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:
After being shut out last week versus Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Dodge City went to business and shut out Liberal in the WAC opener for both schools, 35-0. Matt Freiss was phenomenal for the Red Demons, with three receiving touchdowns and a punt return TD. The Red Demons had 307 yards of offense and forced four Liberal turnovers.
Wichita South started off their football season with a 52-0 shutout over Wichita Southeast. Wichita schools saw their seasons cancelled initially, but had their decisions reversed in time to play Week 2. The Titans led 36-0 at half and tacked on another 16 points for the victory.
Anthony Favrow rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown as Olathe West opened with a 20-0 win over Olathe Northwest. Owls’ senior quarterback Alex Birge rushed for 75 yards and two scores and completed 12 of 17 passes for 132 yards.
Class 5A:
Emporia went back to their winning ways with a 32-21 victory at Atchison. The Spartans had 203 yards of rushing offense, led by Camden Kirmer and Bobby Trujillo. Kirmer also had two interceptions and Ethan Garate blocked a field goal against Atchison, who fall to 0-2 on the season.
Down 20-7 at halftime, Hutchinson roared back in the second half and defeated Garden City, 21-20, for the Salthawks’ first 2-0 start since 2017. Myles Thompson found the endzone for the final score, but the Salthawk defense held strong when Garden City had their final offensive drive go deep in Hutch territory in the closing minutes, leading to a turnover on downs. Garden City had 305 yards of offense on the night, while Hutch had 371.
With the Hays Indians without Dylan Dreiling due to illness, it was Jordan Dale’s time to shine as Hays traveled to Great Bend and defeated the Panthers 43-14. Dale had 229 yards and four touchdowns in the contest. He was the first Hays player to rush for 200-plus yards since former K-State and TCU quarterback Alex Delton did it in 2014, according to HHS broadcaster Dustin Armbruster. This game was competitive at halftime, with Hays leading Great Bend 22-14. Two more rushing touchdowns from Dale and a passing score from Dale to Carson Kieffer sealed the deal for Hays.
Despite having roughly 100 yards less than their opponent, Shawnee Heights defeated Bonner Springs, 29-22. The Thunderbirds were trailing 14-22 when Shawnee Heights had a kickoff return for a touchdown and a subsequent rushing touchdown.
Class 4A:
Two programs that have struggled in recent years enjoyed a thriller as Ottawa nipped Baldwin 33-32. Ottawa quarterback Noah McCullough broke loose on a 55-yard touchdown run to give the Cyclones a 33-24 lead. After Baldwin pulled within a point, the Ottawa defense secured a turnover to seal the victory. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak for the Cyclones, while the Bulldogs’ losing skid extended to 16 games. Ottawa has only two wins in its past 27 games and both have come against Baldwin. The Bulldogs have won only one game since beating Ottawa in the 2018 season opener.
El Dorado snapped a six-game losing streak with a 14-7 win over Augusta. The Wildcats trailed 7-6 at halftime, but sophomore Drew Veatch scored his second of two touchdown runs in the third quarter to retake the lead. Senior Zach Wittenberg, who rushed for a game-high 167 yards, added the two-point conversion to give El Dorado the seven-point lead. Augusta’s lone touchdown came on a 21-run by Ryan Andrews in the second quarter.
Fort Scott scored the game’s first 46 points in a 46-9 win over Independence. The unusual thing in this matchup is that the two teams will face each other again this week because of scheduling woes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This time around, it will be a Southeast Kansas League matchup. Fort Scott is 2-0 after finishing just 1-8 last season. The Tigers avenged last year’s 20-18 loss to Independence.
The Winfield defense stopped a conversion pass attempt in the third quarter and then held Labette County scoreless for the rest of the game in a 14-12 win. Winfield quarterback Riley Yingling scored on TD runs of 5 and 13 yards. Labette County’s Trent Brock rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries in the loss. Brock cut the Vikings’ lead to 14-12 after a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter.
Jack Knutson and Caden Crawford each scored on TD runs as Lansing defeated KC Piper 12-7. The win improved the Lions to 2-0. Senior Shawn Patton led the Lansing rushing attack with 78 yards on 19 carries, while Knutson ran for 72 yards on eight attempts. Senior Dylan Ward led the Lansing defense with 14 tackles.
Class 3A:
Wichita Collegiate defeated Wellington, 56-3. Sophomore Wesley Fair passed for 98 yards, and Jacob Chugg rushed for 156 yards. Collegiate scored 14 points in the first, 21 in the second and third. Wellington scored on the game’s final play. Chugg rushed for three touchdowns, and Fair for two.
