Kpreps.com takes you Around the Classes as we look at a handful of games in each classification from teams outside our top five rankings.
Class 6A:
Only nine 6A schools played football in week one. School districts in Olathe, Blue Valley, and Topeka postponed the start of their respective fall seasons. Wichita initially cancelled fall sports, but later reversed their decision and will start playing again this upcoming week. Shawnee Mission is still in the process of deciding whether to play sports this fall, and are currently suspended for the time being. Kansas City (Harmon, Wyandotte, Schlagle, Washington, and Sumner Academy) had their fall seasons cancelled.
Class 5A:
Kapaun Mt. Carmel went on the road and defeated Dodge City 42-0 to begin the Weston Schartz era with the Crusaders. The Crusader defense limited Dodge City to 95 yards in the contest. Austin Ruda had 108 yards and three touchdowns on ten carries for Kapaun. This was the first time Dodge City has been shut out since September 15th 2017, when the Red Demons fell 65-0 at Wichita Heights.
On Thursday, Hays High opened the season with a 19-10 victory against Goddard-Eisenhower. The Tigers scored on an early safety. Hays High was stopped in the red zone, and Eisenhower then lost a fumble. Roy Moroni scored on the next play for a 6-2 lead. Dylan Dreiling threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jaren Kanak. Junior Cody Hawks led Eisenhower with 14 tackles. This marked the second straight game Eisenhower played Hays High, after the Indians beat Eisenhower, 31-6, in the playoffs last season. After Eisenhower forced the early safety, the Tigers could only muster one score afterwards, off a touchdown pass from Nick Hogan to Owen Rush.
Maize South throttled Great Bend 56-0 on Friday. The Mavericks were led by Hunter Niemann and Evan Cantu, who both had two rushing touchdowns. Great Bend had a chance to score, but fumbled at the 1-yard line.
Hutchinson grabbed its season-opening victory with a 21-13 victory over AVCTL rival Valley Center. Alec McCuan led the Salthawks with 149 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Valley Center was driving late in the fourth quarter when Hutchinson forced a Hornet fumble in Hutch territory.
Nathan Zeferjahn had three touchdowns and the Topeka Seaman offence created 403 yards of offence in their 42-8 defeat of Washburn Rural. The Vikings had six sacks and led 28-0 at halftime.
Maize defeated Andover 20-6 behind a big night from new Eagle running back Joshua Sanders. Sanders, who recently transferred from Wichita Heights, returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown, then added two more touchdown runs to account for all of the Maize scoring.
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 in hauling in 12 receptions for 242 yards. Semrad passed for 344 yards and five scores on the night.
Most of 5A was rolling for week 1, but there were some notable absences. Wichita Northwest and Wichita Heights, alongside Topeka West and Topeka Highland Park, did not play week one in accordance with school district guidelines. Wichita schools will get back to playing next week, while Topeka schools will play starting week 4 at the earliest. Defending 5A champions St. Thomas Aquinas did not play either, on a decision made among the three Catholic high schools in Kansas City (Aquinas, St. James Academy, Bishop Miege)
Class 4A:
Andover Central outscored Newton, 41-34. Quarterback Chase White completed a 53-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Kohman to break a 34-34 tie with about 8 minutes left. White completed 18 of 30 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown. Kohman caught nine passes for 178 yards, including the game-winning touchdown. Defense and special teams also came up big for Andover Central. Wichita Northwest transfer Davin Simms and Shane Frey each scored touchdowns on interception returns of 58 and 25 yards, respectively. White, who also serves as the team’s kicker, made field goals of 19 and 31 yards, and made all five of his PATs. The Jaguars took a 24-6 lead in the fourth quarter, but Newton fought back to take a 27-24 lead in the fourth quarter. Railers running back Kenyon Forest ran for 150 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Newton quarterback Ben Schmidt passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns but also threw two costly pick-sixes. Peyton Maxwell led all receivers with 11 catches for 195 yards and two TDs.
