Joe Zemba
La Junta Tribune-Democrat

October football season is upon us, and this week’s lineup is packed with high-stakes matchups, a few potential upsets, and the rivalry game of all rivalry games! With conference races heating up, potential playoff contenders will begin to emerge in the coming weeks.

Thursday, Oct. 3

Rocky Ford (1-3) vs. Springfield (3-1), 7 p.m.

Rocky Ford is coming off a tough loss to Merino and looking to rebound against Springfield. The Meloneers have relied heavily on their ground game in weeks past, but that trend has appeared to move in the direction of an impressive passing game behind the arm of quarterback Isaiah Gallegos. Springfield’s defense has been solid, allowing roughly 12 points per game over their last three contests, but their record may be deceiving as the three teams they’ve beaten are a combined 3-9 on the season.

Key stat: Springfield’s defense has been stingy, while Rocky Ford’s offense has struggled with ball security and consistency. Advantage: Springfield.

Prediction: The Meloneers haven’t been a popular team to place your bet on, but I’m a believer! Rocky Ford 20, Springfield 14. The Meloneers show us just how good their passing game can be against an untested Longhorns defense. Gallegos has a breakout game and leads RFHS to a 1-0 record in league play.

Friday, Oct. 4

La Junta (2-2) vs. Lamar (4-0), 7 p.m.

This classic rivalry game has everything at stake. La Junta has been good, but not great, in their last two games against two highly ranked opponents. Meanwhile, Lamar has been great. They’re undefeated record has been a the crown on top of a brand new stadium. What could possibly go wrong?

Key stat: Lamar’s strength was in their passing game in a hard fought 7-6 win over Burlington last week. Jacob Dutton was 12-25 with 154 yards and a touchdown pass. Even in defeat, La Junta’s pass defense has held strong. They allowed just six completions for 70 yards in a loss to TCA last week.

Prediction: What do you say we rip that crown off their head? La Junta 28, Lamar 16. Look no further than the LJHS defense to stand out. The Tigers’ defense will bend but not break, and their ground game will grind out the clock in the second half.

Fowler (1-3) vs. Sangre de Cristo (1-2), 7 p.m.

Fowler has been in this scenario for three years already. Kudos to them as they face elite competition to open the season each season. Unfortunately, as in year’s past, they enter October 1-3 overall, albeit battle tested and poised to make a playoff push. They will be heavy favorites against Sangre de Cristo who, despite the same number of wins, may not stack up to the Grizzlies’ in this league opener.

Key stat: Fowler played well in their week four 42-38 loss to Sanford. Brock True completed 11 of 19 pass attempts for 118 yards and added another 117 via rushing.

Prediction: Fowler 42, Sangre de Cristo 20. Sangre de Cristo is better than in year’s passed, but expect the Grizzlies to jump ahead early.

Manzanola (2-2) vs. Weldon Valley (1-4), 3 p.m.

Manzanola has played well this season and they’ll look to take advantage of a struggling Weldon Valley team. The Bobcats’ offense has flashed potential, with quarterback Zane Lange passing for 123 yards and rushing for 57 yards in their 61-28 win over Miami-Yoder last week.

Key stat: Weldon Valley’s defense has given up an average of 59 points per game in their four losses, while Manzanola’s ground game has been balanced with productivity coming from multiple athletes.

Prediction: Manzanola 51, Weldon Valley 14. Manzanola doesn’t quite hang 59 points on Weldon Valley, but they move above the .500 mark for the first time in recent history.

Crowley County (1-3) at Hoehne (1-3), 7 p.m.

Crowley County got a much-need, momentum building win over Swink last weekend, and they’ll look to continue a trend against Hoehne in what could be the a toss-up. The Chargers’ offense hasn’t shown consistency, but last week against Swink, looked the part of Chargers’ offenses of year’s passed.

Key stat: Even in defeat last week against Springfield (36-20), Hoehne’s Jake Magninat threw for 216 passing yards! Their backfield combined for 141 yards, all numbers that point to a more-than-capable offensive attack.

Prediction: Hoehne 24, Crowley County 20. This one will be close, but I can’t get past 216 passing yards! Someone will have to show me game film and prove to me how that garners just 20 points and a loss last week. Anyway, footballs should be flying aplenty. Call in air traffic control!

Swink (0-4) vs. McClave (4-0), 7 p.m.

McClave is well rested after having the past two weeks off and they’ve since taken over the number one spot in the most recent 8-man ranking. Congratuations! Swink has played a difficult schedule and didn’t play particularly well in their best chance at victory thus far against Crowley County last week.

Key stat: McClave’s Mason Barr is averaging 119 rushing yards per game this season and Ethan Bronimann has scored 11 touchdowns and thrown for four more.

Prediction: McClave 51, Swink 6. McClave might pull away early and enforce a running clock.

Cheraw (2-3) at Eads (3-2), 7 p.m.

Cheraw is a fun team. They can play with most anybody and their games are exciting. Their 31-30 win over Kit Carson was gutsy. The Wolverines have been one of the surprises of the season, with a balanced offense and a defense. Eads (3-2) is coming off and 80-28 rout of Walsh, but they’ve had difficulty against higher calibur opponents.

Key stat: Cheraw and Eads have a common opponents in Granada. Cheraw lost to the Bobcats, 44-30, while Eads lost GHS 40-14.

Prediction: Cheraw 28, Eads 13. I believe Cheraw has a more effective offense and a defense capable of holding Eads in check. I don;t see either team reaching the high scores one might almost expect of the six-man game, but it should be exciting nonetheless.

Las Animas (3-1) at Holly (2-2), 7 p.m.

Las Animas was off last week following their perfect streak ending 28-18 loss to Dayspring Christian Academy. Holly lost to the same to open the season, 40-20, accounting for one of their two losses on the season. Holly’s offense has been explosive at times, but their defense has given up some big plays. Las Animas has the big play ability, courtesy of Orion Martinez.

Key stat: Martinez is averaging 209.5 rushing yards per contest. Holly’s defense forced four turnovers in a 62-48 win over Sangre de Cristo last week. Holly’s ability to stop Martinez, which no one has done to date, will be the key to success.

Prediction: Las Animas 30, Holly 22. Holly’s defense gives up a lot of points and that points to a big day for Martinez. I’d expect another 20-plus carries for 150 yards for Martinez in another impressive showing for the league’s best player.

Upset watch: Crowley County over Hoehne

If Crowley County’s pass defense can limit the big plays, this could easily go from a potential loss to a victory. If they shut down the passing game entirely, they might end winning by double figures.