Class 6A
6A East
#6 Blue Valley North (6-2) at #1 Olathe North (8-1) – Olathe North
Blue Valley North will take on Olathe North at the Olathe District Activity Center in a matchup that not many thought would happen.
In August, due to the threat of the coronavirus, nearly all of the high schools in the Kansas City area questioned playing and cancelled the first couple of weeks. The Olathe, Shawnee Mission, and Blue Valley school districts cancelled the first week of the season. Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission would cancel their second week, with Blue Valley opting to play a bubble schedule with schools from within the district. The Kansas City, Kansas school district cancelled their fall seasons altogether.
Then came the fallout – the transfers. A multitude of players left several programs in the metro with several moving out of state in order to have the chance to play their senior season, and hopefully still have the chance to be recruited to play college football. Arland Bruce IV was the biggest name to leave – having won the 2019 Simone Award as the top player in the Kansas City Metro. The Olathe North running back transferred to Iowa to play for the Ankeny Hawks. The Iowa commit fought to get on the field due to eligibility concerns, but has made an impact for the 10-1 Hawks, who will play Southeast Polk in the Iowa Class 4A state championship this week. Last year, Bruce ran for 2,479 yards and 43 touchdowns for Olathe North, who finished as the 6A runner-up behind Derby.
Even without Bruce, Olathe North has put up very comparable numbers to last year. A trio of juniors lead the Eagles in rushing, with Noah Palmer leading the way with 932 yards. Aquantez Love and Jacob Parrish also provide an impact with 769 and 688 yards, respectively. The Eagles also have gone to the air a bit more this season, with Palmer throwing for 555 yards on 27/45 passing with nine touchdowns. Jacob Parrish has caught 19 of those passes for 398 yards and five touchdowns. The passing game opened up in a close loss to Lawrence, and the week before against Shawnee Mission East, with the Eagles combining for 276 passing yards in the two contests.
The defensive unit has been impressive for Olathe North. The Eagles have forced 20 turnovers, blocked three punts, and, last week, added a blocked field goal against Blue Valley. Junior Jackson Davis leads the team with 50 tackles, with Senior Abram Phillips and Parrish both contributing 49 stops. The Eagles have seven players who average over four tackles a game, and have 27 tackles for loss. Sophomore Devan Lowe leads the Eagles with five sacks this season, and Olathe North sits just a hair shy of averaging two sacks a game.
Blue Valley North played a bubble schedule against their fellow Blue Valley Schools, going 3-2 against their inter-district teams. The Mustangs fell to Blue Valley 28-21, and gave Blue Valley West their only win of the season in a close 31-28 contest. Overall, the Mustangs have controlled most of their contests, with an average margin of 10 points in their regular season contests. The Mustangs have broken out in the postseason, however, winning their playoff games on an average margin of 23 points. Last week versus Shawnee Mission Northwest, the Mustangs scored 30 unanswered to end the Cougars’ season. Henry Martin connected with Mekhi Miller twice, Cole Stratton, and Lucas Bullock for touchdowns. Martin has had an exceptional junior season having completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,227 yards and 25 touchdowns with only one interception.
Regardless of who wins tonight at the ODAC, this game will be impressive. Many would not believe in August that Olathe North would be one game away from going to the state championship after losing Arland Bruce IV. Many would also be surprised if you told them in August that either school would be playing a fall schedule. This contest will be a close one, but Olathe North may have the defensive unit to slow down Martin and the Mustang offense.
6A – WEST
#4 Derby (7-2) at #2 Junction City (9-1) – Derby
Derby is 4-1 in the last five Class 6A state championship games, including back-to-back titles. Last week, Derby won at Lawrence, 40-20, for its fourth straight victory. Lawrence was ranked No. 1 in 6A.
The Panthers have averaged 49.5 points per game in the winning streak. Derby defeated Bishop Carroll, 35-21, in Week 3. Junction City fell, 29-28, to Carroll in the season opener. Junction City went for the game-winning two-point conversion inside the final two minutes and couldn’t convert. Since then, Junction City has won nine in a row. Junction City has remained fourth in 6A.
For the season, Junction City has an average score of 47-24, and Derby is at 41-23. Junction City has its high-flying offense with quarterback Andrew Khoury. He is the state’s leading passer with 2,918 yards. DJ Giddens rushed for 1,039 yards. Marcello Bussey and Russell Wilkey are first and third respectively in Kansas in receiving yards with 1,372 and 1,099. Wilkey has also rushed for 449 yards. Wilkey and Bussey have combined for 28 touchdowns.
Derby has gotten healthy in the secondary with Tanner Knox and Amare Ramirez. Overall, Lem Wash, a Tennessee Tech commit, has completed 70 percent of his passes for 954 yards with 13 touchdowns against five interceptions. Sophomore Dylan Edwards has 153 carries for 1,411 yards with 21 scores. Wash has 917 rushing yards and 13 TDs. Reid Liston, who has signed with Neosho CC baseball, has 30 catches for 419 yards.