Halstead improved to 2-0 and set up a key road game at Hoisington with a 36-0 home win versus Nickerson. The Dragons led 16-0 after the first quarter. Senior Lakin Farmer had another big game behind Halstead’s experienced offensive line. He rushed 25 times for 125 yards and a pair of scores. Farmer also delivered 38 yards on special teams and 15 interception return yards. Farmer and senior Doug Grider both picked off passes.
Riley County blanked Minneapolis, 47-0, with 21 points in the first quarter. Senior Conner Halle completed eight of 13 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Nic Allen rushed 12 times for 115 yards and a pair of TDs. Senior Avery Holle completed a pair of passes, both for scores, for 112 yards.
Burlington built a 36-9 lead at halftime in racing past Santa Fe Trail, 50-23. The Wildcats were led on the ground by senior Braden Sloyer who rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on 24 attempts. Classmate Gavin Price added 115 yards and a pair of scores on the ground on his seven carries. McClain Weekley rushed for 218 yards and three scores to lead the Chargers.
Class 2A:
Norton defeated Ellis, 42-20, in a Mid-Continent League road game. The Bluejays, which played most of the night without standout lineman and KU signee Christien Hawks, picked off Ellis quarterback Tegan Cain three times. Norton held Ellis to 33 carries for 100 yards. Norton led 21-7 at halftime, and 35-14 entering the fourth quarter.
Syracuse, one of the state’s early season surprises, beat Elkhart, 33-6, and moved to 2-0. Alex Barraza earned the team’s player of the game honor, while freshman quarterback Jay Gould was the team’s offensive player, Roy Aguilar for defense and Uriel Diaz for special teams. Gould rushed 13 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns, and senior Kolby Brummett delivered 15 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown. Barraza was outstanding on defense with a pair of interceptions, including a pick-six.
In a home game, Thomas More Prep picked up its first victory of the season with a 34-6 victory against Russell. The Broncos scored the game’s first six points before TMP scored 34 in a row. TMP sophomore Kade Harris scored on a run inside the final three minutes for a 7-6 halftime lead. Harris tallied a second rushing touchdown, while he also threw a 95-yard touchdown pass. Harris was eight of eight for 185 yards, according to Russell radio.
Haven, named as Kpreps’ Potential Breakout Team in Class 2A during preseason, earned a milestone 30-0 victory versus Smoky Valley. Haven outscored the Vikings, 14-0, in the first quarter and 16-0 in the second. Haven limited Smoky Valley to 54 plays for 234 yards. Haven beat Smoky Valley for the first time since 2012. Darby Roper delivered a pair of rushing touchdowns and third TD overall.
Maur Hill-Mount Academy rolled over Oskaloosa, 61-6, with 28 points in the first quarter and 20 in the second. Junior Drew Caudle completed eight of nine passes for 93 yards with a pair of touchdowns against zero interceptions. Senior Andrew Schwinn rushed 12 times for 236 yards and three TDs. The Ravens will host Nickerson this week after each of their original opponents had to cancel due to quarantine.
Class 1A:
Oakley received a first quarter field goal, and Plainville took a 7-3 lead at halftime. However, the Plainsmen scored a third-quarter touchdown. No points came in the fourth quarter as Oakley won 10-7. Oakley’s defense limited Plainville to 45 plays for 155 yards. Oakley has won back-to-back conference games after it had not won a league contest since ’15.
Ell-Saline, which gets Oakley in an intriguing game this week, delivered its second straight shutout with a 34-0 win versus Sacred Heart. Senior quarterback T.J. Morrical scored all five touchdowns. Sacred Heart has lost 12 straight contests.
Northern Heights held off Northeast-Arma 22-20 to open district play in 1A-Distict 1. Colton Tiffany rushed for three touchdowns in the first half as the Wildcats built a 22-8 lead. Northeast scored twice in the second half, but the Vikings were unsuccessful on a fourth-quarter two-point attempt to tie the game. Tiffany finished with 154 yards on the ground and those three scores, while Northeast was led by Karter Dugan’s 184 yards rushing with one score.
Class 8-man I
Hill City defeated Ness City, 7-6, with a second-quarter touchdown. Ness City scored a touchdown in the third quarter but missed the two-point conversion. Hill City ran 60 plays, seven more than Ness City, and outgained the Eagles, 284-183. However, Hill City senior Jayce Hamel, a key four-year player, suffered injury and is expected to miss the regular season. Derek Keith completed 6 of 11 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown and rushed 12 times for 77 yards. Edwin Rodriguez carried 13 times for 65 yards and was in on 17 tackles. Keith threw a 22-yard pass to Brody McDowell. Hill City standout freshman Aiden Amrein, who was hurt in Week 1 and is limited to just kicking duties, kicked the extra point.
