The 2020 Kansas high school football season kicked off with six ranked teams losing in Week 1. Let’s take a look at the Kpreps Top 5 to see what changed after the first week.
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.
Class 6A
There’s a new No. 1 team in Class 6A as Derby saw its 26-game win streak end with a 45-14 loss at Class 5A No. 1 Mill Valley.
Lawrence takes over the top spot in this week’s poll after a 53-0 shutout of Shawnee Heights. Derby drops only one spot in this week’s poll to No. 2, while Blue Valley also slides a spot to No. 3. The Blue Valley School District recently ruled to allow the restart of athletics and the Tigers are expected to take the field soon.
Manhattan survived a turnover-filled contest against Garden City. Now the fourth-ranked Indians will turn their attention to their rival Junction City to decide the Silver Trophy.
Finally, Olathe North holds on in the No. 5 spot. The Eagles are expected to open their season this week against rival Olathe South.
Class 5A
Defending champion Mill Valley looked every bit the favorite to repeat after dominating Derby, 45-14. Quarterback Cooper Marsh led the Jaguar offense in amassing nearly 300 yards of total offense. The schedule remains challenging this week as the Jaguars travel to No. 5 De Soto. De Soto opened its season with a road win at Lawrence Free State.
Wichita Northwest did not play in Week 1 but received good news with the restart of athletics in the Wichita School District. The Grizzlies are expected to open this week on Saturday against Wichita West.
St. Thomas Aquinas will also open its season this week with a home game against Eastern Kansas League rival St. James Academy – ranked No. 4 in Class 4A.
Finally, Bishop Carroll remains in the fourth spot after stopping a late two-point conversion attempt to edge Junction City, 29-28.
Class 4A
Bishop Miege remains in the top spot in Class 4A. The Stags are scheduled to open their season at St. Thomas Aquinas on September 18th.
Paola stays in the No. 2 spot after a dominating 63-0 win over Frontier League rival Bonner Springs. The Panther offense looked in mid-season form in racking up more than 500 yards of total offense and scoring on every possession.
Tonganoxie moves up one spot to No. 3 in this week’s poll after a 62-28 win at Basehor-Linwood. The Chieftains got 317 rushing yards and five touchdowns from running back Tyler Bowden.
St. James Academy falls one spot to No.4 this week despite not playing. The Thunder open their season this week against Class 5A No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas.
McPherson rounds out the poll this week at No. 5 after a 45-25 win over Salina South. The Bullpups scored five consecutive touchdowns in breaking open a 13-12 halftime lead.
Class 3A
Defending champion Andale opened with a 58-10 win at Rose Hill. The Indians got big performances on the ground from Eli Rowland and Gabe Ungles in victory.
Second-ranked Perry-Lecompton opened with a 54-6 win over Jefferson West. Quarterback William Welch threw four touchdown passes and added a rushing score.
Third-ranked Topeka Hayden put together a complete effort in a 47-7 victory over Emporia. The Wildcats will now take on rival Topeka Seaman this week.
Holton retains the fourth spot this week after a last-second victory over defending Class 2A champion Nemaha Central. Matt Lierz connected on a 20-yard field goal on the game’s final play to deliver a 15-13 win for the Wildcats.
Southeast of Saline scored twice in the fourth quarter to separate from Minneapolis in a 32-16 win. The Trojans will take on fellow North Central Activities Association member Beloit this week.
Class 2A
Top-ranked Rossville opened with an impressive 42-6 road-win over then 1A No. 1 Centralia. Quarterback Torrey Horak rushed for three touchdowns and threw a pair of touchdown passes in the win.
Silver Lake moves up to No. 2 as a result of Nemaha Central’s aforementioned loss to Holton. The Eagles did not play last week and won’t get on the field until September 18th when their quarantine ends. Nemaha Central falls three spots to No. 5 in this week’s poll.
Hoisington jumps up to No. 3 this week after a 34-13 win over Pratt. The Cardinals narrowly leaped over fourth-ranked Garden Plain despite the Owls’ victory over rival Conway Springs, 14-13.
Class 1A
The most change occurred in this week’s Class 1A poll. The top three teams in the preseason poll all lost in Week 1. As a result, Olpe vaults to the top spot this week after a 61-0 win over Ellinwood, while Valley Heights picked up an impressive 32-12 win over Marysville.
Last week’s top three, Centralia, Smith Center, and Conway Springs, all remained in order but slid down a couple of spots to No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5, respectively.
Class 8M-I
In Class 8-Man, Division I, top-ranked Canton-Galva cruised past Goessel, 54-0. Second-ranked Leoti-Wichita County opened with a 54-20 win over Hoxie. Wichita County will have a challenge this week on the road at WaKeeney-Trego.
A top-five showdown is set to take place this week when No. 3 Little River travels to No. 5 Clifton-Clyde. Little River shut out Peabody-Burns 50-0 last week, while Clifton-Clyde topped Onaga, 62-18.
Madison remains in the No. 4 spot this week after doubling-up Burlingame, 48-24.
Class 8M-II
Saint Francis opened its campaign for the schools’ first-ever state football title with a 48-0 blanking of Oberlin-Decatur Community. The Indians will take on rival Atwood-Rawlins County this week in the battle for the Yoke.
Hanover stays in the No. 2 spot in this week’s poll after a 46-0 shutout of Pike Valley. Meanwhile, Twin Valley League rival Axtell made the long road trip to Wheatland-Grinnell and bested the Thunderhawks, 58-18.
The Lebo Wolves stay in the No. 4 spot this week after a win over Southern Coffey County. Lebo has a big showdown this week against a good Chase County team.
Victoria is ranked fifth again this week after a four touchdown win over La Crosse. The Knights will be on the road at Chase this week.
6-Man Football
Top-ranked Cheylin topped then 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 Shields and Logan McCarty also caught touchdown passes in the game.
Defending champion Moscow opened their title defense with a 38-12 win over Fowler. The Wildcats exploded for 26 points in the second quarter to build a 32-0 halftime advantage. The Wildcats closed out the second half to claim their 11th consecutive victory.
Third-ranked Ashland moves into the poll after opening with a 46-point victory over Burrton in the Chargers 6-Man debut. The Blue Jays scored 39 points in the first quarter and added 25 more in the second to end the game at halftime.
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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