Class 6A
6A EAST
#5 Blue Valley (8-3) at #2 Olathe North (9-2) – Blue Valley
Blue Valley and Olathe North are no strangers to making deep playoff runs this time of year. Blue Valley has reached the state semifinals 16 times in school history with 13 championship game appearances and six titles. Olathe North has also reached the state semifinal round 16 times in school history, with the Eagles reaching the title game ten times and capturing eight state championships.
During that run of success, the Tigers and Eagles have met 15 times with Olathe North winning ten of those meetings. The two teams last met in the 2017 state quarterfinals in a game won by the Blue Valley, 48-21. The Tigers also won a state semifinal showdown in 2015, 43-19.
Blue Valley has put together a pair of four-game winning streaks this season surrounding their three losses. The Tigers opened the season with a 48-19 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas, then lost consecutive games in the middle of the season against Bishop Miege (41-23) and Mill Valley (24-20). All three of those opponents are playing in state semifinal games this week.
Olathe North’s two losses came to Lawrence High and Columbine (Colo.) who was the No. 1 team in Colorado at the time.
The Eagles advanced to this round with a 35-34, overtime victory over Blue Valley West. In that game, Olathe North held a two-touchdown lead on a couple of occasions before the Jaguars rallied to tie the game late. In overtime, Blue Valley West scored first, but North’s Mason Pride blocked the ensuing PAT. The Eagles then scored on a 10-yard touchdown run by Arland Bruce, IV, and Zach Willoughby-Neal added the walk-off extra point for the win.
Bruce has again been the engine that drives the Eagle offense. After graduating all-state back Daymonn Sanchez who rushed for more than 2,400 yards last season, Bruce has stepped up with 2,249 yards on the ground and 39 touchdowns in primarily playing running back this season. Bruce played quarterback last season and passed for 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 1,379 rushing yards and 19 scores.
Caleb Nelson’s emergence at quarterback this fall has helped balance the Eagle offense. Nelson has passed for 963 yards and 11 touchdowns without an interception. When Nelson missed a few games with an injury, Bruce stepped back in at quarterback and passed for 345 yards and four scores. Jackson Sarver has also seen time behind center with 376 passing yards and three scores.
Dale Stout is the Eagles primary receiver with 25 catches for 503 yards and seven scores, while Mario Sanchez has added 34 catches for 357 yards and two touchdowns.
A.J. Patillo leads the Olathe North defense with 131 stops, including eight for loss. Noah Palmer has added 103 tackles and Pride has 86.
Offensively, Blue Valley is led by junior quarterback Jake Wolff. Wolff has passed for 1,948 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year. He has some big-play receivers in junior Dorian Stephens and sophomore Sterling Lockett. Stephens has 33 catches for 638 yards and six score, while Lockett has contributed 25 catches for 484 yards with two scores.
Junior Chase Jans leads the Tiger ground game with 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jans is also a threat in the return game in averaging nearly 34 yards per kick return.
On defense, the Tiger strength is up front, although linebacker Jack Bowersox leads the team with 112 tackles including 10 for loss. Tyler Kelso has added 86 stops, 10 for loss, and four sacks. Sterling Smithson has 62 tackles with five sacks.
The secondary includes standouts in Beau Palmer (76 tackles, 4 INT) and Caden McCumber (79 tackles, 5 INT.
Expect a great game between these two evenly-matched teams.
6A WEST
#3 Topeka High (10-1) at #1 Derby (11-0) – Derby
This likely features the best player in Kansas (Topeka running back Ky Thomas) against the probable best team (Derby). Topeka is into the state semifinals for the first time since 1973 after a number of strong seasons ended in the Round of 16 or quarterfinals.
Derby has captured 24 straight games and has again dominated its schedule, including a 56-0 victory versus Manhattan last week. In Week 2, Topeka defeated Manhattan, 32-27. Last week, Topeka defeated Junction City, 35-14, and avenged its only loss.
The Panthers have outscored teams, 575-94, and ranks first in 6A in scoring offense and scoring defense. Topeka is second in offense at 501 points, while the Trojans have allowed 201 points.
Thomas leads the state with 2,661 rushing yards and is the second-leading rusher in state history, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal. Thomas has committed to Minnesota, and quarterback Da'Vonshai Harden has committed to Kansas. Harden has passed for 1,397 yards and rushed for 901 yards. Geivonni Williams is the leading receiver with 703 yards.
Derby has great depth with Lem Wash and Grant Adler, who has returned from injury, at quarterback. Both have more than 800 passing and 500 rushing yards. Tre Washington cleared 1,800 rushing yards last year and is above 1,300 this season.
The Panther offensive line features Nebraska commit Alex Conn, and Kevin Washington. Derby’s first-team defense has allowed just two touchdowns all year. The defense has several outstanding players, including lineman Tyler Dorsey, linebacker Jack Hileman and safety Tanner Knox.
This is only the third all-time matchup between the teams, according to Kansas Football History. Last year, Derby defeated Topeka, 38-7, in a game they led 10-7 at halftime. In '15, Derby won 52-21 in the playoffs. This should be the closest margin in the series, but Derby's all-around talent and defense gives the Panthers the edge.
