The Kansas high school football season is officially underway and everyone is thankful that we are getting to see the kids back competing on the field.
Kpreps Friday First Look provides our initial reaction to some most notable games and performances of the week.
Let’s take a look at those and some of the other more notable results from Week 1.
Mill Valley dominates Derby in top-ranked showdown
In a premier battle of top-ranked teams and defending state champions, it was the Mill Valley Jaguars that staked their claim to the top team in Kansas with a dominating 45-14 win over Derby.
The Jaguars scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions and the Mill Valley defense hounded the Derby offense all night with an impressive defensive line led by standout Ethan Kremer.
Senior Cooper Marsh led the Jaguar offense in amassing nearly 300 yards of total offense. The returning 5A All-State quarterback completed 12 o 15 pass attempts for 174 yards and a score, but did a lot of his damage on the ground in finishing with 104 yards and three touchdowns.
Marsh’s 35-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter put the Jaguars up 35-7 at the break.
Derby grasped some life early in the third quarter recovering a Marsh fumble, but the Panther offense stalled shortly after and Mill Valley’s Quin Wittenauer added his second rushing touchdown to push the lead to 35 points. Wittenauer also topped the 100-yard mark on the night.
Jaguar kicker Chris Tennant connected on a fourth-quarter field goal to extend the Mill Valley lead to 45-7 and start the running clock.
Derby’s offensive highlights came on an 85-yard screen pass from quarterback Lem Wash to sophomore back Dylan Edwards.
Wash scored the Panthers’ second touchdown on the game’s final play.
The loss ended Derby’s 26-game winning streak.
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Lawrence routs Shawnee Heights
Lawrence High opened the season in a bit different format than expected, but the Chesty Lions were nevertheless impressive in a 53-0 shutout of Shawnee Heights.
Lawrence has seen its original football schedule completely altered due to the postponement of most other Sunflower League members. The Lions scheduled Shawnee Heights after the T-Birds become available for the same reason.
Lawrence took control early with a 32-point first quarter that included a pick-6 by Corban Oberzan and two safeties. Chesty Lion running back Devin Neal, the state’s top recruit, rushed six times for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Neal also added a touchdown reception from quarterback Jackson Dooley. Dooley passed for 200 yards and two scores.
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Maize holds down Andover, 20-6
The Maize Eagles are out to prove they will once again be a contender on the west side of Class 5A.
Joshua Sanders returned the opening kickoff down the rights sideline for a touchdown to get the scoring started.
It looked like the Eagles would make that opening score stand up as Maize continued to hold a 7-6 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Sanders, who recently transferred from Wichita Heights, provided his new team breathing room with two more scoring runs early in the fourth quarter.
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Bishop Carroll holds off Junction City, 29-28 in first-ever meeting
Bishop Carroll, ranked No. 4 in Class 5A, opened its challenging schedule with a 29-28 victory.
Junction City had a blocked extra point early, and then missed a late two-point conversion try for the lead.
The Blue Jays led 22-21 early in the fourth quarter before the Golden Eagles tallied a touchdown in the final 90 seconds. Junction City immediately scored, but missed the two-point conversion.
It marked the first time Bishop Carroll had ever played Junction City, according to the Kansas Football History database.
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Goddard tops Buhler behind Shope’s big night
Goddard built a three-touchdown lead then pulled away from Buhler in a 35-20 victory on Friday night.
Lion quarterback Kyler Semrad threw five touchdown passes – four to Jake Shope who had a career night.
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Tonganoxie displays talented offense in win over Basehor-Linwood
Tonganoxie, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, put on an offensive display in a 62-28 win at Basehor-Linwood.
The Chieftains scored 21 points in the first quarter and eventually expanded their lead to 35-14 at halftime.
New Chieftain running back Tyler Bowden, who transferred from Lawrence Free State over the summer, made an immediate impact with 317 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the night. Bowden was a Kpreps Class 6A All-State selection last year after rushing for 1,859 yards and 26 touchdowns for Free State.
Senior quarterback Blake Poje completed 20 of 26 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns to compliment the Tonganoxie rushing attack. Dallas Bond had four receptions for 105 yards, while Heston Robbins added 89 receiving yards on six receptions.
Branden Martin, who recently transferred to Tonganoxie from KC Piper, led the Chieftains with 10 tackles.
