In our Picks to Click, we feature several players or units from across the state that we feel will have breakout performances on Friday night.
This season, we’ve assembled a team of media members across the state to each select one player (or unit) each week. We will track the cumulative statistics of our selections throughout the season similar to fantasy scoring.
Picks to Click contributors for the 2020 season include: Sean Boston (Southwind Broadcasting); Dion Clisso (PrepsKC.com); Matt Gilmore (Kpreps.com); Alex Hammeke (Kpreps.com), Chet Kuplen (Sports in Kansas); Brent Maycock (Topeka Capital Journal); Conor Nicholl (Kpreps.com); and Mark Schremmer (Kansas Chronicles & Kpreps.com).
Check back next Thursday to see our picks for Week 8, and how the players performed that we picked the week prior. See the bottom of this article for details.
Ty Black, QB, Shawnee Mission Northwest (Kuplen)
Shawnee Mission Northwest senior quarterback Ty Black is in the midst of a big senior season. The Air Force commit has completed 99 of his 117 passes (84.6%) for 1,132 yards and 12 touchdowns in just four games. Last season, Black completed nearly 66 percent of his passes for 2,655 yards and 24 touchdowns. He’s also a threat to run with 700 yards and 15 scores a season ago. Through four games this year, Black has rushed for a team-high 250 yards and four touchdowns. Shawnee Mission Northwest will need a big game from its senior quarterback as they take host Gardner-Edgerton (3-1).
Isaac Detweiler, QB, Axtell (Maycock)
A standout receiver for Axtell last year as a freshman and a big part of the Eagles' Eight-Man Division II state runner-up team, Detweiler moved to quarterback this season replacing All-Stater Quinn Buessing. Detweiler, who filled in that role two games last year when Buessing got hurt and led Axtell to an upset of Hanover, has made the transition a seamless one. The sophomore has completed 84 of 126 passes for 1,175 yards with 24 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He's also rushed for five scores. Detweiler is coming off a huge performance against Cair Paravel where he threw for 352 yards and six touchdowns and ran for three scores. He'll face a Wetmore team this week that put up 68 points last week. If a shootout develops, Detweiler could put up huge numbers.
Hoxie Offensive Line (Nicholl)
Hoxie is the Eight-Man, Division I, District 8 leader at 4-1, 2-0. The Indians have won four in a row since a season-opening 54-20 loss at Leoti-Wichita County, ranked second in Division I. Hoxie has allowed just 20 points and tallied 36 points a contest in the winning streak. The Indians have played Wichita County closer than any squad.
This week, Hoxie is at Stockton, which is 0-6 and has had a midseason coaching change. Hoxie is very balanced with an offense that averages 185 passing yards and 130 rushing yards a contest. Four players have a rushing TD and six players have a receiving score. Hoxie is high on the list for the second-best Division I West team behind Wichita County.
The Indians’ offensive balance comes from its offensive line, which includes senior end Caden White, along with juniors Donovan Balluch, Kaden Carter and Kaden Sekavac. Senior 6-foot-11, 305-pound lineman Harlan Obioha has earned Division I offers in football and basketball. Hoxie went 4-5 last year, its first losing record since ’09. A win Friday ensures the Indians of another winning season.
Cooper Marsh, QB, Mill Valley (Gilmore)
Marsh returned from an injury last week and led the Jaguars to a 69-14 throttling of Olathe West. The senior quarterback has completed 69 percent of his passes this season for 675 yards and eight touchdowns in just four games. Marsh suffered broken ribs on the final play of Mill Valley’s Week 3 loss 35-28 loss to Bentonville (Ark.). He did not play the following week when Mill Valley fell 28-26 to Gardner-Edgerton or in the 52-0 shutout of Lawrence Free State in Week 5. In the win over Olathe West, Marsh passed for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Usually a threat to run when healthy, Marsh has rushed for nearly 250 yards and six scores this season. Last season, Marsh led the Jaguars to the 5A state title and earned Kpreps All-State honors after passing for more than 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and adding 925 rushing yards and ten scores. Mill Valley gets another challenge this week when they host unbeaten Olathe East.
Bentley Montgomery, LB, Smith Center (Hammeke)
Bentley Montgomery leads the third-ranked Smith Center Redmen in tackles and interceptions. Only a sophomore, Montgomery has 55 tackles on the season, with three for loss. He also has intercepted passes against Phillipsburg and Ellinwood. Smith Center takes on an Ell-Saline team that has fallen on hard times during a current four-game losing streak. During that time, Ell-Saline has only scored 27 combined points and was shut out against Plainville.
