2016 Class C 8-Man Playoffs (Quarterfinals)

[VimSince03]

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

Top-side of Bracket

Circle at Belt - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 11/5

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

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

Belt QB Harry Green has arguably been the MVP of 8-man this year with how integral he has been to the Huskies undefeated record. His MVP status grew brighter last Saturday as the senior passed for 288 yards, ran for 236, and totaled five touchdowns (4 rushing/1 passing) leading the the Huskies to a 58-27 win over the Twin Bridges Falcons. Jarin Maki ran for a score and caught Green's lone touchdown pass while Keagann Stroop ran in the other score. Twin Bridges did not go away quietly in this game as I expected them to be competitive. QB Chance Guianne accounted for all four Falcon touchdowns, throwing scores to three different receivers and running in the other. Meanwhile, Circle was the only team to upset a higher seed in the first round as they blew out Denton/Geyser/Standford 62-24. The game was nevery really close as Circle was up 48-14 at halftime. RB Trey Taylor rushed for four touchdowns while 6'5" QB Brett Delp punched in scores from 50 and 65 yards out while throwing a 35-yard touchdown to Dylan Yerbich. Delp along with defensive tackle Ethan Beery were dominant on the defensive line for Circle who stuck the Bearcats with their third lowest point total all season. QB Rhett Woodhall accounted for two touchdowns for the Bearcats who went 8-2 in their first 8-man campaign. With how well Circle performed, it makes this quarterfinal matchup interesting. Circle is big for an 8-man team as they rarely get out-muscled in games. Harry Green is a tough QB to corral while Jarin Maki, Keagan Stroop, and Jess Bodner make up a tough quartet to prepare for. Belt losing to Wibaux 36-40 late in the year showed everyone where the Wildcats were at as a team. They will give Belt all they can handle...but I still think the Huskies offense is too tough to stop and they will beat the Wildcats with speed. Prediction: Belt wins 40-14.

Fairview at Charlo - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 11/5

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

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

As expected, Charlo completely dominated Chester/Joplin/Inverness 60-2. QB Landers Smith ran for three touchdowns while throwing one to RB Toby Odom. Odom also ran in two scores and sacked CJI QB Cory Richter in the endzone for a safety. Others to score touchdowns for the Vikings were Jared Doty and Shad Anderson. In Fairview, QB Tanner Reynolds threw for three touchdowns and ran in another en route to a 54-12 win over Harlowton. TE Pat Hardy caught two of the tosses while RB Carson Cayko caught the other. After a 6-0 first quarter Fairview lead, the Warriors exploded for 36 points in the second stanza to take control of the game. Harlowton RB Asa Woodard scored on a 12-yard run in the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-6 but the Engineers got no closer. Fairview RB Cody Asbeck ran in his lone touchdown for the first score of the game while RB Taryn Candee accounted for the final 18 points, running in two scores and returning a kickoff for a score. This sets up the Charlo/Fairview rematch from the first game of the season for each team. The Warriors beat Charlo 54-52 in the final seconds as Reynolds hit Pat Hardy for a touchdown with seven seconds left then ran in the two-point conversion. Also in that game, Charlo QB Landers Smith carried the ball 22 times for 267 yards with six rushing touchdowns as neither team could stop one another. These two teams have started a nice rivalry dating back to last year when Fairview knocked Charlo out of the quarterfinals by a final score of 66-52. Charlo believes they are due as they have done nothing but dominate since that opening weekend loss. One difference in this game? Fairview will have to travel to Charlo as they played the opening weekend game at Cascade and last year's quarterfinal matchup at Fairview. Regardless, both offenses are evenly matched and they can't stop each other on defense. Prediction: Charlo wins 50-48.

