The two smallest classifications of prep football in Colorado both were hit hard by tragedy this summer.
Six-man is mourning Hi-Plains standout Evan Bancroft, who died in June.
In July, Hanover coach Erik Pierson lost his six-year battle with leukemia. And this month, Karval, which co-ops with Genoa-Hugo, lost linebacker John Thornton in a car accident.
“I really don’t think it has set in yet,” said Luke Decker, Pierson’s assistant. “But we have that something extra driving us this season.”
Said Genoa-Hugo coach Mike Clark: “This team is already tighter and will use this as motivation. They are playing with a lot of heart.”
The games must go on.
The state’s toughest league, in relative terms perhaps in any classification, is the Plains. Over the last 11 years, Plains League teams have won nine titles and four times, including last season when Merino beat Dayspring Christian in the championship game, the league has had two teams in the final.
“We can be very good, but our league is tough,” said Merino coach John Barber, who notched his 100th victory last season.
Merino’s Rams, by virtue of their depth, quality of the system and a crafty coach, start the season as The Denver Post’s No. 1 team and are one of four league teams in the top 10.
Dayspring Christian’s Eagles (No. 3) have speed to burn and will be tough again to defend. Sedgwick County (No. 6) and improving Caliche (No. 8) should make the weekly battles in this league worth watching.
Hoehne dropped from 11-man last season and enjoyed instant success, playing all the way to the semifinals round before being dumped by Merino. The Farmers start the season ranked No. 2 and will be a tough draw out of the South Division.
Sanford (No. 4), from the Mountain Division, transitions to 8-man ball this season, and to get ready made the lengthy trek from the San Luis Valley to Nebraska for the Chadron State football camp to learn a few tricks of the trade.
“It’s a new game,” Sanford coach Cody Reynolds said, “but no matter how many men are on the field, football is still football.”
One more team joins the 8-man ranks, coach Don McGatlin’s Miami-Yoder Buffaloes. Not all that deep, the Buffs (No. 10) will have to stay healthy to win the balanced Black Forest Division.
The 2006 champions from Granada always are tough coming out of the deep Arkansas Valley Division and the Bobcats, led by backfield duo Tyndan Marquez and Tyson Thrall, are legitimate title contenders. Many coaches have pointed to Walsh, the only other non-Plains League team to win a title back in 2001, as another threat out of the Arkansas Valley.
Other division favorites across the state include Stratton (I-70), Maranatha Christian (Central) and Dove Creek (Western).
