The ability to pass the ball doesn’t necessarily translate to success in the 8-man football ranks, but the 2024 season could very well be the year of heavy air strikes.
Heading into the season, the top three passers from last year all return to their squads. Simla’s Caston Cox (1,997 passing yards), West Grand’s Blake Terrberry (1,852) and Vail Christian’s Asher Morris (1,697) were the only three players in the classification to throw for over 1,600 yards last year. They each threw for at least 22 touchdowns and the three of them combined threw just 12 interceptions.
Perhaps more importantly, they all led their teams to the playoffs.
That’s not to say that for all three teams it was a one-man effort. Far from it, in fact. But there is a definitive advantage to bringing back leadership at key positions as the slate is wiped clean and everyone gets a fair shot at making a play for a state championship.
And from the outside looking in, there are a lot of teams that could seemingly make a play for a state title this year. That’s not to take anything away from Mancos. After a narrow loss to Haxtun in the regular season, the Blue Jays steamrolled their way to their first state tile in program history.
Starting two weeks after the loss to the Fightin’ Bulldogs, Mancos won eight straight games and held their opponents scoreless six times over the course of seven weeks in that span. That included the state championship win over Haxtun.
But heavy senior losses will make defending that title a challenge for the Blue Jays.
Quarterback Kail Wayman led the Blue Jays in passing yards (1,136) and rushing yards (1,847) last year. Levi Martin also broke the 1,000-rushing yard mark, going for 1,003 in 2023. But both players graduated are turning their roles over to younger players with far less experience.
Incoming junior Evan Woody attempted just nine passes all of last season, although he completed six of them for 151 yards and three touchdowns.
Jonah Ritter will be the team’s returning leading rusher, going for 217 yards and two scores on 38 carries.
The defending champions will enter the season with potential, but will have to prove their mettle early in the year. They’ll get that chance in Week 2 when they face Dove Creek, the No. 5 seed in last year’s state tournament.
If Mancos does indeed take a step back, the field looks wide open.
Byers is someone worth keeping an eye on as it brings back its top passer (Chase Long), rusher (Kaleb Willoughby) and receiver (AJ Engle). This senior-heavy roster advanced to the quarterfinals last year and lost to Haxtun 20-8.
Lyons lost some significant offensive fire power, but Malik Sigg-Brown was the No. 5 rusher in the classification with 1,341 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2023. Him coming back can a big boost for a team that was within reach of the state semifinals.
Along with Terryberry coming back, West Grand also returns a ton of experience which can be dangerous when combined with Chris Brown’s 365 wins as a coach, more than anyone else in state history.
It wasn’t long ago that Sedgwick County winning a state title was nearly a foregone conclusion heading into the 8-man season. But the times, they are a changin.
Right now, the 8-man title is anyone’s for the taking.
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2024 8-man football outlook
Regular season begins: Aug. 22
Regular season ends: Nov. 2
State championship game: Nov. 29 at CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl
Defending state champion: Mancos
New teams in classification for 2024-26 cycle: Clear Creek (1A), Rocky Ford (1A), Sangre de Cristo (6-man)
Returning 1st/2nd team all-state players:
- Jaxon Carlson (Sedgwick County)
- Caston Cox (Simla)
- Devin Eaton (Holly)
- TJ Eurich (Simla)
- Anderson Filla (Akron)
- Treven Kocerha (Simla)
- Chase Long (Byers)
- Coen Schmidt (Merino)
- Malik Sigg-Brown (Lyons)
- Grant Statz (Haxtun)
- Blake Terryberry (West Grand)
- Kaleb Willoughby (Byers)
- Ryland Wolff (Haxtun)
- Kaiden Wyatt (Mancos)
Top returning passers:
| RANK | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YARDS | TOUCHDOWNS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caston Cox | Simla | 1,997 | 33 |
| 2 | Blake Terryberry | Granada | 1,852 | 29 |
| 3 | Asher Morris | Vail Christian | 1,697 | 22 |
| 4 | Chase Long | Byers | 1,562 | 22 |
| 5 | Coen Schmidt | Merino | 1,545 | 11 |
Top returning rushers:
| RANK | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YARDS | TOUCHDOWNS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaleb Willoughby | Byers | 1,674 | 25 |
| 2 | Anderson Filla | Akron | 1,565 | 25 |
| 3 | Malik Sigg-Brown | Lyons | 1,341 | 21 |
| 4 | Levon Bachicha | Hoehne | 1,257 | 14 |
| 5 | Coen Schmidt | Merino | 1,226 | 14 |
Top returning tacklers:
| RANK | PLAYER | SCHOOL | TOTAL TACKLES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Reyes | Belleview Christian | 140 |
| 2 | Anderson Filla | Akron | 112 |
| 3 | Grant Statz | Haxtun | 108 |
| 4 | Jayson Guzzo | Hoehne | 107 |
| 5 | Keegan Holloran | Crowley County | 104 |
