For a majority of the remaining teams in the Class 2A football playoffs, the rally cry was in full effect in the state quarterfinals. On the brink of getting sent home bruised and battered after tough losses, the kids from Eaton, Elizabeth and The Classical Academy instead had the battle scars that didn’t feel as painful this week because they know they earned them toward victory.
A late touchdown (in Eaton’s case), a last-minute field goal (Elizabeth) and a defensive stop on a two-point conversion in overtime (TCA) sent those teams to the semifinals, where Wellington will join them in the bid to play on after Thanksgiving.
In 1A, 8-man and 6-man the drama was kept to a minimum. Buena Vista, Centauri, Limon and Wray all won by two-plus touchdowns in 1A, as did Haxtun, McClave, Sanford and Akron in 8-man. With blowouts for Idalia, Cheyenne Wells and Stratton in 6-man, the Peetz-Otis matchup (won by Peetz) was the only heart-stopper in the smallest classification.
And now we arrive at the final four, with possibilities for some sloppy weather on the horizon (finally!). Here’s a look at the semifinals matchups for Saturday’s games.
Class 2A
(9) Eaton at (4) Elizabeth
The Cardinals have allowed 35 points a game over the past three weeks, yet they’ve won them all as part of an overall five-game win streak. That streak has been upheld thanks to a rush attack that has averaged 272 yards a game through the season (and 338 ypg the past three weeks). Now, they’ll host an Eaton squad that has defeated them in the playoffs twice since 2021, including last season. The Reds got a season-most 234 passing yards last week against Strasburg, which countered a slow day on the ground. However, Jackson Savona scored two touchdowns on the ground to give him 14 on the season.
(3) The Classical Academy at (2) Wellington
Not much to say about this one, right? Wellington will be looking for revenge after last year’s disappointing championship game loss to the Titans, which came down to a controversial call on a fumble near the end zone. Looking simply at this year’s teams, though, both have emerged unscathed thus far with 11-0 marks, and both have been exceptional in all facets of the game. TCA’s Jackson Schipfer has 395 yards and 5 TDs in the playoffs; WHS’ Tanner Gray has scored seven times this postseason.
Class 1A
(4) Centauri at (1) Buena Vista
These teams have played each other 18 times since 2006, but not many times in the playoffs. The 11-0 Demons won a Sept. 11 matchup 37-27 with the defense producing 10 tackles for loss and senior Hudson Wingo producing three passing TDs. BV’s Eli Schuknecht has 290 yards on just 23 carries in the playoffs and he’ll likely see a lot of carries this week, similar to the teams’ last meeting (25 carries, 126 yards). Centauri’s defense has been solid in the playoffs, including allowing just 130 yards to Highland last week. The Falcons have allowed just 10.9 points per game this season.
(6) Wray at (2) Limon
As solid a program as Wray is, the Eagles have had a hard time getting on the right side of a result against Limon over the years. But, Wray defeated Limon during the 2024 campaign and so there is some confidence present. It’ll just have to play better than when they matched up back on Oct. 17 of this year, as Limon racked up 448 yards to WHS’ 212. Limon flattened Monte Vista last week, to the tune of just 55 offensive yards, and Jacob Jaklich has 260 yards and six scores in two playoff contests.
8-man
(4) Sanford at (1) Akron
Trason Gartrell’s magical season continued last week, as the senior surpassed 2,000 rushing yards and scored six more touchdowns in an absolute blowout of Dayspring Christian. The assignment gets tougher against the Rams, but Gartrell has 17 scores over the past three games. Akron also manhandled Mancos last week, with Kolten Randel accounting for six scores, too. The sophomore has been steady-as-she-goes all season long. These teams have not met in the MaxPreps era.
(3) McClave at (2) Haxtun
It’s no surprise the Bulldogs are to this point, with their defense still having yet to allow 100 points in total this season (just 94 through 11 games). Haxtun actually trailed 6-0 last week against Sedgwick County, but the hosts then found rhythm on the ground (386 yards) to wear down the opponent quickly. The formula for winning might be the same against the Cardinals, who would also like to control the game on the ground if it can. McClave senior Mason Barr has 361 yards and three scores in the playoffs and was a workhorse last week with 33 carries.
6-man
(4) Peetz at (1) Idalia
Otis and Peetz played an instant classic last week, with Dylan Wagner’s late TD rush sending the Bulldogs to a 31-30 victory. It was by far the closest challenge all season for PHS, and it gives it a little bit of a swagger coming into a tough matchup against top-seed Idalia. The Wolves are a juggernaut on offense once again, with 111 points scored in two playoff games thus far. Gabe Kechter has touched the ball 19 times on offense in these playoffs, and he’s found paydirt seven times. The teams have met only one time since 2017 — IHS won 64-12 last November.
(3) Cheyenne Wells at (2) Stratton
A rematch of last year’s championship game won by the Tigers, both programs come into Saturday’s game fresh off putting up 70 points in the previous round and close to 50 in the opening round. For CWHS, the defense has produced five turnovers in consecutive weeks and the balance on offense has made more steady results. For Stratton, Drew Fox has taken over with nine rushing TDs in the playoffs (seven just last week against Caliche). Its defense has also been solid in producing turnovers that have put the offense in favorable positions.
