First of all, we want to apologize for releasing this week’s Kpreps Rankings a bit late. You may have noticed our site has been experiencing periods of being offline as our web host completes some upgrades. As a result, things have been a bit out of our control and a running a little behind schedule.
Class 6A
Derby rolled to another big victory behind a big night from sophomore running back Tre Washington. Washington rushed for 166 yards and five touchdowns in the Panthers’ 63-0 win over Hutchinson.
Lawrence Free State cruised to a 54-13 victory over Olathe South to remain unbeaten and ranked No. 2. Quarterback Malik Berry passed for 155 yards and threw three touchdowns to Keenan Garber, who had more than 100 receiving yards. Garber now has 13 touchdowns on the season.
Manhattan’s 9-7 loss to rival Junction City and Olathe North’s loss to Shawnee Mission East results in some changes to the rest of the Class 6A poll.
Topek High moves up two spots to No. 3 this week after the Trojans turned a 4-point halftime deficit into a 25-point win over Washburn Rural. The Trojans rushed for nearly 700 yards led by their dynamic backfield trio. Ky Thomas rushed for 280 yards and four touchdowns, quarterback Da’Vonshai Harden added 220 yards and two scores, and Jacqez Barksdale added 195 yards and three scores.
Gardner-Edgerton enters the poll for the first time in several years. The Blazers check in at No. 4 this week after improving to 6-0 with a 48-20 win over Shawnee Mission North. Gardner-Edgerton currently sits on the top seed line of the eastern half of Class 6A. The Blazers, led by new head coach Ryan Cornelsen, entered the season on a 10-game losing streak.
Finally, Shawnee Mission East returns to the top five after beginning the season at No. 5. The Lancers used a goal-line stand and an 18-play, 99-yard drive to defeat last week’s No. 4 Olathe North, 35-28.
Manhattan and Olathe North fall out of this week’s poll after their losses this week.
Class 5A
Wichita Northwest remains in the top spot after racing past Garden City, 61-15. The Grizzlies put up more than 600 yards of total offense as three players rushed for more than 100 yards. Wichita Northwest will host Wichita Heights (4-2) this week.
Second-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas cruised to a 42-13 win over St. James Academy. Senior quarterback Tate Rabion has a solid game in passing for 159 yards, including touchdowns to three different receivers. Aquinas also rushed for nearly 350 yards in the game led by Cameron Jackson’s 141 yards.
Third-ranked Maize’s defense allowed its first touchdown of the season on Friday as Salina South used a halfback pass to set up a first-quarter touchdown. Maize took control from there as senior Caleb Grill passed for five touchdowns. The Eagles will host No. 5 Salina Central this week.
Bishop Carroll extended its win streak against rival Kapaun Mt. Carmel with a 28-14 win. After two games away from home, the Golden Eagles close out the regular season with home games against Wichita North and Wichita South.
Finally, Salina Central replaces De Soto in the No. 5 spot in this week’s poll. The Mustangs are 5-1 after entering the 2018 season on an 18-game losing streak. Taylon Peters rushed for 296 yards and five touchdowns on Friday as the Mustangs beat Newton, 33-19. Salina Central will travel to No. 3 Maize this week.
Class 4A
Bishop Miege won a turnover-filled game against Blue Valley, 29-15. The Stags forced six Tiger turnovers, but turned the ball over four times themselves. Miege led 21-13 in the third quarter and stopped Blue Valley on four attempts from the 1-yard line. The Stags will travel to Class 5A No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas this week in of the most anticipated matchups of the season.
McPherson rolled to another blowout of an AVCTL opponent. The Bullpups got 210 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a 63-6 win over Augusta.
Paola moves up one spot to No. 3 this week with a 41-12 win over KC Piper. Five different Panthers rushed for touchdowns in the win.
The voting for the final two spots was incredibly close this week.
Fourth-ranked Goddard returns to the top five this week after a 40-27 win over Valley Center. The Lions led 27-0 at halftime and held on for the 13-point win.
Pittsburg falls two spots to No. 5 after a 35-13 loss to Mill Valley. The Dragons bump Louisburg from the top five. The Wildcats finished just a couple of votes behind Pittsburg for the fifth spot this week.
Class 3A
Andale flexed its muscle with a dominating 55-0 win over rival Wichita Collegiate. The Indians rushed for more than 300 yards and scored more than 50 points for a fourth consecutive week.
Sabetha recorded a 13th consecutive victory by shutting out Holton, 31-0. Sabetha beat Holton for a third consecutive time.
