Class 6A
6A EAST
#8 Blue Valley North (5-5) at #5 Blue Valley (7-3) – Blue Valley
Blue Valley North and Blue Valley match up in another Eastern Kansas League rivalry contest. Blue Valley won 34-7 in Week 2. Last year, Blue Valley earned a 31-20 victory in Week 2. In '17, Blue Valley won 34-33 in the regular season but Blue Valley North earned a 44-37 double-overtime victory in the state semifinals en route to the championship. Last week, Blue Valley North defeated Gardner-Edgerton, 42-41, in a slight upset. It marked the second straight year Blue Valley North beat Gardner-Edgerton in the postseason. Henry Martin leads Blue Valley North with 1,941 passing yards, Boogie Allen has 771 rushing and Shawn Hendershot has 816 receiving yards. Blue Valley junior Jake Woolf has completed 122 of 231 passes for 1,754 yards with a 13/7 TD/INT ratio. Junior Chase Jans, a standout baseball player, has come out for football and delivered 125 carries for 935 yards and nine scores. Senior Jack Bowersox leads with 99 tackles for a changed defense that has moved to a three-front, a look that has allowed the Tigers to defend the variety of different EKL offenses. Head coach Allen Terrell has coordinated the defense after longtime defensive coordinator Rick McNerlin retired. McNerlin has served in the role for nearly 20 years. Previously, Blue Valley had run a 4-2-5 base with a three-man front package. The Tigers have permitted just 19.3 points per game after 22.7 last year. Blue Valley has fashioned a big defensive line with senior Mason Richman, an Iowa commit at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, along with junior Sterling Smithson (6-3, 305). They are tied for the team lead with 10 TFLs. Junior Clayton Power (6-2, 304) is the nose tackle. This is expected to be a close game, though Blue Valley's size up front gives the Tigers a slight edge.
#6 Blue Valley West (7-3) at #2 Olathe North (8-2) – Blue Valley West
Blue Valley West has enjoyed a four-win improvement from last year and has its most wins since an 8-4 season in 2013. The Jaguars had just six total victories in the last three seasons. The Jaguars have one of the state's best stories with the return of senior running back Riley Cummings. He started as a freshman, and then missed the majority of the last two years with injuries. He has 190 carries for 1,032 yards and 13 touchdowns. As well, senior Greg Riddle has completed 103 of 188 passes for 1,396 yards and an 11/4 TD/INT ratio. Senior David Brown is one of the state's top receivers with 52 catches for 850 yards and seven scores. Blue Valley West has just 10 turnovers, though is minus-3 in turnover margin. The Jaguars have been very strong in pass defense. The top-eight tacklers are all seniors. Senior Thomas Cook has a team-high 53 tackles. Senior Ike Summerlin has a team-best 9.5 TFLs. West has scored 27.6 points per game and allowed 21.2. Last year, the Jaguars tallied 29.3 points per contest, but allowed 38.2. Olathe North is the only Sunflower League team remaining in the playoffs. The Eagles have been top-5 in Class 6A virtually all season and went 9-3 last year. This year, the Eagles are 8-2 and have averaged 43.7 points per game with 22.1 allowed. Arland Bruce IV has continued his excellent career with 345 passing yards and a 4/2 TD/INT ratio. He has rushed 266 times for 2,039 yards with 36 scores. Senior Caleb Nelson has stepped in at quarterback. While he has missed a few games, Nelson has completed 61 percent of its passes with 904 passing yards with a 9/0 TD/INT ratio. Five receivers have between 12 and 33 catches. Olathe North lost 24-21 to Columbine (Colo.) and 35-10 to Lawrence. In those games, Bruce rushed for 138 and 140 yards. He had his two lowest yards per carry performances in the losses. Bruce will likely get his yards, but if Blue Valley West can limit big plays and deliver another fine pass defense performance, the Jaguars could get a win in what should be a very close contest.
