Welcome to the 2021 football season and our first edition of The Pick List. Each Thursday throughout the regular season, The Pick List will feature a few of the best match-ups across the state, and make our predictions on a handful of other games.
Feature Games of the Week:
Wichita East at Hays
A highly intriguing game at Lewis Field Stadium features the first meeting between Wichita East and Hays High. East and Hays High are just outside the top-5 in 6A and 5A, respectively.
Last year, both teams took two-win improvements from 2019. East finished 7-2 for its best record since 1983. Hays High opened 5-0 and won the Western Athletic Conference. HHS finished 5-3 and hosted the fourth playoff game in school history. Both squads had sizable defensive improvements. East led Class 6A with 11.8 points allowed a game. Notably, East lost 17-2 to Wichita Northwest, the fewest points for the Grizzlies in a contest since ’14. Hays High jumped to fourth with 16 points permitted.
WE and HHS graduated its standout: Hays High’s Gaven Haselhorst and Wichita East’s Daylan Jones. Haselhorst paced Kansas in tackles for loss and signed with Kansas State. Jones played multiple roles, including wide receiver and then quarterback when Deonte Mitchell was hurt in midseason.
The squads return a bevy of talent, including three of Kansas’ top-10 recruits with Hays High senior Jaren Kanak, linebacker Gavin Meyers and WE linebacker Tobi Osunsanmi. Kanak’s well-publicized recruitment skyrocketed late in the spring and, he eventually committed to Clemson. Meyers has several Power 5 offers. Osunsanmi is listed as a free safety, though plays up in the box against run teams and is recruited as a linebacker. He has committed to Kansas State.
Hays High starting quarterback Dylan Dreiling, a possible MLB draft pick and Tennessee baseball commit, elected to not play football. Hays High moved Kanak to quarterback. This allows Kanak to have the ball in his hands every play, a key factor after last season.
Kanak finished with 842 yards in six games. Around half of that came in two games. He was pressed into emergency QB duty versus Maize South when HHS had COVID-19 issues. Hays lost 21-20 when Kanak rushed 36 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns, along with 5 of 6 passing for 90 yards and a TD.
Jordan Dale played multiple positions, including quarterback for Hays High in 2020 and earned WAC Offensive Player of the Year. He is expected to play at wide receiver. The Indians have a host of other key players, including running back Roy Moroni, lineman Gavin Nutting, linebacker Dalton Dale, and offensive skill players Bryce Salmans and Carson Kieffer. East coach Ene Akpan said he was very impressed with Meyers on film; Meyers is expected to become Hays High’s all-time tackler early this year.
In addition to Mitchell (800 passing yards in five games) and Osunsanmi, East is stout at wide receiver with Caquoy Patterson, nicknamed Cheetah after Kansas City Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill. Travon Manuel, an all-state sprinter, returns at defensive back. East is well-known for its athletes, blitzing and man-to-man coverage. Osunsanmi delivered 44 tackles. Patterson ranked second in the City League in receptions the last two years.
East rarely has long trips – and has had limited success on those treks. Last season, the Blue Aces lost, 49-42, at Junction City in the state quarterfinals. In ’19, the longest trip was a 17-mile trip to Goddard, which yielded a 34-22 loss.
In ’18, by far the longest road trip was a 20-7 win at Liberal.
In ’17, East had two games outside of Wichita: a 7-6 road loss to Great Bend and 21-0 at Manhattan. In ’16, East’s lone games outside of Wichita were a pair of trips to Garden City, a 43-19 loss in the season opener and a 49-14 defeat in the season finale. In ’15, East went to Garden City and lost, 55-7. In ’14, the only road trip over 20 miles was a 34-7 loss to Junction City.
Overall, that’s a 1-7 record on any road trip greater than 30 minutes.
Both teams have a lot of impressive players on both sides. Each squad likely will have a harder strength of schedule than 2020.
Ultimately, the biggest question comes down to quarterback play, not just for Week 1, but for the year. The squads should have a top-10 defense in its classification.
How well Kanak and Mitchell play (and stay healthy) is probably the pivot point for each team’s fall. Hays High has slight edges in more returning experience, home field advantage and Kanak’s ability to possibly create 1-on-1 matchups for himself and others.
Our Pick: Hays 24, Wichita East 20 (Nicholl)
5A No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas at 4A No. 2 St. James Academy
The St. Thomas Aquinas Saints opened their 2020 season with a convincing 28-0 victory over the St. James Academy Thunder. But by season’s end, it was the Thunder who earned a championship.
The Saints finished the season 6-4 and fell in the Class 5A semifinals to eventual state champion Mill Valley, while the Thunder earned an 8-4 record and beat Arkansas City 56-34 in the Class 4A state championship.
