2016 WEEK 8 A-TOWN FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
OVERLAND (1-6) VS. SMOKY HILL (0-6)
Oct. 20, 7 p.m., Stutler Bowl
Live game stream, here
BREAKDOWN: The eighth A-Town Game of the Week — presented by the Aurora Sentinel and StreamItSports — was originally schedule for a Mount Massive League showdown between Grandview and Doherty, however a clerical error by the Colorado High School Activities Association has forced a switch to a different game. The new matchup is the 35th all-time meeting on the football field of longtime rivals Overland and Smoky Hill, slated for 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at Stutler Bowl. The game is also a Mount Massive League contest and has higher stakes despite the win-loss record of the two teams as the custody of the Wagon Wheel traveling trophy is at stake. The trophy — a wooden wagon wheel with the scores of all 34 of the previous contests that came into being in 2014 to symbolize the Overland and Smoky Hill wagon trails that went through Aurora long ago — goes to the victor. The Trailblazers have kept the Wagon Wheel in its first two seasons with a 50-15 win in 2014 and a 48-6 victory in 2015. The Buffaloes’ last win in the series came in 2011 when they prevailed in a 42-41 shootout. The Overland-Smoky Hill game will be live streamed at no cost to your mobile device at the link above.
OVERLAND (1-6): Coach Seth Replogle’s Trailblazers finally got in the win column for the 2016 season in Week 7 with a 17-13 victory at Boulder on Oct. 14 at Christian Recht Field. Overland scored 14 points in the first quarter and tacked on a field goal in the second quarter to take a double-digit lead into the second half against the also winless Panthers. The duo of junior RBs Donavan Carver and Jaion Colbert continued to do damage for the Trailblazers, as they combined to rush for 294 yards and a touchdown. With his 110-yard effort, Colbert moved into fourth place in Class 5A in rushing with 896 yards, so he could pass 1,000 yards with a good performance, while Carver has 524 yards (on just 64 carries) and four touchdowns. Sophomore WR Jalon’e Rice returned from missing Overland’s previous game due to a concussion to catch three passes for 52 yards and leads the team in receiving with 259 yards with Colbert second with 180 yards receiving. Junior DB Cameron Murray racked up a pair of sacks in the win over Boulder and leads the team in tackles with 69 on the season, while sophomore LB DJ Reid picked up his team-leading eighth sack of the year. Watch the full replay of Overland’s previous appearance on the A-Town Game of the Week — vs. Arapahoe — here.
SMOKY HILL (0-6): Coach John Trahan’s Buffaloes come into the game off a 62-28 loss to Grandview on Oct. 20, a game in which they racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense. The connection between senior QB Karson Avila and senior WR Maurice Wyatt continued to flourish, as Wyatt caught a whopping 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns for Smoky Hill, while Avila — who also scored a rushing touchdown — finished with 264 yards through the air and has 1,537 yards and 10 touchdowns total for the season. WR Demarius Pitman totaled 114 yards (61 receiving, 53 rushing) and holds a 1-yard lead over Wyatt for the lead on the Buffaloes (409 yards to 408), while both have four touchdown catches. Smoky Hill has five players in all with 159 yards or more receiving, including senior RBs James Bowers and Joseph Lawrence. Defensively, senior DBs Lawrence and Kyron Harbin had 10 tackles apiece against the Wolves with Harbin boosting his team-leading total to 60 tackles, a few more than senior DB Tay Gee. Watch the full replay of Smoky Hill’s previous appearance on the A-Town Game of the Week — vs. Eaglecrest — here.
WEEK 9: Smoky Hill moves on to a 7 p.m. Oct. 28 contest at Boulder, while Overland plays host to Doherty at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at Stutler Bowl.