Small-School Stage, Big-Time Ball: 7 Stars of the 1A Championship

Eight‑man football doesn't get the spotlight that 4A, 5A, or 6A do, but if you've ever watched it up close, you know these kids play the same game with the same pads, the same hits, and the same attitude as anyone lining up in 11‑man.    The field's a little smaller and the rosters aren't as deep, but the talent, the toughness, and the football IQ are all very real. And in a championship setting, you see it even clearer — nothing comes easy, nobody goes down without a fight, and the best players on the field look like they could shine at any level. This title game had that written all over it.    And it all starts with the running back duo that finished with a whopping 459 rushing yards between them to lift their team to back-to-back state titles.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hayden</h2>    Lorona didn't just have a big night — he turned a state title into the most physical track meet you've ever seen. He ripped off 268 rushing yards on 12 carries (22.3 a pop) with 3 rushing TDs, and then just for fun added an 85-yard receiving touchdown on his lone catch, giving him 353 all-purpose yards in a 66–20 win. He's got that legit lead-back breakaway speed where one crease turns into six in a hurry — but he's not just an outside sprinter, either. This season he's been the whole identity of Hayden's dynasty machine: 1A's scoring leader (237 points), 41 total TDs, and 2,488 total yards, while also leading the team in tackles per game (9.9) because he's a real two-way hammer at 5'11”, 195.     If Lorona was the lightning, [player_tooltip player_id='1587272' first='Tyler' last='Garner'] was the guy dragging the storm cloud right over Bagdad's head. He finished with 191 rushing yards on 13 carries and 4 rushing touchdowns, plus chipped in 2 catches for 12 yards and 83 kick return yards to total 286 all-purpose yards. He's the one who can break tackles and still has enough quickness to make defenders miss clean — so even when Hayden wasn't getting the perfect crease, he was still producing. The wild part is this wasn't some random heater; this has been the season theme. Garner finished as one of the most productive backs in the state at the small-school level — 134.3 rushing yards per game and 30 total touchdowns, and he's right there on the 1A leaderboard with 166 points.     Smith didn't need 25 throws to leave a mark — he just needed the right ones. In the title game he went 5-of-8 for 139 yards with 2 passing TDs. Even though he wasn't asked to carry a heady load, I thought he made great work of the opporunites he did have to throw. The ball cam out on time, he was able to create with his legs when he needed to, it was a really good overall showing in a game where he wasn't asked to do much. Nice touch and accuracy with the ability to make something happen when Hayden moves the pocket. It's the cleanest way to describe him: he's not out there playing backyard QB, he's making smart, high-leverage throws that punish you when you load the box to survive the run game. And for a junior, he's already been a major reason this offense stays so hard to sell out against.     Ryan Garner is the kind of player where the box score only tells you a piece of why he mattered. Stat-wise, he had 2 catches for 21 yards (and even got a carry), but the bigger thing is how he shows up in all the connective tissue: tracking the ball, adjusting, doing the dirty work as a blocker, and generally being the guy who makes the explosive stuff possible. And it's not like he's just a nice extra either; he's a legit two-way problem. On the year he led Hayden with 8 interceptions, and he's also been a real red-zone factor with 5 receiving TDs. In a game where Hayden's stars were stacking touchdowns, Ryan stood out because he's the guy who helps the whole operation run smoothly, whether he's getting the ball or not.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bagdad</h2>    Aguilar had the toughest job in the building: trying to keep pace with a Hayden offense that's built to turn games into avalanches while leaving you no time to create your comeback. He threw for 260 yards on 18-of-33 passing with 2 TDs and 1 interception, and even though the accuracy wasn't perfect, he stayed aggressive because Bagdad didn't have the luxury of playing it safe. And zooming out, this wasn't some fluky good game either — Aguilar was one of the most productive players in 1A all year, finishing with 2,318 total yards on the season and 27 passing touchdowns, while also checking in at 53.3% completions. That's why Bagdad was there in the first place: they could score on you fast, and he was the engine.     Escobedo was Bagdad's steady hand all night — the guy Aguilar kept coming back to when the game was moving a mile a minute. He led the Sultans with 7 catches for 96 yards, and when your run game is getting bottled up (Bagdad had only 32 rushing yards total), that kind of reliability matters because it's the only way to keep drives alive long enough to breathe. And he's not just a receiver, either — he's a two-way athlete who picked off 5 passes this season, which tells you he's got real ball skills and instincts on the back end too. Even in a loss, his night stood out because he was consistently available and consistently productive.     Kirchoff's impact didn't show up in a long list of touches, but the one he did get was enough to remind everyone why he's such a problem. His lone grab — a 57‑yard touchdown — came off a clean release, a smooth stem, and the kind of finish after the catch that shows exactly why Bagdad trusts him as a big‑play guy. Once he broke free and got the ball in his hands, you could feel the sideline lift, because that's the kind of spark he's given them all year. And that one moment changed how Hayden defended him the rest of the night — he started drawing more attention out wide, which quietly helped open things up for Aguilar's other options.

Eight‑man football doesn't get the spotlight that 4A, 5A, or 6A do, but if you've ever watched it up close, you know these kids play the same game with the same pads, the same hits, and the same attitude as anyone lining up in 11‑man.