The 2019 Kansas high school football season has come to a close as state champions were crowned in all eight classes this past weekend. Three teams highlighted as preseason No. 1’s in the Kpreps.com rankings brought home state titles this fall. Four other classifications were won by teams ranked in the top five in our preseason poll. The only state champion that was not ranked in our preseason poll was Nemaha Central in Class 2A. Let’s take a look at the final rankings for the 2019 season.
Class 6A
Derby ran away from Olathe North, 63-26, to win its fifth state football title in the past seven years and sixth overall in school history. The Panthers jumped out to a 21-0 lead on a touchdown run from Tre Washington and two rushing scores from Lem Wash. Olathe North pulled to within 21-13 in the second quarter, but Derby countered as Wash broke a 70-yard touchdown run, threw an 81-yard touchdown pass to Reid Liston, then added another scoring run just before halftime. Wash rushed for a game-high 177 yards and four touchdowns, while Washington added 152 yards and two scores. Olathe North finishes second in the Class 6A poll followed by Topeka High, Blue Valley, and Blue Valley West.
Class 5A
Mill Valley win its third state football championship - all coming in the past five years. The Jaguars held off Wichita Northwest, 40-31, on Saturday behind a huge day from junior quarterback Cooper Marsh. Marsh rushed for 183 yards and four touchdowns - the last of which provided the game-winning points by breaking a 31-31 tie with 5:21 remaining. Tyler Green also rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown for the Jaguars. Wichita Northwest finishes second in the Class 5A poll followed by St. Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Carroll, and Maize.
Class 4A
Bishop Miege won its sixth consecutive Class 4A state football championship with a 68-7 victory over Andover Central. The Stags got started early as Carson Key returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Timothy Dorsey threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for another score. The Stags scored 49 points in the first half. Daniel Jackson caught 11 balls for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while Phillippe Wesley hauled in five receptions for 109 yards and four touchdowns. Paola finishes second in the Class 4A poll followed by Tonganoxie, Andover Central, and McPherson.
Class 3A
Andale scored in each quarter in beating Perry-Lecompton 35-7 to claim their fourth state football championship. Eli Rowland rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns, including a 72-yard sprint on the first play from scrimmage to put the Indians on top. Easton Hunter added a rushing touchdown and passed for a score to Cole Landers. The Andale defense held Perry-Lecompton to less than 200 yards of total offense on the afternoon. Perry-Lecompton finishes second in the final Class 3A poll followed by Topeka Hayden, Cheney, and Frontenac.
Class 2A
Nemaha Central claimed the first state title in school history with a 19-0 shutout of Norton. Defense was the story for the Thunder on Saturday in holding Norton to 67 yards of total offense and intercepting five Blujay passes. Nemaha Central's Dylan Schultejans tossed a touchdown pass to Tyler Gerety late in the second quarter to break the scoreless tie. The Thunder then added a Gavin Duryea touchdown run followed by Schultejans touchdown pass to Bryce Uphaus to complete the scoring. Duryea rushed for 148 yards on the afternoon, while Schultejans passed for 160. Norton finishes second in the Class 2A poll followed by Hoisington, Riley County, and Garden Plain.
Class 1A
Centralia scored with under a minute remaining to top Smith Center, 18-14, to win the Class 1A championship. Kamble Haverkamp scored from 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line with :55 seconds remaining to give the Panthers their first lead of the game. Trailing 14-12, Centralia took over at the Redmen 24-yard line after a short Smith Center punt into the wind. The Panthers converted a 4th-&-11 when Haverkamp hit Corbin Becker on a pass inside the 10-yard line. Four plays later, Haverkamp broke a tackle for the game-winning score. Haverkamp rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Centralia won its fourth state football title – all coming in even numbered years (2009, 2011, 2013, 2019). Smith Center finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by Plainville, Olpe, and Jackson Heights.
Eight-Man, Division I
Canton-Galva captured the first state football championship in school history with a historic comeback. The Eagles trailed St. Francis 36-0 in the second quarter before scoring the game's next 66 points to win by 30 points. A pair of touchdowns late in the first half closed the gap to 36-14 and shifted the momentum to the Ealges' sidelines. From there, senior quarterback Landon Everett took over. Everett accounted for seven touchdowns in the game, while sophomore Tyson Struber caught three touchdown passes. Saint Francis finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by South Central, Leoti-Wichita County, and Madison.
Eight-Man, Division II
Osborne captured its fourth state football championship with a 34-26 victory over Axtell in the 8-Man, Division II championship game. The Bulldogs held a slim 28-26 lead when Steele Wolters intercepted an Axtell pass near the goal line with a little more than nine minutes remaining. Osborne then ran nearly seven minutes off of the clock and punctuated the state title with a 2-yard touchdown run from Wolters with less than two minutes to go. Axtell got the ball back only down eight points, but Eagle quarterback Quinn Buessing was intercepted on the first play of the drive to seal the victory for Osborne. Axtell finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by Hanover, Hutchinson Central Christian, and Thunder Ridge.
Visit the Rankings page each week to view a complete list of the top five teams in each classification and how they performed last week.
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