8-Man Plains League Weekly Preview By Kerry Sherman Five of the six teams out of the Plains League qualified for the 8-man play-offs, making it the toughest league in the class. No other league put more than three teams in the 16-team bracket. Four of the five are in the same half of the bracket. Dayspring Christian earned the top seed in the draw and the Eagles will host #16 Elbert. The Bulldogs finished second in the Central League, behind #8 Vail Christian. Dayspring Christian is led by Kylar Mais 1575 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns, but the Eagles also get solid production in the ground game from Caleb Urwiller. John Magruder took over at quarterback this season and the senior has thrown for 1199 yards with 17 TDs. Christian Hershberger is the top target for Magruder, and hes also contributed in the return game. A win by the Eagles sets up a potential league rematch in the quarterfinals, as #9 Merino would be the opponent if the Rams can upset the unbeaten Saints from Vail Christian on Saturday. Merino, who finished fourth in the Plains, went 6-3, behind an offense that averaged 242 yards a game on the ground. Three backs gained at least 367 yards, led by Marcelino Baptista with 837. The Rams scored 27 TDs on the ground. No one scored more than 16 points in a game against Vail Christian, and the six points posted by Elbert last week were the first points allowed by the Saints since September 20. They allowed 50 points in their nine regular season games. Next up in the bracket are the Sedgwick County Cougars at #13. The Cougars, who finished fifth in the Plains will travel to face Granada, the champion of the Ark Valley. The strength of the league helped the Cougars get into the field, as they lost their last four games, all to play-off teams. Trey Walter leads the Cougars with over 1900 yards of offense (1222 passing, 682 rushing) and Cole McKinley has contributed 1310 yards on the ground. Granada has won six straight since a loss to Merino in mid-September, and the Bobcats have allowed 14 points or fewer in their last five games. Should the Cougars pull off the upset, they too could face a league rival in the quarterfinals. Akron, the third place finisher in the Plains, earned the #5 seed. The Rams will play host to Sargent on Saturday in the opening round. Akrons offense is led by Jared Clarkson, who has over 1700 yards passing and more than 1000 yards on the ground. Jordan Herder and Darrion Gibbs have provided punch in the rushing game, combining for close to 1000 yards and 13 TDs. Levi Basler and Tyler Hottinger are two of the top receiving threats, as the duo has combined for 60 receptions, 1176 yards and 16 scores. The Farmers finished second in the Mountain League, winning their last three and five of their last seven. Caliche is the only Plains team in the bottom half of the bracket and the Buffs drew the #3 seed after finishing second in the league. The Buffs held six of their nine opponents under 20 points this season, and only Dayspring Christian (33) topped 30 in a game. Caliche made the finals last season against Dayspring, and the draw is set up for a potential sequel. A win by the Buffs over McClave, the #3 team from the Ark Valley, would set the stage for a quarterfinal contest against either Sangre de Cristo or Hoehne. McClave made the field by winning three of its last four games. File Photo by Dennis Hagemeyer: Dayspring Christian vs. Haxtun Presented by the Alan Baer Insurance Agency
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 13:24:17 +0000