2016 Class C 8-Man Playoffs (First Round)

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VimSince03
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2016 Class C 8-Man Playoffs (First Round)

Post by VimSince03 » Wed Oct 26, 2016 2:45 pm

Playoff Bracket: http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/docu ... ket-C8.pdf

Top-side of Bracket

Twin Bridges (5-3) at Belt (9-0) - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 10/29

Twin Bridges Key Players: RB/LB Wesley Harshbarger, QB/LB Chase Guinnane, WR/DB Cooper Christensen, OL/DL Gage Baumeister

Belt Key Players: QB/S Harry Green, TE/DE Jarin Maki, WR/DB Keagan Stroop, RB/LB Jess Bodner

Winner of this one plays the winner of Circle/DGS. Twin Bridges comes in as the #4 seed out of the Western C while Belt comes in as the #1 seed out of the Northern C. Belt rolled through its regular season and went undefeated. They pitched four shutouts and had an average margin of victory of 49-5. Their closest game all season was a 49-16 victory over Cascade who took 2nd in the Northern C. Belt is led by dual-threat QB Harry Green who put together one of the best seasons by a QB in 8-man. The junior is joined by Jarin Maki, Keagan Stroop, and Jess Bodner as the primary playmakers for the Huskies. Twin Bridges' start of their season got off to a tough start as they were waiting for RB/LB Wesley Harshbarger to come back from injury. They lost their first two games to Flint Creek and Victor who took 3rd and 2nd, respectively, in Western C. They pretty much had to win out or at least win 5 of 6. They did just that and clinched a seed with a 62-33 win over Plains in the final week as Arlee, the other team in contention, lost to Charlo and eliminated themselves from the race. QB Chase Guinnane kept the ship afloat while Harshbarger was out and he is a definite threat on offense. The Falcons are definitely the toughest #4 seed in the tournament (Scobey is a close second) and will give Belt a good game. But Belt is too explosive and has a really good shot at making the championship. Prediction: Belt wins 50-23.

Circle (5-3) at Denton/Geyser/Stanford (8-1) - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 10/29

Circle Key Players: QB/DE Brett Delp, OL/DT Ethan Beery, OL/LB Eric Peter, RB/MLB Calder Fleming

DGS Key Players: QB/LB Rhett Woodhall, RB/LB Carson Norskog, RB/DB Clay Hill, OL/DL Sean Bronec

The winner of this one plays the winner of Twin Bridges/Belt. Circle comes in as the #3 seed out of the Eastern C while DGS comes in as the #2 seed out of the Southern C. Denton/Geyser/Stanford went 8-1 in a very successful first season in 8-man. Their lone loss of the season was a 54-8 decision to Ennis (which was actually one of Ennis' closer games of the season). 39-8 was the Bearcats average margin of victory in their wins so they are definitely a good team. They have a good running game with the duo of Carson Norskog and Clay Hill. Rhett Woodhall filled in for injured QB Kordell Carpetner all season and did a very good job of leading the offense. Rhett's older brother Kade was the QB of DGS's state championship squad last year. Circle surprised some people in the Eastern C this year as they were just 2-5 in 2015. They are led by QB/DE Brett Delp who is one of the bigger athletes in 8-man at quarterback. Circle has steadily improved throughout the year as they started off with bad losses to Wibaux and Fairview but finished the season with a 40-36 loss to Wibaux (yes they played them twice and this game counted towards conference) and a 50-32 win over Scobey to clinch 3rd place. This should be an interesting game because Circle is definitely bigger than DGS at several positions. Prediction: DGS wins 36-32.

Chester/Joplin/Inverness (5-4) at Charlo (8-1) - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 10/29

CJI Key Players: QB/LB Cory Richter, RB/LB Brett Henke, WR/LB Clark Diemert, WR/DB Evan Dahinden

Charlo Key Players: QB/LB Landers Smith, RB/LB Jared Doty, RB/DB Trent Dennison, WR/LB Zane Hafliger

The winner of this one plays the winner of Harlowton/Fairview. CJI comes in as the #4 seed out of the Northern C while Charlo comes in as the #1 seed out of the Western C. Charlo is one of the best teams in the field this year. They have one of the best QB's in Class C 8-man in Landers Smith. The Vikings boast one of the best run games in 8-man with seniors Jared Doty and Trent Dennison sharing the carries along with Smith. They also have two big receivers in Zane Hafliger (6'0", 190) and Brady Fryberger (6'1", 195). Overall, they have a bunch of kids between 180 and 200 lbs. which is good size for 8-man. Their lowest scoring output on the year was a 40-12 win over Victor while their only loss was a 54-52 defeat to Fairview in the season opener. CJI is possibly the weakest team in the field as they limped into the playoffs, losing to a previously winless Fort Benton squad last week, 54-12. They do have a good QB in Cory Richter and a few decent skill players but they are going to have their hands full with Charlo. I'm pretty high on the Vikings as a contender and I foresee a Belt/Charlo semifinal. Prediction: Charlo wins 60-16.

