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It was the most unprecedented season ever, but the 2020 Kansas high school football season reached its conclusion last weekend as state champions were crowned in all eight classifications. Four teams highlighted as preseason No. 1’s in the Kpreps.com rankings brought home state titles this fall (Derby, Mill Valley, Andale, Rossville). The four other classifications were won by teams ranked in the top five in our preseason poll. Hanover was ranked second to begin the year in Eight-Man, Division II. St. James Academy (4A) and Little River (8M-I) were both ranked third in their respective classifications to begin the season, and Olpe was ranked fifth to begin the year in Class 1A. Let’s take a look at the final rankings for the 2020 season.
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
Derby won its third consecutive 6A state title by outscoring Blue Valley North, 56-31. The Panthers broke open a 21-21 tie with three consecutive touchdowns from Reid Liston in the second quarter to build a 42-21 halftime lead. Liston caught a pair of touchdown passes from Lem Wash and threw a touchdown pass to Drake Thatcher just before halftime. Liston then added a third touchdown catch from Wash in the third quarter to put Derby up four scores. Wash rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 239 yards with three touchdown passes to Liston. Liston had 142 receiving yards. Derby has won seven state titles overall, including six in the last eight seasons. Blue Valley North finishes second in the Class 6A poll followed by Lawrence, Olathe North, and Junction City.
Class 5A
Mill Valley scored a pair of late touchdowns to defeat Wichita Northwest, 49-35, and win the Class 5A state title for a second-consecutive season. The Jaguars led 21-7 in the first half and 35-21 in the third quarter before Northwest scored a pair of touchdowns to tie the game at 35. Mill Valley quarterback Cooper Marsh then scored on a short touchdown run to put the Jaguars on top. Then after a fourth-down stop by the Jaguar defense, Marsh threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Quin Wittenauer to give Mill Valley a 14-point lead late. Marsh passed for 255 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 134 yards and three more scores. Wichita Northwest finishes second in the Class 5A poll followed by Bishop Carroll, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, and De Soto.
Class 4A
St. James Academy claimed the first football state championship in school history with a 56-34 victory over Arkansas City in the Class 4A title game. La'James White rushed for 264 yards and five touchdowns as the Thunder took control with a barrage of second-quarter touchdowns. The St. James defense forced a pair of Ark City fumbles and quickly converted the short field into points on a Dakota Burritt touchdown run and a scoring run from White. White then put the Thunder back up three scores in the third quarter with an 83-yard scoring burst. Bishop Miege finishes second in the Class 4A poll followed by Paola, Tonganoxie, and Ark City.
Class 3A
Andale won its second consecutive Class 3A state football title by shutting out Perry-Lecompton 20-0. The Indian defense forced four turnovers and held the Kaws to 215 yards of total offense. Andale used a ball-control offense and got a pair of touchdowns from Eli Rowland and a Noah Meyer touchdown run. Andale rushed for 240 yards in the win. Perry-Lecompton finishes second in the final Class 3A poll followed by Topeka Hayden, Holton, and Wichita Collegiate.
Class 2A
Rossville survived a late charge by Hoisington to claim its fourth state football championship. The Bulldawgs led 14-0 at halftime on a Torrey Horak rushing score and a Horak pass to Bo Reeves. The two teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter with Horak answering the Hoisington score with a 66-yard touchdown run. Rossville led 21-6 entering the fourth quarter, but Hoisington got a pair of touchdown passes from Mason Haxton to Cole Steinert to pull within a touchdown. Rossville's Bryson Balch recovered a Hoisington fumble late to secure the victory. Hoisington finishes second in the Class 2A poll followed by Nemaha Central, Silver Lake, and Osage City.
Class 1A
Olpe claimed the schools' second state football championship with a 14-0 shutout of Oakley in the 1A title game. The Eagle defense was exceptional all season allowing only 35 total points. The title game was no exception as Olpe held Oakley to less than 100 yards of total offense until the game's final play. Olpe scored both touchdowns in the first half on passes from Damon Redeker to Kynden Robert and Gabe Castillo. Redeker rushed for 119 yards and passed for 86 yards and those two scores. Lyndon finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by Centralia, Oakley, and Inman.
Eight-Man, Division I
Little River captured its sixth state football title overall and first since 1999 with a wild, 70-58, shootout over Leoti-Wichita County. The game set a state mark for the highest-scoring game in eight-man title game history. Jayden Garrison rushed for 218 yards, passed for 73 yards, and had 56 yards receiving in the game. Garrison rushed for four touchdowns, threw a touchdown pass, and caught another. Graham Stephens contributed five total touchdowns – three rushing and two passing. Little River's Kevin Ayers joined Tom Young as the only head coaches in Kansas history to win state titles at three different schools. Leoti-Wichita County finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by Madison, Canton-Galva, and Clifton-Clyde.
Eight-Man, Division II
Hanover won its seventh state football title and their fourth in the past five years by defeating St. Francis, 46-24. The Wildcats fell behind 12-0 after the first quarter, but scored 30 straight points in the second quarter including three touchdowns off of St. Francis turnovers. Hanover then opened the second half with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Jueneman to Colin Jueneman to take a 38-12 lead. Jacob Jueneman passed for 171 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing score. Colin and Emmitt Jueneman each caught a pair of touchdown passes and Tyler Bonser returned a kickoff for a touchdown after a third-quarter St. Francis score. Hanover won its sixth title under coach Matt Heuer. St. Francis finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by Victoria, Frankfort, and Lebo.
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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