On this special Week 9 edition of Around the Brackets, we’ll recap first-round playoff action from Thursday night.
Class 6A
Blue Valley North 68, KC Wyandotte 12 – The 5-seed Mustangs had little trouble with 12-seeded Wyandotte as part of a record-scoring night. Blue Valley North scores four times in each of the first and second quarters in rolling to a 55-6 halftime lead. Graham Mertz passed for 360 yards and six touchdowns in the victory – two each to Shawn Hendershot and Amauri Pesek-Hickson. Cameron Burt led the Mustangs with four catches for 121 yards and his 16th receiving touchdown of the season.
Shawnee Mission East 45, KC Harmon 0 – Shawnee Mission East cruised to a 45-0 victory over KC Harmon on Thursday night. The Lancers led the Hawks 45-0 at halftime. Harmon has now dropped 30 consecutive games dating back to 2015.
Class 3A
Galena 40, Anderson County 0 – Galena had little trouble with Anderson County on a cold, rainy night at Abbey Field. Quarterback JC Shelton rushed for two short touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass to Blake Booth as the Bulldogs led 28-0 at halftime. On the first play of the third quarter, Shelton hit Nick Sarwinski on a 66-yard touchdown pass for a 34-0 lead. Sarwinski scored on a short touchdown run a few minutes later to start the running clock.
Frontenac 33, Burlington 6 – Frontenac went on the road and set the tone early with two, first-quarter scores en route to a 27-point victory at Burlington. Jake Beckmann hit Ryan Raio on a 14-yard touchdown pass then rushed for a 4-yard score in the first quarter. The Raiders then scored on the final play of the first half on a 30-yard reverse-throwback pass from Raio to Beckmann. The Raiders scored twice in the second half on an Alex Johnson short touchdown run and a 63-yard sprint by Beckmann.
Parsons 6, Girard 0 – Parsons picked up the schools’ first playoff victory in 42 years with a 6-0 win against Girard. Early in the third quarter, Parsons quarterback Gage Friess lined up next to DaQuan Johnson on a fourth-and-2 play. Johnson handed to Friess, who broke three tackles and sprinted down the left sidelines 45-yards for the game’s only score. The Vikings and Trojans played a scoreless struggle for much of the night with Girard controlling the ball, but unable to convert a couple of drives in to points.
Class 2A
Humboldt 52, West Franklin 15 – Humboldt trailed for the first time this season after an early Falcon touchdown, but Dagen Goodner rushed for three touchdowns as the Cubs gained control with a 30-15 halftime lead. Humboldt added three scores in the second half to win 52-15. Goodner scored four times on the ground, while Conor Haviland rushed for three scores.
Osage City 28, Southeast-Cherokee 6 – Osage City advanced to the next round with a 28-6 victory over Southeast-Cherokee. The Indians led 8-6 after one quarter and 21-6 at halftime before adding another score in the third quarter. Southeast finished 4-5 on the season after having entered the year having lost 28 straight games.
Silver Lake 66, Riverton 0 – Silver Lake had little trouble with Riverton in a 66-0 victory on Thursday night. The Eagles only led the Rams 6-0 after the first quarter, but expanded that lead to 36-0 at halftime. Silver Lake then poured on three more scores in the third quarter to lead 58-0.
McLouth 48, Jayhawk-Linn 26 – McLouth shut out Jayhawk-Linn in the second in pulling off the 48-26 road victory. The Jayhawks led 26-24 at halftime, but McLouth scored 24 points after the break to pick up its first playoff win since 2012.
Class 1A
St. Mary’s Colgan 68, Leon-Bluestem 8 – Colgan rolled past Bluestem on a rainy night at Hutchinson Field in Pittsburg. The Panthers scored five times in the first quarter to lead 35-0 and added three more touchdowns in the second for a 56-0 lead. Cade Simmons, Kash Marietta, and Conor Price each rushed for two scores for the Panthers.
Valley Heights 30, Lyndon 22 – Valley Heights held off a fourth-quarter Lyndon rally to win 30-22. The Mustangs led 22-8 heading into the final quarter and a Lyndon touchdown pulled the Tigers to within 22-14. Valley Heights would answer with a long touchdown pass from Cameron Beardsley to Trey Martin to go back up two scores. Lyndon would answer again to pull within 30-22, but the Tigers could not get any closer.
