Kpreps Friday First Look provides our initial reaction to some most notable games and performances in the state from Week 3.
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CLASS 6A
Lawrence shocks No. 2 Gardner-Edgerton
Steve Rampy returned to the high school ranks last season and suffered through a 1-8 season with a young Lawrence High team. It’s safe to say the Lions are starting to grow up. Lawrence improved to 3-0 after Friday’s 35-34 road win at No. 2 Gardner-Edgerton.
Devin Neal broke an 80-yard touchdown run with 3:44 remaining to put the Lawrence up by the score of 35-34.
WATCH - Devin Neal’s 80-yard TD Run (Uclick TV)
Lawrence retained the ball as the Lions pounced on Connor Gellender’s ensuing kickoff at midfield. The drive stalled, but Gellender punted Gardner-Edgerton inside their 20-yard line with two minutes remaining.
Gardner-Edgerton eventually lined up for a game-winning 55-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds left, but the kick was no good.
Gardner-Edgerton raced out to a 28-14 lead at halftime behind a defensive score and three Teven McKelvey touchdown runs.
Lawrence closed the gap in the third quarter after a McKelvey fumble gave the Lions a short field. Lawrence eventually scored on a short pass from Jackson Dooley to Neal to pull within 28-21.
Gardner-Edgerton regained a two-score lead early in the fourth quarter on a short touchdown run, but missed the PAT.
Less than two minutes later, Dooley hit Neal out of the backfield and along the right sideline for an 82-yard touchdown catch to narrow the margin to 34-28 and set up Neal’s game-winning sprint down the left sideline later in the quarter.
WATCH - Dooley to Neal for 82-yards (Uclick TV)
Neal finished with more than 160 rushing yards and more than 100 receiving yards on the night. He rushed for two touchdowns and caught a pair of touchdown passes from Dooley. Dooley also connected with Tre Jackson on a long TD pass in the second quarter.
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Wichita East beats Kapaun
You have to go back a while to find the last time Wichita East defeated Kapaun Mt. Carmel in football. In fact, before Friday night the Blue Aces hadn’t scored against the Crusaders since the 2016 season.
But on Friday, Wichita East picked up its first victory over Kapaun since 2012 – beating the Crusaders, 22-14.
Kamarion Hart caught a short touchdown pass and Daylan Jones made an incredible one-handed touchdown catch in the end zone for the Blue Aces.
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Olathe North stays perfect thanks to Bruce’s big night
Olathe North improved to 3-0 with a 30-10 victory over Shawnee Mission West on Friday night.
The Eagles got a big night from junior Arland Bruce, IV, who rushed for more than 250 yards and three touchdowns. Bruce has made a seamless switch from quarterback back to running back where he’s now rushed for nearly 600 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.
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Dodge City wins wild game versus Wichita Heights
Dodge City scored on a five-yard run from quarterback Beau Foster in overtime and defeated Wichita Heights, 26-23. It marked coach Dave Foster’s 50th career victory with the Red Demons, and Dodge City moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2010. The teams exchanged leads throughout the game. Dodge City has won two consecutive games in the series after eight straight losses to the Falcons from ’08-17.
Heights is 0-3 despite holding leads in Week 1 and Week 3 contests. While Heights has had some 1-3 starts in recent history, the Falcons’ last 0-3 opening came in a 3-6 season in ’96, according to Kansas Football History.
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Blue Valley North beats Pittsburg
Blue Valley North picked up its first win of the season with a 27-3 decision over Class 4A No. 5 Pittsburg.
After an early Spencer Sprenger field goal put the Mustangs up 3-0, Bleu Valley North blocked a Pittsburg punt and Reid Spachman recovered it in the end zone for a 10-0 lead.
The Purple Dragons would convert a field goal of their own to make it 10-3, but that’s all the closer they would get.
North quarterback henry Martin hit Shawn Hendershot on a 47-yard touchdown for a 17-3 lead.
WATCH – Martin hit Hendershot wide open on a 47-yard TD (EKL Prep Report)
Pittsburg nearly answered before halftime, but the Purple Dragon receiver was tackled down at the 1-yard line as time expired in the second quarter.
Martin connected with Hendershot on an 82-yard scoring bomb in the third quarter for a 24-3 lead, and Sprenger would add another field goal for the final margin.
WATCH – Martin connect with Hendershot for 82-yard TD (EKL Prep Report)
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Wichita Southeast, Counts victory No. 1
It wasn’t easy, but Wichita Southeast rallied from a big deficit to top Wichita North, 51-38, on Thursday night and deliver new head coach Taylor Counts his first career victory.
