Kpreps Friday First Look provides our initial reaction to some most notable games and performances in the state from Week 5.
----
CLASS 6A
Lawrence pulls away from SM Northwest
Third-ranked Lawrence turned a highly touted battle of unbeaten teams into a rout with a 51-20 victory at Shawnee Mission Northwest.
Devin Neal had another huge game for the Chesty Lions scoring five touchdowns. The junior came into Friday with 538 rushing yards and three consecutive 100-yard games. Against Northwest, Neal rushed for more than 100 yards and two scores and had nearly 150 receiving yards and three touchdown catches.
But the story of the night may have been the Lawrence defense that held the Shawnee Mission Northwest offense in check.
The Cougars entered Friday averaging 47 points per game, but scored only two touchdowns on offense. Northwest quarterback Ty Black was limited to 125 yards passing after averaging more than 300 passing yards per game coming in.
Cougar receiver Ty Lindenman caught four passes for 44 yards – more than 140 yards below his average on the season. Lindenman did answer the Lions’ first score with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
In fact, Black’s touchdown run in the second quarter pulled the Cougars within 14-13, but Neal would put the Lions on the scoreboard twice more before the half for a 28-13 lead.
With the victory, Lawrence keeps pace with unbeaten Derby, Dodge City, and Junction City as the only remaining undefeated 6A teams. Northwest’s loss gives every 6A east team at least one loss.
----
Dodge City stays unbeaten
Dodge City improved to 5-0 with a 35-14 victory against Wichita West.
The Red Demons have continued their impressive defensive turnaround with just 15.4 points allowed a contest. Last season, Dodge City opened 2-3 and allowed 30.6 points a game in the first five weeks. The Red Demons are 9-1 in its last 10 contests, and the 27-14 loss to Wichita West last year represents Dodge City’s last regular season defeat.
Dodge City is 5-0 for the first time since 2010, coach Dave Foster’s first year that ended in an 11-1 season and semifinals appearance. Alden Knedler tallied four rushing scores, and Dodge City forced three turnovers, according to Dodge City broadcaster Sean Boston. The Red Demons led 28-8 at halftime.
----
Garden City continues streak against Liberal
Garden City picked up its second consecutive victory with a 26-12 road win versus Liberal. The Buffaloes have defeated Liberal 12 straight times, dating back to 2007.
Liberal led 12-6 at halftime before the Buffs tallied 23 unanswered points in the second half. Garden City led 19-12 after three quarters and its defense had a big 4th-and-1 stop at its own 8-yard line.
Josh Janas and Erik Dominguez delivered rushing touchdowns, and Zane Burns threw a touchdown pass to Phillip Biera. Garden City’s first score came on a five-yard touchdown pass on fourth down.
----
Manhattan wins at Emporia
Manhattan used a big first quarter to turn what was expected to be a close game into a one-sided affair. The Indians scored three touchdowns in the games’ first nine minutes to take a commanding 21-0 lead.
Emporia pulled to within 21-6 in the second quarter before Manhattan quarterback Dayne Aschenbrenner added his third touchdown for a 28-6 halftime lead.
Aschenbrenner and Indian back B.J. Young each rushed for more than 100 yards to help their team move to 4-1.
The Indians will host their rival Junction City (5-0) for the Silver Trophy next week.
----
CLASS 5A
Maize South beats Andover Central
Maize South improved to 5-0 and has won 11 straight regular season/Week 9 bracket game contests. The Mavericks have had several comebacks, including Week 1 against Wichita Heights, and again Friday in a 24-17 victory versus Andover Central.
Both teams entered 4-0, with Andover Central ranked fourth in 4A. The Mavericks are now 8-0 all-time versus Andover Central.
Maize South trailed 10-3 before scoring 21 unanswered points. Maize South won the AVCTL Division II title with the victory. Trevion Mitchell, who scored on a pick-six earlier in the season, had a fumble recovery for a score. Maize South gets Goddard-Eisenhower (4-1) next week.
