There should be no trouble spotting Friday night’s brightest lights. They’ll be visible from eastern Colorado, where Akron will welcome Limon in an annual, must-see matchup that fills up bleachers and defines Colorado schoolboy football past and present.
The two small-school programs have combined to win the past eight Class 1A state titles, accounted for three of the top five winning streaks since records were first kept in 1921 and probably shut down more tiny towns on Friday nights than sheriffs’ curfews.
Both programs are 3-0 in 2009 entering the nonleague game, but this one has ramifications that will be felt throughout the class and may be the prelude to a playoff rematch.
Consider the credentials: Akron, top-ranked in The Denver Post/9News 1A poll, is on a 42-game roll and has won the past three state titles. No. 2 Limon set the Colorado record of 50 consecutive victories into the 2006 playoffs, has won a state record 17 championships and is itching to take another turn unseating the Rams, as it did from 2003-05.
However, coach Mike O’Dwyer realizes what awaits his Badgers, and it begins at the Rams’ top.
“(The Rams) are the same, they’re so freaking good and it’s because of Brian Christensen (141-22 career record),” O’Dwyer said. “He’s the best coach in Colorado football. He’s so good, he makes the rest of us feel like we should quit.”
It’s widely acknowledged that Akron runs the single-wing offense as if it invented it. The Rams’ defense has put up 20 shutouts since the beginning of 2006. Through three games, Chance Friedly, Byron Guy and Kendall Monasmith have been notable among a long list of team leaders who shy away from any individual spotlight.
For Limon, senior quarterback Matt Brown triggers a versatile offense that includes power and option rushing as well as one of 1A’s top passing games. On defense, the Badgers, O’Dwyer said, will need their best game.