Bottom-side of Bracket

Cascade at Ennis - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 11/5

Cascade Key Players: RB/DE Wade Wombold, OL/LB Glen Ferguson, QB/LB Josh Pepos, RB/LB Tristan Stockton

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

Cascade beat Flint Creek, 44-34, to earn the Badgers their first playoff win in years. It wasn't easy as Flint Creek came out swinging, leading 14-12, 22-18, and 28-24 after quarters one, two, and three, respectively. But then Cascade outscored the Titans in the final quarter, 20-6, to secure the victory and a shot at Ennis this weekend. Cascade outgained Flint Creek 532-338 on the day as Badger RB's Tristan Stockton (202 yards) and Wade Wombold (121 yards) accounted for 323 rushing yards running behind 6'3", 225 lb. lineman Glen Ferguson. QB Josh Pepos also threw for 123 yards and two scores. Flint Creek QB Colton Grange started the scoring with a 12-yard pass to Johnny Reynolds. Grange finished with 194 yards passing, 77 yards rushing, and four total touchdowns. His backfield mate, Colby Manley, racked up 68 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Ennis did their thing and rolled the Scobey Spartans 62-8. All-State RB/LB Jake Knack accounted for six touchdowns as he ran in three, caught two, and recovered a fumble in the endzone for a score. WR/KR Austin Baum opened the scoring with a 52-yard punt return touchdown and QB Tanner Wood threw two touchdowns while running for another. Scobey's lone score came on a C.J. Nelson touchdown pass. I know I only listed four players as "key players" for the Mustangs but I could really list every starter as they are all good. The big storyline here is Jay Frederickson returning to his prior school (Ennis) where he coached the Mustangs for seven years, winning the 2013 8-man championship and qualifying for the semi-finals four times. He knows Ennis better than any coach outside the actual Ennis program but the Badgers have a steep hill to climb if they want to beat the high-powered Mustangs. Cascade has good size that can compete but Ennis has so many weapons along with good size AND speed. Ennis is that 4x100 relay team no one can catch as they don't make any mistakes and they have a great anchor in Jake Knack. If Knack gets contained, they can just go to Tanner Wood, Gavin McKitrick, Corbin Wood, or Austin Baum. Good luck to Cascade and hopefully they give Ennis their best game of the season. Prediction: Ennis wins 54-8.

Victor at Wibaux - 1:00 PM, Saturday, 11/5

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

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

Wibaux's Shawn Schaefferkoetter and Noah Schneider accounted for all seven Longhorn touchdowns en route to a 48-7 win over Park City. Schaefferkoetter scored the first three touchdowns for Wibaux on runs of 7,2, and 44. QB Noah Schneider threw for three touchdowns, snagged a pick on defense, and returned a punt 40 yards to make it 42-7 at halftime. Park City's Brandon Flemmer actually gave Park City a 7-6 lead on a 44-yard run in the first quarter but Wibaux scored 42 unanswered. Wibaux had 456 yards of offense on the day. The Victor Pirates racked up 461 yards themselves en route to a 52-0 win over Great Falls Central Catholic. Senior FB Colt Neville plowed his way for 153 yards rushing and three scores to go along with Eli Rosen's 157 yards with two scores. Victor only threw the ball four times, completing one for a touchdown as Jesse Pearson hooked up with Logan McKinley for a score. In total, Victor rushed for 411 yards with six rushing touchdowns. GFCC finished their season at 6-4 on a sour note as they lost their final three games and four out of the last five. Injuries hurt the Mustangs chances but they should contend for a Northern C title next year. Anyways, Wibaux and Victor have nearly identical styles. They both run the rock a lot and have solid lines. Both have good dual-threat QB's and featured backs. Wibaux definitely has more playoff experience than Victor and the Pirates have to travel all the way to Wibaux by taking the interstate border-to-border. Maybe Victor can stop and wish Fairview good luck as they travel to Charlo? Playoff football travel is ridiculous in Montana. My prediction is Victor doesn't have an answer for Schaefferkoetter. Prediction: Wibaux wins 42-28.

[utucats]

Under key players for Cascade need to add Glen Ferguson. Best football player on the team. Kid is physical and I've heard someone from MSU has talked to him. I know for sure he's getting interest from some smaller in state schools.

[kwcat]

Go Fairview. Go Wibaux.

[kwcat]

Vim
thanks for the time you spend on each of these classes.

[utucats]

Yeah great write up VIM. Unfortunately your prediction for Ennis Cascade is probably pretty close but I'm hoping we'll atleast a game of it.

[VimSince03]

Yeah great write up VIM. Unfortunately your prediction for Ennis Cascade is probably pretty close but I'm hoping we'll atleast a game of it.

Hope so too so I won't just assume Ennis will roll everyone. However, they are one of the most impressive 8-man teams I've ever seen. And I've seen some really good Wibaux, Drummond, and Scobey teams.

[kwcat]

Fairviewm14 Charlo 14 half