Kpreps Friday First Look provides our initial reaction to some most notable games and performances in the state from Week 4.
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Weather altered schedule
Several games were moved to early start times as severe weather was anticipated across Kansas on Friday evening. While the schedule changes were certainly beneficial, there were still a handful of games that were called “final” early or have been postponed to be finished over the next couple of days. Here is a look at some of those games:
- Haysville Campus at Salina South (Saturday 12:00 – South leading 21-12)
- KC Schlagle at KC Wyandotte (Schlagle leads 6-2)
- Topeka Highland Park at Topeka West (8:30 AM – 9:16 1Q no score)
- Mission Valley at Council Grove (Monday 5:30 – 1:29 3Q, CG leads 14-7)
- Hillsboro at Sacred Heart (Saturday 11:00 – Hillsboro leading 7-0)
- Inman at Marion (Monday 6:00 PM)
- Sedgwick at Ell-Saline (Monday 6:00 PM – 11:36 2Q, Sedgwick leading 15-0)
- Goessel at Solomon (Saturday 1:00 – Goessel leading 22-20 at half)
- Marais des Cygnes Valley at Waverly (Monday 5:30 – Waverly leading 46-18 in 3Q)
CLASS 6A
Derby shuts out Bishop Carroll
Derby used a strong defensive performance to shut out Bishop Carroll 21-0. The Panthers defeated the Golden Eagles for a fourth consecutive season.
While we typically talk about Derby scoring at will, the Panthers were held 32 points under the season average coming in. IN fact, both teams struggled to finish drives and put up points.
Bishop Carroll got an early interception, but missed on a short field goal. Derby quarterback Grant Adler then ran for a touchdown for a 7-0 Panther lead.
After a Bishop Carroll fumble, Adler connected with Reid Liston on a 17-yard touchdown pass to put Derby up 14-0 at halftime.
Derby’s Tre Washington added a short touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to put the Panthers’ up three scores.
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Blue Valley holds off Missouri-power Rockhurst
Quarterback Jake Wolff had a breakout game and the Blue Valley defense held Rockhurst in check during a 21-14 Tiger win. The Hawklets entered the contest ranked No. 7 in Missouri Class 6.
Wolff threw three touchdown passes including the go-ahead, 56-yard strike to Sterling Lockett midway through the fourth quarter. He also connected with Dorian Stephens on a pair of long touchdown passes spanning 136 yards. Lockett caught two balls for 93 yards.
Wolff passed for 314 yards on only 12 completions.
The Tigers managed 66 net rush yards, but held Rockhurst to 66 yards on the ground as well. Blue Valley forced three Hawklet turnovers in the game.
Rockhurst won last year’s meeting, 42-7.
Blue Valley (3-1) will host Blue Valley Northwest next week, while Rockhurst will host Bishop Miege.
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Olathe North falls to top-ranked school in Colorado
Second-ranked Olathe North fell 24-21 to Columbine (Colo.) as the Rebels broke a 75-yard touchdown run mid-way through the fourth quarter. Columbine (5-0) is the No. 1 ranked team in Colorado Class 5A.
The Rebels built a 17-7 lead in the first half before Olathe North would pull within 17-13 on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Nelson to Mario Sanchez.
The score would remain 17-13 until Arland Bruce, IV put Olathe North on top with a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion gave the Eagles their first lead at 21-17.
Four minutes later, the Rebels broke a long touchdown run that proved to be the game-winning score.
Columbine won last year’s meeting, 48-12.
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Dodge City slips by Great Bend
Dodge City improved to 4-0 with a 24-21 victory over Great Bend. Jose Valverde connected on a 22-yard field goal with 1:02 remaining in the game to give the Red Demons the winning points.
Dodge City built a 21-0 halftime lead and held off the Panthers.
The Red Demons took a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter on a short touchdown run by Alden Knedler. Demon quarterback Beau Foster extended the lead to 14-0 with another short scoring run. Finally, before half, Knedler tossed the ball pack to Foster for a 12-yard halfback option to make it 21-0 at the break.
Dalton Miller posted a pair of short touchdown runs to bring Great Bend within 21-14 after three quarters. Miller then tied the game on a 60-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
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Junction City shocks Topeka High on Thursday night
Junction City shocked 6A No. 3 Topeka High on Thursday night, 48-41. Quarterback Andrew Khoury connected with Ethan Alcorn on a 22-yard touchdown pass with less than a second to go to break the tie game.
Topeka High led 28-27 heading in to the fourth quarter when the scoring kicked into another gear.
Ky Thomas broke a 22-yard touchdown run in the fourth to give the Trojans a 35-27 lead. But Junction City’s Russell Wilkey responded with an 11-yard run and added the two-point conversion catch from Khoury to tie the game at 35.
