At Gilpin County Stadium: Last year’s 8-man champion quarterback from Dove Creek, Kade Hawkins, under duress. PHOTO BY DAVE GIBSON[/caption]

There are 42 teams in Colorado 8-man football divided into seven different leagues. The Western Slope, Plains, and Central Leagues are in the North, and the Mountain, Black Forest, 6 County, and Arkansas Leagues come from the southern part of the state. From that pool of players, the very best of them are selected to participate in the Annual Colorado All-State 8-Man Football Game held at Gilpin County Stadium that pits the North against the South. This year’s game took place June 2, at 7 p.m. under the lights.

It would be the third time that Gilpin County High School hosted the event since securing the rights to the venerable contest. Immediately, I noticed something different about the place – new bleachers and press box! Seating up to 600 people, most of the work was completed one month ago and they were operating on a temporary occupancy permit. The electrical is still unfinished, but will be wrapped up soon. In the meantime, spotters Joe Stranaly and Dave Sechler compiled stats and fed information to announcer Jeff Schuessler’s play-by-play with the aid of flashlights. Paul Hanson ran the clock. On top of the press box was an ideal vantage point from which to film the game. When it rains or snows, they’ll now be able to shoot from inside.

The North has dominated the series for a decade or more except for last year when the South prevailed in a 14-12 victory. The coach for the South this time around was Shane Baughman whose Dove Creek team won the Colorado 8-Man State Championship in 2022. Based on his credentials and the South’s win last year, the South was considered a slight favorite. The North’s coach, James Grinde, of Caliche High School came highly recommended by fellow coaches in only his first year spent coaching 8-man football.

Kevin Lopez grabbed a 6-yard touchdown pass to put the North on the board 6-0 in the first quarter. Finding themselves at their own 2-yard line after a booming punt by the South’s Kendall Gardener, they suffered a safety to make the score North 6, South 2. A 7-yard touchdown reception and 2-point conversion, both by Brayden Glover, put the South up 10-6 at halftime.

A 30-yard catch by Ivan Losa took the score to 12-10, in favor of the North. Michael Gerk barreled into the endzone on short yardage to add to the North’s tally. Score at the end of the 3rd quarter, North 18, South 10.

Towards the end of the game, still trailing 18-10, the South got the ball on their opponent’s 25-yard line. Grinding to the 5-yard line with 1:00 remaining on the clock, they’d have four chances to score a touchdown. A 2-point conversion would even the score and the contest would end in a tie. Digging deep within themselves, the North’s defense stuffed the South on three straight rushing attempts. A fourth down pass into the end zone was batted away as the time ran out. Final score: North 18, South 10.

North Co-MVPs Kodi Ingols of Hayden and Andre Skweir from Vail Christian played outstanding all-around football and came up big on defense. South MVP Aiden Martinez of McClave was a terror at wide receiver, hauling in several key catches.

The Elite All-State Foundation, founded in 2019, is a nonprofit organization in Colorado committed to the growth and development of small-town football programs. Their primary event, the 8-Man All-State Football Game, takes place at Gilpin County Stadium in Black Hawk, showcasing the best talent in the state. By granting academic scholarships to top 8-man student-athletes, their goal is to empower them to achieve success after high school.

To learn more about the Elite All-State Foundation or make a donation, go to www.eliteallstate.com.