The Golden Buffaloes fell behind by 18 points twice in the first half, but narrowed the gap slightly to 30-14 at the break.
In the second half, it was all Southeast. The Golden Buffaloes scored 37 consecutive points to turn a 30-14 deficit into a 51-30 lead before the Redskins added a late touchdown to get within the final margin.
Southeast had dropped its first two games by a combined five points. The Golden Buffaloes will travel to Liberal next week – a team they defeated 14-8 last season.
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CLASS 5A
Defense, turnovers help Wichita Northwest shutout Great Bend
On a night when several ranked teams lost, the Grizzlies of Wichita Northwest flexed their muscle with a 31-0 shutout of previously-unbeaten Great Bend.
Great Bend began with the ball to start the game and reached the Northwest red zone, but an early fumble gave the Grizzlies the ball at the 5-yard line. Northwest would take only two minutes to score, as quarterback Reagan Jones connected with wideout Camden Aldrich for a 60-yard strike to the endzone.
The Grizzly offense wasn’t finished. Julius Bolden scored from 17 yards out to push the score to 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Great Bend struggled to move the ball in the first half. The Grizzly defense forced Great Bend to cough up the football again, this time at the three-yard line. Northwest would settle for a field goal from Carson Arndt, and went into halftime ahead 17-0.
Northwest took the second-half kickoff and put another seven on the board. This time, Jones connected with Kaleb Coleman for an 18-yard scoring strike. On the ensuing kickoff, the Great Bend special teams’ unit fumbled and Northwest recovered in good field position. Jamar Martin would turn that gift into a 1-yard touchdown with 8:03 left.
Great Bend and Northwest would trade interceptions later in the third quarter. Dalton Miller threw a pass that Todric McGee would take for Northwest, but on the very next play, Bryce Brown would intercept Reagan Jones to give the ball back to Great Bend.
The Panthers sustained solid drives twice in the fourth quarter, but neither resulted in points. Wetu Kalomo intercepted a Dalton Miller pass with 8:24 left in the game, and the Panthers later turned the ball over on downs inside the red zone.
Penalties played a big role in this game as 21 flags were called in all – with 12 coming in the first half. Northwest was responsible for 16 of the yellow hankies, costing them 150 yards.
The Grizzlies improve to 3-0 on the season, and will take on Wichita West at home next week. Great Bend falls to 2-1 and will start a three-game road stretch with a trip to Dodge City next week.
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Bishop Carroll cools off Wichita West
Hunter Trail scored four touchdowns as Bishop Carroll defeated Wichita West, 34-7.
The game was scoreless for much of the first half until Trail put the Golden Eagles up 7-0. After an interception by Colby Hudspeth, Trail found the end zone again for a 14-0 lead.
The Pioneers closed the gap to 14-7 midway through third, but Trial would answer with two more scores and Dalton Nichols capped the scoring with a touchdown run.
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Salina Central wins Mayor’s Cup
Salina Central defeated Salina South, 17-7, to win the annual Mayor’s Cup. Both squads were 0-2 entering the contest, but had losses to McPherson, Dodge City and Derby, all opponents that are 3-0. Central has captured the last two in the series after South won every matchup from ’11-17. On fourth-and-goal from the five, Central quarterback Jackson Kavanagh threw a touchdown pass to Ezavyar Jackson for the final margin with 4:57 remaining.
A wild play happened early in the fourth quarter when Central led South, 10-7. Dakota Hogan had a reception, but fumbled, and South’s A.J. Johnson returned it for the score, but it was called back because of a penalty. The first half featured just 34 rushing yards on 25 carries combined.
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Hays High holds off Liberal
Hays High was 0-2, and Liberal was 2-0 entering a key Western Athletic Conference contest. Hays High won 13-12 in overtime and stopped the Redskins’ on the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime. Hays High had the only points of the first half with a touchdown pass from Dylan Dreiling to Hayden Brown in the last minute before intermission.
HHS led 6-0 entering the fourth quarter, and Liberal tied the game at six. On fourth down in overtime, Dreiling found Brown for a score, and made the extra point for a 13-6 lead. Hays High stopped Alex Esparza for the two-point conversion after he scored the touchdown. Hays High has won three straight in the series: 20-0, 21-20 and 13-12.
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Leavenworth shocks Basehor-Linwood
Leavenworth scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to defeat Basehor-Linwood, 41-30.
The Bobcats led the Pioneers 30-19 in the third quarter after a Chase Torkelson touchdown pass to Ethan Huber.
That’s when Leavenworth flipped the script.