Harlowton (7-2) at Fairview (6-1) - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 10/29

Harlowton Key Players: RB/LB Asa Woodard, WR/DB Kane Lawson, RB/LB Keelan Taber, RB/DB Gunnar Eoff

Fairview Key Players: QB/LB Tanner Reynolds, RB/DB Cody Asbeck, RB/DB Taryn Candee, TE/MLB Pat Hardy

Winner of this one plays the winner of CJI/Charlo. Harlowton comes in as the #3 seed out of the Southern C while Fairview comes in as the #2 seed out of the Eastern C. Fairview comes in with an solid resume with a big non-conference win over Charlo and one loss on the season to rival Wibaux, 42-20. Wibaux jumped out to a fast start in that game before both teams settled in as I think they are fairly even. The Warriors are led by QB Tanner Reynolds, a pair of RB's in Cody Asbeck & Taryn Candee, and a big TE in Pat Hardy (Coach Greg Hardy's younger brother and brother of current Griz Ben Hardy). Fairview also has some good size and depth along the lines and has a total of 12 Seniors/Juniors on the team. Harlowton has had a decent season with seven wins. They came into their Week 6 game against Ennis undefeated but were upended 68-0 by the high-powerd Mustangs. They followed that loss up with a 47-28 defeat to DGS. However, they bounced back to win their last two games handily to secure the #3 seed. They are led by RB Asa Woodard, one of the better running backs in Class C 8-man, as well as skill players Kane Lawson, Keelan Taber, and Gunnar Eoff. Harlowton can hang with Fairview if the Warriors decide to get in a shootout but Fairview should be able to run the ball well enough to control this game. Prediction: Fairview wins 41-20.

Bottom-side of Bracket

Scobey/Ophiem (5-3) at Ennis (9-0) - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 10/29

Scobey Key Players: RB/LB Riley Linder, QB/DB CJ Nelson, TE/LB Kobe Ralston, OL/DL Adler Morgan

Ennis Key Players: OL/DE Ty Morgan, RB/DE Jake Knack, WR/MLB Gavin McKitrick, QB/OLB Tanner Wood

The winner of this one plays the winner of Flint Creek/Cascade. Scobey comes in as the #4 seed out of the Eastern C while Ennis comes in as the #1 seed out of the Southern C. I will start this one by talking about Scobey. They went 5-3 in the Eastern C by beating the bad teams by a large margin but losing to the good teams (Wibaux, Scobey, Circle) bu double digits. Their best loss of the season was a 32-22 defeat to Wibaux but they also los 70-20 to Fairview and 50-32 to Circle. The Spartans have a very good running back in Riley Linder and a decent QB with CJ Nelson. However, they simply do not matchup at all with Ennis. Ennis finished their regular season going 9-0 with a 74-14 win. The usual five guys (the Wood brothers, Jake Knack, Gavin McKitrick, and Austin Baum) did all the scoring, usually in the first half. They also have a 6'5", 220 lb. OL/DE in Ty Morgan who wrecks game plans defensively (Morgan won the Shot Put and Discus at State C track last year). One more thing worth mentioning as that this team could've also had Cleet Wrzesinksi who transferred to Baker in the offseason, which would have made them even faster. During the season, Ennis' average margin of victory was 71-12. Their average halftime score? 56-1 (they allowed six points to Shields Valley in the second quarter of that game). Their average first quarter score? 41-0! The Ennis Mustangs may have completed the most dominant regular season of any team in Montana Class C 8-Man history. Those are staggering numbers. Their starters did not play a full game during the regular season because of the margin of victory. The three teams that finished below them and made the playoffs in the Southern C were DGS, Harlowton, and Park City. Ennis beat those three teams by an average of 67-7. Good luck to any team that thinks they can slow down the Ennis Mustangs. Also, Scobey has to travel the second longest distance for a playoff game in any class this week. Prediction: 70-8.

Flint Creek (Drummond/Granite) (5-3) at Cascade (8-1) - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 10/29

Flint Creek Key Players: RB/MLB Colby Manley, QB/OLB Colton Grange, TE/DT Riley Allen, OL/DT Johnny Reynolds

Cascade Key Players: RB/DE Wade Wombold, TE/DB Jayson Fredrickson, QB/LB Josh Pepos, RB/LB Tristan Stockton

Winner of this one plays the winner of Scobey/Ennis. Flint Creek comes in as the #3 seed out of the Western C while Cascade comes in as the #2 seed out of the Northern C. This will be an interesting matchup. Flint Creek had a very bright season ahead of them that took a huge blow early with losing QB Mark Estes to a leg injury in the first game of the season, which was a 52-12 victory over Twin Bridges. Estes accounted for six touchdowns in the opening game and was hurt in the 4th quarter. He is one of the best juniors in the entire state as he is super athletic (ran an 11.21 100M dash, a 23.02 200m dash, a 21'8" long jump, and a 1st Place State C Triple Jump of 45'4" as a sophomore) with good size (6'1", 180 lbs.). However, they kept plugging away, finishing with a 5-3 record. RB Colby Manley picked up the slack and had a great year running the ball. Colton Grange filled in at QB while Johnny Reynolds and Riley Allen manned the lines. Cascade had one of their best seasons in a long time under new head coach Jay Frederickson (longtime coach from Ennis). The Badges are led by RB Wade Wombold as well as QB Josh Pepos, WR Jayson Fredrickson, and ATH Tristan Stockton. Their lone loss on the season was a 49-16 decision to Belt but won their final five games to secure the #2 seed in the Northern C. I think both of these teams matchup relatively even and I'm predicting this one to be close. Prediction: Flint Creek wins 27-22.