-----
Goddard-Eisenhower shuts out Ark City
Rarely does a coaching change after a losing season benefit both parties, but that’s been the case with Goddard-Eisenhower. Former coach Marc Marinelli has done an excellent job as the new Wichita Northwest defensive coordinator (No. 2 in 5A), and Darrin Fisher has taken over the Tiger program.
Eisenhower was 3-6 last year and stands at 4-1 after a 19-0 home win versus Arkansas City. The Tigers have permitted 16.2 points per game after 25.8 through the first five contests last year.
----
Aquinas beats Blue Valley West
Top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas rushed for nearly 330 yards in defeating Blue Valley West, 35-21.
Tyron “Tank” Young rushed for 199 yards and three touchdowns as the Saints built a 28-7 lead at halftime. Aquinas would a touchdown by Finn Barnett early in the third quarter to take a 35-7 lead.
Blue Valley West added a couple of touchdowns in the second half to pull within the final margin. West was led by DeJean Price who rushed for a team-high 85 yards and a touchdown.
Aquinas (5-0) will host St. James Academy (3-2) next week, while Blue Valley West will play Blue Valley Northwest (1-4).
----
Bishop Carroll uses big second half to take down Great Bend
Fifth-ranked Bishop Carroll handed Great Bend its third straight loss with a 28-14 victory.
Great Bend led 7-0 before Aiden Niedens had a 13-yard rushing touchdown. Then, Great Bend’s Dalton Miller threw a 90-yard touchdown pass to Alex Schremmer for a 14-7 lead.
However, Carroll scored a touchdown to tie the game at 14. Skylar Hampton and Niedens tallied the final two scores.
----
Newton scores late to win at Hutch
Newton scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ben Schmidt to Josh Edson with nine seconds remaining to top Hutchinson, 24-21.
The Salthawks led 21-17 late in the game when Schmidt lofted a pass toward the right pile on where Edson barely out leaped Hutchinson’s Jalen Moriasi with Taybin Smith also defending.
WATCH – Schmidt to Edson for Newton’s game-winning TD! (courtesy @doctorkoontz)
Schmidt passed for 261 yards and two scores in the game. He connected with Peyton Maxwell for a team high ten receptions for 145 yards and a score, while Edson caught eight balls for 99 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
Newton improves to 2-3 on the season and will travel to Salina Central next week. Hutchinson (1-4) will travel to top-ranked Derby.
----
De Soto escapes Spring Hill
De Soto survived its toughest test of the season with a 14-0 shutout victory at Spring Hill.
The Wildcats turned in a superb defensive effort in shutting out a Bronco team that entered the night averaging more than 26 points per game.
De Soto took a 7-0 lead late in the second quarter on a long Jackson Miller touchdown pass to Tyson Priddy.
That lead stayed in tact until Miller added a 33-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes remaining to secure the 14-0 victory.
De Soto will be on the road again next week at Basehor-Linwood (3-2), while Spring Hill will travel to unbeaten Tonganoxie.
----
Maize blasts Goddard, 42-0
Each week the Maize Eagles continue to stake their claim as a top team in Class 5A. On Friday night, the message was loud and clear as the Eagles sent Goddard to a third consecutive loss with a 42-0 shutout of the Lions.
The Eagles got the scoring started early when Camden Jurgensen hit Preven Christon along the left sideline for what turned out to be a highlight-reel, 31-yard touchdown connection in which Christon broke multiple tackles, hurdled a defender, and dived into the end zone.
WATCH – Preven Christon’s incredible TD reception to put Maize up (courtesy @maizepubs)
As it turns out, that’s all the Eagle defense would need. However, that’s not all the support they got. Caden Cox added a touchdown run in the second quarter, then the Eagles exploded for two scores by Tanner Carter and Tyris Hopson to take a commanding 28-0 lead at the half.
