Class A 8-man football championship: Dayspring faces nemesis Merino

Powerhouse Merino comes calling in title tilt

By Matt Southard, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 19, 2008 at 6:42 p.m.

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No. 4 Merino (11-1) at No. 1 Dayspring Christian (11-0)

PLAYOFF ROAD

* First round: Merino 44, Genoa-Hugo 6; Dayspring Christian 62, Flagler 22.

* Quarterfinals: Merino 28, Sanford 8; Dayspring Christian 61, Granada 26.

* Semifinals: Merino 24, Caliche 6; Dayspring Christian 40, Hoehne 24.

TROPHY CASE

* Merino: Including last season, the Rams have won seven titles overall (1972, 1977, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007). This will be their fourth title-game appearance in the past five years.

* Dayspring Christian: This is the second title trip for the Eagles in as many seasons. They lost to Merino last season.

NUMBERS GAME

* Merino: The defense was phenomenal last week against Caliche, holding the Buffaloes, who were averaging 71 points in their previous three games, to only six points.

* Dayspring Christian: Since scoring a season-low 27 points in the Merino victory Oct. 19, the Eagles have averaged 58 points a game. A 40-24 semifinal victory against Hoehne marked the first time since Oct. 19 the Eagles didn't crack 60-plus points.

GAME PLAN

1 Dayspring Christian allowed 225 yards rushing last week against Hoehne, using big plays to offset the time-of-possession difference. If Merino can eliminate the big plays, an upset is in order.

2 Eagles quarterback Jared Sanderford is a true dual-threat signal-caller. His playmaking ability will be key in fending off a speedy Merino defense.

3 Dayspring Christian hasn't lost at home since 2006. Merino has lost only twice on the road since 2006. Early momentum for either team will be important.

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Dayspring Christian has been in the same situation as many Class A 8-Man football teams when it comes to facing Merino through the years: very little success and lots of frustration.

Since 1997, the Eagles have been at the mercy of the classification's powerhouse. When they beat Merino 27-0 on Oct. 19, there was a small sense of relief.

While that game alleviated a bit of the pain, Dayspring Christian will get its shot at complete retribution when it faces Merino on Saturday for the title in a rematch of the 2007 championship tilt.

The shutout victory was a big step for the Eagles, considering what happened in the title contest last year.

Dayspring Christian led 9-0 for much of the first half, but turnovers and an admitted deviation from the game plan by Eagles coach Mick Holmes allowed Merino to get back into the game. The Rams dominated Dayspring Christian down the stretch, which culminated in a victory.

"That was all on me," Holmes said. "I went in the tank, honestly. I changed the game plan up in the locker room at half. It wasn't the kids' fault."

Holmes isn't about to overstate his team's chances in this one, in spite of the Oct. 19 win. After all, history isn't necessarily on his side, and more importantly, Merino was missing two key components of its offense that day. Starting quarterback Wyatt Barber and receiver Dylan Rinaldo missed the game because of injuries.

"They didn't have all the bullets in the chamber," Holmes said. "We won't see the same team we saw last time around, and it's going to make things different."

But Rams coach John Barber won't hear any of that talk.

"We can't make excuses. No matter who was out, we still got beat by the better team," Barber said.

A large part of that victory was Eagles quarterback Jared Sanderford. The senior threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns and keyed a 21-point second quarter.

"That team is loaded," Barber said. "They really moved the ball downfield on us."

And with home-field advantage on the side of the Eagles, Merino finds itself in a tough position.

"That probably means a touchdown advantage for them," Barber said. "Maybe even two touchdowns."

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