Park City (6-3) at Wibaux (7-0) - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 10/29

Park City Key Players: RB/LB Connor McNeal, RB/LB Brandon Flemmer, WR/DB Devon Dennis, QB/DB Tucker Zuhoski

Wibaux Key Players: RB/LB Shawn Schaefferkoetter, QB/LB Noah Schnieder, OL/DL Robb Braden, OL/DL Trey Dschaak

The winner of this one plays the winner of GFCC/Victor. Park City comes in as the #4 seed out of the Southern C while Wibaux comes in as the #1 seed out of the Eastern C. Park City has a good RB duo of Connor McNeal and Brandon Flemmer. QB Tucker Zuhoski and WR Devon Dennis make up the rest of the core skill players. Park City is a lot like Scobey in that they beat up on the bottom teams in their conference but lost to the top three (Ennis, DGS, Harlowton) by double digits. They are one of those middle tier teams. Wibaux will be playing in their final 8-man playoff as they will drop down to 6-man next year due to declining enrollment. Wibaux is one of the most storied programs in Class C history and this season has been no different as they come into the 2016 playoffs undefeated. They have one of the best running backs in the state in Shawn Schaefferkoetter, a tough QB in Noah Schnieder, and three great lineman in Robb Braden, Trey Dschaak, and Cole Nelson who all are over 205 lbs. Overall, I don't think Park City can stop this ground attack and I think Wibaux moves on easily. Prediction: Wibaux wins 48-12.

Great Falls Central Catholic (6-3) at Victor (6-2) - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 10/29

GFCC Key Players: QB/LB Noah Ambuehl, RB/LB Nick Wilkins, RB/DB Coulton Lewis, WR/DB Ethan Vincent

Victor Key Players: QB/LB Jesse Pearson, RB/LB Colt Neville, RB/DB Jack Powell, OL/DL Jayce Allred

The winner of this one plays the winner of Park City/Wibaux. GFCC comes in as the #3 seed out of the Northern C while Victor comes in as the #2 seed out of the Western C. The GFCC Mustangs are primarily led by QB Noah Ambuehl and RB Nick Wilkins. They have a few decent skill players in Coulton Lewis and Ethan Vincent. They had a few close wins against some weaker teams in the Northern C, which I believe is the weakest conference in 8-man. They also finished the season with a bad 18-8 loss to Centerville. However, they only lost 28-22 to a good Cascade team so they can step up and compete. They also have enough offense as they were in one of the best shootouts in a long time against CJI, winning 82-74. Victor comes in at 6-2 with losses to Charlo (40-12) and Flint Creek (44-36). Victor is one of the more physical 8-man teams and boast a tough rushing attack. They are led by QB Jesse Pearson, FB Colt Neville, and RB Jack Powell who share the ball fairly evenly. The Pirates also have a good two-way lineman in Jayce Allred and a TE/LB in Logan McKinley. The may look like a close matchup when comparing records but I don't think the Mustangs matchup with the Pirates. Prediction: Victor wins 34-12.


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Bemiller49
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Re: 2016 Class C 8-Man Playoffs (First Round)

Post by Bemiller49 » Thu Oct 27, 2016 11:41 am

I love these. Thanks for doing them Vim!



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VimSince03
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Re: 2016 Class C 8-Man Playoffs (First Round)

Post by VimSince03 » Thu Oct 27, 2016 11:43 am

Bemiller49 wrote:I love these. Thanks for doing them Vim!
Only got one left!


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Re: 2016 Class C 8-Man Playoffs (First Round)

Post by utucats » Wed Nov 02, 2016 3:18 pm

Yeah these are great VIM. I posted in another thread about Cascade's Ferguson. He's on the radar and should be. My cousin is the QB for Cascade so I've seen a lot of their games. Ferguson has been the best player on the field every game this season, IMO.


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Re: 2016 Class C 8-Man Playoffs (First Round)

Post by MTCowpoke22 » Wed Nov 30, 2016 5:23 pm

Great write up. I'm new to the Nation, so just poking around everything and just found this. Had to read about Ennis/Scobey as I grew up in Scobey. I can't argue with Ennis being in the conversation about one of the most dominant regular seasons ever, but it's hard to just use scores to determine how dominant they are versus teams of the past. We had a very similar season in 1996 in Scobey, but our points differentials aren't close to Ennis' because the old mercy rule ended the game when the victor was 45 points ahead. The new rule allows the game to continue to the end with a running clock.


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