JoVaughn Darthard scored on a 25-yard touchdown run and the two-point conversion cut the Basehor-Linwood lead to 30-27.
In the fourth, Jahawn Byrd scored on a short run to put Leavenworth up 34-30. Darthard would add another score with under 4:30 remaining in the game to put the game away, 41-30.
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CLASS 4A
Miege gets late kick return to withstand Mill Valley charge
Top-ranked Bishop Miege was seemingly in control at halftime. The Stags led Mill Valley 28-10 behind a huge first half from Brison Cobbins and Daniel Jackson. Cobbins rushed for a pair of scores and Jackson was on the receiving end of two Timothy Dorsey touchdown passes.
When Dorsey added a 23-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, Miege’s lead swelled to 35-10 and it seemed like it was all but over.
But late in the third quarter, the Mill Valley defense forced a safety to pull within 35-12 entering the fourth.
Early in the final quarter, Jaguar quarterback Cooper Marsh scored on a short run to pull Mill Valley within 35-19. A few minutes later, Marsh scored his third touchdown on the ground to pull the Jags within 35-27.
After forcing Miege to punt, Mill Valley drove 95 yards for the game-tying score with the biggest play coming on a fourth-down, 37-yard connection from Marsh to Kendrick Jones. A couple plays later, Tyler Green scored on a three-yard run to narrow the gap to 35-33 with 41 seconds left. Jones then tossed the game-tying two-point conversion back to Marsh to knot the game at 35-35.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Miege’s Daniel Jackson picked up the ball and raced 80 yards down the right sideline with one final cutback to give the Stags a 42-35 victory.
WATCH – Daniel Jackson’s 80-yard, game-winning kick return for a TD (Bishop Miege Football)
Cobbins led Miege with 185 yards rushing and two scores, while Jackson added 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
For Mill Valley, Marsh rushed for more than 100 yards with three touchdowns, and passed for 225 yards but was intercepted three times. Jones, a sophomore transfer from Class 1A Yates Center, led Mill Valley with eight catches for 107 yards.
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Andover Central handles No. 2 Goddard
Andover Central used big plays to jump out in front of Goddard and rolled to a 38-21 victory of the second-ranked Lions.
The Jaguars wasted little time in getting going as quarterback Shomari Parnell connected with Xavier Bell on a 70-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter.
Initially, Goddard had an answer as Kyler Semrad connected with Blake Mitchell to tie the game.
But the Jaguars kept hitting the Lions with big play after big play.
Parnell connected with Matthew Macy on touchdown passes of 39 and 85 yards, then he hit Ty Herrmann on a scoring strike for a 28-7 lead.
Semrad pulled Goddard within 28-14 after halftime, but Andover Central would answer again with a field goal and a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Parnell to Ty DeGarmo.
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Independence ends losing streak
The Independence Bulldogs snapped a 15-game losing streak on Friday night with a 20-18 victory over Fort Scott.
Indy led 13-12 at halftime and extended that lead to 20-12 after three quarters.
Fort Scott’s Brody Boles scored on a short touchdown run with under five minutes to go, but the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
The Bulldogs gave new head coach John Black his first victory at the school after coming over from nearby Neodesha.
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CLASS 3A
Sabetha pulls away from Perry-Lecompton
Top-ranked Sabetha fell behind 14-0 at Perry-Lecompton before rallying for a 41-21 victory.
Gabe Garber scored four touchdowns and produced more than 325 yards of total offense in the victory.
The Bluejays have now won 23 consecutive games.
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Clearwater cashes in early, routs Wellington
Clearwater improved to 3-0 after a 31-7 victory at Wellington on Friday night.
Quarterback Tanner Cash threw four touchdown passes in the first quarter as the Indians raced out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back.
Cash finished with nearly 275 yards passing and contributed more than 100 yards on the ground.
Clearwater will travel to Cheney next week.
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Cheney keeps flying
Speaking of Cheney, the Cardinals showed no sign of a letdown after last week’s impressive win over Conway Springs.
Cheney played well again and hung 70 points on Chaparral in a 70-3 victory.
The Cardinals raced out to a 41-3 halftime lead behind two touchdown runs from Riley Petz and two scoring passes by Zac Block.
Block threw three touchdowns on the night with two going to Petz and one going to Luke Grace. Grace also blocked a Chaparral punt for a touchdown before halftime.
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Osawatomie stops losing skid; Prairie View shuts out Galena
The Osawatomie Trojans ended an 11-game losing streak with a dominating 42-20 win over Parsons.
Braden Bradshaw rushed for five touchdowns as the Trojans built a 28-12 lead at halftime, and then extended it to as many as 24 points in the third quarter.