Pleasanton 28, Marion 22 – Pleasanton held off visiting Marion, 28-22. The Blu-Jays picked up their first playoff win since 2008. The Blu-Jays scored twice in the second half to break a 14-14 third quarter tie. Marion scored late in the game to pull within 28-22, but Pleasanton held on for the victory.
Troy 54, Wabaunsee 21 – Troy rolled to a 54-21 first-round win over Wabaunsee. The Trojans led 33-0 at halftime and cruised to their third straight win.
Smith Center 35, Oakley 0 – Smith Center shut out Oakley for a second time this season to advance to the next round. The Redmen led 7-0 after the first quarter and 21-0 at halftime. Smith Center scored 21 points in each half of a 42-0 victory over the Plainsmen earlier this season.
Inman 44, Stanton County 10 – Inman jumped out to a 13-0 lead and cruised past visiting Stanton County, 44-10. The Teutons scored twice more in the second quarter to build a 29-10 halftime lead. Inman will now await the winner of Elkhart and Sublette.
Class 8-Man, Division I
Argonia-Attica 28, Sedan 8 – A&A scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to break an 8-8 tie in a muddy game at Sedan. The Titans, the fourth-place team out of District 2, rushed for 278 yards in beating the Blue Devils. Blake Harnden led A&A with 102 yards and two scores, while Mason McDaniel added 87 rush yards and a touchdown.
Udall 62, Oswego 28 – Udall outscored Oswego 28-0 in the third quarter to turn a 22-20 halftime deficit into a 48-22 lead. Josh Fielder rushed for 181 yards and six touchdowns to lead Udall to its first playoff win since 2014. The Eagles rushed for 382 yards in the game.
Madison 46, Peabody-Burns 0 – Madison picked up its first playoff win since 2012 with a 46-0 shutout of Peabody-Burns. Austin Watts rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Ryan Wolgram rushed for a score and threw a touchdown pass to lead the Bulldogs.
Solomon 52, Maranatha Academy 6 – Solomon survived the lights going out and rolled past Maranatha Academy, 52-6. Logan Krause rushed for 167 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Gorillas. Braden Neilson added 96 yards passing and a touchdown to Tyler Marfise. Maranatha played without quarterback Nate Burdette who has passed for nearly 1,500 yards and 33 touchdowns this season.
South Central 50, Cedar Vale-Dexter 0 – South Central went to the air to defeat Cedar Vale-Dexter, 50-0. The Timberwolves threw four touchdown passes, three by Chayde Snyder, in beating the Spartans. Snyder passed for 69 yards and tossed TD passes to Ethan Jellison, Gage Girk, and Kelvin Mercer. Girk also tossed a touchdown pass back to Snyder.
Central Burden 32, Caldwell 12 – Central Burden became the only District 1 team to win the cross-district matchups with District 2. The Raiders beat Caldwell, 32-12. Caldwell led 6-0 at halftime before the Raiders scored twice in the third quarter to lead 16-12. Central Burden added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take control.
Canton-Galva 54, Lebo 6 – Canton-Galva rolled to a first-round playoff win over Lebo. The Eagles led 24-6 at halftime and added 24 more points in the third quarter to lead 48-6. The victory is Canton-Galva’s first in the playoffs since 2006.
Burlingame 70, Bennington 36 – Burlingame scored four consecutive touchdowns in the first half to build a 40-22 lead in beating Bennington. Seth Greenwood rushed for 159 yards and four touchdowns and Montana Giffin passed for four touchdowns to lead the Bearcats.
Central Plains 50, South Gray 0 – Central Plains has posted seven straight shutouts in a 50-0 victory in a game that was over at halftime. The Oilers scored 30 points in the first quarter and 20 more in the second. Alex Hickel rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Oilers. Central Plains gets a rematch with Ness City. The Oilers pulled away in the final five minutes to beat the Eagles 30-14 to open the season.
Ness City 44, Macksville 20 – Ness City scored three times in the fourth quarter to break a 20-20 tie and beat Macksville for the second time this season. John Pfannenstiel’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Easton Seib proved to be the winning score. The Eagles added an Edwin Rodriguez touchdown run with less than four minutes left a late Angel Guzman touchdown for the final margin. Ness City beat Macksville, 50-28, back in Week 2.
Clifton-Clyde 60, WaKeeney-Trego 14 – Clifton-Clyde led 24-0 with 3:56 left in the first quarter and pulled away for the big win. Aiden Rudolph and Drake Steinbrock each rushed for a pair of touchdowns as the Eagles pulled away for the halftime win.