Cox and Christon would each add touchdowns in the second half as the Eagles completed the 42-0 shutout.
With the victory, Maize stays on top of the Class 5A west district standings along with Wichita Northwest and Maize South.
----
CLASS 4A
Bishop Miege rebounds with rout of Rockhurst
Top-ranked Bishop Miege lost to Rockhurst last year in a close contest but bounced back with a 34-7 victory. The Stags also avoided a rare two-game losing streak after a 28-27 upset loss to St. James Academy last week.
Rockhurst opened with a 7-0 lead before the Stags tallied 34 straight points. Fourteen seconds into the second quarter, Tim Dorsey threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Jackson. Brison Cobbins had a two-yard touchdown run. Rishi Rattan picked off a pass.
Miege led 13-7 at halftime.
In the middle of the third quarter, Dorsey threw a 60-yard scoring pass to Jackson. Cobbins and Dorsey followed up with rushing touchdowns.
----
McPherson grinds past Buhler
McPherson defeated rival Buhler, 21-14, in a matchup of undefeated squads.
Buhler is much improved after a rare .500 season when the Crusaders had no returning starters last year.
McPherson led 21-0 late in the third quarter after Jakob Feil delivered his second rushing touchdown. However, Buhler scored twice early in the fourth quarter and closed to 21-14. Kaleb Hoppes picked off a late pass to seal the win.
---
Tonganoxie beats Piper, stays perfect
Tonganoxie improved to 5-0 with a hard-fought 21-12 victory at KC Piper.
The Chieftains held a slim 7-6 lead for much of the game until Cooper Cunningham pushed across a short touchdown run early in the fourth quarter for a 14-6 lead.
The Pirates answered back with a touchdown from Karson Schaunaman to pull within 14-12, but Cunningham would ice the game for the Chieftains with a 10-yard scoring run with just under two minutes to play.
Cunningham had another huge night for Tonganoxie. The senior rushed 32 times for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Blake Poje connected with Dallas Bond on the Chieftains’ other scoring play.
Tonganoxie will host Spring Hill (2-3) next week, while Piper has a big challenge at Paola (5-0).
---
CLASS 3A
Marysville rallies past Wamego
A week after upsetting two-time defending champion and top-ranked Sabetha, No. 2 Marysville immediately found itself in a hole at unbeaten Wamego.
The Bulldogs fumbled on the game’s opening kickoff and Wamego’s Taylor Beck returned it 12 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Marysville then fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Wamego was back on the ball. Red Raider quarterback Brad Sackrider then scored on a short touchdown run to put Wamego up 14-0.
But Marysville would battle back.
A Storm Slupianek touchdown run pulled the Bulldogs within 14-6. Then the turnover bug bit Wamego, and Slupianek cashed in the miscue for another score. Marysville added the two-point conversion for a 14-14 tie at halftime.
Wamego would take a 17-14 lead on a field goal by Joaquim Sucena in the third quarter.
The Red Raiders would hold that slight lead until Marysville’s Atreyau Hornbeak scored from 30 yards out to give the Bulldogs their first lead, 20-17.
Marysville would hold on from there and clinch the North Central Kansas League title.
----
Hayden holds off Jeff West
Topeka Hayden held off Jefferson West in the final seconds to claim a 13-6 victory and gain the upper hand in Class 3A, District 3.
While the Tigers had rolled through the first four weeks of the season without allowing a point, Hayden took an early lead on a short touchdown run by Will DeVader.
Jeff West would answer almost immediately thanks to a long kickoff return inside the Hayden 10-yard line. Tiger quarterback Quinn Neuenswander then scored from four yards out, but was stuffed on the two-point attempt leaving the Wildcats in front, 7-6.
That slim Hayden lead remained until late in the fourth quarter when Jake Konrade broke a 40-yard touchdown run to make it 13-6. Hayden went for the two-point attempt, but was stopped short.
