Kpreps takes you Around the Brackets to recap the sub-state semifinal round playoff action from Friday night.
Class 6A
6A – EAST
6-Blue Valley North 30, 1-Olathe North 20 – Blue Valley North advanced to the 6A title game for the third time in school history with a 30-20 win over Olathe North. Junior quarterback Henry Martin passed for 286 yards and threw touchdown passes for four different receivers on the night. Olathe North jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Noah Palmer to Jacob Parrish and a Palmer touchdown run. Blue Valley North pulled within 14-10 at halftime after a Spencer Sprenger field goal and a Martin touchdown pass to Cole Stratton. The Mustangs eventually took the lead as Martin hit Lucas Bullock mid-way in the third quarter to go up 17-14. That lead remained until the fourth when Martin hit Mekhi Miller for a touchdown. Olathe North then scored on a Parrish 1-yard run with 1:15 left to pull within 24-20. Shortly after Martin hit Drew Freberg wide open on a 52-yard touchdown to complete the 30-20 victory.
6A – WEST
4-Derby 62, 2-Junction City 27 – Derby advanced to the state title game for a sixth consecutive season and for the seventh time in the last eight years. The Panthers led 27-13 at halftime and opened up a 34-14 lead in the third quarter on Dylan Edwards’ third rushing touchdown of the game. Junction City stayed within reach as Andrew Khoury tossed a touchdown pass to Marcello Bussey to pull the Blue Jays within 34-21. Derby answered as Lem Wash broke an 18-yard run for a 41-21 lead. D.J. Giddons responded right back with a long touchdown run to pull Junction City within 41-27. Derby then pulled away with consecutive touchdown runs by Wash and another Edwards score. Edwards and Wash each rushed for four touchdowns a piece and Wash threw a touchdown pass. Khoury finished is brilliant career with a pair of touchdown passes for Junction City.
Class 5A
5A – East
3-Mill Valley 42, 4-St. Thomas Aquinas 7 – Mill Valley punched its ticket to the 5A state championship game for the fourth time in six seasons with a dominating 42-7 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. Mill Valley’s defense shut down the Aquinas offense allowing only 85 yards of total offense and five first downs. Aquinas scored in the final :30 seconds of the game. Meanwhile, Cooper Marsh directed the Jaguar offense to a 21-0 halftime leads by throwing three touchdown passes. Marsh tossed two scores to Jared Napoli and one to Kendrick Jones. Napoli had five receptions for 103 yards. Marsh also added a pair of rushing scores in the second half and Quin Wittenauer added a touchdown to go along with his 150-yard rushing night. Mill Valley held Tank Young to 15 yards rushing on seven carries.
5A – West
1-Wichita Northwest 41, 7-Bishop Carroll 21 – The City League rivals have met up twice a fall the last two years, though this marked the only matchup of 2020 after coronavirus cancelled the normal league contest. Top-ranked Wichita Northwest reached its third straight 5A state championship game after it lost versus St. Thomas Aquinas and Mill Valley the previous two falls. Bishop Carroll led its rival, 14-0, before Northwest scored 21 consecutive points to take the lead. Carroll tied the game at 21 at halftime. Then, Geremiah Moore had a key 54-yard touchdown run for a 28-21 advantage in the third quarter. Julius Bolden, who cleared 1,000 rushing yards, had three long touchdown runs. That included the game’s final score with just under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. Hunter Trail rushed for the first two touchdowns for Bishop Carroll. The Golden Eagles finished 8-3, and Northwest improved to 10-0.
Class 4A
4A East
9-St. James Academy 36, 10-Bishop Miege 35 (OT) – La’James White scored on a 5-yard touchdown run in overtime and Josh Kirby added the PAT as St. James Academy ended Bishop Miege’s six-year reign atop Class 4A with a 36-35 victory. Miege led 22-14 at halftime, but St. James scored on the second passing touchdown of the night from Dakota Burritt to Tyler Claiborne to tie the game at 22. Miege regained a 29-22 lead on a Timothy Dorsey touchdown run in the fourth quarter. White then tied it at 29 with a short touchdown run. Miege reached the Thunder 8-yard line, but missed a 25-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.
Miege got the ball first in overtime and the Stags scored on a Jaylen Burch touchdown run, but White blocked the PAT leaving the Stags up 35-29. White then scored his third touchdown of the game and Kirby’s PAT sent the St. James sidelines into celebration. The Thunder advanced to the first state football championship game in school history.
White rushed for 43 yards and three scores. Burritt passed for 254 yards and connected with Claiborne eight times for 148 yards and two scores. Dorsey passed for 219 yards and two touchdowns for Miege, including ten connections to Mack Moeller for 138 yards and a score. Burch led the Stags with 193 rushing yards.