Hoxie 46, Hill City 36 – Hoxie led 22-21 at halftime and won in a close contest versus the high-octane Ringnecks. Dylan Weimer rushed for 240 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Indians. Jared Kennedy also passed for 74 yards and a pair of scores – both to Jarrod Dible. Hoxie gets a high-profile matchup versus Clifton-Clyde in the second round.
Hodgeman County 38, Moundridge 20 – Hodgeman County bounced back from its upset loss to Ness City with a competitive win versus Moundridge. The Longhorns led 16-14 at halftime and 30-20 after three quarters. Junior Eli Salmans carried 34 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns as Hodgeman County eliminated Moundridge, 38-20. Isaac Salmans added two touchdown runs and also passed for 119 yards in the game.
Spearville 54, Little River 24 – Spearville picked up a slight upset over Little River, which entered the game 7-1. The 7-2 Lancers had 490 rushing yards. Carson Rich had 31 carries for 251 yards and four scores to lead three players with more than 100 rushing yards. Spearville gets a rematch with rival Hodgeman County in the next round.
St. Francis 46, Stockton 0 – St. Francis earned its fourth shutout of the season and first since Week 4 and remained perfect with first-year coach Nick Fawcett. The Indians scored 16 points in the first quarter and added 30 in the second to end the game at halftime. In the last four years, the Indians have one total loss in Weeks 1-9.
Victoria 34, Leoti-Wichita Co. 28 – In one of the state’s best games, Victoria rallied from a 14-0 deficit. Freshman backup quarterback Grant Schoenrock, starting in place of injured multi-year starter Cooper Windholz, delivered a great contest with 15 carries for 134 yards and three scores. Wyatt Dreiling finished with 13 tackles, a fumble recovery for a 15-yard score and a critical late quarterback hurry on fourth down. Leoti sophomore quarterback Kayde Rietzke was knocked out of the contest in the first half with a wrist injury. With 3 minutes, 53 seconds left, Victoria senior Tyler Knoles scored the game-winning touchdown from four yards out on fourth down and then tallied two-point conversion. Leoti got the ball back twice but couldn’t score.
Class 8-Man, Division II
St. Paul 62, Hartford 14 – St. Paul scored 44 points in the first quarter in rolling past Hartford, 62-14. The Indians led 56-14 at halftime and ended the game in the third quarter.
Centre-Lost Springs 32, Marmaton Valley 28 – Centre captured its first playoff win since 2010 with a narrow 32-28 win over Marmaton Valley. The Cougars will travel to St. Paul next week. Marmaton Valley lost to St. Paul, 62-14, during the regular season.
Hanover 54, Southern Cloud 0 – Hanover scored 32 points in the first quarter in cruising to a 48-0 win over Southern Cloud. Taegan Schwartz rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats. Daiken Stallbaumer rushed for a touchdown and tossed a TD pass to Thomas Atkins. Carter Bruna, Cade Cohorst, and Tyler Bonser also scored rushing touchdowns.
Frankfort 30, Beloit St. John’s-Tipton 8 – Frankfort defeated St. John’s-Tipton for the second time in four weeks. Garret Dalinghaus rushed for 112 yards and two scores and Carson Schreiner added 110 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Frankfort won the earlier meeting, 60-14.
Waverly 42, Altoona-Midway 0 – Waverly made sure Altoona-Midway’s first playoff appearance in 26 years was a short one. The Bulldogs shut out the Jets, 42-0. Wavery will host Southern Coffey County for a second time this season. Waverly won the first meeting, 58-28.
Southern Coffey Co. 60, Wakefield 14 – Southern Coffey County led 36-0 at halftime and cruised to a 60-14 win over Wakefield. Dawson LeimKuhler scored four touchdowns in leading the Titans to their first playoff win since 2004.
Mankato-Rock Hills 70, Doniphan West 20 – Rock Hills pulled away from Doniphan West thanks to a huge game from David Gillett. Gillett passed for 249 yards and four touchdowns – all to Rylee Whelchel who had 148 receiving yards. Zane Colson rushed for 117 yards and four scores, added 101 receiving yards, and returned a kickoff for another score.
Axtell 58, Pike Valley 12 – Quinn Buessing passed for 137 yards and three touchdowns – all three to Hunter Koch – as the Eagles rolled to a 58-12 win over Pike Valley. Koch’s three receptions went for 97 yards and three scores. With those three touchdown receptions, Koch set a new state record for single-season TD receptions with 30 and career TD receptions with 60.
