We have reached the final week of the Kansas high school football season and the state championship games are set in each classification. Kpreps will release one final set of state football rankings after the state champions are crowned. Let’s take a look at the Kpreps.com rankings for November 19th. Check out our complete Rankings for further details.
Class 6A
Derby advanced back to the Class 6A state title game for the fourth consecutive season with a 24-6 win over Manhattan. The Panthers scored all 24 points in the first half and dominated defensively in not allowing Manhattan a first down until the second half.
Defending champion Blue Valley North stays at No. 2 in this week’s poll after a 51-49 victory over Olathe North. The Mustangs broke open a 35-35 game with a pair of Graham Mertz touchdown passes to lead 49-35, and added a safety to lead 51-42 as an Olathe North lateral went through the back of the end zone. Mertz passed for 519 yards and five touchdowns in the victory.
Olathe North comes in at No. 3 in this week’s poll followed by Manhattan, and Lawrence Free State.
Class 5A
Saint Thomas Aquinas remains in the top spot in Class 5A after advancing to the state championship game for a second consecutive season with a dominating 67-21 win over Olathe West. The Saints scored 54 points in the first half in blowing the game open. Blake Anderson started at quarterback and completed all four of his passes for 119 yards, and added 101 yards and a score on the ground. Cameron Jackson added 91 yards and three scores for the Saints, while Finn Barnett and Charlie Ketchum each rushed for two scores. Quarterback Tate Raboin and running back Tank Young did not play.
Class 5A newcomer Wichita Northwest advanced to its first state football championship game since 1996 with a dramatic 67-60 win over Maize. Northwest led by 19 points entering the fourth qurater, but Maize scored three times to lead 60-59 with 2:51 remaining. Northwest then took the lead with 30 seconds left on a 28-yard Reagan Jones touchdown pass to Zion Jones. The Grizzlies have now scored 151 points in their last two games while giving up 127.
Maize, Bishop Carroll, and Mill Valley round out the remainder of this week’s Class 5A poll.
Class 4A
Bishop Miege advanced to its fifth consecutive Class 4A state title game with a 46-7 win at Basehor-Linwood. The Stags jumped out to a 27-7 lead at halftime and pulled away in the second half. Sam Pedrotti passed for two scores and rushed for two more. The Miege defense held the Bobcats to four rushing yards on 18 attempts.
Goddard moves up to No. 2 this week after escaping McPherson with a 15-14 win over the Bullpups. McPherson led 14-7 at half, but an errant snap resulted in a safety to pull the Lions within 14-9. The Bullpups had a chance to extend its lead in the third quarter, but had a field goal blocked. Goddard took the lead on a Ben Bannister touchdown run with 4:29 remaining. McPherson threatened at the end of the game, but Kyler Hoppes’ pass was deflected and intercepted at the goal line.
The remainder of this week’s Class 4A poll has McPherson at No. 3, Pittsburg at No. 4, and Basehor-Linwood at No. 5.
Class 3A
Pratt takes over the top spot in this week’s Class 3A poll after the Greenbacks held on for a 21-19 victory over previously top-ranked Andale. Andale led 7-0 for most of the game until Travis Theis scored late in the third to tie the score. Theis then went 96 yards for a score to give Pratt the lead. Andale pulled to within 14-13, but missed a two-point conversion mid-way through the fourth quarter. Theis then added a 7-yard run with 2:24 remaining to push the lead to 21-13. Andale scored with 39 seconds left, but could not convert the two-point conversion to tie.
Defending champion Sabetha advanced back to the state title game with a 21-0 win over Galena. The Blue Jays scored in the closing seconds of the first half to lead 14-0, then added a score in the second half. Joe Gruber led Sabetha with 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Andale, Scott City, and Galena round out the remainder of the 3A poll this week.
Class 2A
Top-ranked Phillipsburg advanced to the state title game with a 31-14 victory over Hoisington. The Panthers defeated the Cardinals for the second time this season after winning 51-21 back in Week 7. Senior quarterback Trey Sides will try and close out his career with a state title after leading the Panthers to a 2-1A title in 2015 as a freshman.
Riley County advance to the schools’ first state title game since 1993 with a 46-16 win over Humboldt. The Falcons built a 25-0 lead to take control in the first half. Senior back Mikey Waggoner rushed for 135 yards and five touchdowns in the victory.
The rest of this week’s Class 2A poll has Conway Springs at No. 3 followed by Hoisington and Humboldt.
Class 1A
Top-ranked Smith Center cruised to its second consecutive state title game with a 49-7 win over Plainville. The Redmen led 35-0 at halftime. Smith Center defeated Plainville 21-10 during the regular season.
Olpe remains in No. 2 spot this week after beating St. Mary’s Colgan, 14-0. The Eagles are back in the title game for the first time since winning it all in 2014. Olpe scored touchdowns on two short drives in the first half and forced five turnovers against a Colgan team missing most of the season’s offensive production due to injuries to seniors Cade Simmons and Matt Lomshek.
The rest of this week’s 1A poll includes No. 3 Plainville, No. 4 Centralia, and No. 5 St. Mary’s Colgan.
Eight-Man, Division I
Central Plains remains in the top spot in this week’s poll after a dominating 42-0 win over previous No. 2 St. Francis. The Oiler defense, which has allowed only 28 points all season, was again dominant in slowing the Indian single wing offense to 80 rush yards on 39 attempts. Alex Hickel rushed for 232 yards and three scores to lead Central Plains to its first state title game appearance since 2014.
Solomon moves up to No. 2 this week after the Gorillas slowed Landon Everett and upstart Canton-Galva Eagles in a 28-12 victory. Canton-Galva had defeated its Wheat State League rival 38-20 during the regular season district matchup. This time, the Gorilla defense forced five Eagle turnovers.
The remainder of this week’s Eight-Man, Division I poll includes No. 3 St. Francis, No. 4 Hodgeman County, and No. 5 Canton-Galva.
Eight-Man, Division II
Hanover is back in the state championship game for the fifth consecutive season after beating Twin Valley League rival Axtell, 60-14. The Wildcats scored 24 consecutive points in the second quarter to turn a 14-8 lead into a 38-8 halftime advantage. Senior Carter Bruna rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while Daiken Stallbaumer added two rushing scores. Stallbaumer also passed for 167 yards and two scores to Thomas Atkins. Hanover defeated Axtell 50-42 in the regular-season meeting by scoring 22 consecutive straight points in the second half.
The Osborne Bulldogs reached a state title game for the first time since winning it all in 2016. Osborne defeated Dighton, 46-0, ending an incredible run by the Hornet’s roster of nine players. Osborne, which has only 14 players on its roster, received 175 yards and three scores from junior back Darrien Holloway.
Rounding out this week’s Eight-Man, Division II poll is No. 3 Axtell, No. 4 Dighton, and No. 5 Otis-Bison.
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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