In our Picks to Click, we feature several players or units from across the state that we feel will have breakout performances on Friday night.
This season, we’ve assembled a team of media members across the state to each select one player (or unit) each week. We will track the cumulative statistics of our selections throughout the season similar to fantasy scoring.
Picks to Click contributors for the 2019 season include: John Baetz (Kansas Pregame Magazine); Sean Boston (KSKZ Radio); Dion Clisso (PrepsKC.com); Matt Gilmore (Kpreps.com); Chet Kuplen (Sports in Kansas); Brent Maycock (Topeka Capital Journal); and Conor Nicholl (Kpreps.com).
Check back next week as we calculate the final standings for the 2019 season and see how the players performed that we picked this week. See the bottom of this article for details.
Carson Cox, RB, Beloit (Baetz)
Beloit senior Carson Cox has spent the majority of his high school football career as one of the leaders of the Trojan defense, amassing more than 230 tackles, including more than 30 for loss. Starting with in a Week 4 21-20 loss to Colby, Cox also added workhorse running back to his resume. Against the Eagles, Cox carried the ball 27 times for 175 yards and a touchdown. A week later he added 95 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in a dominant win over Goodland and the next week he piled up 161 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in an upset 28-13 victory over Scott City.
Last week the Trojans were stunned, 34-24, when Concordia scored 34 straight points after Beloit had taken a 16-0 lead, but Cox still tallied 123 yards on 18 carries with a 65-yard touchdown. The Trojans will look to rebound this week against Russell and Cox is sure to continue to carry the load.
Darrien Holloway, RB, Osborne (Nicholl)
Osborne and Thunder Ridge will play in Kensington for the District 5 title. Holloway has been a key four-year player for the Bulldogs. He won a state title as a freshman and played on a state runner-up team last year. This season, Holloway has 71 carries for 809 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.
He also has 13 catches for 116 yards, both team-highs, with a pair of receiving scores. Last year, he delivered 189 carries for 1,574 yards and 33 rushing touchdowns. Expect Holloway to receive the bulk of the touches in Friday’s big contest.
Jacob Klipp, LB, Hanover (Maycock)
Hanover's defense has always had defensive players with a nose for the ball and Klipp is the latest. Through seven games, the junior linebacker has made 86 total tackles, including 40 solo stops. He's also had 10 tackles for loss and two sacks. With Frankfort leaning heavily on the run during its 7-0 start, expect Klipp to be a busy guy for the Wildcat defense as they look to earn a share of the Twin Valley League title in a battle of ranked Eight-Man Division II teams.
Tuck Lang, QB, Minneola (Gilmore)
Lang has followed in a long line of Minneola backs to produce monster rushing numbers in recent years. Last season Jeramy Pfaff rushed for 1,915 yards and 27 touchdowns, while Lang had just two carries for seven yards. In 2016, Tristan Haynes broke loose for 1,450 yards and 22 touchdowns, while Landon Walker rushed for 1,396 yards and 33 scores in 2015 after a 1,022-yard, 14-touchdown junior season in 2014. The 2014 Wildcats also featured Joey Harrington who rushed for 1,929 yards and 37 scores. Harrington also topped the 1,000-yard mark as a junior in 2013. In 2012, it was Matt McClaren who went off for 2,172 rushing yards and 39 scores.
This season, Lang has rushed for 1,479 yards and 26 scores in the Wildcats’ seven games. He’s averaging 9.2 yards per carry and has broken the 200-yard mark three times. Last week, Minneola clinched the District 8 championship with a 58-14 win over Ingalls in which Lang carried 36 times for 299 yards and six scores. Minneola will seek a seventh consecutive win this week when they take on Bucklin.
A.J. Patillo, LB, Olathe North (Clisso)
Patillo (5-9, 185) leads the Eagles in tackles with 89 including four for loss. He’s also added a pair of sacks this season. Patillo’s senior season has followed up a junior campaign in which he registered 107 tackles including six for loss and five sacks. Olathe North looks to rebound from last week’s loss to Lawrence as they take on Olathe Northwest. The Eagle defense is given up 26 points per game on the season, but has given up 49 and 35 in the last two weeks.