Osawatomie (1-2) will host unbeaten Prairie View next week. The Buffaloes blanked Galena, 28-0 after losing to the Bulldogs 50-22 last season.
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CLASS 2A
Humboldt rallies late to top Eureka
Humboldt over came a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to shock Eureka, 38-32. The game was played in Iola, although it served as a home game for Eureka.
The host Tornadoes led 32-22 in the fourth quarter after a short touchdown run by Brett Escareno.
That lead remained until Humboldt scored with 1:33 remaining and added the two-point conversion to pull within 32-30.
The Cubs then recovered the onside kick at midfield.
Humboldt eventually faced a fourth-and-12 at the Eureka 18-yard line with less than 50 seconds remaining.
The Cubs’ Conor Haviland rolled out to his left then took off towards the goal line, fighting his way to the 1-yard line and setting up a first-and-goal.
On the next play, Haviland was across and the Cubs lead 38-32 with 37 second remaining.
Haviland then picked off a Eureka pass on the following possession to seal the game.
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Silver Lake tops Riley County for Hamilton’s 425th win
Silver Lake shut out Riley County 25-0 on Friday night to pick up legendary coach C.J. Hamilton’s 425th win. Hamilton, in his 44th season, has posted a career record of 425-92.
Silver Lake has surrendered only 25 total points in three games this season. The Eagles were ranked No. 3 in last week’s poll, but are sure to move up after No. 2 Phillipsburg’s loss to Smith Center.
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Top-ranked Hoisington survives
Hoisington survived a good test from Larned, but the Cardinals pulled away for a 41-19 victory.
The Cardinals held narrow leads of 18-13 at halftime and 26-19 after three quarters before adding a pair of touchdowns in the fourth.
Wyatt Pedigo rushed for more than 275 yards and scored five touchdowns on the night.
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Maur Hill edges Jackson Heights
Maur Hill-Mount Academy scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to top 1A No. 3 Jackson Heights, 18-14.
The Junior Ravens and Cobras played a scoreless first half, then Maur Hill broke the ice with a field goal in the third quarter.
Jackson Heights responded with a Cooper Williams touchdown run, followed by a Maur Hill special teams’ miscue, and a touchdown from Dylan Thompson to take a 14-3 lead.
Maur Hill quarterback Jack Caudle pulled the Ravens within 14-11 on a short touchdown run. The Ravens then successfully attempted an onside kick and later scored on a short touchdown run from Andrew Schwinn to take an 18-14 lead.
Jackson Heights’ next possession ended with a fumble in Maur Hill territory.
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CLASS 1A
Smith Center defeats Phillipsburg
In a key Mid-Continent League matchup, Smith Center, ranked No. 1 in 1A, defeated Phillipsburg, ranked No. 2 in 2A, 27-7.
Smith Center led 7-0 with 2:59 remaining in the first quarter, then 27-0 at halftime.
Smith Center ended an eight-game losing streak to the Panthers. Phillipsburg has dropped back-to-back games in the same season for the first time since ’11, according to Kansas Football History.
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Olpe holds off Christ Prep
In a matchup of two teams that played for championships one year ago, Olpe held off Christ Prep 21-14.
The Eagles, which finished as Class 1A state runners-up last fall, built a 14-0 halftime lead and led 21-7 late in the game before Christ Prep tacked on a long Ty Blair touchdown pass.
Olpe’s Colby Hoelting’s threw two touchdown passes and added a short scoring run.
Christ Prep won the National Homeschool Football Association National Championship in 2018. Olpe defeated the Patriots, 13-8 last season.
8-MAN FOOTBALL
Hanover wins 41st straight
Hanover defeated Mankato-Rock Hills, 66-16, on the road and captured its 41st straight victory. Hanover tied Almena-Northern Valley (’85-88) for the longest winning streak in the KSHSAA eight-man era. The top-ranked Wildcats led 24-0 at halftime and 38-0 in the third quarter. Hanover had started slowly its first two contests, but scored on its opening drive and then moved the lead to 8-0 after a safety.
Colin Jueneman, a reserve in the past, didn’t play in Week 1 and was more of a receiver in Week 2. He enjoyed a massive breakout game. He tallied all three first half scores on a six-yard run, a 47-yard kick return touchdown after the safety, and a run of 25 yards. He brought back the second half kickoff 79 yards for a score, and had a 40-yard touchdown run. He and senior Taegan Schwartz each cleared 125 rushing yards.