Osborne 48, Triplains-Brewster 0 – Osborne led 16-0 after the first quarter and scored 32 in the second quarter in a game that ended at halftime. Junior Darrien Holloway has 10 carries for 110 yards and four scores. Senior Darnell Holloway had five carries for 112 yards and a score.
Sylvan-Lucas 44, Sharon Springs-Wallace County 0 – Sylvan-Lucas steadily pulled ahead with a 12-0 lead in the second quarter and 36-0 in third quarter. The Mustangs have shut out three straight teams and five overall this year. Sylvan-Lucas moved to 6-3 and is 14-5 in the last two seasons. Last year’s 8-2 mark featured three shutouts.
South Barber 78, Satanta 14 – South Barber was up 70-6 with 6:06 remaining before halftime and scored 78 points with just under four minutes left in the first half. The 8-0-1 Chieftains have scored 564 points this year and join Hanover as the only Division II teams without a loss.
Stafford 54, South Haven 28 – Stafford won the first playoff game in school history and has enjoyed a three-win improvement. The Trojans have tallied 460 points en route to a 7-2 season after 183 points last fall.
Dighton 48, Thunder Ridge 12 – Dighton was up 12-6 early in the second quarter before stopping Thunder Ridge near the goal line. Then, the Hornets had a long run from Dalton Hoffman and continued to pull ahead. Dighton, with just nine players, has won seven straight games.
Northern Valley 74, Tribune-Greeley Co. 44 – Northern Valley defeated Greeley County, 74-44. The start of the game was delayed by a power outage. Northern Valley scored multiple consecutive touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away. The Huskies have scored 144 points in the last two games and is 4-1 in the last five contests.
Otis-Bison 60, Pretty Prairie 12 – Because of heavy rains throughout the day, Otis-Bison’s field had quagmire conditions. Still, the Cougars delivered a big win against Pretty Prairie in the Bulldogs’ second game in Otis this season. Otis-Bison scored 46 points in the first quarter. The Cougars are 7-0-1 since a season-opening loss to Victoria.
Central Christian 76, Ingalls 30 – Central Christian, the No. 1 scoring offense in Division II, had another big game from Caleb Lambert. He had 19 rushes for 155 yards and six scores. Lambert has completed 13 of 22 passes for 288 yards and two scores. Richie Oswalt had 11 rushes for 118 yards and three scores. Adam Hall and Marshall Walton combined for nine catches for 260 yards and two scores. Central Christian had 290 rushing and 288 passing yards.
6-Man Football
Golden Plains 67, Moscow 33 – Dylan Spresser rushed for 211 yards and four touchdowns as Golden Plains beat Moscow, 67-33. The Bulldogs advance to the 6-Man semifinals where they will take on Ashland. Caleb Korte added 127 rushing yards on nine carries for Golden Plains.
Pawnee Heights 118, Cheylin 85 – Pawnee Heights defeated Cheylin, 118-85, in possibly the highest scoring game in Kansas state history for all levels. Pawnee Heights senior Kade Scott scored 14 touchdowns. Cheylin standout sophomore quarterback Colton McCarty finished with 12 total scores, including 226 passing and 252 rushing. Last year, Pawnee Heights beat Cheylin for the six-man state title.
Non-Bracket Week 9 Finals:
Class 3A
Baxter Springs 12, Osawatomie 0
Iola 24, Columbus 22
Wellsville 54, Royal Valley 12
Class 2A
Central Heights 40, Erie 28
Minneapolis 58, Ellinwood 8
Northeast-Arma 1, Oskaloosa 0 (forfeit)
Whitewater-Remington 26, Cherryvale 0
8-Man, Div. I
Atwood-Rawlins Co. 60, Lincoln 44
Herington 56, Valley Falls 26
Kiowa County 62, St. John 8
Medicine Lodge 59, Flinthills 6
Oberlin-Decatur Co. 36, Washington County 20
Oxford 86, West Elk 40
Pratt-Skyline 58, Kinsley 14
8-Man, Div. II
Blue Valley Randolph 68, Lakeside-Downs 0
Bucklin 38, Norwich 8
Chase 56, Burrton 8
Chetopa 52, Rural Vista 30
Logan-Palco 64, Quinter 24
Marais des Cygnes Valley 42, Colony-Crest 20
Minneola 74, Fairfield 28
Onaga 60, Linn 38
Wetmore 60, Tescott 14
Wilson 50, Wheatland-Grinnell 0
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