by Steven Vetter, Managing Editor
The Byers Bulldogs were seeded 16th in the 16-team 8-man football bracket and will face off at No. 1, undefeated Haxtun at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5.
The green-and-white enter the postseason 6-3 overall and were the Central League champions with a 5-0 conference record. In addition to winning all nine of its games, Haxtun was 6-0 in the perennially tough Plains Conference, and outscored its opponents 475-64 over the regular season.
The winner of Friday night’s first-round battle of Bulldogs will advance to the Nov. 13 quarterfinals to face off with the winner of No. 8 Akron and No. 9 Calhan. The other two first-round games on the top-half of the bracket pit No. 4 Dove Creek against No. 13 Crowley County and No. 5 Holly hosting No. 12 Swink.
The bottom half of the bracket includes the following first-round games: No. 3 Vail Christian/No. 14 Pikes Peak Christian; No. 6 Sedgwick County/No. 11 Sanford; No. 7 Dayspring Christian/No. 10 Merino; and No. 2 Mancos/No. 15 Fowler.
The 8-man championship game is scheduled for Nov. 26 at the ThunderBowl on the campus of Colorado State University-Pueblo.