Da’Vonshai Harden put Topeka back on top with a 42-yard run, but the PAT was no good.
Khoury connected with Wilkey on a 15-yard touchdown pass with just under three minutes remaining, but Junction City was also unsuccessful on the PAT.
The game remained tied at 41 until the final seconds when Khoury hit Alcon for the winning score.
Khoury threw three touchdown passes and added a pair of rushing scores. Wilkey rushed for 165 yards on 35 carries for the Blue Jays.
Thomas had another huge night with more than 250 yards on the ground, while Harden added 165 yards rushing.
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Shawnee Mission Northwest outscores SM East
The Shawnee Mission Northwest Cougars blitzed Shawnee Mission East in the second half of Friday afternoon’s game en route to a 54-34 victory. With the win, the Cougars improved to 4-0 and are all alone atop the Class 6A East standings at the mid-point of the regular season.
Cougar quarterback Ty Black passed for 382 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Northwest overcame a slight 20-19 Lancer lead at halftime with two quick Ty Lindenman touchdowns in the third quarter. Lindenman caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Black, then ran 50 yards for a score on the Cougars’ next possession.
Lindenman continues his incredible season with 11 receptions for 256 yards and three scores.
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CLASS 5A
Top-ranked Aquinas survives Mill Valley
Last week, Mill Valley came with in a touchdown of upsetting Class 4A No. 1 Bishop Miege. On Friday evening, the Jaguars did the same thing against Class 5A No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas.
Tank Young’s 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter proved the be the game-winning points in a 28-21 Saints’ victory.
The Saints built a 21-7 halftime lead on touchdown runs from Young, Charlie McCormick, and a touchdown pass from Blake Anderson to Tom Downey.
Mill Valley quarterback Cooper Marsh led the Jaguars back. Marsh connected with Zach Mills on a 22-yard touchdown pass to narrow the margin to 21-14.
Then Marsh hit Ty Reishus on a short touchdown pass to even the score at 21. Young would add the go-ahead points shortly after.
Young finished with 104 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to lead Aquinas. Marsh passed for 128 yards and three touchdowns and added 105 yards rushing. Tyler Green led Mill Valley with 137 rushing.
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Eisenhower edges Goddard, 21-20
Goddard-Eisenhower rallied from 13 points down to overtake rival Goddard, 21-20.
The Tigers scored the winning points on a touchdown pass from Chance Omli to Mason Turney with a little over a minute to go.
Goddard has now lost back-to-back games after being ranked No. 2 in the Class 4A poll.
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St. James upsets Bishop Miege
St. James Academy spoiled Bishop Miege’s homecoming with a 28-27 victory on Thursday night.
Cade Lautt scored on a 1-yard run with 7:30 remaining in the game to put the Thunder up 28-27.
St. James then forced a Miege punt which pinned the Thunder deep in their own territory at the 2-yard line. Facing a 3rd-&-9 from their own 3-yard line with 5:15 seconds left, St. James quarterback Jack Moellers hit Brady Feldman across the middle on a 38-yard gain to the 40-yard line.
St. James would pick up another first down and punt from midfield giving Miege the ball back at their own 22-yard line with 1:49 remaining.
Miege would quickly move the ball to 45-yard line as quarterback Tim Dorsey hit Daniel Jackson on a short pass and the Minnesota commit raced 23 yards up the home sidelines.
After a pair of incompletions and a Dorsey scramble, Miege faced 4th-&-6 from their own 47-yard line. Dorsey’s fourth-down pass to Jackson was incomplete and the Thunder took over with :57 seconds left and kneeled out the clock.
Lautt scored two short touchdowns for the Thunder to go along with his 53 rushing yards. Michael Tujague led St. James with 58 yards and a score on the ground and 81 receiving yards on three catches. Moellers passed for 136 yards and a touchdown to Tyler Claiborn.
The story of the game was the Thunder defense making Miege one-dimensional by holding the Stags to 5 net rush yards on 17 attempts. Miege senior running back Brison Cobbins finished with 13 rush yards on seven carries.
Dorsey passed for 307 yards and three touchdowns. Phillippe Wesley caught five passes for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jackson caught six balls for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Things don’t get easier for Bishop Miege as they travel to Rockhurst (Mo.) next week before consecutive home games against Blue Valley and St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. James Academy will look to continue to build momentum by returning to Miege’s Dixon Doll Stadium next week to host Blue Valley Southwest.
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CLASS 4A
Paola stays unbeaten with win at Spring Hill
Third-ranked Paola kept pace with the leaders in Class 4A with a 35-7 home victory over Spring Hill.
Paola took an early lead on a Fletcher Aude touchdown run. The Panthers then blocked a punt and one play later, Connor Hasz cut back for a 28-yard touchdown run and a 13-0 lead.
After forcing a punt, Hasz was at it again – this time taking only one play to race 45 yards and put the Panthers up three scores.
