FLEMING FINISHES AS 6-MAN STATE RUNNER-UP
Wildcats ended season with 10-3 record
Stratton football was untouchable all season long. Fleming football knew that heading into the 6-man state championship over the weekend. The Wildcats fell to the Eagles just a month earlier by a 53-13 score.
On Friday at Thunderbowl Stadium at Csu-pueblo, the Eagles soared even higher when they defeated the Wildcats 83-18 for the title. They scored all 83 points in the first half as the Wildcats took that time to put their 18 points on the board.
The Wildcats finished their year with a 10-3 record. They earned the fourth runner-up trophy in program history to match their four state crowns, the championships of which have all come since 2011.
They certainly had plenty of talent to lean on.
Senior quarterback Braylen Feather excelled on the pass as he racked up 1,606 yards through 85 completions over 11 games. He threw 26 touchdowns in all and only gave away six interceptions. Senior running back Nolan Japp took charge of the run game with 1,060 rushing yards, which were good enough for 15 scores.
Senior running back Kolten Houser added 11 touchdowns but only did so through 226 rushing yards. Senior running back Blake Feather ran for 631 with eight touchdowns, then caught three more from his brother with 298 receiving yards.
They were just a few standouts from a well-rounded offense.
Defensively, the Wildcats enjoyed strong performances all season long from Blake Feather and Houser, who contributed 106 and 105 tackles respectively. Junior outside linebacker Matix Haney and junior defensive tackle Wyatt Cochran combined for five sacks.
The Wildcats had quite the performance throughout the fall season to get there in the first place. They started out with a dominant 45-12 victory over North Park and hardly looked back. Only Stratton and Haxtun provided roadblocks to their ultimate goal.