Coffeyville-Field Kindley took a 28-0 lead in the third quarter and held on for a season-opening 34-21 victory against Augusta. Senior fullback Ethan Camp led the Golden Tornado with 166 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries. Senior quarterback Aaron Rutherford was efficient, completing 7 of 11 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard TD strike to Darell Jones in the third quarter. Jones finished with two catches for 93 yards. Senior Tariq Logan led all receivers with three receptions for 102 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown from Rutherford. Junior Hunter Anderson led Augusta with 126 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Lansing defeated Lincoln College Prep, 26-7, in a game added after alterations to the original schedule. Junior quarterback Caden Crawford rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another as the Lions cruised to victory over the Missouri foe. Crawford completed 4 of 6 passes for 116 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown strike to senior Malik Benson. Crawford added two short touchdown runs. Senior Shawn Patton led the Lansing rushing attack with 95 yards on 18 carries. Senior Dylan Ward added a 14-yard TD run on his only carry of the game. Ward also recorded a team-best 15 tackles. Lincoln Prep features 6-foot-2, 315-pount quarterback Howard Brown – an Iowa State D-Line commit.
Junior Jackson Coombs returned a kick 83 yards for a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining to lift the Chanute Blue Comets to a season-opening victory over the Towanda-Circle Thunderbirds. Circle had taken a 14-10 lead after two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. Chanute jumped out to a 7-0 lead after quarterback Eric Erbe completed a 25-yard TD pass to Garrett Almond. The Blue Comets extended the lead to 10-0 in the second quarter when senior Tyson Lucas connected on a 38-yard field goal. Almond was Chanute’s leading receiver with seven catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. In addition to his kick return heroics, Coombs also was the Comets’ leading rusher with 27 yards on eight carries.
Arkansas City won the Cowley Cup with a 33-0 shutout of rival Winfield. A 26-point second quarter fueled the Bulldogs to an easy victory over the Vikings. Ark City sophomore quarterback Gabe Welch passed for three touchdowns and rushed for another. Welch tossed TD passes of 36 and 52 yards to senior Haden O’Toole and a 25-yarder to junior Lance Blubaugh. Welch’s rushing TD was 29 yards. Owen Bucher added a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. O’Toole led all receivers with four catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Winfield was led by junior Armon Acosta with 108 rushing yards on 21 carries.
Class 3A:
Chapman picked up a quality road win at Sabetha, 34-29. The Irish led 20-14 at halftime and 26-21 after three quarters. Chapman quarterback Trevor Erickson rushed for 125 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Erickson also passed for 119 yards and led the Irish defense with 18 stops. The Chapman defense forced two Sabetha turnovers including two interceptions by Cam Liebau and a fumble recovery by Ryan Hengemuhle. The Irish will have another challenging contest this week when they host Class 3A No. 4 Holton.
Halstead opened the season with a 46-0 blanking of Smoky Valley. The Dragons were led by senior Lakin Farmer who made the transition from quarterback to running back and rushed for 275 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries. The Dragons amassed 370 rushing yards in the contest. Meanwhile, the Dragon defense held Smoky Valley to only 79 rushing yards on 32 attempts and intercepted three Viking passes.
Wichita Trinity Academy snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 33-25 win over Chaparral. Trinity freshman quarterback Harvey Zimmerman looked unphased in his debut in passing for a pair of long touchdown passes and rushing for a score as the Knights built a 19-7 lead after one quarter. After Chaparral tied the game at 19 in the second quarter, Zimmerman threw his third touchdown pass to Keshawn Martin to regain the lead. The Roadrunners would pull within 26-25 in the third quarter before Meeko Lumapas rushed for a score to give the Knights a 33-25 win. Zimmerman completed 11 of 13 passes for 245 yards with eight balls going to Martin for 222 yards and those three scores. Wichita Trinity scored only 20 total points all last season.
Council Grove opened with an impressive 48-0 shutout of Northern Heights. The Braves scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and led 34-0 by halftime. Senior quarterback Hadyn Bieling rushed for 140 yards and four touchdowns on only seven carries. Bieling also threw touchdown passes to Ethan Burton and C. Allen Miller. The Brave defense held the Wildcats to 22 yards of total offense on 33 plays.
After a scoreless first half, Columbus scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to top Frontenac, 25-6. Gabe Martin rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown for the Titans and Jaxson Haraughty added a touchdown run. The game a was a defensive battle and the Titans benefitted from interception returns for touchdowns by Haraughty and Landon Proffitt in the fourth quarter.
