Grass Range-Winnett and Chester-Joplin-Inverness both put up big points Saturday on their way to semifinal victories in the 6-Man football playoffs.
Led by Jace Bantz, Grass Range-Winnett cruised to a 72-20 win over Power-Dutton-Brady to clinch a championship-game berth, where it will host C-J-I, which routed Lincoln 61-22 in the day's other semifinal thanks to three touchdowns each from Cooper Streit and Levi Nelson.
Grass Range-Winnett, now 11-0, will be making its first title-game appearance. C-J-I, which improved to 10-1, is also making its first appearance in its current three-school co-op form. Joplin-Inverness was crowned state champs in 1982 and also played for the title in 2001. Chester, meanwhile, won the 1998 8-Man crown.
Grass Range-Winnett 72, Power-Dutton-Brady 20
Bantz scored six total touchdowns and Grass Range-Winnett scored 39 unanswered points to run past Power-Dutton-Brady and into the 6-Man championship game.
"The community, it's obvious — it means everything. We're just a small ranch town," Grass Range-Winnett coach Jaxon Allen said. "These are ranch kids. They're out fixing fence, chasing cows, loading trucks and doing all this stuff. Being such a country community, it seems they're cohesive around the team even more so. I couldn't be happier for the community."
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Bantz opened the game with a touchdown reception from Randy Olson, his first of five touchdown catches, and then scored on a pick-6 on the Titans' first possession.
The Rangers led 25-0 after a 77-yard touchdown catch by Bantz, but the Titans answered with a double pass that James Gilbert took in for six. The Rangers fumbled the ensuing kickoff away, allowing Power-Dutton-Brady to pull within 13, 25-12.
The Titans also closed the gap to 33-20, but the Rangers scored twice in the final 1:45 of the first half, including a 35-yard toss to Bantz as time expired. Olson and Bantz are cousins and were able to show off the connection that's been years in the making.
"Just like having Thanksgiving at each other's houses and playing backyard football connecting with each other. It's just chemistry," Bantz said.
Grass Range-Winnett will host next weekend's championship game, which is the first title game appearance in the history of the co-op — and either school. Power-Dutton-Brady finished its season with a 10-2 record.
"That was what we talked about from Week 1, was to do something no one has ever done before. To be able to do it in front of our home crowd and our own people is just amazing," Bantz said.
C-J-I 61, Lincoln 22
After going down 22-15 following the first quarter, C-J-I outscored Lincoln 46-0 over the next three frames to propel itself in to the title game.
The two teams each scored a touchdown on their very first plays from offense in the game, and less then 30 seconds into it the score was tied 8-8.
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Once the Lynx scored to make it a touchdown lead though, the Hawks soared.
C-J-I's Streit and Nelson each scored three TDs in the game, while Ryan Ramberg added another as well.
The Hawks are now off to the championship game for the first time as a three-school co-op. Lincoln finished its season with a 9-2 record.