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Paola rolls in season debut
Paola, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, opened the season with a 63-0 blowout victory over Frontier League rival Bonner Springs.
Senior quarterback Garrett Williams accounted for four touchdowns in the first quarter as the Panthers built a 28-0 lead.
Williams also tossed an 85-yard touchdown pass to Brock Pitzer late in the first half.
Jovanni Blackie added a pair of touchdown runs for the Panthers, and the Paola defense held Bonners Springs in check all evening.
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Fort Scott holds on late for 1-point win
Fort Scott stopped a late two-point conversion attempt to hold on for a 21-20 victory over Summit Christian (Mo.) at Frary Field.
Summit Christian tossed a fourth-down, 34-yard touchdowns pass with less than a minute to go to pull within 21-20 of the Tigers.
The Eagles decided to go for the two-point conversion and the lead, but the Fort Scott defense stopped Summit Christian quarterback Grayson Sprouse just short of the end zone on a read play.
WATCH: Fort Scott stop Summit Christian’s two-point conversion attempt with less than a minute left
Courtesy @FSHSTigers
The win was the second for Fort Scott coach Bo Graham after the Tigers won their season-opener over Coffeyville last year.
In a rarity, the Tigers will now prepare to face SEK League rival Independence in consecutive weeks. Indy opened with a 25-20 road win at El Dorado on Friday.
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Coombs’ late heroics delivers Blue Comet Victory
Towanda-Circle scored a late on a touchdown pass from Luke McGinnis to Dylan Bougher to take a 14-10 lead at Chanute with just 15 seconds remaining in the game. The T-Birds then squibbed the ensuring kickoff down the middle of the field.
That’s when Chanute’s Jackson Coombs made a play.
The junior scooped up the ball at the 17-yard line and started left, cut back to the right sideline and raced 83 yards for the winning score.
WATCH – Chanute’s Jackson Coombs’ game-winning kickoff return
The Blue Comets, winners of nine of their last ten games, defeated Circle to open the season for the third consecutive year.
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Perry-Lecompton, Hayden impressive in season-openers
Two of the top teams in Class 3A rolled to impressive victories on Friday night.
Second-ranked Perry-Lecompton rolled to a 54-6 victory over Jefferson West.
Senior quarterback William Welch completed 9 of 11 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns in the victory and added a rushing score. Welch is a returning 3A All-State selection from Kpreps after passing for 2,316 yards and 27 touchdowns a season ago.
Thad Metcalfe, also a 2019 Kpreps 3A All-State selection, added 181 yards rushing and three scores.
Meanwhile, No. 3 Topeka Hayden rolled to a 47-7 road win at Emporia.
Desmond Purnell showcased his talent by scoring in three different fashions on Friday night. The senior started the Hayden scoring with a pick-6, added a 26-yard touchdown run, then caught two 50-plus-yard touchdown passes from quarterback Johnny Holloway.
Purnell finished with 182 yards of total offense and three touchdowns on just eight offensive touches.
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Holton escapes Nemaha Central with late FG
Holton sophomore kicker Matt Lierz connected on a 20-yard field goal on the game’s final play to propel the Wildcats to a 15-13 win over defending 2A-champion Nemaha Central.
Jayden Fletcher started the scoring for Holton with a short touchdown run for a 6-0 lead.
Nemaha Central would answer with a Zac Kramer scoring pass to Gage Palic to tie the game at 6-6.
Canon Karn’s short touchdown run allowed Holton to regain the lead, 12-6 at halftime.
Nemaha Central scored on a long touchdown pass from Kramer to Tyler Gerety mid-way through the fourth quarter and added the PAT for the 13-12 lead and setting up Lierz’s late-game heroics.
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Goodland coaches in COVID-19 quarantine; administration steps into coach, leads Cowboys to win
In a situation that could happen only this year, Goodland was supposed to play a pair of Colorado schools to open the fall. However, Colorado moved football to the spring because of COVID-19. Goodland, a 3A squad, had to scramble for games and scheduled 5A Liberal for the season opener.
This marked the first time Goodland has played Liberal since 1985.
Tonight, Goodland had all football coaches in quarantine, so the superintendent and athletic director stepped in to coach the squad. Goodland beat Liberal, 43-32, and won the season opener for the first time since 2015.