4A West
10-Arkansas City 28, 1-McPherson 27 – Ark City scored twice in the third quarter to rally from a 27-14 deficit and take down top-seeded McPherson, 28-27. Sophomore Wyatt Bahm scored twice in the third quarter with his 56-yard touchdown run and Cadon Clark’s ensuing PAT giving the Bulldogs a 28-27 lead. McPherson threatened twice in the final two minutes, but both drives ended in interceptions. Ark City intercepted McPherson quarterback Dylan Rinker at the 5-yard line with less then three seconds left to seal the game. Bahm rushed for 134 yards on 20 carries – he had 247 rushing yards on the season coming in to Friday’s game. Sophomore quarterback Gabe Welch passed for 97 yards and rushed for a pair of touchdowns. McPherson was led by sophomore running back Jaytin Gumm who rushed for 146 yards and two scores. McPherson has now fallen in the sub-state semifinals in each of the last four seasons. The Bullpups have lost those semifinal games by margins of 7, 1, 7, and 1 point. Ark City, which have won four straight since a 2-6 regular season, now advances to the state championship game for the fourth time in school history. The Bulldogs’ only state title came in 1979.
Class 3A
3A EAST
Perry-Lecompton 22, Holton 9 – Perry-Lecompton defeated Holton 22-9 to advance to the 3A state title game for the second consecutive season. Holton held a 3-0 lead for much of the first half after a Matt Lierz field goal. The Kaws took the lead on a touchdown pass from Thad Metcalfe to Parker Stone to lead 8-3 at halftime. Perry-Lecompton built a two-score lead after the Kaws stuffed Holton on a 4th-and-1 from its own 22-yard line. Perry-Lecompton turned the short field into points on a short touchdown run by Metcalfe to lead 16-3. Metcalfe later added another short rushing score for a 22-3 lead mid-way through the fourth quarter. Metcalfe rushed for 110 yards and passed for 187 more yards on 16 of 20 passing. Stone hauled in eight receptions for 109 yards. Holton was led by Canon Karn who rushed for 112 yards including the Wildcats’ only touchdown. Holton was held to 186 rushing yards – about half of its average on the season.
3A WEST
Andale 49, Wichita Collegiate 0 – Andale rolled into its second consecutive 3A state title game with a 49-0 shutout of Wichita Collegiate. Eli Rowland returned two punts for touchdowns and added two more rushing scores on the night. The Indians rushed for 248 yards, led by Rowland’s 106 yards on 20 carries. Noah Meyer added 60 yards on the ground and a pair of scores and also threw a touchdown pass to Caden Parthemer. The Andale defense held Collegiate to 121 total yards.
Class 2A
2A EAST
Rossville 31, Nemaha Central 19 – Rossville advanced to the state title game for the first time since 2016 with a 31-19 win over defending 2A champion Nemaha Central. The Bulldawgs built a 19-0 lead in the first half behind a pair of touchdown passes from Torrey Horak to Bo Reeves and a Woodrow Rezac touchdown run. Rossville was threatening again but fumbled and Nemaha Central converted that turnover into points with a Zac Kramer 1-yard touchdown run. After a Rossville missed field goal, the Thunder scored again on a Kramer run to pull within 19-13. Rossville opened the third quarter with a Tyree Sowers touchdown run to lead 25-13. Horak then hit Parker Kenney on a touchdown pass to lead 31-13 in the fourth quarter. Kramer’s third touchdown pulled Nemaha Central within 31-19, but they would get no closer.
2A WEST
Hoisington 26, Beloit 0 – Hoisington punched its ticket to the 2A state title game in Salina with a 26-0 shutout over Beloit at Trojan Field. The Cardinals, who qualified for their first state championship appearance, forced a Beloit interception on the opening drive, and turned the turnover into points with a Mason Haxton 32-yard touchdown run. The Trojans and Cardinals would trade possessions in the second quarter, while Holt Hanzlick would score right before half to give Hoisington a 14-0 lead heading into the locker room. Hoisington would quickly score to start the second half, with a short run from Cole Steinert. Chase Robinson would tack on another score with a one-handed catch in the endzone to give the Cardinals their 26-0 lead. Beloit would build a pair of promising drives in the fourth quarter, with the first drive stalling on downs, and the second ending with Chase Robinson interception. Hoisington defeated Beloit for a second time this season as the Cardinals won 26-20 in the regular season. Beloit returns eight starters on both sides of the ball for next year. Undefeated Hoisington will take on undefeated Rossville next Saturday in Salina for the 2A title.
Class 1A
1A EAST
Olpe 14, Lyndon 12 – Olpe advanced to the state title game for the fifth time in school history by edging Lyndon, 14-12. The Eagles used a strong defensive performance to turn away a couple of scoring opportunities in the narrow win. Olpe got on the board in the first quarter on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Damon Redeker to Gabriel Castillo. Lyndon threatened in the second quarter but came up short on 4th-and-1 at the Olpe 2-yard line as Ted Skalsky stopped Luke Detweiler for a loss. Olpe then went on a time-consuming 98-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a Redeker 1-yard touchdown run and a 14-0 lead. Olpe intercepted Tigers quarterback Darian Massey at the 1-yard line to stop the next Lyndon possession. After an Olpe punt, Massey hit Ethan Edington on a long touchdown pass, but the Eagles blocked the PAT to retain a 14-6 lead late in the half. Massey scored from a yard out in the third quarter to pull Lyndon with 14-12, but the two-point pass fell incomplete. Lyndon would drive to the Olpe 10-yard line late in the game and settle for a 25-yard field goal attempt. The snap was low and mishandled and the Eagles tackled the Tigers short of the line-to-gain and ran out the final 1:48 for the victory.
