Late in the summer it didn’t seem like it was feasible that we would be at this point, but here we are with only one week remaining in the regular season. Let’s take a look at the top five rankings this week as we have movement in each of the 11-man classifications.
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
Top-ranked Lawrence stopped a two-point conversion attempt by Olathe North with :32 seconds left to preserve a 21-20 win. Chesty Lion linebacker Cole Mondi stopped Olathe North’s Noah Palmer at the 1-yard line to keep the one-point lead. Olathe North actually moved up a spot to No. 2 this week despite the loss.
Derby falls one spot to No. 3 this week after a 36-35 loss to Class 5A No. 3 Maize. The Panthers led by 35-26 in the fourth quarter before Maize added a field goal and a touchdown to win the game.
Fourth-ranked Junction City rolled to a 62-15 win over Emporia. Senior quarterback Andrew Khoury passed for nearly 370 yards and three touchdowns, while Marcello Bussey had 232 receiving yards and two scores.
Shawnee Mission Northwest remains at No. 5 this week after a 38-35 win over Gardner-Edgerton. Quarterback Ty Black’s 11-yard touchdown scramble in the fourth quarter provided the winning points. The Cougars will travel to 4A-power Bishop Miege this week.
Class 5A
Wichita Northwest narrowly remains in the top spot this week just ahead of defending-champion Mill Valley. Northwest passed their most difficult test of the season with a 17-2 victory over previously-unbeaten Wichita East.
Second-ranked Mill Valley handed Olathe East its first loss, 34-10, on Friday. The Jaguars got another big night from senior Jacob Hartman. Hartman filled in as the feature back for the second consecutive week and rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 127 receiving yards and another score.
Maize moves up one spot to No. 3 this week after their 36-35 win over Derby. The Eagles rallied from down 35-26 in the fourth quarter by getting a Cole Segraves field goal and a touchdown run by quarterback Avery Johnson. Maize has another big test this week when they travel to Gowans Stadium to take on Hutchinson.
Bishop Carroll climbs a spot to No. 4 this week. The Golden Eagles outscored 4A-power Bishop Miege, 56-35, behind a big night rushing the football. The Eagles rushed for 350 yards led by Hunter Trail’s 191 yards and Aiden Niedens’ 121 yards. Trail scored three touchdowns and Niedens scored twice.
St. Thomas Aquinas drops two spots to No. 5 this week after a 49-6 loss at Omaha-Westside. Westside is the top-ranked team in Nebraska Class A.
Class 4A
For the first time since the end of the 2013 season, Bishop Miege is not atop the Class 4A rankings. The Stags fell out of the top spot this week after a 56-35 loss to Bishop Carroll, dropping their record to 2-3 overall. Miege’s losses have come really good competition in St. Thomas Aquinas, Rockhurst (Mo.), and Bishop Carroll. The Stags are still considered the favorite in the classification until someone is able to knock them off, but our voters moved them out of the top spot this week.
Paola assumes the top spot after withstanding a strong effort from Eudora, 31-26. The Panthers have a big challenge this week in their annual rivalry game against Louisburg.
Tonganoxie is also up a spot to No. 2 this week after the Chieftains shut out Shawnee Mission East, 35-0. Senior running back Tyler Bowden rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown to push his season total to 1,725 yards and 24 scores. Blake Poje passed for nearly 200 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.
McPherson holds on to the No. 4 spot after a 52-0 shut out of Mulvane. The Bullpups will be heavily favored again this week against Augusta.
Finally, Andover Central enters the poll at No. 5 after beating rival Andover, 7-0. The Jaguar defense made a first-quarter touchdown stand up with an impressive performance on Friday.
Lansing drops out of the poll after a 33-26 loss to Basehor-Linwood.
Class 3A
Andale remains atop of the Class 3A poll after a 40-21 win over district challenger Clearwater. The Indians got a huge game from Noah Meyer who rushed for 196 yards and four scores as the Indians played without backs Eli Rowland and Gabe Ungles. Andale has another big district test this week at undefeated Wichita Collegiate.
The ranked showdown between Perry-Lecompton and Topeka Hayden lived up to its billing. Hayden defeated Perry-Lecompton, 10-0, scoring all 10 points in the final 1:28 of the game. Skyler Specht connected on a 24-yard field goal to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead, then Hayden recovered the ensuing squib kick after hit deflected off of a Perry-Lecompton player. Attempting to run out the clock, Hayden faced fourth-&-2 when Desmond Purnell broke a 33-yard touchdown run in the final 20 seconds. Hayden moves up to No. 2 this week, while Perry-Lecompton falls one spot to No. 3.
Fourth-ranked Southeast of Saline returned to action after a week off with a 53-8 thrashing of Smoky Valley. The Trojans will now host Scott City in the District 6 championship game this week.
Cheney remains ranked fifth this week after cruising to a 42-6 win over Nickerson. The Cardinals will close out the regular season with a home game against Larned.
Class 2A
Top-ranked Rossville outscored Silver Lake in the “War on 24” 50-35 behind a big second half. The Bulldawgs led 26-21 at halftime and opened with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter after a Silver Lake miscue. Silver Lake drops a spot to No. 3 with the loss.