Athletic Director Marty Lehman served as the Cowboys’ interim coach. Bill Biermann is the superintendent. Lehman is a former strength and conditioning coach at the University of South Florida, former Activities Director at Syracuse USD 494, and former member of the coaching staff at Kansas State, according to his Facebook.
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Scott City shuts down Ulysses in the second half, Beavers shut out Tigers 17-0
Coming off of an 8-3 season last year, Scott City was looking prove doubters wrong. They Beavers did just that tonight with a 17-0 shutout of GWAC rival Ulysses, winning their seventh straight game in the series. The victory also was the Beaver’s third straight season-opening shutout.
Scott City struck first in the contest with 7:24 left on a passing touchdown from Harrison King to Loren Farout. Later in the first quarter, a Blaise Culp touchdown was called back on a SC holding penalty.
Ulysses offense was jumpstarted on a muffed punt, which punter Oscar Martinez turned in to a first down on a 20-yard run. The Tigers would string together a 14-play drive, but were stopped on fourth down in Beaver territory.
Ulysses also reached the red zone in the final seconds of the first half, but Scott City’s Isaac Tarango intercepted a pass in the end zone.
Scott City gambled and came up short on fourth down early in the second half. Ulysses also attempted a fourth down play and were bailed out on a Beaver pass interference penalty. That Tiger drive also ended with a Beaver interception in the endzone by Blaine Culp.
In the third quarter, Scott City’s Cale Wheeler pushed across the goal-line and Ronnie Weathers added the two-point conversion reception from Harrison King to push the Scott City lead to 14-0. Freshmen Brady Welker sealed the deal with a 31-yard field goal with 2:05 left in the contest. Loren Farout iced the game in the final minutes with an interception.
Both teams will travel for next week. Scott City starts a two-game road stretch with contests at Holcomb and Cimarron, while Ulysses travels to Hugoton before their home opener against Colby.
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Rossville handles Centralia in battle of No. 1s
Class 2A’s top-ranked Rossville Bulldawgs picked up a dominating 42-6 road victory over the top-ranked team in Class 1A, Centralia.
Rossville quarterback Torrey Horak threw touchdown passes to Bo Reeves and Woodrow Rezac and Tyree Sowers broke a 40-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldawgs a 21-0 lead.
Centralia’s only touchdown came on a touchdown pass from Ethan McNally to Presly Bowers to pull within 21-6, but Horak would break a long touchdown run to extend the lead to 28-6 at halftime.
Horak then added a pair of scoring runs in the second half.
Rossville defeated Centralia in the season opener for the third consecutive season. Last year, Centralia responded with 12 consecutive victories and captured the Class 1A state championship.
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Norton holds off Smith Center, 16-14, with late safety in Mid-Continent League matchup
Smith Center entered ranked No. 2 in 1A, and Norton is just outside the 2A top-5. Both squads are defending state runners-up in their respective classifications.
Norton built a 14-0 lead midway through the first half on a pair of touchdown runs from senior quarterback Jonah Ruder, a first team all-state wide receiver last year. However, Smith Center standout receiver Griffin Kugler caught a pair of touchdown passes and hauled in a two-point conversion to tie the score at 14.
With five and a half minutes left, Norton’s Kolton Field delivered a nice pass breakup on a 1-on-1 play versus Kugler, and forced a Smith Center punt. Kugler stood in his own end zone, and the Redmen, which struggled on snaps all game, snapped the ball over his head. Kugler managed to knock it out of the end zone for a safety.
Norton took a 16-14 lead in what became the game’s final points. The Bluejays defeated Smith Center for the first time since 2014. Norton delivered excellent run defense and held the Redmen to 104 rushing yards. Bluejay senior lineman Christien Hawks, a KU commit, delivered a pair of tackles for loss. Norton sealed the game when Smith Center had a bad snap. Gavin Sproul forced the fumble, and Aiden Wicker recovered. Wicker, a senior, did not play football last year. Smith Center sophomore linebacker Jake Sasse finished with 2.5 tackles for loss.
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Republic County puts things together to beat Beloit
Last season the Republic County Buffaloes were mired in a 26-game losing streak. The Buffaloes were making strides in form of competitive games against quality competition, but that progress didn’t result in victories until the final week of the regular season.
Republic County won consecutive games over Sacred Heart and Ellis before bowing out of the Class 1A playoffs with a loss at Smith Center.