Scott City traveled to Beloit on Thursday and came away with a 55-12 victory over the Trojans. Wyatt Hayes rushed for 174 yards and scored five touchdowns in the win. Scott City returns home this week to take on undefeated Colby.
Pratt registered its fourth consecutive shut out and fifth of the season by beating Hugoton, 42-0. Kadence Riner rushed for 170 yards and Travis Theis added 122 yards and three scores rushing. Pratt will host Holcomb this week.
Perry-Lecompton went to the air to help defeat Jefferson West, 24-13. Dalton Kellum passed for a season-high 189 yards and three scores, and added 126 yards and another score in the win. Perry-Lecompton has a key district game this week against Topeka Hayden.
Class 2A
Top-ranked Phillipsburg defeated Ellsworth 48-3 in a game that was called at halftime due to weather. Phillipsburg has a high-profile game against Hoisington this week that should decide the District 8 title.
Silver Lake allowed an early score then rolled past West Franklin, 55-15. The Eagles got four touchdown passes from quarterback Mason Griffin. Silver Lake hosts unbeaten Osage City this week.
Conway Springs rolled to a 68-20 win over Whitewater-Remington ahead of this week’s showdown with No. 4 Chaparral. The Roadrunners remain in the fourth spot after a 30-21 win over Garden Plain.
Riley County remains in the No. 5 spot this week after a big 62-18 win over Council Grove. The Falcons get another district test this week against Southeast of Saline (5-1).
Class 1A
The top five in Class 1A remains unchanged this week. Top-ranked Smith Center rolled to a 55-0 shutout win over Sacred Heart.
Olpe remains at No. 2 this week after posting a big win over Leon-Bluestem. Senior Blaine Hinrichs rushed for two touchdowns and returned an interception for another score.
Elkhart rolled to a 40-0 shutout of Syracuse. The third-ranked Wildcats will close out their regular-season schedule this week with a trip to Stanton County.
Centralia fell behind Northern Heights early, but the Panthers quickly took control in building a 40-7 halftime lead. Centralia has won four straight games and will be a heavy favorite this week against Wabaunsee before a Week 8 contest with Valley Heights to decide the District 4 title.
Finally, Jackson Heights remains in the No. 5 spot this week after an 8-7 win over Troy. The Cobras answered a Trojan score with a 1-yard Conlan Bruggeman run and added the two-point coversion by Cooper Williams.
Class 8M-I
Central Plains stays in the top spot for a second consecutive week with a 56-0 win over Pratt-Skyline. The Oilers have posted four consecutive shutouts and have surrendered only 22 points all season.
Hodgeman County rolled to a 59-14 win over Kinsley. The Longhorns have a showdown with Spearville (5-1) this week. Spearville has won four straight in the series.
Clifton-Clyde remains in the No. 3 spot this week after a 54-0 win over Stockton.
Fourth-ranked St. Francis made a statement for a second consecutive week with a 44-6 win over Leoti-Wichita County. Wichita County entered the game averaging 50 points per game, but was shut down by the St. Francis defense.
Finally, South Central gains enough votes to bump Solomon from the fifth spot this week. The T-Wovles beat previously-unbeaten Caldwell, 36-14 to take control of District 2. South Central has played one of the most difficult schedules in 8M-I this season. Solomon remains unbeaten and cruised to a 60-6 win over Herington.
Class 8M-II
It’s not often that a team loses a game and climbs in the rankings as a result. But that’s what we have this week as our voters were so impressed with Axtell’s 50-42 loss to No. 1 Hanover that the Eagles were voted in at No. 2 this week. Axtell scored on the final play of the first half to pull within 28-26, then scored early in the third quarter to lead 34-28. Hanover then scored 22 consecutive points to lead 50-34 and held on for the eight-point win.
As a result of the movement atop the poll, Osborne drops one spot to No. 3 this week despite a 52-0 win over Wilson.
Then things get really crazy. South Barber and Otis-Bison each fall one spot to Nos. 4 and 5 this week after their 36-36, halftime tie. The Chieftains and Cougars went back and fourth in a wild first half that saw ten lead changes and ended up knotted at 36. Then severe weather hit and the came was called final, a tie, at halftime. You’ll notice both teams still show their W-L records from a week prior. That’s because we’re still trying to figure out how to adjust our site to account for a tie.
Visit the Rankings page each week to view a complete list of the top five teams in each classification and how they performed last week.
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