Top two-way players in 8-man football returning in 2020

We continue to examine the two-way players who shined on both sides of the ball last season that return this fall. Today, we focus on another small-school level and look at the top two-way players in 8-man football. Unlike 6-man football with everyone being an eligible receiver on the field, 8-man football plays more traditional to the standard game but with eight players per team on the field instead of 11. There is not a shortage of quality two-way players that return. Here is a look at some of the best to do it in 2019. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Kyle Arnett, 2022, OL/DL, Pikes Peak Christian</span></strong> The Eagles made it to the playoffs and reached double-digit wins for the second consecutive season last year. A big part of their success the last two seasons has been the offense being able to run the ball well. The team has averaged 246.2 rushing yards per game in 2018 and remained efficient at 236.8 yards per game last year. Arnett helps in that role on the offensive line, helping open up holes for the running backs to explode through. He was also effective on the defensive line with 10 sacks, the second most in 8-man football last year, highlighted by his game versus Dolores Huerta Prep with 4.5 sacks. Add in an interception and two fumbles recovered, Arnett hopes to be a factor again in the trenches for the Eagles, who made it to the semifinals in the state playoffs last year. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Terrance Heath, 2021, 6’0, 190, WR/DE, Sedgwick County</span></strong> Sedgwick County, the five-time defending state champions in 8-man football, will have to replace eight seniors on its 24-man roster from last year. They lose their starting quarterback and leading rusher, but they do return their top receiver in Heath this year. Heath was the only player for the Cougars with double-digit receptions (20) and had 8 of the team’s 16 receiving touchdowns last season. Where he made the biggest impact, however, was on defense rushing the quarterback. His ability to get off the line and in the backfield resulted in 8 sacks, tied for fourth most in 8-man football last season. If Heath can produce big numbers in the passing game and get to the quarterback again this fall, look for the Cougars to be in the hunt for their sixth consecutive state championship. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Anthony Lujan, 2021, 5’10, QB/RB/LB, Rangely</span></strong> Lujan was all over the field defensively from his linebacker position. The 5-foot-10 linebacker record double-digit solo tackles in three games, and if you include assisted tackles, he reached double figures in that category in all nine regular season games. His 136 total tackles was fourth most in 8-man football. What made that more impressive was the fact that Lujan was utilized so much on offense in the backfield with 200 rushing attempts and 105 passing attempts. He rushed for 955 yards, threw for 760 yards and recorded 26 touchdowns, making him one of the top scorers in the A-8 Northwest division. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Chase Moore, 2022, 5’10, 165, RB/LB, Mancos</span></strong> Coming into 2020, Moore is the returning leader in total touchdowns scored in 8-man football from last year with 37, which was second in the classification. He was the top rusher in 8-man football with 1,900 rushing yards, averaging 190 yards per game, and scored 31 times on the ground. He also put his hands to good use, catching 11 passes for 264 yards and 3 more scores. What many people may overlook was his production on defense where he recorded 88 total tackles, the third most on the team. His best performance came in the quarterfinals of the playoffs with 11 solo tackles and 17 total stops. The First Team All-State player still has two more years to put up big numbers for Mancos and could be in line for an 8-man Player of the Year honor before his time is up in high school. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Deacon Trenkle, 2022, QB/LB, Merino</span></strong> At the beginning of the season, Trenkle was mostly just a defensive player and used on occasion offensively. Midway through the year, he had to take over at quarterback for the Rams and stepped up. After recording just 129 yards of total offense and 3 touchdowns in the first six games, Trenkle threw for 193 yards, rushed for 240 yards and scored 7 touchdowns in the final four games. As he played a bigger role in the offense late, he was still piling up tackles on defense, finishing with 113 total tackles (42 solo) and an interception. The experience late in the season as a starter offensively should pay big dividends for Trenkle and Merino this fall.