This is the first matchup between the teams since the ’15 state quarterfinals. Derby won that contest, 46-27. Previously, Junction City defeated Derby, 22-3, in the ’08 semifinals. Junction City won the 6A championship that year. This is Junction City’s first trip to the semifinals since ’08. Derby also lost, 39-14, to Junction City in ’07. Prior to then, Derby defeated the Blue Jays, 25-14, in the ’75 playoffs.
Derby has played very well up front with Alex Key, arguably the state’s best lineman, and Jonas Vickers. The Panthers are known for their linebacking corps with Jack Hileman, Coleson Syring and Luke Stewart.
Junction City has a fantastic offense, but has won four games by seven points or fewer. A highlighted matchup will be Junction City’s offense versus Derby’s pass defense, though possibly an even bigger one to watch is Derby’s run game versus Junction City’s front.
Class 5A
5A – East
#4 St. Thomas Aquinas (6-3) at #3 Mill Valley (7-2) – Mill Valley
The St. Thomas Aquinas Saints and the Mill Valley Jaguars are set to meet in the Class 5A semifinals for the second consecutive year and the fifth time in the past six seasons. A year ago, Mill Valley earned a 34-31 overtime victory over Aquinas and went on to beat Wichita Northwest for the state championship a week later.
Aquinas finished the regular season with three consecutive losses to Lawrence, Omaha-Westside (Neb.) and Bishop Carroll but has fared well in the playoffs. After receiving a bye in the opening round, the Saints defeated Pittsburg 48-13 before earning a 32-7 win over Blue Valley Southwest last week.
In the win over Southwest, Aquinas ran for 476 yards. Tank Young led the attack with 220 yards and three touchdowns, while Sean Carroll added 188 yards and a touchdown. Aquinas led 19-7 at halftime and then shut out the Timberwolves in the second half. Caden Reeves and Sa’o Siavi’i registered three sacks each.
The Saints didn’t complete a pass in the game, but they didn’t need it. The win gave the Saints their seventh consecutive appearance in the semifinals.
On the season, Aquinas has rushed for 265.9 yards per game while throwing for 49.3 yards per outing.
Sophomore quarterback Maxxwell Ford has completed 20 of 58 passes for 426 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Young, meanwhile, has been the focal point of the offense with 1,323 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 193 carries. Carroll has been a good second option with 681 yards and seven TDs on 122 attempts.
Reeves, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior defensive lineman, has posted 45 tackles with 5.5 sacks. Senior defensive end Cameron Penny leads Aquinas with 7.5 sacks.
Mill Valley enters the semifinals on a five-game winning streak. The Jaguars wrapped up the regular season with lopsided wins over Lawrence Free State, Olathe West and Olathe East before receiving a bye to open the playoffs. Mill Valley then continued its dominance with a 51-0 playoff win over Spring Hill.
Last week, the Jaguars edged De Soto 16-13 to return to the semifinals for the second consecutive season and the fifth time in six years. Mill Valley overcame five turnovers in the win over De Soto.
Unlike Aquinas, Mill Valley has been pretty balanced offensively with about 170 yards passing and about 190 yards rushing on average.
Senior quarterback Cooper Marsh has directed the offense, throwing for more than 200 yards in the win over Spring Hill. Senior Quin Wittenauer has rushed for 1,012 yards and 13 touchdowns in only seven games, eclipsing the 100-yard mark each time. Senior Jacob Hartman has also been a key weapon for the Jaguars, rushing for 491 yards and five touchdowns while catching 37 passes for 698 yards and eight TDs.
The Jaguars and Saints will be meeting in the 5A semifinals for the fifth time since 2015. Mill Valley won in 2015, 2016, and 2019, while Aquinas won the 2017 matchup. The past two state titles have been won by Mill Valley (2019) and Aquinas (2018).
Last year, Mill Valley rallied from down two touchdowns to force overtime. In overtime, the Jaguars held Aquinas to a field goal before Tyler Green scored the game-winning touchdown to earn a 34-31 victory.
The Saints’ Tank Young ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, while catching a 42-yard TD pass in the loss. Mill Valley’s Marsh ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns while passing for 178 yards.
5A – West
#7 Bishop Carroll (8-2) at #1 Wichita Northwest (9-0) – Wichita Northwest
This will be the first matchup between Bishop Carroll and Wichita Northwest this season, but the Eagles and the Grizzlies are certainly familiar with each other.
Wichita Northwest has defeated Carroll twice in each of the past two seasons, including a 35-18 win in last year’s 5A quarterfinals. The Eagles’ last win over the Grizzlies was a 40-35 victory in the 2017 season opener.