Jefferson West then drove the length of the field in the final two minutes, reaching inside the Wildcat 10-yard line before fumbling the center-quarterback exchange on the game’s final play.
Hayden’s defense limited the Tigers to just over 100 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Wildcats rushed for nearly 250 yards on the night but committed three turnovers.
---
Pratt edges rival Kingman
Pratt took big graduation losses, notably Travis Theis, after a 3A state runner-up showing last year. The Greenbacks have new coach Brent Hoelting, formerly at Lyndon, and picked up their first victory with a 21-19 home victory versus Kingman.
All the points were scored in the first three quarters. Pratt scored the game’s first 21 points by the 5:24 mark of the first half.
----
Halstead dominates Hesston
Halstead took control of District 5 with a 46-6 victory over county-rival Hesston.
This was expected to be a close contest between a pair of unbeaten teams, however, Hesston committed turnovers on each of its first two possessions in the third quarter that allowed Halstead to pull away.
The Dragons led 16-6 at the break, and 24-8 early in the third quarter after Lakin Farmer returned an interception for a score.
Hesston threw another interception on their next possession and Scott Grider’s ensuing touchdown gave the Dragons a 32-6 lead.
Grider scored four touchdowns on the night.
Halstead (5-0) will travel to Clay Center (3-2) next week. The Tigers are the only other team beside Halstead that remain unbeaten in District 5 play.
----
Cheney hands Collegiate its first defeat
Cheney continued its hot streak with a 46-21 victory over Wichita Collegiate on Friday. The Cardinals handed the Spartans their first loss of the season.
Cheney’s Riley Petz rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and had 145 receiving yards and two scores. Petz caught a touchdown pass each from Zac Block and Harrison Voth. He also tossed a 52-yard touchdown pass to Luke Grace.
The Cardinals have now won four straight games and should be heavy favorites in the next two weeks. Cheney will travel to top-ranked Andale to close out district play in Week 8.
CLASS 2A
Lyons ends long streak
Congratulations to the Lyons Lions for snapping a 33-game losing streak with a 12-7 victory over Ellinwood.
The Lions trailed 7-6 heading into the fourth quarter, but reached the Ellinwood 1-yard line before senior quarterback Jonathan Smith left the game with an injury.
The Lions substituted sophomore quarterback Carl Clark who scored on a quarterback sneak from 1-yard out on the next play. Clark’s touchdown came with 9:15 remaining in the game, but proved to be the winning points.
Before Friday, Lyons last victory had come on October 23, 2015 when they defeated Ellsworth, 23-13.
----
Southeast wins first league title
Southeast-Cherokee improved to 5-0 with a 44-24 victory over Jayhawk-Linn on Friday night.
The Lancers led 26-18 at halftime, then outscored the Jayhawks 18-6 in the second half. Jakob Tavernaro started the second-half scoring with a short touchdown run, then Zayden Hendricks added a touchdown to extend the Lancer lead to 20 at 38-18.
Tavernaro would later add another touchdown late in the game for the 44-24 win.
Bryce Petersen rushed for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass in the first half to Tavernaro.
With the victory, Southeast claims the Three Rivers League championship. It is believed to be the first football league championship in school history for Southeast.
----
Hoisington controls Ellsworth
Hoisington had little trouble with Ellsworth in a battle of unbeaten teams in Class 2A, District 8. The Cardinals built a 28-0 lead in rolling to a 49-7 victory.
Wyatt Pedigo rushed for a pair of first-half touchdown and scored on the defensive side of the ball by returning an interception for a touchdown in the second half.
Hoisington and Norton are now the two remaining 2-0 teams in District 8. Norton held on to defeat Minneapolis, 13-12, on Friday night. Hoisington will host Minneapolis next week.
