SAND COULEE — Centerville's repeat hopes are still alive in the 6-Man football state playoffs.
The Miners, who won the first 6-Man championship in school history last fall, are back in the semifinal round after holding on for a 44-40 win over Chester-Joplin-Inverness in a quarterfinal game on Saturday.
In a rematch of a Week 1 meeting which C-J-I won 65-63, Centerville senior Luke Kelley ran for three touchdowns and passed for three to help the Miners hold off the Hawks, who rallied from a 44-26 deficit to make things interesting in the end.
But Centerville was able to run out the clock to preserve the win and advance to next week's semifinal round.
Centerville will travel to Bridger for a semifinal game next week after the Scouts won a 75-64 shootout over Lincoln in another Saturday quarterfinal.
On the other side of the bracket, Box Elder won its own high-scoring quarterfinal game, outlasting Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine 74-64. The undefeated Bears will meet Hot Springs in a semifinal game next week, as the Savage Heat rolled past Highwood 46-8 on Saturday.
2024 6-Man football state playoffs
Quarterfinals
Nov. 8-9
Bridger 75, Lincoln 64
Centerville 44, Chester-Joplin-Inverness v40
Box Elder 74, Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine 64
Hot Springs 46, Highwood 8
Semifinals
Saturday, Nov. 16
Centerville at Bridger, 1 p.m.
Hot Springs at Box Elder, 1 p.m.
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 23
Semifinal winners