Class 2A:
Republic County’s Jared Baxa delivered a mammoth performance in a 30-14 win versus Beloit. Republic County, up from 1A, beat Beloit for the first time since 1999. Baxa earned the team’s overall and offensive player of the game. Garrett Siemsen picked up the defensive honor, and Tyler Stindt was the team’s special teams recipient. The game was scoreless after the first quarter, but the Buffaloes led 14-0 at halftime. Baxa rushed 14 times for 264 yards, including a 96-yarder, and a pair of scores. He also caught a pair of passes for 81 yards, including a 77-yarder, with a TD.
Syracuse won 25-0 at Sublette in coach Jordan Irsik’s debut. Freshman quarterback Jay Gould delivered 14 carries for 149 yards and two scores. He was 3 of 7 passing for 41 yards with a TD. Syracuse has already matched last year’s win total from a 1-7 season. It marked the first time since ’18 and second occasion since ’08 that the Bulldogs won their season opener.
Belle Plaine defeated Wichita Independent, 49-0, in a game that was called at halftime. The Dragons led 35-0 after the first quarter. The first two TDs came on a 31-yard scoring pass from Colby Barton to Tim Bible, and a 33-yard touchdown run by Eli Wiseman.
Mission Valley defeated Wabaunsee, 37-30, although Wabaunsee junior quarterback Cade Oliver delivered a big game with 19 of 27 passing for 349 yards with four touchdowns versus two interceptions.
Class 1A:
Plainville defeated Phillipsburg for a second straight year. Like ’19, it was a close game. It was a scoreless game after the first quarter and tied at seven at halftime. The Cardinals outscored Phillipsburg, 7-6, in the third quarter. Sophomore Kyle Werner, after he impressed in spot time as a freshman, finished with 20 carries for 212 yards and two TDs. Senior Parker Krob made both of his extra points.
Ellis defeated Russell, 32-0, behind big games from quarterback Tegan Cain and running back Konnor Pfeifer. Cain completed 10 of 21 passes for 266 yards with a 3/2 TD/INT ratio. Pfeifer rushed 19 times for 87 yards and a score, and Cain delivered four carries for 51 yards and a touchdown. Five different players caught a pass, and three had a touchdown. Junior Mason Gottschalk recorded 14 tackles.
Sedgwick coach Jeff Werner earned his 100th career victory in a 45-0 win versus Sterling. Junior Ryan Stucky delivered eight touches for 87 yards and a score. Kicker Connor Tillman continued his impressive career with 6 of 6 on extra points and a 36-yard field goal. Henry Burns had three catches for 81 yards and a score, along with 10 tackles on defense. Junior quarterback Lance Hoffsommer finished 14 of 19 passing for 249 yards and two passing scores, along with 69 yards rushing and two TDs in 2.5 quarters.
Uniontown’s Hunter Schaaf delivered a pair of forced fumbles and recorded two rushing touchdowns in a 40-12 win versus Southeast-Cherokee.
Class 8-man I
Argonia-Attica defeated Norwich, 46-0. Junior quarterback Xander Newberry completed 11 of 16 passes for 209 yards with three touchdowns against zero interceptions. He also rushed 14 times for 49 yards and a pair of TDs.
In its first-ever eight-man contest, Meade defeated South Central, 40-20. Junior Korben Clawson completed four of nine passes for 75 yards with a 2/1 TD/INT ratio. He also rushed 33 times for 164 yards and a score. SC senior Jonny Robles continued his strong career with 13 offensive touches for 102 yards and a TD. He also threw for 20 yards and picked off a pass.
Hill City ended Osborne’s 13-game winning streak with a 45-26 home win. The Ringnecks led 19-6 after the first quarter. Senior Jayce Hamel enjoyed a massive game with 31 carries for 272 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Overall, Hill City ran 55 plays for 361 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Osborne was depleted after its state championship team from last fall. All of the Bulldogs’ yards came from non-seniors. Freshman Doak Guttery and junior Mason Schurr tied with 16 tackles, and senior Lance Kaser finished with 13 stops. This is the first time Hill City has won its season opener since 2014. Hill City had lost five in a row to Osborne, dating back to a 48-24 victory in the ’10 state semifinals.
Cedar Vale-Dexter defeated Flinthills, 44-8. Brogan Myers rushed 12 times for 104 yards and three touchdowns. Cole Criss completed six of 10 passes for 102 yards and a score. He also rushed six times for 70 yards and two TDs. Darius Casebolt caught five passes for 102 yards, including a 48-yard score for the game’s final TD.