Kyler Semrad, QB, Goddard (Schremmer)
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior has thrown for nearly 300 yards per game to help the Lions to a 5-1 record. So far this season, Semrad has passed for 1,787 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. During last week’s win over Newton, he threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns. Goddard will host Salina Central (1-5) this week.
Aaron Skidmore, QB, South Gray (Boston)
Skidmore has led the surprising South Gray to a 6-0 start and helped the Rebels clinch a playoff spot with last week’s 48-12 win over Spearville. In the Spearville game, Skidmore rushed for 180 yards and four touchdowns to push his season total to 1,060 yards and 24 scores on just 99 carries. Skidmore has added 268 passing yards and eight more touchdowns without an interception. South Gray will travel to Hodgeman County this week before closing out the regular season against second-ranked Leoti-Wichita County.
Tonganoxie Offensive Line (Clisso)
While everyone sees the potential record-setting pace that Tonganoxie senior running back Tyler Bowden is on, often what gets overlooked is the work of the guys upfront clearing holes for him. Bowden has rushed for 1,575 yards and 23 touchdowns in the Chieftains six games. The Tonganoxie offense as a unit averages nearly 450 yards per game. This is a unit that may not have had as high of expectations after the graduation of all-stater Cole Sample, but they have performed exceptionally. Tonganoxie gets another test this week when they host Class 6A’s Shawnee Mission East Lancers in a game scheduled recently as both schools searched for replacement opponents.
Week 6 Picks to Click results (scoring):
Brayden Beerbower, RB, Eudora – Beerbower rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries in the Cardinals’ 29-3 win over Ottawa. (Clisso – 9 pts)
Lance Hoffsommer, QB, Sedgwick – Hoffsommer passed for 290 yards and four touchdowns and added 127 yards and two scores in the Cardinals’ 42-21 win over Whitewater-Remington. (Kuplen – 77 pts)
Charlie Killingsworth, QB, Rock Creek – In the Mustangs' 60-12 rout of Jefferson West, Killingsworth threw for 358 yards and five touchdowns and added another 46 yards and a touchdown rushing. (Maycock – 75 pts)
Mack Moeller, WR, Bishop Miege – Moeller had five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown in the Stags’ 41-14 win at Wamego. (Hammeke – 15 pts)
Xander Newberry, QB, Argonia-Attica – Newberry rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown and passed for 115 more yards and two scores as the Titans remained unbeaten with a 26-6 win at Moundridge. (Gilmore – 42 pts)
Dillan Smith, QB, Larned – Smith passed for 115 yards and two touchdowns in Larned’s 56-6 win over Leon-Bluestem. (Boston – 23 pts)
Cooper Weinhold, RB, Wilson – The senior rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns while catching two passes for 63 yards and a touchdown during Wilson’s 50-34 loss to Victoria. Weinhold has already rushed for 1,053 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. (Schremmer – 40 pts)
Sheldon Whalen, WR, Leoti-Wichita Co. – Whalen had five catches for 61 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Indians’ 60-14 win over Meade. (Nicholl – 18 pts)
Standings for the 2020 season through Week 6:
- Brent Maycock, Topeka Capital Journal 327 points
- Matt Gilmore, Kpreps.com 270 points
- Mark Schremmer, Kpreps & Kansas Chronicles 244 points
- Chet Kuplen, Sports in Kansas 206 points
- Alex Hammeke, Kpreps contributor 172 points
- Sean Boston, KSKZ Radio 160 points
- Dion Clisso, PrepsKC.com 152 points
- Conor Nicholl, Kpreps.com 131 points
2020 Picks to Click
- The objective will be to have the most cumulative points over the course of the season.
- Participants may select a quarterback, running back, WR/TE, offensive line or a defensive player each week.
- Everyone must pick a WR/TE, offensive line and defensive player at least once.
- Points will be rewarded only for the player's offensive or defensive stats, depending on how you designate the player that week. For instance, if you pick a running back then you will not receive any of his points for defense.
Scoring system
QBs/RBs/WRs/TEs
- 1 point for every 10 yards passing, rushing or receiving from a quarterback, running back or wide receiver
- 6 points for every passing, rushing or receiving touchdown
Offensive line
- 1 point for every 50 yards gained as an offense
- 3 points for every offensive touchdown
Defensive player
- 2 points for every tackle
- 4 points for every INT, sack or fumble recovery
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