Spring Hill pulled within 21-7 on a Zane Barker touchdown run, but Paola would add a Garrett Williams scoring run to take a 28-7 halftime lead.
Hasz added his third touchdown after halftime as the Panthers cruised to their fourth consecutive victory.
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Louisburg dominates Piper
Don’t look now, but the defending Frontier League champions have won two in a row. Louisburg shut down KC Piper, 23-6, on Friday night to knock the Pirates form the ranks of the unbeaten.
The Wildcats took a 9-6 lead into halftime thanks to a Ben Wiedenmann touchdown run and a field goal by Drake Varns.
That lead would grow in the second half as Madden Rutherford threw a pair of touchdown passes to build a 17-point margin.
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CLASS 3A
Marysville ends Sabetha’s win streak at 23 games
Third-ranked Marysville raced out to big lead and held off No. 1 Sabetha, 40-32. The two-time defending-champion Blue Jays’ win streak ends at 23 consecutive games.
Marysville’s Atreyau Hornbeak scored the first three of his five touchdowns to help the Bulldogs’ build a 20-0 lead in the second quarter.
But Sabetha and Gabe Garber wouldn’t go away. Garber scored on a short run to pull within 20-7, then the Blue Jays recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. One play later, Garber hit Kaden Dillon on a 48-yard touchdown pass to pull Sabetha within 20-13 late in the second quarter.
Marysville would add another Hornbeak touchdown before halftime to lead 26-13.
Sabetha would pull within 34-26 after three quarters, but couldn’t fully catch Hornbeak and the Bulldogs.
The Blue Jays stopped Marysville just outside the goal line on fourth down, but only 19 seconds remained for Sabetha to drive the length of the field for a chance to tie.
Marysville gets the huge win in 3A, District 4, but Wamego and Holton still will provide a formidable challenge to both teams in the next few weeks.
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CLASS 2A
Riley County runs past Rossville
For the second consecutive season, Riley County raced past Rossville, 34-15, in a score that was somewhat surprising. Rossville entered this game as the No. 3 ranked team in Class 2A despite their 14-13 loss to No. 2 Silver Lake a couple of weeks ago.
Garrett Harmison scored in all three phases on offense. Harmison passed for 141 yards and a touchdown, added 60 yards rushing and score, and caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Conner Holle.
Avery Brokenicky and Deon Barnes each added rushing touchdowns for the Falcons.
The Riley County defense limited Rossville to just 19 yards passing.
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Conway Springs wins battle over Hutch Trinity
Conway Springs delivered coach Matt Biehler’s 100th career victory in dominating fashion, 43-8 over Hutchinson Trinity.
Collin Koester delivered a huge night to help his coach reach the milestone. Koester rushed for 241 yards and three touchdowns, and also passed for 56 yards and another score.
The Cardinals have now won two consecutive game since the surprising loss to Cheney back in Week 2.
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Riverside shocks Maur Hill with late TD
Riverside shocked Maur Hill-Mount Academy with a late touchdown to knock the Ravens from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Kobe Davis connected with Conner Hayes on a 37-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds and Yegor Dittemore’s PAT gave the Cyclones a 28-27 win.
WATCH – Riverside connect on the game-winning TD with seconds left (courtesy Hannah Paden)
Riverside improves to 3-1 on the season under new coach Bryce Paden, while Maur Hill drops to 3-1 after last week’s dramatic victory over Jackson Heights.
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Oskaloosa survives Central Heights in 5 OT!
Oskaloosa snapped a 16-game losing streak with an incredible 48-42 victory over Central Heights that took five overtimes!
The Bears scored with 11 seconds left in regulation to tie the Vikings at 16-16 at the end of regulation. Neither team could break serve for the next several possessions.
Both teams scored in the first OT and they each converted the two-point conversion to remain tied at 22.
Again, both scored in the second and third overtimes with neither converting two-point attempts. They both were successful on touchdowns and conversion attempts in overtime No. 4.
Then in the fifth, Oskaloosa came away with six points and held the Vikings out.
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CLASS 1A
No. 1 Smith Center tops No. 2 Plainville, 40-14
Top-ranked Smith Center outscored No. 2 Plainville 20-0 in the third quarter in beating the Cardinals, 40-14.
The Redmen led 14-7 at halftime thanks to a Colton Shoemaker 58-yard touchdown run that came just seconds after Plainville freshman Kyle Werner tied the game at 7 with a 20-yard run of his own.
In the second half, the Redmen begin to pull away. Jaden Atwood scored on a short touchdown run and Trenton Colby returned a Cardinal fumble 60 yards for another score.
Atwood added an 80-yard score later on as the Redmen improved to 4-0 and closer to the Mid-Continent League title.