----
CLASS 1A
Jackson Heights beats No. 4 Valley Heights
After consecutive losses to Maur Hill-Mount Academy and Olpe, Jackson Heights got back in the win column in a big way with a 26-12 decision over Class 1A No. 4 Valley Heights.
The Cobras built a 14-6 halftime lead on touchdowns by Dylan Thompson and Jason Bosley, and then added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to defeat the Mustangs.
Bosely again broke free – this time for 66 yards – to put the Cobras up 20-6 early in the fourth quarter. Cooper Williams later added a 44-yard touchdown run for the final margin.
----
Lyndon wins unbeaten showdown with Northern Heights
Lyndon improved to 5-0 and won the Flint Hills League championship with a 34-24 victory over previously-unbeaten Northern Heights.
After a back-and-forth first half saw the Wildcats lead 21-20, Northern Heights added to that lead with a short field goal in the third quarter.
But Lyndon’s Luke Detweiler returned the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown to put the Tigers up 26-20.
Lyndon then added a touchdown in the fourth quarter when Detweiler caught scoring pass from Darian Massey for the final margin.
----
8-MAN FOOTBALL
Little River beats Pratt-Skyline in Game of the Week
Little River took a big step to winning District 5 with a 58-8 victory versus Pratt Skyline. The Redskins won their fourth straight and improved to 4-1, 2-0 in district play.
Skyline dropped to 4-1, 1-1. The T-Birds had won six straight contests entering Friday, the longest current winning streak in the classification.
----
Clifton-Clyde wins at Victoria
In District 7, Clifton-Clyde moved to 5-0, 2-0 and is the heavy favorite to repeat as district champion after a 28-14 road victory versus Victoria, ranked fifth in the classification at 4-1, 1-1. Clifton-Clyde single wing quarterback Aiden Rudolph delivered 27 carries for 165 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 35, seven and 40 yards in a game played in constant mist and wind. No team completed a pass in the first half, and the Eagles completed just one in the game in a physical contest.
Rudolph scored on 4th-and-3 on a 40-yard run inside the game’s final 90 seconds to secure the win. Jayvon Pruitt finished with 21 carries for 86 yards and two scores for the Knights. Clifton-Clyde never trailed and led 6-0 after the first quarter and 14-6 at halftime. The Eagles beat Victoria for the second straight year and ended Victoria’s 12-game home winning streak.
----
Oswego wins shootout over West Elk
In wild District 1, Oswego held off West Elk, 54-50, and improved to 4-1, 1-1 in district. West Elk is 3-2, 1-1. Cedar Vale-Dexter leads the district at 4-1, 2-0 after a 36-28 win versus Sedan. Cedar Vale-Dexter is 2-0, and West Elk, Sedan, Central Burden and Oswego are all 1-1.
West Elk outgained Sedan, 452-357. West Elk led 8-0 after the first quarter and 28-16 at halftime.
Isaac Elliott threw a 14-yard touchdown pass and rushed for two scores. Jace Wilson delivered three rushing scores, the last one with 1:49 left in the game.
Nic Moreno had four rushing touchdowns, and Devin Loudermilk tallied three rushing scores. Loudermilk scored on a five-yard run with 58.4 seconds left.
----
Saint Francis holds off Hoxie in a wild finish
In one of the wildest finishes of any game this season, No. 2 St. Francis held off rival Hoxie, 30-28. The Indians have won 10 straight against Hoxie.
Trailing by two, Hoxie was driving toward the St. Francis goal line in the final minute. The Indians chose to let the clock run, but failed to score on two goal-to-go attempts. Hoxie called timeout with 17 seconds remaining to prepare for a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Hoxie tried to run a pitch to the left but the ball was bobbled out of the quarterback’s hand and resulted on no gain and a turnover on downs.
St. Francis took over with 12.4 seconds remaining on their 5-yard line and chose to kneel on three consecutive plays – each of which was immediately followed by a Hoxie timeout.
