First 2013 Colorado football championship to be decided

There's no secret to the success the Liberty/Stratton football team has had this season, according to coach Toby Kechter.

"We can run, we can pass and we can block," said Kechter of his co-op squad. "And we play pretty good defense."

That formula earned the team the No. 1 seed in the Class A 6-Man playoffs and has landed the Eagles (11-0) in Saturday's championship game against second-seeded Hi-Plains (Seibert) (10-1). Kechter said the Patriots have a similar makeup, and that's why he thinks the game will be a close one decided by which team does the little things right.

"It could come down to special teams, or to who is just having the better day," Kechter said. "A lot of times games like this come down to that."

One thing Kechter is expecting is a close contest, something his players from Liberty/Stratton haven't experienced since a 26-6 victory over Eads on Sept. 13.

"We haven't played our starters all the way through since Week 3," said Kechter, whose team has scored 50 or more points in nine of their 11 contests. "In the semis last week (an 84-38 win at Prairie) we pulled them with seven minutes to play. That's the deepest they've played since Week Three."

The Eagles are averaging a little more than 60 points per game and have outscored their playoff opponents 138-44. Quarterback Trevor Thompson averages only 80.9 passing yards per game, but that's because the team doesn't have to throw very often, according to Kechter.

"He's 6-foot-4, 195 yards and can throw it 70 yards in the air. I've seen him do it in front of college scouts," Kechter said. "He can play football at the next level, if he doesn't decide to play baseball."

Kechter also believes senior MC Griffin can play collegiately. A 6-3, 195-pound senior, Griffin is the team's leading tackler at 8.1 per game and has recorded 39 pancake blocks. He also has 912 yards rushing and 336 yards receiving, accounting for 26 offensive touchdowns.

"MC does everything well," Kechter said. "He blocks tremendously well and he loves to hit people on defense."

Junior Kyle English is the team's leading rusher, with 1,375 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground.

Kechter said his team will have its hands full with Hi-Plains, who he admits has played much better competition. That hasn't stopped the Patriots from averaging 50 points per game while outscoring their foes 550-323.

Hi-Plains has a pair of standout running backs in seniors Alex Nelson (1,375 yards, 24 TDs) and Clay Cordell (1,204, 22). Quarterback Logan Henry has 767 yards and 13 scores through the air, but the Patriots have four players who have thrown at least a dozen passes on the year.

While 6-Man wraps up its season Saturday, the rest of the state's smaller classifications are entering the semifinal round. There haven't been many surprises, as the top four seeds are all still alive in 2A and 1A. There was a mild upset in 8-Man, as No. 5 Caliche (Iliff) knocked off No. 4 Simla 46-28 in last week's quarterfinals to reach this week's final four.

In 2A action, top-seeded Brush (10-0) will host No. 4 Faith Christian (Arvada) (9-2) in a battle of teams that like to line up and pound the ball.

"We told the kids it will be a clash of two teams that look pretty similar to each other," said Eagles coach Blair Hubbard, who led Faith Christian to championships in 2004, 2006 and 2009.

The Beetdiggers have rolled through their first 10 games, outscoring their opponents 426-79. Brush's closest game was a 22-14 Week Two victory over Fort Morgan, a 3A school.  The Beetdiggers have a dominant rushing attack, chewing up 3,350 yards on the ground with 43 scores. They have a potent 1-2 punch in senior Randy Baker (1,062 yards, 18 scores) and junior Michael Gutierrez (885, 8).

Quarterback Kyle Rosenbrock is also a dual threat, with 944 yards passing and 585 yards on the ground.

"I think everyone thinks of us as a run-first team and that's what we are, but we can throw the ball when we need to," Brush coach Randy Dreitz said. "(Kyle) does throw the ball well. He's a very good athlete and he can scramble around and run it, but he can also throw it really well."

"I think (Rosenbrock) has really improved through the season," Hubbard said. "Most of what they do comes off of play action. So if our DB's get sucked up too much in the run game, he has the ability to beat you over the top."