Plainville played without standout two-way player Jared Casey who will miss a few weeks with a fractured hand.
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Olpe doubles up Jackson Heights, 28-14
Olpe shut out Jackson Heights in the second half on its way to a 28-14 victory. The Eagles, one of the frontrunners on the east side of Class 1A to get back to the state title game in Hays, trailed scored a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to tie the game at 14 at the half.
Olpe then scored once in the third and fourth quarters to take the 14-point victory.
Last season, Olpe defeated Jackson Heights 20-18 to give Chris Schmidt his 100th career victory as coach of the Eagles.
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Sublette rallies to snap long streak
Sublette snapped a 35-game losing streak with a 15-14 victory over Hi-Plains League rival Syracuse.
The Larks trailed 14-0 heading into the fourth quarter, but scored a touchdown and two-point conversion early in the fourth to narrow the gap to 14-8.
Sublette then scored late in the fourth quarter and added the PAT for a 15-14 win.
The Larks’ last win came on September 25, 2015 also in a one-point decision, 13-12 over Lakin.
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8-MAN FOOTBALL
Madison outlasts Maranatha Academy in Game of the Week
Madison rallied from down 16 points late in the third quarter to defeat Maranatha Christian Academy, 68-58, in the Kpreps Game of the Week.
Amazingly, neither team scored in the first quarter. Then things started to heat up.
Maranatha scored a pair of touchdowns for a 16-0 lead, but Madison’s Colton Fife returned the ensuring kickoff to pull within 16-8. Madison then successfully complete an onside kick and drove to tie the game at 16.
Fife scored for a third time in the first half as the Bulldogs went from down 16 to up 32-16 at halftime.
Maranatha would score consecutive times in the third quarter to pull within 32-30, but Fife would again return the ensuing kickoff for a 38-30 lead.
The Eagles would score three consecutive touchdowns to take a 52-38 lead late in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs would then score the next 22 points to take a 60-52 lead. Maranatha would have one last answer to pull within 60-58, but the Eagles’ two-point attempt was fumbled.
While Madison did most of its damage on the ground and on Fife’s kick returns, Nate Burdette led Maranatha through the air in passing for 434 yards and seven touchdowns.
Brock West caught 12 Burdette passes for 269 yards and four scores.
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Hodgeman County holds off Kiowa County
Hodgeman County opened district play with a solid 38-26 road win at Kiowa County.
The Longhorns scored two third-quarter touchdowns to turn a 24-12 halftime lead into a 38-12 lead. Eli Salmans carried 38 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Longhorns. Isaac Salmans added 97 yards and a score on 20 attempts and threw for 103 yards and a touchdown to Conner Ruff.
Kiowa County was led by James Brack who finished with 110 yards on the ground and two scores.
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Little River, Pratt-Skyline post big wins in District 5
Last season, Central Plains dominated previously-unbeaten Little River, 46-0. The Oilers went on their way to a district title and eventually a state title in one of the most dominating seasons in eight-man history.
On Friday, Little River flipped the script. The Redskins blitzed the Oilers 48-0 to stake their claim as one the frontrunners in District 5.
Elsewhere in the district, Pratt-Skyline rolled to a 60-14 blowout of Moundridge. In doing so, the Thunderbirds extended their win streak to six games – the current longest streak in 8-Man, Division I.
Little River will travel to Skyline next week.
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Valley Falls outscores Lebo
The Valley Falls Dragons got into the win column for the first time this season with a surprising 52-42 victory over previously-unbeaten Lebo.
The Dragons had opened the season with lopsided losses to Onaga, Clifton-Clyde, and Washington County, but took advantage of five Lebo turnovers to defeat the Wolves by ten.
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Argonia-Attica blanks Caldwell
Caldwell entered Friday’s game with Argonia-Attica undefeated and averaging 53 points per game. The Titans weren’t impressed.
Argonia-Attica shutout the Blue Jays 30-0 in even their record at 2-2 and more importantly take a big step towards finishing near the top of the District 2 standings.
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6-Man Football
Natoma beats the defending champs, improves to 3-1
Congratulations to Cody Dunlap and the Natoma Tigers. Natoma outlasted defending 6-man champion Weskan, 65-61, on Friday to win their third game in four tries.
The Tigers have now won at least three games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013.
Cheylin outlasts Golden Plains behind McCarty’s big night
Cheylin rallied from down 22 points in the third quarter to defeat Golden Plains, 71-61.
Golden Plains held leads of 37-21 at halftime and 43-21 in the third quarter before the Cougars pulled to within 49-42 after three.
Cheylin eventually tied the game at 55 before the two teams traded touchdowns and the Cougars ended out on top.
Colton McCarty had another huge night for Cheylin. McCarty rushed 41 times for 442 yards and six touchdowns. He also completed 20 of 31 passes for 269 yards and three scores.
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