pass return, including Derrick Alber.
Trenkle (113), Elliott (100), and Frank (82) were far and away the top three tacklers for Merino a season ago. Number four on the list had 49. Those three also accounted for six of the team’s eight interceptions.
The aforementioned West Grand is the first team from the Northwest to appear in the rankings, garnering a #7 position to begin the year. The Mustangs have to wait to get on the field as their opening round game was lost due to COVID issues inside the district. When they do get to step between the lines, they will put out a very talented squad, looking to improve upon last year’s second place league finish.
Chris Brown returns his top three yardage producers from last season, and eight of the top nine overall. That group is led by senior Rene Dominguez, who amassed 1180 yards from scrimmage, all but 40 as a runner. Senior QB Jakob Buller missed three games as a junior, but still ended the campaign with more than 1100 yards, split almost evenly through the air and on the ground.
The defense is also in good shape, bringing back its top five tacklers. Alejandro Castanon had 171 last season and Jesus Dominguez also finished in triple digits, posting 105. Austin Schake (88), Wyatt Howell (63), and Omar Dominguez (60) round out the group.
Pikes Peak Christian won the Southern league last year, and the Eagles open 2020 ranked eighth in the coaches poll. Last year’s squad was very senior laden, to the point where this year’s top returning player on offense, Andrew Harris, gained 78 yards on the ground and 11 as a receiver. Zachary Edwards touched the ball one time on offense last year, and took it 74 yards to the house.
Harris made most of his contributions last season on defense, where he led the Eagles with 113 tackles. Kyle Arnett recorded a team-leading 10 sacks in only nine games. He’ll be a junior this time around.
Sargent gives the Mountain division a third of the first nine posts in the poll, and the Farmers are hoping to build on last year’s third place finish. They were bumped from the playoffs in the opening round by Pikes Peak Christian, putting them on a two-game skid entering 2020.
Kage Pepper will lead a talented group of seniors on offense after throwing for more than 700 yards and running for 850 as a junior. He also had a hand in 24 touchdowns. Blake Behil and Payton Brown complete the senior backfield. They combined for more than 1100 rushing yards last season, and were the top two receivers. The Farmers only lost two skill position players to graduation. Almost everyone will also be back on defense, including Braxton Asbell, who was well over 100 tackles last season.
The final spot in the initial top-10 is owned by Rangely, out of the Northwest. The Panthers finished fourth in the division in 2019 and were quickly dispatched in the first round of the postseason by Dayspring Christian, 52-0. Anthony Lujan nearly rushed for 1000 yards from his QB spot last year, and he added another 760 as a passer. He’s back to direct the offense as a senior. That unit will also feature Zane Varner, the second leading rusher last year, and Ryan Richens, the team’s top receiver.
Lujan wasn’t just the quarterback of the offense, but he also filled that role on defense, leading the Panthers with 136 tackles. Austin Davis tacked on 104 stops, and Gabe Polley rounded out the top three with 85 tackles. Polley had a team-leading 5.5 sacks, while Davis led the unit with four interceptions.
With only eight playoff spots up for grabs this season, there’s a good chance that most of those will be filled by the teams already mentioned. However, every season sees at least one surprise, and the list of teams that just missed a top-10 spot is very deep.
Leading that group is Crowley County, a regular playoff squad in Class 1A. The Chargers dropped to 8-man this season, and they join a tough Ark Valley division. Not only does that league house #2 Fowler, but also Holly, Springfield, and even Wiley, who drew one vote after struggling to win a game over the last two seasons.
The Chargers were second in the Santa Fe last year, but that wasn’t good enough to get into the playoffs. Adam Schulz rushed for close to 1100 yards in only seven games, and he should rejoin QB Tach Brewer in the backfield in 2020.
Holly will be a challenger in that league, behind the play of quarterback Dakota Eaton. He threw for 1700 yards as a sophomore, and was second on the team with 469 rush yards. His classmate, Dominic Pecina led the squad with 483 yards.
Caliche, Haxtun, and Akron are the three Plains teams that didn’t get into the top-10, but still got several votes. It will be tough for any of the three to get into the final eight, with the other half of the league bringing back as much as they do.
Vail Christian, Hayden, and Soroco could be in position to get into the top two of the Northwest, if one of the ranked squads struggle. Vail Christian won the league last year, while Soroco was third.
Lyons is in its first season of eight-man after a long stint in 1A. The Lions have not had a winning record since 2014 and last made the playoffs in 2012. They are projected to be the top team in the Central, ahead of Elbert and Denver Christian.