Bishop Carroll’s only losses this season have come to two of the state’s best 6A teams in Derby and Lawrence. The Eagles enter the semifinals on a five-game winning streak that included key victories over Bishop Miege, Aquinas, Hutchinson, and Maize.
Carroll quarterback Aiden Niedens threw three TD passes and rushed for two more in last week’s 49-35 quarterfinal win over Maize. Niedens completed 17 of 21 passes for 241 yards, while rushing for 165 yards on 18 carries. Hunter Trail led the Eagles on the ground with 175 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. Oscar Gallardo caught five passes for 92 yards and three touchdowns.
Wichita Northwest has marched through the season undefeated, scoring at least 53 points in seven of nine games. The Grizzlies opened the playoffs wins of 68-12 and 69-0 over Salina Central and Wichita Heights, respectively.
Last week, Northwest held off Kapaun Mt. Carmel 26-14. The Grizzlies’ scoring came from a 96-yard kick return from Geremiah Moore, TD runs from Jaden Wheeler and LJ Phillips and two field goals from Carson Arndt. Northwest’s offensive attack was led by senior Julius Bolden, who ran for 189 yards and 27 carries.
On the season, senior quarterback Mason Ross has completed 49 of 84 passes for 868 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Bolden has rushed for more than 10 yards per carry with 1,183 yards and 19 touchdowns on 116 attempts. Phillips has added 506 yards and 11 TDs on 65 carries.
The Grizzlies have been the 5A runner-up in each of the past two seasons. Carroll is trying to get back to the title game for the first time since winning it in 2017.
Class 4A
4A East
#10 Bishop Miege (5-4) at #9 St. James Academy (6-4) – Bishop Miege
Three of the four teams left in Class 4A entered the playoffs with losing records. However, their poor regular-season records mean little now as the 10th-seeded Bishop Miege Stags face the ninth-seeded St. James Academy Thunder for a spot in the state championship.
The Stags entered the playoffs with a 2-4 record but now they’re only two wins away from their seventh straight state title.
Bishop Miege opened the playoffs with a pair of easy victories over Southeast Kansas League foes Chanute (64-17) and Fort Scott (63-12).
Last week, the Stags led only 14-7 at halftime but shut out Tonganoxie in the second half en route to a 30-7 victory. Miege quarterback Timothy Dorsey passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another TD. Dorsey’s touchdown passes went to Mack Moeller and Rohan Putz for 3 and 34 yards, respectively.
To illustrate Bishop Miege’s dominance in recent history, the Stags’ 23-point win over Tonganoxie was their slimmest margin of victory in a playoff games over six seasons.
St. James entered the playoffs with a 3-4 record but topped Louisburg 41-19 before knocking off top-ranked Paola 45-35 in the second round.
Last week, the Thunder outgunned Basehor-Linwood 56-35. The Bobcats took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but St. James fought back to take a 21-7 halftime lead. Then, the Thunder outscored the Basehor-Linwood 35-28 in the second half.
St. James quarterback Dakota Burritt completed 13 of 26 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 125 yards and another touchdown. Running back La’james White rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Junior Tyler Caliborne caught five passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore defensive end Wade Spencer recorded two sacks.
This will be the second meeting between Bishop Miege and St. James this season. The Stags won the first meeting 38-28 on Oct. 2.
A year ago, St. James Academy fell 34-7 in the second round of the 5A playoffs to St. Thomas Aquinas.
4A East
#10 Ark City (5-6) at #1 McPherson (10-1) – McPherson
Like Bishop Miege and St. James Academy, the Arkansas City Bulldogs finished the regular season with a losing record.
The Bulldogs were only 2-6 before earning wins of 27-6 and 33-28 over Wellington and Andover Central.
Last week, Ark City edged Wamego 21-20 in the quarterfinals. With 15 seconds left, Wamego cut Ark City’s lead to one point. The Red Raiders opted to go for the win with a two-point conversion attempt, but the Bulldogs stopped Wamego short of the goal line.
The Ark City offense has been led by sophomore quarterback Gabe Welch, who has passed for more than 2,000 yards.
The Bulldogs will be attempting to make their first state title game since 1986.
Unlike the other three 4A semifinal teams, McPherson enjoyed a successful regular season that ended with a 7-1 record.
The Bullpups handily won their first two playoff games, beating Abilene 78-14 and Augusta 52-20.
Last week, McPherson held off Buhler 28-21. The Bullpups and Crusaders were tied at 14 at halftime. McPherson junior Sky Schriner scored the decisive touchdown with a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter.
McPherson quarterback Dylan Rinker passed for 257 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. On the season, Rinker has passed for 2,425 yards with 27 touchdowns and six interceptions.
The win earned McPherson its fourth straight appearance in the state semifinals. McPherson has never advanced to a state title game.
Andover Central nipped McPherson 7-0 in the 2019 semifinals.
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