6A WEST
#4 Manhattan (9-1) at #1 Derby (10-0) – Derby
Derby is the defending state champion and is on a 23-game winning streak. The Panthers have delivered another highly impressive season. Derby is the only undefeated team in 6A. The Panthers have outscored opponents by an average of 52-9, and lead 6A in scoring offense and defense. Derby's first-team defense has allowed just two touchdowns all year. Special teams-wise, the Panthers have averaged 15 yards a return. Derby has not given up a yard on punt returns all year. Linebacker Jack Hileman leads the team with 65 tackles. Defensive lineman Tyler Dorsey has 64 stops. Kevin Washington and Alex Conn have led the offensive line. Lem Wash rushed for three touchdowns in last week's 49-13 win versus Wichita West. Derby is 5-1 versus Manhattan since '04, including wins in '11, '13, '17 and 24-6 in last year's semifinals. Manhattan has averaged 45.1 points per game and permitted 16.6. The Indians have its highest-scoring offense since before '06. Indian lineman Sam Shields missed the Week 2 loss to rival Topeka with a shoulder injury but returned the following week. BJ Young switched from defensive back to running back in '19 and has played both ways as the season has progressed. Young has 146 carries for 1,226 yards and 21 scores. Dayne Aschenbrenner has passed for 853 yards with a 7/5 TD/INT ratio. Aschenbrenner has 136 rushes for 990 yards and 17 scores. Coach Joe Schartz has been pleased with multiple non-seniors on defense. Sophomore DaShawn Edwards has 12.5 TFLs. Junior Joey Meyer has led with 83 tackles. Seniors Tyce Hoover and Chandler Marks have played at outside linebacker and combined with 25 TFLs, including a team-high 15.5 from Marks.
#7 Junction City (8-2) at #2 Topeka High (9-1) – Topeka High
This is a rematch of a Week 4 contest between Centennial League rivals where Junction City won 48-41 on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Khoury to Ethan Alcorn with less than a second to go. The contest will again be played at Hummer Park. Junction City has doubled its win total from last season. Topeka High has never made a state championship game and has made just one semifinal, in '73. Junction City quarterback Andrew Khoury finished 14 of 21 passes for 157 yards and three scores in the first meeting as the two teams combined for 1,075 total yards. Ky Thomas, a Minnesota committ, delivered 373 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Thomas has rushed for 2,352 yards this season and is up to 7,046 yards in his career. He is the all-time rusher in Capital City history. Topeka quarterback Da'Vonshai Harden, a KU committ, has accounted for 28 total scores. Khoury has passed for 2,132 yards and 28 TDs. Russell Wilkey has delivered 17 offensive TDs. Junction City dominated Dodge City last week in a 54-7 victory. Before this year, Topeka High has won the last two meetings versus Junction City, 42-28 and 56-28. This should be another great game, but Topeka High averages 46.6 points per game, better than the Blue Jays’ 42.5. Topeka High's backfield provides a slight edge as the Trojans look to make some long-awaited history.
Class 5A
5A EAST
#4 Mill Valley (7-3) at #1 De Soto (10-0) – Mill Valley
Mill Valley has navigated through a challenging Eastern Kansas League slate, while De Soto has dominated a United Kansas Conference slate. This should be easily De Soto's strongest test of the year. This is the first matchup between the schools since 2003, a 35-7 Mill Valley victory. Mill Valley is 4-0 all-time versus the Wildcats, according to Kansas Football History. Mill Valley coach Joel Applebee has been highly pleased with multiple areas of his team, notably his defense. The Jaguars allow just 15.2 points per contest after 19.6 last year. De Soto has passed for 125 yards and rushed for 258 a contest. Junior Jackson Miller has completed 49 of 77 passes for 922 yards with a 15/1 TD/INT ratio. Miller has led a balanced running game with 71 carries for 463 yards. Junior Tyson Priddy had 18 catches for 446 yards and nine scores, and contributed in multiple phases. Mill Valley opened 1-3 with three losses by seven points apiece. All three teams are into the quarterfinals. Mill Valley has since captured six straight. The Jaguars have passed for 168 yards and rushed for 249 yards a game. Junior Cooper Marsh has completed 93 of 182 passes for 1,657 yards with 20 scores against 11 interceptions. Senior Tyler Green has 134 carries for 963 yards and 11 touchdowns. Mill Valley has a brand-new receiving corps, led by 21 grabs from Jacob Hartman. The Jaguar defensive line has featured junior Ethan Kremer, a standout football player and wrestler. He leads the team with 14 TFLs. Mill Valley is playing at a high level now, and probably has the edge up front.