Faith Christian, meanwhile, likes to line up behind their big offensive line and pound the ball down the field. The Eagles have good size up front, averaging between 220-240 pounds. Senior Josh Mihalcin anchors the trenches on both sides of the ball and has three sacks on the season.

Faith Christian has six players with at least 100 yards rushing this season, headed by junior Daniel Langewisch (1,357, 20) and sophomore Adam Buchmann (732, 11). Both players will also take snaps out of the Eagles' single-wing attack.
Drietz, for one, doesn't expect many surprises when the two teams square off Saturday.

"We've met quite often, in the playoffs and outside of the playoffs," Drietz said. "They're well coached and they have dang good athletes like they always do. We know them and they know us."

No. 2 Manitou Springs (11-0) will host third-seeded Platte Valley (Kersey) (9-1) in the other semifinal. The Mustangs kept their undefeated season alive by knocking off defending champion Kent Denver 9-7 in the quarterfinals. Manitou Springs has outscored its opponents 358-71 this season and is led by senior quarterback Johnny Swanson, a two-way threat who has 1,276 yards of total offense this season.

The Broncos, who advanced to the title game last year before falling to Kent Denver, rolled to a 48-11 win over Bennett in the quarterfinals and bring a seven-game winning streak into the contest. Platte Valley's only loss was a 28-10 defeat at the hands of Brush on Sept. 20.

The Broncos are led by senior Logan Sitzman, who has accumulated more than 2,100 yards of offense this season – 1,145 through the air and 957 on the ground.

In 1A action, top-seeded Buena Vista will host No. 4 Paonia in one semifinal; No. 3 Centauri (La Jara) travels to No. 2 Limon in the other.

Buena Vista (11-0) survived a scare in the quarterfinals, needing a 3-yard touchdown run from sophomore quarterback Keegan Wentz with 18 seconds remaining to pull out a 42-35 victory over No. 9 Resurrection Christian (Loveland). Wentz has more than 2,500 yards of offense this season, equally as dangerous on the ground (1,228 yards, 21 scores) as through the air (1,319, 14).

The Demons face a Paonia (10-1) team that averages 317 yards rushing a game. The Eagles' ground attack is led by sophomore Taylor Walters (1,731, 20) and senior Will Austin (1,124, 7).

Second-seeded Limon is looking to add to its record 17 state titles by winning its first since 2005. The Badgers bring an 11-0 mark into the contest with Centauri and are coming off a 22-0 shutout of Yuma in the quarterfinals. Senior quarterback Gavin Liggett spearheads the Limon attack, amassing 1,213 yards on the ground and 932 through the air to go with 27 total touchdowns.

The Falcons (10-1) have a balanced offense behind junior quarterback KC Jarvies (1,494 passing) and the two-headed rushing attack of senior Jason Buhr (1,060) and junior Jareb Aziz (844).

Caliche's reward for knocking off Simla is a date with 8-Man's No. 1 seeded team, the Hoehne Farmers.
Hoehne (11-0) has scored 40 or more points in all of its contests and has won all but one of their games by 20 points or more. Senior Wyatt Schrepfer has 1,659 all-purpose yards to pace the Farmers.

The Buffaloes (10-1) have four players with at least 400 yards rushing, headed by senior Mitch Davison's 1,140 yards and 15 touchdowns.

No. 2 Dayspring Christian Academy (Greeley) (11-0) faces No. 3 Norwood (10-1) in the other 8-Man semifinal. The Eagles have rarely been challenged while rolling to their undefeated record, outscoring their opponents 512-130 and winning every game by double-digits.

Junior Kylar Mai is one of the most dangerous weapons in the state, combining for more than 3,000 yards of total offense (1,861 rushing, 1,158 passing) and 50 scores (33 on the ground, 17 through the air).

The Mavericks, meanwhile, have reeled off eight straight victories after dropping a 44-40 decision to Hoehne on Sept. 14.

MaxPreps Colorado state football brackets