Class 5A
5A EAST
#4 Mill Valley (8-3) at #1 St. Thomas Aquinas (10-0) – Aquinas
The east representative in the Class 5A state title game will be either Mill Valley or St. Thomas Aquinas for a sixth consecutive season. Defending champion Aquinas reached the title game in ‘14, ‘17, and ‘18, while Mill Valley won back-to-back titles in ‘15 and ‘16.
The two Eastern Kansas League (EKL) rivals met back in Week 4 of the regular season with Aquinas earning a 28-21 victory. In fact, all three of Mill Valley’s losses this season have come by a single touchdown to EKL opponents – Blue Valley West (28-21), Bishop Miege (42-35), and Aquinas.
In that earlier meeting, the Saints built a 21-7 halftime lead on touchdown runs from Tyron “Tank” Young, Charlie McCormick, and a touchdown pass from Blake Anderson to Tom Downey. Mill Valley responded with a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes from Cooper Marsh to Zach Mills and Ty Reishus to tie the game.
Young then provided the winning points with a touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Aquinas rushed for nearly 300 yards in the first meeting with Young leading the way with 104 yards and two scores. Mill Valley also found success on the ground as Tyler Green rushed for a game-high 141 yards on 22 attempts and Marsh added 110 yards on 20 carries.
Marsh also threw three touchdown passes, but was intercepted by the Aquinas defense three times.
Young has followed up his breakout all-state sophomore season (2,075 yards, 26 TD) with 1,735 rushing yards and 30 scores in this junior campaign. McCormick is the second leading rusher on the team with 450 yards and two scores.
Aquinas has solid balance as Anderson has passed for 1,135 yards and 17 touchdowns with only two interceptions.
Mill Valley has also shown good balance on offense as the Jaguars average 245 yards rushing per game and nearly 165 yards through the air.
Marsh, a first-year starter as a junior, has passed for 1,772 yards and 20 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. He’s added 623 rush yards and four scores.
When Marsh looks to throw, he’s found Reishus for a team-high 446 yards and six scores. Jacob Hartman has 22 catches for 435 yards and four scores, while Kendrick Jones and Zach Mills have 299 and 247 yards, respectively.
Tyler Green leads the Jaguars on the ground with 1,086 yards and 13 scores, while Quin Wittenauer has added more than 750 yards along with eight touchdowns.
Junior Ethan Kremer paces the strong Mill Valley defensive line with 41 tackles (14 for loss) and eight sacks.
This should be another close game with turnovers and field position weighing heavily on the outcome. The defending champion Saints are a slight favorite at home.
5A West
#3 Maize (10-1) at #1 Wichita Northwest (11-0) – Wichita Northwest
Last year, Wichita Northwest defeated Maize, 67-60, in the Class 5A semifinal in a wild contest.
Northwest had separation with a 28-13 third-quarter margin. Multiple players had huge offensive nights. Maize quarterback Caleb Grill, a Top 11 selection who is now playing Iowa State basketball, threw for 521 yards and seven passing touchdowns. Preven Christon recorded 12 catches for 234 yards and four scores. Wichita Northwest quarterback Reagan Jones delivered 344 yards of total offense and accounted for four scores. The game had an incredible 168 plays and 1,421 yards of total offense.
Northwest lost to St. Thomas Aquinas in the 5A state title game a week later. The Grizzlies tied the 1996 season for the best finish in school history. Maize tied the 1990 year for the top showing in Eagles' annals. Maize has never made a state finale in school history.
It's unlikely 2019 will match last year’s fireworks – though the margin could again be close. Last week, Maize defeated rival Maize South, 28-0, and Wichita Northwest beat City League rival Bishop Carroll, 35-18.
One of the prevailing storylines of the 2019 football season is the massive improvement of the Northwest defense. Northwest has outscored teams, 559-87, with new defensive coordinator Marc Marinelli, the former Goddard Eisenhower head coach.
Maize, which has only lost to Derby, has a cumulative score of 429-117. Camden Jurgensen has delivered a solid game after he stepped in for Grill at quarterback. He completed 125 of 189 passes for 1,462 yards with a 21/6 TD/INT ratio. Caden Cox, a KU commit, has delivered another impressive season with 194 carries for 1,363 yards and 18 scores. Christon has 44 catches for 763 yards and 15 TDs. Keaton Robertson is one of the defensive leaders with 12 TFLs, 5.5 sacks.
For Northwest, Jones, a Missouri Western commit, has thrown for 1,368 yards with an 18/4 TD/INT ratio. He has rushed 148 times for 1,271 yards and 14 scores. Junior Julius Bolden has 121 carries for 1,234 yards and 24 TDs. Senior Jamar Martin has 110 carries for 878 yards and 13 scores. Senior Jack Wiens, like Jones, is a transfer from Andover Central. He leads with 91 tackles, 14.5 for loss. Junior Jacob Younkman has 20.5 TFLs. Junior Wetu Kalomo has picked off eight passes.
This should be a close matchup, but Northwest has the edges at quarterback and on defense.
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