Wyatt Pedigo, RB, Hoisington (Kuplen)
Pedigo is one of, if not the best, two-way players in the state of Kansas. He’s rushed for 1,322 yards and 22 touchdowns this season for the undefeated Cardinals. He also has 192 receiving yards with four scores. Pedigo, in limited time, has 64 tackles and five interceptions (three for scores) from his linebacker position. He’s committed to Division I FCS program North Dakota. Pedigo is also a two-time state wrestling champion. He will get his toughest test of the season on Friday against Norton for the district championship.
Calvin Stapp, RB, Colby (Boston)
The Colby Eagles are looking to start the season 8-0 for the first time since 1990 when that Eagles team finished 8-2. The Eagles picked up a big double-OT win over Scott City last Friday and will look to close out the regular season unbeaten on Friday when they travel to Goodland (1-6). The Eagles offense runs through Calvin Stapp, the senior has rushed for 875 yards through the first seven games and will look to break into the 1,000-yard club with a big performance on Friday night.
Week 7 Picks to Click results (scoring):
Jack Caudle, QB, Maur Hill-Mount Academy – Caudle passed for 237 yards and five touchdowns and added 12 yards rushing in the Ravens’ 49-14 win over Pleasant Ridge. (Nicholl – 54 pts)
Cole Coggins, RB, Valley Heights – Coggins rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries as the Mustangs defeated Northern Heights, 28-13. (Baetz – 17 pts)
Will Day, QB, Wichita Homeschool – Day had a night in the Warriors 70-24 victory over Sunrise Christian. The senior quarterback completed 22 of 34 passes for 396 yards and six touchdowns and added 10 carries for 143 yards and a score on the ground. (Gilmore – 95 pts)
Shawn Hendershot, WR, Blue Valley North – Hendershot had five receptions for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 33-28 loss to Blue Valley Northwest. (Maycock – 25 pts)
Lance Hoffsommer, QB, Sedgwick – Hoffsommer passed for 363 yards and five touchdowns and added 12 rushing yards and a score in the Cardinals’ 48-8 win over Sublette. (Boston – 73 pts)
Dalton Mackley, WR/QB, Weskan – Mackley rushed for 263 yards and four touchdowns and added 41 passing yards and a score in the Coyotes’ 58-13 win over Western Plains. (Kuplen – 60 pts)
Derrick Robinson II, RB, Lansing – Robinson rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown on only four carries, but also had a 63-yard catch in the Lions’ 56-14 win over KC Turner. (Clisso – 17 pts)
Standings for the 2019 season through Week 7:
- Matt Gilmore, Kpreps.com 331 points
- Brent Maycock, Topeka Capital Journal 293 points
- Chet Kuplen, Sports in Kansas 268 points
- Conor Nicholl, Kpreps 236 points
- Dion Clisso, PrepsKC.com 223 points
- Sean Boston, KSKZ Radio 221 points
- John Baetz, Kansas Pregame Magazine 216 points
2019 Picks to Click
- The objective will be to have the most cumulative points over the course of the season.
- Participants may select a quarterback, running back, WR/TE, offensive line or a defensive player each week.
- Everyone must pick a WR/TE, offensive line and defensive player at least once.
- Points will be rewarded only for the player's offensive or defensive stats, depending on how you designate the player that week. For instance, if you pick a running back then you will not receive any of his points for defense.
Scoring system
QBs/RBs/WRs/TEs
- 1 point for every 10 yards passing, rushing or receiving from a quarterback, running back or wide receiver
- 6 points for every passing, rushing or receiving touchdown
Offensive line
- 1 point for every 50 yards gained as an offense
- 3 points for every offensive touchdown
Defensive player
- 2 points for every tackle
- 4 points for every INT, sack or fumble recovery
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