1A WEST
Oakley 9, Inman 0 – Neither team had made a state finale before, and Oakley continued its remarkable turnaround. Oakley blanked Smith Center and Inman in the last two weeks after the Plainsmen fell to both teams in the regular season. Oakley purposefully slowed the game down and ran 49 plays to Inman’s 33. Oakley improved to 10-2, and Inman was 9-3. Plainsmen senior quarterback Eric Cain often waited at the line until the play clock had nearly expired. Oakley picked off Inman three times, including twice from Cain. Oakley had a 23-yard field goal from sophomore Will Schmidt and led 3-0 in the first quarter. Inman had two chances to score. The Teutons nearly missed on a touchdown connection early third quarter, and Inman missed a 33-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter. Then, Oakley had a drive that elapsed nearly nine minutes of the clock and ended as Hunter Scheck scored the game’s only touchdown with a two-yard run with just over two minutes left. Senior Ethan Abell rushed for 111 yards, and Scheck delivered 84 rushing yards. Oakley had won eight total games in the previous four years and has a seven-win improvement this fall.
Class 8-Man, Division I
8M-I EAST
Little River 48, Madison 24 -- Little River qualified for its first state championship game since 2001, which also marked its last time in the semifinals. The Redskins took a 6-0 lead early. Graham Stephens had a key fourth down stop, and Jayden Garrison scored a touchdown for a 12-0 lead. Then, Madison lost a fumble, and Garrison tallied another touchdown. Kevin Ayers became one of the few coaches in state history to take three teams to a state finale; he is 3-1 all-time in championships. Little River did not allow a point in the first half. Garrison and Stephens continued to alternate at quarterback, and Garrison cleared 300 yards of total offense. Madison is known for forcing turnovers – they forced two and was plus-1 in turnover margin. Overall, Garrison passed for 72 yards and a score. He rushed 28 times for 277 yards and six touchdowns. Little River outgained Madison, 386-363. The game had 103 total plays.
8M-I WEST
Leoti-Wichita County 58, Hoxie 6 – Wichita County dominated again and beat Hoxie for the second time this season. Wichita County reached the first state title in school annals. The Indians improved to 12-0 and had 11 straight victories by the 45-point margin. The Indians beat Hoxie, 54-20, in the season opener in its closest game of the year. Kayde Rietzke rushed for two touchdowns and threw for three scores, all to Sheldon Whalen. Wichita County returned two fumbles for scores, by Tristen Porter and Manny Chavez. Hoxie completed a highly successful 9-2 season that featured a five-win improvement from last fall. Wichita County is 22-2 since the start of last season and 28-5 under third-year coach Brant Douglas.
Class 8-Man, Division II
8M-II EAST
Hanover 74, Frankfort 26 – After trading touchdowns for the first quarter-and-a-half, Hanover scored three times in the final 4:30 of the first half to build a 38-14 halftime lead. Hanover then scored three more consecutive touchdowns to take a 62-20 lead in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats ended the game by the 45-point rule with 2:40 remaining. Jacob Jueneman rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 130 yards and two scores. Jueneman threw touchdown passes to Colin Jueneman and Tyler Bosner. Colin also added 109 yards rushing and two score and Bosner rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Gavin Cornelison passed for 192 yards and four touchdowns for Frankfort. Hanover advanced to its 10th state title game in school history and will be seeking its seventh title.
8M-II WEST
St. Francis 44, Victoria 22 – At Victoria, top-ranked St. Francis trailed 14-8 before the Indians rallied and reached their second straight state championship game. St. Francis lost to Canton-Galva in the Division I state title last fall. Victoria had its 35-game winning streak in the Division II classification end. St. Francis running back Shadryon Blanka suffered an injury, though came back in the contest. Kobe Tice caught a 21-yard touchdown from Ben Busse and the conversion to take a 16-14 lead. Then, Blanka hauled in a 10-yard score for a 22-14 advantage. Blanka tacked on two more touchdowns for a 44-14 advantage. Blanka accounted for four touchdowns and 293 yards of total offense. St. Francis ran three more plays and outgained Victoria, 387-236. The Indians permitted its most points since Oct. 16 and had their first contest inside the 45-point margin. Victoria had another strong game from junior quarterback Grant Schoenrock. He completed 7 of 19 passes for 98 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Schoenrock delivered 11 carries for 74 yards and a TD.
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