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BUCKLING DOWN
Area teams set to square off in first-round action
spt kp Oilers Crites
Central Plains High School quarterback Braeden Crites (10) and company are set to host Coldwater-South Central for the first round of the Eight-Man Division-I state playoffs tonight at 7 in Claflin. - photo by Kevin Price Great Bend Tribune
The Central Plains High School football team has strolled through the regular season.Riding an offense that has scored 40 points or more in seven of their nine games this season, the Oilers have reached an 8-1 record.Their one loss?A 66-28 setback against undefeated Victoria, which is ranked No. 4 in Eight-Man Division-II.Now, the Oilers are set to host Coldwater-South Central tonight at 7 in the first round of the Eight-Man D-I state playoffs.A balanced offensive attack has been Central Plains’ secret in the run-happy Eight-Man class.Oilers running back Colton Zink has 449 rushing yards and six touchdowns, but quarterback Braeden Crites is the team’s offensive leader.Crites has a team-leading 607 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.The sophomore slinger has completed 89 of 161 passes (55.3 percent) for 1,796 yards and 32 touchdowns. He only has four interceptions.Junior Layne Bieberle has dominated at receiver with 982 yards (109.1 yards-per-game average) and 21 touchdowns.Stopping South Central’s offense starts with quarterback Stetsen Underwood.The senior has completed 41 of 70 passes for 609 yards and 11 touchdowns, but also has a team-leading 1,635 rushing yards and 27 scores.Stafford (7-2) at Waverly (8-1)Stafford road the running prowess of senior Tristin Paulsen and junior Ethan Johnson to a 7-2 record in the regular season, including a 3-1 Eight-Man D-II District 4 mark.The Trojans finished as runners-up in their district, earning them a playoff spot for the first time since 1991.Tonight’s playoffs matchup with Waverly starts at 6.Waverly went 4-0 in District 3 to earn a championship.The Bulldogs’ only loss is on the road against Marais des Cygnes Valley, a 50-0 setback.