Class 8-Man, Division I
8M-I EAST
Canton-Galva (11-0) at Madison (11-0) – Madison
Top-ranked Canton-Galva will travel to Madison to take on the third-ranked Bulldogs with a trip to the state championship in Newton on the line.
These two teams have been among the top in the classification all season.
Canton-Galva is looking to reach the state title game for the third time in school history and the first time since 1991. The Eagles have never won a state football championship.
The Eagles have been dominant this season in averaging 56 points per game while allowing only 5 points per contest. The Canton-Galva defense has posted seven shutouts.
The Eagles are led by senior quarterback Landon Everett. Everett has passed for 1,062 yards and 26 touchdowns without an interception. He also added 1,031 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns while averaging 11 yards per carry.
Tyson Struber produced an all-state freshman season a year ago, but has seen his sophomore season interrupted by a broken hand. Struber returned in last week’s quarterfinal win over South Central and rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown on only four carries. While Struber’s injury may limit him from being a primary receiving target for Everett, Kinser Colgin has emerged as a capable option with 28 catches for 418 yards and 14 touchdowns. Struber produced 22 catches for 448 yards and 12 scores prior to his injury.
Brayden Collins has added 979 yards and 16 touchdowns, including 173 yards in last week’s win over South Central.
Meanwhile, Madison is looking for its first title since winning back-to-back state championships under former coach Fred McClain back in 2010 and 2011.
Madison has averaged more than 60 points per game while allowing only 11 points per contest. The Bulldogs’ closest game was a 68-58 victory over Maranatha Christian Academy back in Week 4 of the regular season.
Along with its stingy defense, Madison features a balanced, high-scoring offense. Five different Bulldogs have rushed for more than 400 yards on the season.
Nasun Wasson leads the Bulldogs with 727 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Wasson also has four receiving scores. Quarterback Ryan Wolgram has rushed for 702 yards and 14 scores, while Colton Fife has 508 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hunter Engle and Brome Rayburn have added 430 and 425 rushing yards, respectively.
Wolgram has provided balance by passing for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Drew Stutesman has 59 tackles and registered 7 interceptions, while Engle has 43 stops.
8M-I WEST
Leoti-Wichita County (10-1) at St. Francis (11-0) – St. Francis
St. Francis won this matchup, 46-0, in district play. In the other 10 games, Wichita County has averaged 66 points. Wichita County continues its huge surge with second-year coach Brant Douglas. The Indians are into the semifinals for the first time since 1990 and have tied the best finish in school history.
St. Francis, Madison and Canton-Galva are the only undefeated teams in the classification. St. Francis is first in scoring defense with just 42 points allowed.
Wichita County quarterback Kayde Rietzke has enjoyed a huge season with 130 of 184 passing for 1,730 yards with a 30/3 TD/INT ratio. He has 223 rushes for 1,629 yards and 25 scores. Junior Jesse Gardner has 107 carries for 908 yards and 19 touchdowns. In the loss to St. Francis earlier this season, Wichita County completed 12 of 24 passes for 132 yards, though produced just 30 rushing yards on 26 attempts.
Last week, St. Francis' physicality and toughness squelched Hodgeman County in a 50-0 victory that ended early in the third quarter. St. Francis has its excellent line of Colton Neitzel, Jesse Baxter and Adam Krien. Brady Dinkel and Shadyron Blanka have both cleared 1,350 rushing yards.
This game should be closer, but no team has been able to match St. Francis' physicality. St. Francis has made one previous state appearance, a runner-up showing in 2016.
Class 8-Man, Division II
8M-II EAST
Axtell (10-1) at Hanover (10-1) – Axtell
These two Twin Valley League rivals will meet in the sub-state semifinal round for a second consecutive season. Last year, Hanover won a wild 50-42 shootout in the regular season by scoring 22 consecutive points in the second half. In the rematch in the state semifinal game, Hanover dominated with a 60-14 victory to advance to their fifth straight state title game. The Wildcats claimed their third consecutive state title a week later.
Earlier this season, Axtell grinded out a 28-26 victory over No. 1 Hanover to snap the Wildcats’ win streak at a Kansas eight-man state record 43 games. Axtell overcame the adversity of losing all-state quarterback Quinn Buessing to injury in the first quarter. Freshman Isaac Detweiler entered and led the Eagles to the victory. Detweiler connected with George Volle on an 11-yard touchdown pass with :48 seconds remaining to tie the game, then pitched the ball to Mitchell Buessing who then passed to Clark Werner for the go-ahead points. Detweiler then intercepted a Hanover pass to seal the victory.
Axtell then fell to Frankfort on the final play of the game a week later. Buessing returned the following the loss and has since led the Eagles to victories over Doniphan West, Lakeside-Downs, Beloit St. John’s-Tipton, and Centre-Lost Springs.
In last week’s win over Centre, Axtell built a 36-14 halftime lead and then outscored the Cougars 40-12 in the second half to win 76-26. The Eagles produced 537 yards of total offense as Buessing passed for 257 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. Quinn threw two touchdown passes to Derek Buessing and one each to Isaac Detweiler and Mitchel Buessing. Detweiler added 84 yards rushing and two scores, while both of J.J. Hart’s carries went for touchdowns covering 95 total yards.
Hanover has won five straight since the loss to Axtell including two wins over state-ranked Frankfort and last week’s road victory over St. Paul. In the 62-30 win over St. Paul, Colin Jueneman returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown then caught a pair of long touchdown passes from Jacob Jueneman as Hanover built a 38-22 halftime lead. The Wildcats extended that lead to 54-22 on a long touchdown run by Jacob Jueneman and an interception for a score by Emmit Jueneman.
Jacob Jueneman has passed for well over 1,300 yards and 21 touchdowns on the season while adding 11 rushing scores. Colin Jueneman has produced more than 600 receiving yards and 11 scores and added nine rushing touchdowns. Hanover is led on the ground by Teagan Schwartz who has more than 800 yards rushing and 16 scores.
The Hanover defense is led by junior Jacob Klipp who has registered more than 115 tackles on the season. Jonah Weber and Tanner Link have been disruptive up front for the Wildcat defense.
A Hanover victory puts the Wildcats in their sixth straight state title game and keeps their hopes alive for a fourth consecutive state title. Axtell hasn’t reached the state title game since claiming their only football championship back in 1993.
8M-II WEST
Hutchinson Central Christian (10-1) at Osborne (11-0) – Osborne
Osborne beat Thunder Ridge, 40-34, in district play, and Hutchinson Central Christian defeated Thunder Ridge, 64-60, last week in a wild game.
Osborne has won eight-man titles in '13 and '16 and runner-up last year. Central Christian is into the semifinals for the first time in school history. Osborne beat South Barber, 28-20, last week. Central Christian lost, 34-20, to South Barber in Week 3.
Osborne is without standout running back/linebacker Darrien Holloway, who was lost for the season with an injury earlier in the playoffs. The Bulldogs have rushed for 250 yards a game.
Senior Steele Wolters has enjoyed a standout season with 496 passing yards with an 11/2 TD/INT ratio. He has rushed 115 times for 746 yards and 16 scores. Senior Evan Garman leads with 122 tackles, while Wolters has 112 stops.
Central Christian quarterback Caleb Lambert has his second straight big season with 95 of 155 passing for 1,267 yards with a 25/5 TD/INT ratio. Garrett Burns has enjoyed a huge year with 93 carries for 791 yards and 16 scores. Adam Hall has 32 catches for 455 yards and 14 scores. Burns leads the defense with 132 tackles and three forced fumbles.
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