WaKeeney-Trego defeated Chase, 66-14, in a game that was called at halftime. Trego scored 40 points in the first quarter. Kobi Shubert earned the team’s overall player of the game, James Kreigh collected offensive player of the game honors, and Gunner Wilson for special teams. Shubert accounted for three touchdowns, and Kreigh delivered 13 carries for 149 yards and four scores.
Oswego won the “Bloody Bucket” rivalry game versus Chetopa, 58-12. Oswego scored 36 points in the first quarter in a game that was called in the third quarter. Senior Lance Teal completed 5 of 10 passes for 103 yards with four touchdowns against one interception. Sophomore Jake Hutchinson rushed 15 times for 148 yards and a score. Isac Elkins and Jesse Blumer each had a pair of touchdown receptions for the Indians, while Jace Landes rushed for a score and caught a touchdown pass.
Ness City beat Macksville, 46-0, in a game that was called at halftime. NC scored 30 points in the first quarter. The Eagles outgained Macksville, 268-94. Jose Guzman completed four of six passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Edwin Rodriguez rushed 10 times for 103 yards and two scores. Ness City picked off two passes. Ness City is 9-2 in its last 11 games with five shutouts. This marked the second straight year the Eagles defeated Macksville, 46-0.
Kinsley defeated Sacred Heart, 42-6. The Coyotes are eight-man, and Sacred Heart is 11-man, but the Knights elected to play an eight-man game. The game had a scoreless first quarter, and Kinsley led 16-0 at halftime. Isaac Bowman completed 5 of 12 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Three players rushed for a touchdown, and two Coyotes scored a touchdown. Cole Gleason delivered a team-high 12 total tackles with nine solo and three assisted. Kinsley won its season opener for the first time since 2011.
Pratt-Skyline defeated South Barber, 48-44. It marked the first time South Barber had lost to a Kansas school in the regular season since a 34-30 loss to Argonia-Attica in Week 4 of 2017. Junior Gatlin Jewell completed 13 of 29 passes for 204 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. He also rushed 33 times for 177 yards and four scores.
Class 8-man II
In a game called after three quarters, Triplains-Brewster defeated Otis-Bison, 72-24. The Titans led 24-16 after the first quarter. Senior Ryan Hause rushed 14 times for 125 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Cayde Welsh recorded eight carries for 111 yards and two scores.
Caldwell defeated Oxford, 58-12, in a game that was called in the third quarter. Caldwell led 30-12 after the first quarter. Overall, Caldwell outgained Oxford, 380-82. Keiondre Smith rushed 19 times for 156 yards and four scores. Caldwell has captured five straight season openers.
Logan-Palco held off Lakeside, 32-28. Logan-Palco ran 73 offensive plays, including 56 rushes, for 357 yards of offense. Junior quarterback Dylan Van Laeys accounted for three offensive scores – one passing, two rushing. Senior Micah Thompson recorded 18 carries for 107 yards and a score. Senior Ian Sparks delivered a team-high 12 tackles.
Minneola defeated Kiowa County, 64-18. Minneola outscored the Mavericks, 32-12, in the first quarter. Freshman Eli Lang stepped in with 2 of 3 passing for 43 yards and a score, along with 21 carries for 165 yards and six touchdowns.
Thunder Ridge defeated Stockton, 20-14, in double overtime. Thunder Ridge led 8-3 after the first quarter and at halftime. Stockton took an 11-8 lead into the fourth. Thunder Ridge sophomore quarterback Dylan Bice completed five of 10 passes for 126 yards with two scores against one interception. Senior Jacob Barnes led the Longhorns with 14 carries for 97 yards and a TD. Junior Rylan Basart led Stockton with 10 tackles, two for loss, and connected on a pair of field goals. Junior Olin Brown, senior Dalton Bice and senior Mark Ferguson all delivered 18 tackles for the Longhorns.
6-Man
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 its last 24 on-field games (not decided by forfeit).
KCAA / Other
St. Mary’s Academy spoiled the debut of the Topeka-Cornerstone Family Saints in a 74-28 Crusader victory. Cornerstone Family will now travel to 8M-II No. 3 Axtell on Friday for their second game.
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