Mankato-Rock Hills all-purpose back Rylee Whelchel tallied both Grizzlies’ touchdowns in a contest that was called midway through the fourth quarter because of the mercy rule. However, Whelchel had zero yards on his first eight touches. Hanover senior lineman Jonah Weber had an impressive game on both sides of the ball.
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No. 4 South Central beats up No. 3 Hodgeman County
Fourth-ranked South Central won the battle of ranked teams in 8-Man, Division I with a 48-14 victory over No. 3 Hodgeman County.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Timberwolves led 14-8 at halftime. South Central then pulled away with 22 points in the third quarter to lead 36-8.
South Central quarterback Chayde Snyder passed for 182 yards and four touchdowns in the game, connecting with Jonny Robles four times for 164 yards and three scores. Snyder also added 133 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Hodgeman County was led by Eli Salmans’ 188 rushing yards and two scores. Beyond Eli’s performance, South Central held the Longhorns to only 12 more rushing yards on 14 carries.
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Pratt-Skyline with big win, keeps streak going
Pratt Skyline is 3-0, including a 42-20 home win against Argonia-Attica. The T-Birds have won five in a row, the longest current streak in Division I. Skyline won its first game in ’18, then dropped six straight before wins against St. John (54-6) and Kinsley (58-14) to close last year. Skyline has not won more than three games in a season since an 8-2 mark in ’14. The T-Birds had never beaten A-A with five losses in the series from ’14-18.
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Wichita County continues attack – without a home game
Through the first two weeks, Leoti-Wichita County was eight-man football’s statistically most dominant team when in outscoring opponents by a combined 144-0.
On Friday night, the Indians defeated Logan-Palco, 68-14, on the road. Logan-Palco was 2-0. Wichita County has not played at home. The season opener against Pretty Prairie came in a neutral site game at Spearville.
The Week 2 contest was at Sharon Springs-Wallace County, and last night’s contest was in Palco. Against the same squads last season, Wichita County won 66-8, 54-6, and 54-6. These are the Indians’ best starts since before ’04, and coach Brant Douglas stands at 9-3 with Wichita County.
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Burlingame rolls to deliver Slater’s 50th win
Bulingame scored 38 points in the second quarter in defeating Marais des Cygnes Valley, 46-0. The win was No. 50 for Burlingame coach Jeff Slater. Slater now has posted a record of 50-8 in his time at the school.
Colby Middleton rushed for three touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass in the win. Kade Kline also added a pair of scores for the Bearcats.
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Frankfort outscores Doniphan West, 74-52
Frankfort outscored Doniphan West 30-14 in the second half to pull away for a 74-52 win in District 3. The Wildcats led 44-38 at halftime.
Quarterback Gavin Cornelison had a monster night in completing 10 of 12 passes for 256 yards and five touchdowns. Cornelison also rushed for 132 yards and two scores on 15 attempts.
Branden Bussmann caught five passes for 158 yards and three scores, while Garret Dalinghaus rushed for 149 yards and three scores for the Wildcats.
Doniphan West was led by Nathaniel Howerton and Trent Spiker on the ground. Howerton rushed for 129 yards and two scores, while Spike added 118 yards and three touchdowns. Spiker also returned the opening kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown.
6-Man Football
Weskan’s 6-Man win streak comes to an end
Moscow traveled to Weskan on Friday afternoon and defeated the host Coyotes, 30-27.
Incredibly, the Wildcats held Weskan scoreless in the second half until the game’s final play.
Weskan was driving in Moscow territory with around 6:30 remaining, but the Coyotes lost a fumbled snap as a rain cloud forced a wet ball.
Moscow’s Adan Granillo scored four touchdowns for the Wildcats – the second, an incredible run where he broke several tackles and eluded several more Coyotes.
Austin Snyder was big on both sides of the ball for the Wildcats, including hauling in an interception on a tipped pass at the 3-yard line with a little more than minute to go.
Weskan entered with an 8-game win streak; the longest in 6-man football. Ashland now holds the longest current 6-man win streak at 3 (4 if they win).
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Colton McCarty leads Cheylin
The Cougars took a big step in the six-man ranks with a 46-0 shutout against Pawnee Heights in their first home game. Cheylin is 3-0 with 76-12, 47-0 and 46-0 victories. Next week, Cheylin is at rival Rexford-Golden Plains (2-1), teams that consistently played each other for many years in eight-man football. Cheylin led 18-0 after the first quarter.
Quarterback Colton McCarty had another big game when he delivered 12 carries for 190 yards and five scores. He completed five of six passes for 62 yards with a touchdown. Defensively, he picked off two passes and returned one for a score. Drew Schields recorded four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown, along with 11 tackles, a pair of tackles for loss and a sack.
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