On Friday night, the Buffaloes may have taken the next step with a 30-14 victory over a Beloit team considered by many to be a contender in Class 2A.
Senior Jared Baxa, a Kpreps Class 1A All-State selection last fall, rushed for more than 275 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Baxa rushed for 1,332 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2019.
The victory was Republic County’s first over Beloit in 21 years.
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Olpe blazes through Ellinwood in 61-0 shutout
Traditional power Olpe got the Alex Nuss era in Ellinwood off to a rough beginning.
Olpe got off to a bit of slow start committing a turnover on the game’s first play, but eventually would capitalize on two Ellinwood turnovers to lead 28-0 after one quarter. The visiting Eagles built their lead to 49-0 at halftime on two rushing touchdowns from Kynden Robert, and three Damon Redeker passing touchdowns. Redeker connected with Jordan Barnar on two scoring strikes and Truman Bailey on another. Garret Cole also added a fumble recovery for a touchdown for Olpe.
Olpe scored on every drive in the first half. Derek Hoelting reached the end zone on Olpe’s second drive of the second half, and Andrew Foraker returned an Ellinwood for a touchdown to complete the 61-0 victory. Ellinwood finally reached Olpe territory late in the fourth quarter with the reserves in.
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Oakley gets long-awaited Mid-Continent League victory
Oakley, Kpreps’ Potential Breakout Team in Class 1A, accomplished a long-awaited goal under fourth-year coach Jeff Hennick and won a conference game.
On the road at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays, Oakley defeated Thomas More Prep, 25-13. Oakley had lost 20 in a row in league play since the start of ‘16. The last time the Plainsmen defeated a MCL squad was a 33-12 victory versus Plainville in Week 8 of the ’15 season.
Oakley’s Ethan Abell delivered a key 75-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. He scored on runs of seven and nine yards, too. The game was tied at 13 entering the fourth quarter.
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Axtell wins at Wheatland-Grinnell; Detweiler with a huge game
Axtell made the 284-mile one-way trip to Wheatland-Grinnell, located in Grainfield, for a key Eight-Man, Division II matchup. Axtell, the defending Division II state runner-up, won 58-18 behind a huge day from sophomore quarterback Isaac Detweiler. Axtell is ranked third in Eight-Man, Division II.
Detweiler completed 22 of 29 passes for 296 yards with six touchdowns against zero interceptions. He had played some quarterback last season, notably in a win versus Hanover, and was a first team all-state wide receiver.
Axtell led 36-12 at halftime.
Mitchell Buessing caught 11 passes for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns. George Volle combined on 18 tackles, and Buessing picked off two passes.
Isaac Mendez rushed 19 times for 110 yards and a score for Wheatland-Grinnell.
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Victoria beats La Crosse in Leopards’ eight-man opener
Victoria, ranked No. 5 in Division II, beat La Crosse, 42-14, in a Central Prairie League matchup. The Leopards had moved to eight-man football for the first time, and had three starters out with COVID.
Victoria quarterback Grant Schoenrock, a starting quarterback since playoffs as a freshman, passed for 107 yards and rushed for 115. Victoria led 14-0 after the first quarter and 36-6 midway third quarter.
Schoenrock, Carson Werth and Jayvon Pruitt all rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Werth delivered a breakout game with seven attempts for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Because of the COVID-related absences, La Crosse moved tailback Colby Stull to quarterback. He passed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed 20 times for 66 yards.
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McCarty leads Cheylin past Golden Plains
Cheylin, ranked No. 1 in 6-Man football, topped No. 3 Golden Plains 61-6 on Friday behind another huge night from senior Colton McCarty.
McCarty completed 6 of 12 passes for 302 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 118 yards and three touchdowns.
McCarty connected with Tyler Sabatka on four touchdown passes that totaled 205 yards. Drew Sheilds and Logan McCarty also caught touchdown passes in the game.
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Cunningham picks up first win since 2012
The Cunningham Wildcats went on the road to Rolla on Friday afternoon and beat the Pirates, 44-26.
Despite a forfeit victory last season, Friday’s win was the first for Cunningham since the Wildcats defeated Attica 70-30 on October 12, 2012.
Cunningham, which resurrected football in 2019 after a four-year hiatus, had lost it’s last 24 on-field games (not decided by forfeit).
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