8-Man State Championship Previews
By: Kpreps.com
Posted: November 20, 2009 - 11:57 PM

8-Man Division I -- State Championship

Quinter (11-1) vs. Baileyville B&B (12-0)

Quinter will look to win the school’s first football state title since 1992 as they take the field on Saturday against the defending champions from Baileyville B&B. The Bulldogs’ enter the game at 11-1 with their only loss this season came 24-26 to Sharon Springs in week three. That loss came right after the team learned that head coach Greg Woolf had been diagnosed with cancer. The team has rallied around Woolf, and interim head coach Brian Roesch by reeling off nine straight wins including last Saturday’s thrilling 28-20 victory over B&B’s Twin Valley League rival Clifton-Clyde.

The Bulldogs feature a ground heavy offensive attack led by a huge line that includes Zach Nemechek (6’4”, 240), Cody Corwin (5’11”, 260), and Scott Ochs (6’7”, 270). Jordan Hargitt leads the offense, which averages 46 points per game, with 1,881 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns. Quarterback Brady Reed has rushed for 605 yards and 18 scores while throwing for 572 yards and 13 scores. Logan Reed also contributes to the ground game with 862 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Matt Bird is the Bulldogs’ leading receiver with 34 catches for 537 yards and 12 scores.

The B&B Falcons have been dominant all season in their effort to repeat as champions. B&B, led by a defense that has six shutouts and surrenders less than 6 points per game, has had only two games not decided by the 45 point rule. Meanwhile, the Falcon offense has put up an average of 53 points per game. Senior running back Ryan Huerter (839 yards, 17 TDs) leads the rushing attack that features five players who have rushed for more than 250 yards this season. Kyle Haverkamp (6’5”, 170) has added 670 yards and 13 scores from his quarterback position, while throwing for 639 yards and 15 more scores. The Falcons are also substantial up front, anchored by seniors Nathan Haug (6’2”, 240) and Taylor Buessing (6’3”, 210), and junior Logan Haug (6’5”, 230). Currently, B&B owns the state’s second longest winning streak at 25 games; behind Smith Center’s nation long 79 game streak.


8-Man Division II -- State Championship

Hanover (11-1) vs. Quivira Heights (10-2)

Hanover looks to repeat as champions of 8-Man Division II as they will take on the Quivira Heights Thunderbirds on Saturday in Newton. Last season, the Wildcats capped a 12-1 season with at 46-14 win over Victoria in the state title game. The one blemish on last season’s record, like this season, was a loss to 8-Man Division I power Baileyville B&B. This season, the Wildcats dropped a 28-14 decision to the Falcons on a game that spanned two days due to a lightning storm.

Hanover averages 49 points per game on offense, while surrendering just 14 per game. Quarterback Jerod Diederich has thrown for 1,142 yards and 22 touchdowns. Trevor Jueneman leads the Wildcat rushing attack with 736 yards and 13 scores, but both Jerod and Ethan Diederich have added over 450 yards and at least a dozen touchdowns each. Taylor Nicholson leads the team in receiving with 480 yards and 11 scores.

Quivira Heights started the season 1-2 after early losses to Macksville (18-6) and Victoria (52-48). The QH offense has been explosive this season in scoring at least 42 points in all but one of their games. Quarterback Gunner Phelan has thrown for 1,931 yards and 34 touchdowns this season. The Thunderbirds supplement Phelan’s arm with a rushing attack that features six backs with over 200 yards and five touchdowns each. Jordan Trevino and Taylor Siemsen lead the way with 416 and 362 yards respectively. Siemsen (553 yards, 8TDs) is also the teams’ second leading receiver behind Jacob Ingham’s 61 receptions for 865 yards and 15 scores.

The T-birds defense has also rebounded from early season struggles in which it gave up nearly 31 points per game over the first five games. Since then, QH has surrendered less than six points per game including four shutouts. The defense was at its best in a second-round win over Otis-Bison. Coming in, the Cougars had averaged over 60 points per game led by one of 8-man’s best players in quarterback Kevin Wissman. Quivira Heights shut down the Cougars high-powered offense and held Wissman to just 18 yards on 14 carries in the 42-6 win in Bushton. The T-birds will need a similar effort on Saturday to dethrone Hanover.