The 8-man football title game is set as top-ranked Hoehne will meet No. 3 John Mall at the CSU-Pueblo Thunderbowl on Thursday.

Both teams advanced through the semifinals by comfortable margins, setting up a championship game between two deserving programs.

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(3) John Mall 44, (4) Front Range Christian 20

Front Range Christian jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first quarter and that’s when John Mall woke up. The Panthers scored 30 unanswered points to take a 30-6 lead at halftime and also take firm control of the game.

John Mall added to its lead early in the third quarter with a touchdown run from Travis Vialpando, his fourth touchdown run of the season. The Falcons were able to get into the end zone a couple more times, but the Panthers had built too big of a lead to rebound from.

The Panthers went 3-6 playing in Class 1A last year and has now seen a successful turnaround this spring. They hope to complete that turnaround with another solid performance in the state championship game next week.

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(1) Hoehne 68, (4) Plateau Valley12

Hoehne wasted no time in jumping out to a big lead over Plateau Valley and hanging on to earn a spot in next week’s title game.

In their last three games, the Farmers have now outscored their opponents 184-12. They already have a 66-34 win over John Mall this season.

Grant Arellanes and Weston Hill have paced Hoehne on the ground, totaling nearly 1,500 rushing yards between the two of them. They had scored a combined 23 rushing touchdowns heading into the semifinals.