Peetz to battle Hanover in Colo. state tourney

If you’re a fan of offensive shootouts, Saturday’s showdown between Peetz High and Hanover may be worth checking out.

The No. 3-seeded Peetz Bulldogs (8-1) are set to face to the No. 6 Hanover Hornets (9-0) of in the first round of the Colorado Class A six-man tournament. Both teams are averaging more than 60 points per game.

Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Peetz High School.

The Bulldogs lost their season opener to No. 1 seed Arickaree/Woodlin, 69-46, but won their remaining eight games. Over the seven other games they played in, the Bulldogs averaged a shade over 61.5 points per game while surrendering only 21.7 points per contest.

Peetz head coach Scott Sorensen says his team has controlled many aspects of the game this season on the way to its 8-1 record.

“We have ran the ball with Jordan Nelson and Cody Wilson very well this year,” Sorensen said. “Brady Holtz has had success running also. We have controlled the line of scrimmage offensively and defensively.”

Nelson, a junior, has piled up 830 rushing yards and 20 TDs on just 90 carries. Sophomore Wilson has rushed for 539 yards and 10 end zone trips on 68 carries, while junior quarterback Holtz has 552 yards and five scores on 57 touches.

Through the air this season, Holtz has completed 32 of his 57 passes for 529 yards and 17 TDs to just one interception.

If all the pieces come together offensively, Peetz is a squad that can score with anyone in the state in their class.

“Our goal is to play to our potential,” Sorensen said. “When we do that we are a very good football team.

For Hanover, the player to watch is senior running back Erick Ijams, who leads a Hornet offense that is putting up 62.1 points per contest.

Ijams has totaled 1,264 yards and 28 scores on the ground on just 106 touches. He’s an explosive runner who has an average of 11.9 yards per carry and can take it to the house every time the ball is in hands, making him particularly dangerous in six-man play.

This figures to be a tough matchup for the Bulldogs as the game will likely come down to which team can come up with more defensive stops. Still, the Peetz players know they’ll be playing in front of their home fans and that should give them an edge.

“None of our players have played in a home playoff game before,” Sorensen said. “I want them to have fun and show our home crowd that we belong in the playoffs.”