Battle in 6-Man ranks kicks off Colorado football title hunt

Thirteen weeks into the 2014 season, the time has finally come for championship football to take center stage.

While the rest of its small-school counterparts prepare for semifinal action this weekend, the Class A 6-Man ranks kick off the stretch run for Colorado prep football Saturday with the first of seven title games. Top-seeded Arickaree/Woodlin hosts No. 2 Eads at 1 p.m. at Arickaree.

Arickaree/Woodlin (11-0) will be seeking its first state title since Arickaree defeated Pawnee (Grover) 33-14 in 1988. The Indians have since formed a two-year co-op in all sports because of low numbers for both schools. Arickaree was undefeated last year before falling to Peetz by one point in a crossover game that determined who went to the playoffs.

"The team has been very focused. We had a disappointing end to the year last year, but we had all but one returning," Indians coach David Saffer said. "We had high expectations for ourselves. We've been a little more focused, and had this goal in mind but we've been taking it one game at a time."

Both squads routinely enjoyed big wins this season, though the semifinals provided a stiffer test for Eads.

The Eagles rallied to top Peetz 52-50 after trailing by eight in the fourth quarter; Arickaree/Woodlin topped the 70-point mark for the fourth time in six games with a 72-22 rout of Fleming. Senior Kyle Leoffler rushed for 305 yards and six touchdowns, and sophomore Darian Wagner had 12 tackles and two sacks.

Loeffler has rushed for 1,939 yards and 39 touchdowns on the season.

"He runs really hard, but a lot of credit goes to our blockers. Kyle gets a lot of the stats, but we've won as a team this year," Saffer said. "I think we've been a little bit more balanced, which has opened some things up for him."

Eads (11-0) hasn't won a 6-Man title since 2007, most recently falling to Fleming in the 2012 title game. The Eagles have a balanced attack behind senior quarterback Tyler Rouse and junior running back Dylan Dixon.

"It's going to be a battle. They're a smart, tough, scrappy team and they've got a good tradition," Saffer said. "With the co-op we're trying to build back that tradition, and they've had it a while. We expect it to be a very good game."

Class 2A

No. 1 Brush at No. 13 Eaton, 1 p.m., Saturday
No. 2 Kent Denver (Englewood) at No. 6 Platte Valley (Kersey), 1 p.m., Saturday

The fact that the top seeds are still in the 2A chase isn't surprising. Their opponents, on the other hand, are playing the role of the upstart.

Platte Valley (8-3) is the defending 2A state champion, but looked to be in trouble after losing three of its first six games. Since a six-point loss to Brush, though, the Broncos have won five in a row – including knocking off previously unbeaten Strasburg 23-13 in the quarterfinals.

Senior Daniel Frantz has been close to unstoppable as a dual-threat quarterback, passing and rushing for more than 1,000 yards.

But Kent Denver (11-0), the 2012 champion, is undefeated and has won every game by at least 27 points this season. Senior Jaden Franklin has rushed for 1,781 yards and 35 touchdowns and junior Will McKissick has added 613 yards and 13 scores.

On the other side of the bracket, Brush (11-0) avenged a semifinal loss to Faith Christian last season by shutting out the Eagles last Saturday. The Beetdiggers already own a 43-29 victory against Eaton back on Oct. 24, and seniors Kyle Rosenbrock and Michael Gutierrez have combined for more than 2,000 yards between them.

Eaton (8-3) is coming off upsets of No. 4 Lamar (41-20) and No. 5 Gunnison (43-21). Reds junior Dalton Waln has rushed for 1,141 yards and 13 touchdowns, and senior Nick Schreiber rushed for 175 yards and a score against Gunnison.

Class 1A

No. 4 Resurrection Christian (Loveland) at No. 1 Paonia, 1 p.m., Saturday
No. 3 Meeker at No. 2 Buena Vista, 1 p.m., Saturday

Things have stayed true to form in the 1A bracket, with the top four seeds having little trouble reaching the semifinals.

Defending state champion Paonia (11-0) shut out its previous two playoff opponents. Junior Taylor Walters has rushed for 1,830 yards and 30 touchdowns and junior Jeramiah Hillman has 904 yards on the ground.

Resurrection Christian (10-1) has lost only to 2A Platte Valley and eliminated 2013 runner-up Centauri last weekend. Senior quarterback Luke Mondt has 27 touchdown passes on the season.

Since falling to Paonia in the 2013 semifinals, Buena Vista (11-0) has dominated the competition. In a 52-14 victory against Crowley County (Ordway) in the quarterfinals, junior Cooper Eggleston erupted for a season-high 172 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Keegan Wentz has already topped the 1,000-yard mark and has 16 touchdowns.

Meeker (10-1) will be a tough out, though, with the Cowboys' only loss coming to Paonia. Senior Jake Phelan has tossed 21 TD passes and junior TJ Shelton has piled up 1,660 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns.

Class A 8-Man

No. 1 Dayspring Christian Academy (Greeley) at No. 4 Granada, 1 p.m., Saturday
No. 7 Simla at No. 3 Caliche, 1 p.m., Saturday

The 2013 finalists are still alive in the 8-Man field, with defending champion Dayspring Christian Academy and runner-up Caliche looking to get back into the title game.

The semifinal between Simla (9-2) and Caliche (10-1) is a rematch of last year's quarterfinals. Simla has won eight in a row, including an upset of previously undefeated and second-seeded Norwood 36-14 last weekend. Senior Manuel Galaviz went off for 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Caliche's only loss this season came to Dayspring Christian, and the Buffaloes have outscored the playoff competition 92-14.

Dayspring Christian (11-0) has lost only once over the past three seasons, and it came to Granada in the 2012 playoffs. The Eagles have five shutouts this season, with senior Kylar Mai leading the charge with 1,846 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Granada (10-1), which last won a title in 2006, hammered Akron 58-20 in the quarterfinals.