Hoisington moves to No. 2 this week with Silver Lake’s loss and the Cardinals’ 33-6 road-win at Norton. The Cardinals will try and complete another unbeaten regular season with a win over Beloit this week.
Hutchinson Trinity fell 20-18 to Haven on Friday opening the door for Maur Hill-Mount Academy to move up a spot to No. 4. The Ravens were initially thought to be quarantined this week, but announced mid-week that they were cleared to play. Maur Hill-Mount Academy then went out and beat St. Marys, 37-14.
Finally, Garden Plain moves into the No. 5 spot in the poll this week after a 55-24 win over Belle Plaine. The Owls have wrapped up the District 6 championship and are scheduled to take on winless Leon-Bluestem this week.
Class 1A
Olpe remains ranked No. 1 after a 61-0 shutout of Northern Heights. It was the Eagles’ fourth shutout of the season and their third consecutive. Olpe is scheduled to close out the regular season with a trip to winless Northeast-Arma.
Second-ranked Centralia used a dominant second half in pulling away from then No. 5 Lyndon. The Panthers outscored the Tigers 26-0 after halftime to win their fifth consecutive game. Centralia will host Wabaunsee next week.
Third-ranked Smith Center defeated Ell-Saline 46-13 to set up next week’s district championship showdown with Inman (6-1). The Teutons have won six straight game since a season-opening loss to Hutchinson Trinity. Inman sits just outside the top five in Class 1A.
Conway Springs scored 30 points in the first quarter and 21 more in the second of Friday’s 57-0 blanking of Stanton County. Jonathan Wright, Heath Hilger and Cole Schulte each rushed for two touchdowns as the Cardinals racked up nearly 360 yards on the ground. Conway Springs has a big test this week at No. 5 Sedgwick to decide the District 4 title. The Cardinals move into the poll this week after cruising to a 52-21 win at Elkhart on Friday.
Class 8M-I
While there were changes in each of the top five in the 11-man classes this week, both 8-man polls remain the same as last week.
Top-ranked Canton-Galva rolled to a 66-0 victory over Solomon. The Eagles will close out the regular season with a trip to Lincoln (5-2).
Leoti-Wichita County rolled to another big victory – defeating Spearville, 52-12. The Indians have a showdown with unbeaten South Gray this week to determine the District 7 championship.
Third-ranked Madison cruised to a 54-0 win over Flinthills on Friday. The Bulldogs can wrap up the District 2 title with a win over Central Burden this week.
For the second consecutive week, Clifton-Clyde picked up a difficult opponent late in the week. This time, the Eagles pulled away from previously unbeaten Argonia-Attica for a 64-16 victory. Clifton-Clyde is scheduled to close out the regular season this week by hosting winless Maranatha Academy.
Finally, Little River remains in the No. 5 spot after posting a 54-6 win over Herington. The Redskins will travel to Solomon this week with a chance to wrap up the runner-up spot in District 4.
Class 8M-II
The top five in Eight-Man, Division II also remains the same this week.
Top-ranked Saint Francis claimed the District 8 championship with a 62-16 victory over Wheatland-Grinnell. The Indians are seeking an opponent this week after Sharon Springs-Wallace County had to cancel due to COVID concerns.
Second-ranked Hanover did not play last week. The Wildcats are scheduled to take on Wetmore to close out their district schedule. Hanover has only played two district games thus far.
Third-ranked Victoria secured the District 5 title with a 58-0 victory over Tescott. The Knights will take on Otis-Bison this week, but Victoria already has a head-to-head victory over Central Plains who currently sits in second place in the district standings.
Fourth-ranked Lebo’s scheduled opponent Rural Vista forfeited this week, but the Wolves aggressively sought out a replacement opponent to avoid being idle for two consecutive weeks. Lebo traveled to Sylvan to take on Thunder Ridge and came away with a 70-40 victory on Friday. Lebo’s Kyle Reese rushed for 215 yards and four touchdowns and added 125 receiving yards and three more scores in the win.
Finally, Frankfort also did not play as the Wildcats remain in quarantine. Frankfort’s Week 8 has been “open” for sometime since it was initially supposed to be a district game against Linn, but the Bulldogs did not field a team this fall.
6-Man Football
We’ve reached the playoffs in 6-Man football. The 6-Man bracket will begin this Tuesday with first-round games including top-ranked Cheylin hosting the fourth-place team from the South Division, Burrton. Cheylin completed a 6-0 regular season with a 46-0 win over Northern Valley on Thursday. Senior Colton McCarty has scored 105 rushing touchdowns in his career and passed for another 68 scores. McCarty has rushed for 6,054 career yards.
Second-ranked Ashland played for the first time in three weeks and rolled past Fowler, 74-37. The Blue Jays will open the playoff bracket as the No. 2 seed from the South Division and will take on Golden Plains.
Third-ranked Moscow will look to repeat as 6-Man champions and have to get by Natoma to advance. Moscow defeated Deerfield, 68-0, on Friday, but the Wildcats finished as the No. 3 seed in the South Division behind Cunningham and Ashland. Moscow’s game with Cunningham was cancelled and the Wildcats lost to Ashland, 41-32, back in Week 4 while playing without one of their key players.
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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