Back to Kpreps this fall, our contributors will hand out helmet stickers to a team or individual that delivered the most important performance of the week in their opinion. Check back each week to see that week’s helmet stickers, and follow @Kpreps on Twitter and Facebook to watch as the Kpreps helmet fills up with stickers as the season goes on.
Helmet sticker: Galena (Chet Kuplen of Sports in Kansas)
The Galena Bulldogs knocked off Marysville on the road 42-36 in double overtime on Friday night to earn a trip to the Class 3A state semifinals for the second time in school history. The victory was coach Beau Sarwinski’s 100th win as a Galena head coach.
In what could be remembered as of the season’s best games, Galena trailed 24-0 early. In fact, the Bulldogs were down 16-0 before they even got an offensive possession. Marysville took advantage of two turnovers to take a 24-0 lead after the end of the first quarter.
Galena would cut it to 24-14 at the half and eventually cap a string of 30 unanswered points to take a 30-24 lead with 2:29 remaining in the game.
Marysville would get the ball and Galena would stop them, to ultimately run out the clock. However, that didn’t happen as a fumble with just over a minute remaining would give Marysville the ball and new life.
The host Bulldogs would capitalize and tie the game at 30 as time expired on a Jacob Backus touchdown reception from quarterback Brandon Schroedl. Marysville could not convert the ensuring two-point conversion attempt, sending the game to overtime.
Each team scored in the first overtime, but neither could convert a winning two-point conversion attempt. Marysville got the ball first in the second overtime, but would fumble on third down, giving Galena possession and a chance to win with any score.
The Bulldogs would use all four downs and lined up for a J.C. Shelton field goal on 4th-and-goal from the 4-yard line, but a Marysville player jumped offsides, giving Galena a 4th-and-goal from the 1. Galena decided to scrap the field goal, and Shelton pushed across the winning touchdowns on a quarterback sneak.
Shelton was the work-horse in the game with over 160 yards rushing on 38 carries along with 95 passing yards with five combined touchdowns. He didn’t come off the field all night as he serves as the kicker, punter, quarterback, return man, and played linebacker/defensive back.
The Bulldogs will travel to undefeated Sabetha this week.
Helmet sticker: Hoisington (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
In 2017, 15 Kansas 11-man teams had a senior running back clear 1,215 yards, according to MaxPreps’ statewide lists.
Those teams combined to average 8.5 wins and 37.9 points per game. Hoisington’s Sean Urban ranked seventh among those seniors with 1,539 rushing yards. He helped Hoisington post a 7-4 record and average 32.5 points per game.
This season, those 15 teams, have, for the large part, experienced a drop off in wins and offensive performance. Those squads – including KC Schlagle, Burlington, Nickerson, St. James, Norton, Columbus and Lyndon – have averaged 6.1 wins and 26.8 points per game, according to Prep Power Index statistics.
It’s a drop of 11.1 points per game and 2.4 victories. Hoisington, though, is the anomaly of the group.
The Cardinals have improved their scoring offense from 32.5 to 35.3 points per contest, for a jump of 2.8 points a game. Hoisington and Cimarron (plus-8.4) are the only teams to experience an offensive improvement. Twelve of the 15 squads had a double-digit points per contest decrease from 2017.
Just four teams experienced a win improvement from 2017. Two of the squads had a one-victory gain.
Hoisington (plus-2) and Southeast of Saline (plus-4) were the only ones to jump at least two victories, though SES’ improvement was significantly due to a much more experienced and improved defense.
Hoisington moved from 7-4 to 9-2 and, under fifth-year coach Zach Baird, has continued to churn out excellent running backs.
The Cardinals are in the sub-state championship game for the second time in school history, with the first coming in 2016. Hoisington gets a rematch at No. 1 Phillipsburg this week. The Cardinals lost, 51-21, at the Panthers in Week 7.
The Cardinals were picked to have a close contest at Cimarron in Week 10, though again rolled, 41-18. It marked the fourth time in five years Hoisington defeated Cimarron in the playoffs.
Last week, Hoisington won at home, 30-0, versus Hutchinson Trinity. Entering the contest, the Celtics ranked second in Class 2A in scoring defense with just 70 total points allowed.
Hoisington has become one of the state’s best year-in and year-out running attacks, along with the likes of Buhler, Holton and Smith Center. Since 2011, Hoisington has produced at least one 1,000 rusher every season.
This year, junior Wyatt Pedigo, despite missing the first game of the year with a hamstring injury, has 194 carries for 1,959 yards and 28 scores. Last week, he surpassed Hunter Hanzlick’s top mark of 1,949 yards set in 2015. Hanzlick is the Hoisington leader in career rushing yards.