The result was Saint Francis facing a fourth-and-12 from their own 3-yard line with 10 seconds remaining. St. Francis got into the spread and tried to run a quarterback draw which resulted in a tackle-for-loss by Hoxie’s Harlan Obioha at the 1-yard line.
Hoxie took over with a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line with six seconds left. The Indians tried to run a jet sweep to the left side, but again, the exchange was mishandled and fumbled – allowing Saint Francis to escape with a stop for the second time in 12 seconds of game time.
----
Maranatha outscores Chase County
Maranatha Academy used a big night from senior quarterback Nate Burdette to survive another shootout, 58-48, over Chase County.
The Eagles held leads of 30-14 at halftime and 44-34 after three quarters, but keep the pressure on the Bulldogs with an explosive offense.
Burdette completed 18 of 25 passes for 165 yards and four touchdowns on the night. He connected with returning all-state receiver Brock West 12 times for 113 yards and those four scores. Burdette also rushed for 135 yards.
Chase County got a big night from Cael Budke who rushed for 217 yards and a score on 25 carries. Budke also caught a touchdown pass and threw a touchdown pass.
Trint Rogers added three rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
Maranatha will travel to Burlingame next week, while Chase County will host Lebo.
----
Minneola wins at Otis-Bison
Minneola took a huge step towards a District 8 championship with a 40-14 victory at Otis-Bison.
The Wildcats led 8-0 at halftime and added two touchdowns each in the third and fourth quarters to pull away.
Minneola senior Tuck Lang carried 24 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns on the night. He also completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Collin Berger.
Brayton Dewell added 114 yards rushing and a score as the Wildcats controlled the ball for 350 yards rushing against the Cougars.
Minneola and Ingalls both have 3-0 district records with the Wildcats traveling to Ingalls in two weeks. Ingalls also has a game at Otis-Bison to close out the regular season in Week 8.
----
MdCV picks up first win in blowout fashion
Marais des Cygnes Valley picked up its first win of the season in impressive fashion, 54-7 over Rural Vista.
The Trojans scored 16 points in the first quarter and 32 more in the second to take control.
Senior Cole Lacey rushed for 257 yards and four touchdowns on only 11 attempts to lead the Trojans. Lacey also threw a pair of touchdown passes to Koby Vanderpool.
----
Gillespie runs wild as Quinter shuts out Wallace County
Tucker Gillespie rushed 29 times for 300 yards and six touchdowns as Quinter shut out Sharon Springs-Wallace County, 48-0. Gillespie also had a receiving touchdown in the victory.
Quinter stopped a modest 7-game losing streak with the victory, and also moved back in the playoff picture in Eight-Man, Division II, District 6.
----
6-Man Football
Cheylin beats Tribune in late schedule addition
Due to a shortage of available players, Tribune-Greeley County had to forfeit the regularly-scheduled 8-Man district game with Wheatland-Grinnell earlier in the week. It was the third such forfeit for the Jackrabbits this season. Greeley County will make the transition to 6-Man football next year.
With their 8-Man game forfeited, Greeley County connected with Cheylin to replace it with a 6-Man game this week. Cheylin had an opening because Western Plains didn’t have enough available players and forfeited to the Cougars.
In Friday’s game, Cheylin defeated Greeley County, 68-20. The Cougars have averaged 61.6 points a contest. Colton McCarty delivered 19 carries for 175 yards and four touchdowns, passed for 89 yards and three scores and caught two passes for 54 yards, both for touchdowns.
----
Moscow stays perfect
While Cheylin and Colton McCarty have received plenty of attention for its 5-0 start, Moscow has also opened 5-0 with a quality 44-27 road victory versus Ashland. The Wildcats are 2-0 in the South Division, and won’t play Cheylin in a cross over game. Moscow has won games by 12, three and 17 points. Cheylin is 5-0, 1-0 in the North Division.
Use your Facebook account to add a comment or start a discussion. Posts are subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment.