#14 Blue Valley Southwest (3-7) at #2 St. Thomas Aquinas (9-0) – Aquinas
Aquinas has won 21 straight games and is the substantial favorite. Last year, Aquinas beat Blue Valley Southwest, 49-8, in Week 2. This season, Aquinas won 62-7 in Week 2. Blue Valley Southwest went 1-7 in the regular season and has won two straight contests versus Kansas City-Atchison League (KCAL) foes. Aquinas has rushed for 365 yards a game. Junior Tank Young cleared 2,000 yards last winter and has 187 carries with 1,640 yards and 25 scores this year. Junior Blake Anderson has 49 of 77 passing for 897 yards with a 15/2 TD/INT ratio. Southwest has averaged just 35 rushing yards a game. Junior Tanner Curry has 178 of 290 passing with 1,766 yards with a 14/12 TD/INT ratio.
5A West
#4 Bishop Carroll (8-2) at #1 Wichita Northwest (10-0) – Wichita Northwest
Northwest is 5-1 in the last six meetings against City League rival Bishop Carroll. Those games are decided by an average of 7.7 points. That includes a 3-0 mark in the last two years. Last year, Northwest won the season opener 23-22 on a game-winning field goal. In the playoffs, the Grizzlies earned a wild 84-67 postseason victory in a wild game. This year, Northwest came back to beat Carroll, 21-17, in the season opener. Northwest has made headlines all year with its much improved defense with new coordinator Marc Marinelli. The Grizzlies have permitted just 69 points, best in 5A. Carroll ranks fourth in 5A scoring defense with 116 points. However, Northwest has featured a much more prolific offense with 524 points compared to 332 for Carroll. Northwest has 125 passing and 374 rushing yards a contest. Senior Reagan Jones has completed 70 of 117 passes for 1,250 yards with an 18/3 TD/INT ratio. Jones, a Missouri Western commit, has 132 rushes for 1,170 yards and 12 scores. Julius Bolden has 112 carries for 1,088 yards and 22 scores. The Grizzlies have forced 35 turnovers, including eight INTs from junior Wetu Kalomo. Carroll features quarterback Aiden Niedens, along with running back Hunter Trail and tight end Max Bullinger. Last week, Carroll defeated Andover, 35-7, and picked off five passes. This is one of the state's highlighted games, but Northwest's slightly more explosive offense gives the Grizzlies the edge.
#3 Maize (9-1) at #2 Maize South (10-0) – Maize
This is the fourth meeting between the Maize rivals. Maize South won 28-27 in 2014, and 35-7 in '15. Last year, Maize earned a 35-0 victory en route to the state semifinals. Maize South is 16-1 in its last 17 contests. The Mavericks, De Soto and Aquinas are the only undefeated squads remaining in the classification. Maize South has an average score of 28-10, while Maize is at 40-12. Maize South has enjoyed the best start in school history. Collin Shields leads the offense at quarterback, part of a team that has battled through injuries throughout the year. Trevion Mitchell is one of Kansas' best defensive backs. Brandon Bowles leads the team in tackles. Maize has received a nice year from Camden Jurgensen at quarterback after he replaced Top 11 all classes signal caller Caleb Grill, now playing well for Iowa State basketball. Running back Caden Cox, a KU commit, has 174 rushes for 1,240 yards and 17 scores. Prevon Christon has 41 catches for 727 yards and 14 scores. Jurgensen has completed 106 for 163 passes for 1,283 yards with an 18/4 TD/INT ratio. Maize South has not permitted an offensive touchdown in four of the last five games. Maize, though, is expected to have a stronger offense and is a slight favorite.
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