The Otis High School football team keeps moving on up in the 6-man ranks.
However, the following three weeks will determine just how high the Bulldogs can climb in the regular season.
They are 5-0 after last Friday afternoon’s 63-48 home win over the La Veta Redhawks, their first loss of the season. The Bulldogs are No. 3 in the 6-man Rating Percentage Index, and are ranked No. 3 in the Top 10 (CHSAANow.com poll)
Otis is 2-0 in A-6 League 2, and finish the regular season with four straight league games. The stretch includes Friday’s home game against Genoa-Hugo, which handed Arickaree its first loss last weekend, and is No. 5 in the RPI and No. 4 in the Top 10. The Bulldogs then host Stratton on October 7. The Eagles currently are No. 1 in the RPI and Top 10. Then comes a game at WashCo rival Arickaree, which is No. 6 in the RPI and No. 6 in the Top 10.
The Bulldogs took care of busy early in last Friday’s win over La Veta. They led 32-6 at halftime, then held on in the second half when the Redhawks exploded for 42 points, including 34 in the fourth quarter.
Tayte Smith had another big game with 368 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on 29 carries, while Carter Wells added 54 yards and a touchdown on two carries, Mitchell Stivers 20 yards on five carries, Bohden Klinzmann 16 yards, Peyton Wells five yards and Emiliano Varela four. Smith completed both of his passes for 36 yards, with both going to Sawyer Packer.
Defensively, Austin Hornung and Smith both had an interception, and Klinzmann recovered a fumble. Smith was in on eight total tackles, P. Wells seven, Klinzmann seven, Hornung five, Stivers four, Varela three, Packer three, Hayden Kirby two, Taylor Ringlein two, Garrett Patterson two, and C. Wells, Eric Bintliff and Matthew Seward one each.
Arickaree comeback falls short
The Arickaree football team still is very much in the running for a playoff berth, but has some work to do in coming weeks.
The Bison are 4-1, 1-1 in A-6 League 2, after last Saturday’s wild 58-54 loss at Genoa-Hugo. They finish the regular season with four more league games, beginning Saturday afternoon against Hi-Plains in Seibert. That is followed by league games with Flagler, Otis and Stratton, the last two currently undefeated and ranked in the Top 3 both in the poll and RPI.
Arickaree currently is No. 6 in the Top 10 (CHSAANow.com poll) and No. 6 in the Rating Percentage Index.
Last Saturday’s Top 10 battle in Genoa (the Pirates are No 4 in this week’s poll and fifth in the RPI) lived up to its billing as the teams battled back and forth all afternoon.
Genoa-Hugo scored 22 points in the second quarter to take a 30-6 lead. However, the Bison battled back with a 48-28 advantage in the second half, but could not quite get over the top.
Arickaree’s Logan Wright accounted for 558 total yards, 233 yards and two touchdowns rushing, and completing 17 of 31 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns, though he also threw three interceptions. Both teams went to the air quite often as the Pirates passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns, against one interception. Both teams scored on a kickoff return.
Nic Hermes caught six passes for the Bison for 190 yards and four touchdowns, Bryce Shaffer two for 45 yards Dillon Noletubby two for 32 yards, Jake King two for 31 yards and a touchdown, Austin Wright one for 25 yards, Zarron Skubal one for 23, and Jacob Jefferson two for five years. Jefferson returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Defensively, L. Wright was in on 18 total tackles, Hermes 10, A. Wright 10, Hayden Page nine, Shaffer seven, Skubal six, Jake King three, Noletubby two, and Jefferson one. Skubal had an interception and L. Wright, Jefferson and Skubal each recovered a fumble.