As well, Hoisington’s offense has been at best under Baird when the Cardinals have multiple strong backs. Senior Xavier Robinson has enjoyed a big season with 68 carries for 732 yards and 10 scores, including 244 yards the last two weeks.
Senior Braxton Donovan has 81 carries for 513 yards and five TDs. Sophomore Josh Ball has 84 carries for 407 yards and seven TDs for a team that has rushed for 370 yards a game. Also impressively, Hoisington has fumbled just three times.
Sophomore Mason Haxton saw limited time in the regular season because of injury but has received more time in the playoffs, including eight carries for 38 yards and his first TD of the fall last week.
Helmet sticker: Humboldt (Matt Gilmore – Kpreps)
Humboldt advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in school history with a 24-22, road win at Rossville on Friday night. Now, fourth-year coach Logan Wyrick (26-14) has the Cubs one-win away from playing for a state championship.
After trailing 10-8 at halftime and 16-8 in the third quarter, Humboldt scored on a Conor Haviland touchdown run to tie the game at 16. Haviland then intercepted a Rossville pass and returned it inside the Bulldawg 20-yard line, setting up a Daegan Goodner touchdown on the next play. The Cubs then added the two-point conversion run to lead 24-16.
Late in the third quarter, Rossville scored to pull within 24-22, but Humboldt stopped the two-point attempt. The two teams traded possessions in the fourth quarter without any scoring.
Goodner led Humboldt with 115 yards rushing, while Haviland added 70 yards on the ground. The two have had standout seasons for a Cub offense that has averaged nearly 52 points per game. Goodner, the team’s senior quarterback, has rushed for 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns, while passing for 892 yards and 13 scores. Haviland, a junior, has rushed for 1,611 yards and 31 scores.
The Cubs have to go on the road against another Mid-East League opponent this week in Riley County. The Falcons advanced to the semifinals with a 40-34, overtime victory over Silver Lake last week. Humboldt was able to stop by and watch the completion of the Falcon’s victory over Silver Lake, as the Cubs game at nearby Rossville started early.
Helmet sticker: Weskan & St. Mary’s Academy (Matt Gilmore – Kpreps)
Congratulations to the Weskan Coyotes and the St. Mary’s Academy Crusaders for each winning a championship in their respective affiliation over the weekend.
Weskan captured the third annual 6-Man championship with a 75-44 victory over Golden Plains on Saturday in Dodge City. The Coyotes (7-2) never trailed on Saturday in leading 34-25 at halftime and extended that lead to 55-31 after three quarters.
It was the second victory for Weskan over Golden Plains this season, with the Coyotes winning 52-46 during the regular season.
For the season, junior quarterback Jace Mackley passed for 2,116 yards and 44 touchdowns to earn Kpreps 6-Man All-State honors for a second consecutive season. Mackley also rushed for 767 yards and ten scores.
Zack Box lead the Coyotes with 606 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for more than 400 yards and eight more scores. Dalton Mackley added 550 receiving yards and seven scores, while sophomore Mac Purvis hauled in 33 catches for 490 yards and 14 touchdowns and was recognized by league coaches as a Kpreps All-State receiver.
It was the second 6-Man title in three years for the Coyotes. Weskan won the 2016 title by defeating Pawnee Heights, 36-18.
Meanwhile, St. Mary’s Academy won the Kansas Christian Athletic Association (KCAA) championship for a third consecutive season with a 50-42 win over Wichita Homeschool.
The Crusaders (7-1) avenged a 62-60 loss to the Warriors (9-1) in the regular season.
St. Mary’s Academy has defeated Wichita Homeschool in each of the past three seasons in the championship game and improved its overall record to 22-1 in the past three years. The Crusaders beat the Warriors 40-14 in the 2017 title game, and 30-24 in overtime in 2016.
Helmet Stickers (2018 Season)
Week 1 – Chapman, Salina Central, St. James Academy, Southeast-Cherokee, Wichita North
Week 2 – Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Russell, South Central, Washburn Rural
Week 3 – Colby, Ellinwood, Flinthills, Sylvan-Lucas Unified
Week 4 – Blue Valley North, Centralia, Gardner-Edgerton, Ness City, Smith Center
Week 5 – Bishop Miege, Newton, Olathe West, Oswego, Phillipsburg
Week 6 – Dodge City, Cimarron, Hillsboro, Jackson Heights, Junction City
Week 7 – Canton-Galva, St. Thomas Aquinas, Scott City, Wellington, Wichita Homeschool
Week 8 – Altoona-Midway, Eureka, Hugoton, Louisburg, Shawnee Mission South
Week 9 -- Axtell, Beloit, Stafford, Sacred Heart, Victoria
Week 10 – Arkansas City, Dighton, Fort Scott, Otis-Bison
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