Argonia-Attica beat Udall, 50-0, in a game called at halftime. The Titans scored 30 points in the first quarter. Junior Xander Newberry completed five of five passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Blake Goodman rushed five times for 128 yards and four touchdowns. He also recorded a pair of catches for 35 yards and a TD, and senior Noah Phillips rushed three times for 86 yards and a pair of TDs.
Hodgeman County defeated rival South Central, 52-6, in a game called at halftime. Hodgeman County outscored South Central, 20-0, in the first quarter. Senior Isaac Salmans enjoyed another big game in his great career with nine of 11 passing for 209 yards and four touchdowns, along with eight carries for 63 yards and three TDs. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Salmans has completed 74 percent of his passes with a 9/0 TD/INT ratio this year. Overall, he has a career 44/5 TD/INT ratio, along with 1,878 rushing yards and 40 rushing scores.
Solomon’s Dylan Hynes scored on a 4-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to propel the Gorillas to a 32-28 win over Wakefield. Solomon led 26-14 at halftime before the Bombers scored twice in the third quarter to take a 28-26 lead. Hynes rushed for two scores in the game, while Alex Herbel rushed for 144 yards and a score and threw a touchdown pass. Wakefield was led by Alec Vann’s 113 passing yards and two touchdowns to Konner Murphy.
South Gray scored 36 points in the first quarter of a 52-0 shutout of Satanta. Aaron Skidmore rushed for 135 yards and four touchdowns on only six carries. Skidmore also tossed a touchdown pass to Ethan Salmans.
Class 8-man II
Wheatland-Grinnell bounced back from its Week 1 loss to No. 3-ranked Axtell and beat an improved Kinsley squad, 50-36. Isaac Mendez earned the team’s player of the game honor after he averaged 10.9 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns. He rushed 13 times for 142 yards, including a 68-yarder. Junior Trey Vincent completed six of 16 passes for 156 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Senior Johnny Phillips ran back a kickoff for a score. Wheatland-Grinnell led 14-8 after the first quarter and 28-20 at halftime. Isaac Bowman completed 10 of 27 passes for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Freshman Dylan Haselhorst ran 21 times for 111 yards and a score. Cole Gleason picked off another pass for Kinsley. Thunderhawk senior Trevor Zarybnicky delivered 12 solo tackles, along with nine assists, two tackles for loss, and half a sack.
After a scoreless first quarter, Logan-Palco won 30-7 against Stockton. Logan-Palco outscored the Tigers, 16-0, in the second quarter, and 14-7 in the third. Junior Josh Uhland rushed 20 times for 75 yards and two scores. Logan-Palco recorded 13 tackles for loss, including 11 stops apiece from seniors Micah Thompson and Ian Sparks. Thompson recorded six tackles for loss, junior Dylan Van Laeys with three and four players, including Sparks, with one.
Oswego trailed St. Paul, 8-0, after the first quarter, but scored 16 points in the second, 32 in the third and six in the fourth for a 54-8 win. The Indians moved to 2-0. Sophomore Jake Hutchinson rushed 17 times for 183 yards and a touchdown. Junior Jace Landes recorded six carries for 84 yards and three TDs.
Caldwell led South Haven, 22-20, before the Bluejays pulled away for a 64-28 victory. Keiondre Smith rushed for 256 yards and six touchdowns. South Haven led early at 6-0 and 12-8. The game finished seven turnovers, and Caldwell was plus-one in turnover margin. Caldwell outgained South Haven, 475-285. Jude Stow rushed 12 times for 137 yards and two scores.
Colony-Crest moved to 2-0 with a 64-6 victory versus Marmaton Valley. Seven players combined for 10 carries for 221 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Jacquez Coleman completed seven of seven passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
6-Man
Natoma improved to 1-0 with a 32-0 win against Northern Valley. This marked NV’s first year of six-man football. Natoma had its season opener cancelled against Western Plains. Kaden Martinez rushed for 82 yards and three touchdowns.
KCAA / Other
Cair Paravel won at Wichita Homeschool, 58-26, behind a big night from Carter Brian. Brian passed for 425 yards and nine touchdowns in the victory. Maxwell Robinson and Noah Hastert each caught three touchdowns from Brian, while Ethan Kuder had a team-high 120 receiving yards and a score.
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