Like déjà vu all over again.
For the second straight year, and under eerily similar circumstances, Merino will travel to Haxtun on Saturday to decide the Class A 8-man championship.
“It’s two different years and two different teams,” said Haxtun coach Dave Shafer, whose team won last year’s title game 30-0. “We are playing a lot better than we were earlier in the season when we were embarrassed by them.”
Merino (11-0) handed the Fightin’ Bulldogs their lone loss of the season in Week 5, a 46-12 drubbing in Haxtun. In that game, Rams running back Chance Barber led the rushing attack with 144 yards, and Merino had five scoring plays of more than 40 yards.
“I think it’s easy for Haxtun. They know what didn’t work and they just have to fix it,” Merino coach John Barber said. “We are behind the 8-ball. What are we going to change to combat their corrections?”
An interesting dilemma indeed for the Rams. Quarterback Karl Mertens, Chance Barber and Ross Brunkhardt have run the ball hard in three playoff games, including 370 yards in the quarterfinals against Longmont Christian. They were held in check for the most part last Saturday by Granada. A 43-yard Mertens touchdown run gave the Rams the cushion they needed in the fourth quarter to win 16-3.
“With that dive-keeper play we run a lot, we know they are going to really focus on trying to shut that down,” John Barber said. “It’s just a matter for us, if they shut it down, to find someplace else to run.”
Said Shafer: “Our defense, every player has a responsibility, and that broke down … a lot. We just can’t roll over like we did in the second quarter (of the first game). This will be our biggest defensive challenge of the year.”
The Haxtun offense was clicking on all cylinders last week in a 48-0 rout of Plains League rival Stratton. Cameron Ham rushed for 234 yards and scored the Bulldogs’ first five touchdowns. Quarterback Andy Wernsman is just as big a threat to run as he is pass, and has capable targets in ends Garrick Biesemeier, Brian Krier and Jordan Hagemeyer. “I think we are as well balanced a team as you’re going to find,” Shafer said.
Every title game since 1997 has featured Haxtun or Merino except for that of 2002. Haxtun has seven overall titles, including a three-peat from 1989-91. Merino has five titles.