Using the Air Raid offense late in the season, St. James got hot at the right time and won their final five games. That included a 36-35 overtime upset of perennial 4A champ Bishop Miege in the semifinals.
St. James graduated several key players from the 2020 championship squad, but the cupboard is not bare. The Thunder return All-State wide receiver Tyler Claiborne, who caught 76 passes for 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns. Claiborne is reportedly receiving interest from such schools as North Dakota State. The St. James defensive line will be led by Wade Spencer, who recorded five sacks as a sophomore.
The Saints’ 2020 season went in a different direction. After opening with four straight victories over St. James, Bishop Miege, Raytown (Mo.), and Shawnee Mission Northwest, Aquinas went on a three-game skid against Lawrence, Omaha-Westside (Neb.), and Bishop Carroll. The Saints then bounced back with lopsided victories over Pittsburg and Blue Valley Southwest before falling 42-7 to Mill Valley in the semifinals.
Entering 2021, the defensive line appears to be a strength for Aquinas. Senior Jalen Marshall (6-6, 275), is the state’s No. 5 recruit according to 247 Sports and has already committed to play at Missouri. Junior Sa’o Siav’i (6-1, 230) also returns. The offense is expected to be led by quarterback Maxxwell Ford and running back Sean Carroll.
The Saints have won each of the past seven meetings between the two teams dating back to 2015.
Our Pick: Aquinas 28, St. James 20 (Schremmer)
Columbus at 3A No. 3 Frontenac
Columbus visits Frontenac in an opening week showdown between what is anticipated to be two of the top teams in the CNC League and contenders on the eastern half of Class 3A.
In last year’s season-opener, the Titans and Raiders were locked in a scoreless slugfest at halftime before the Columbus scored three times in the fourth quarter to break open a 6-6 tie.
Jaxson Haraughty punched across a short touchdown run to put Columbus on top 12-6 in the fourth quarter. Then the Titan defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns – one by Haraughty and another by Landon Proffitt – to put away a 25-6 victory. The Columbus defense intercepted four Frontenac passes in the game with Proffitt grabbing two picks.
The Titans then used that opening week victory to propel themselves to an undefeated regular season, but fell 29-18 to Girard in the first round of the 3A playoffs. Columbus had defeated the Trojans 26-7 back in Week 3 of the regular season.
Expectations are high again this season as the Titans return 11 total starters. Among those returning are Haraughty and Proffitt to help lead a defensive secondary that intercepted 15 passes a year ago.
The strength of the Columbus team, however, may be up front with senior lineman Kody Schalk (6-4, 265). He’ll look to lead the way for senior back Gabe Martin who has been a four-year starter at Columbus and is coming off a 1,200-yard, 16-touchdown junior season.
Expectations are equally as high on the other sidelines where Frontenac begins the season ranked No. 3 in the Kpreps Class 3A rankings. The Raiders return 13 total starters from last years’ 6-5 team that reached the state quarterfinals.
Frontenac also boasts a strong returning group up front, most notably on the defensive line led by Oklahoma State commit Landon Dean (6-4, 245), Cruz Blair and Lane Franklin. Blair and Franklin will also lead the way on the offensive side along with Dean at tight end.
Collin McCartney (6-2, 200) returns for the Raiders as a dual-threat quarterback after passing for 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns a season ago. He also led the Raiders in rushing with 637 yards (637) and 13 touchdowns. McCartney had to miss a couple of games last season including the opener against Columbus.
Mario Menghini provides Frontenac with another big-play threat on offense. Menghini rushed for more than 450 yards and had more than 600 receiving yards with 10 total scores in 2020.
Our Pick: Frontenac 20, Columbus 16 (Gilmore)
Goessel at 8M-I No. 3 Canton-Galva
The Wheat State League matchup was an under-the-radar game to start 2020. Canton and Goessel are less than 15 minutes apart. In eight-man, Canton-Galva is an Eastern team, and Goessel is on the West.
Canton-Galva won 54-0. Both teams ended up advancing to the state quarterfinals. Canton-Galva won the 2019 state title with a 13-0 record and posted a 10-1 mark last season with a 34-24 home loss to Madison in the Eight-Man, Division I East quarterfinals.
Goessel had two games cancelled and finished 5-4 with a surprising playoff run. The Bluebirds were on the Division I West bracket and pulled two upsets with a 60-14 home win versus Kinsley and a 54-48 double overtime road victory against Pratt Skyline. Goessel fell, 58-12, to Hoxie in the playoffs.
Canton-Galva, ranked No. 3 in the preseason, returns two premier players in senior wide receiver Tyson Struber and junior quarterback Garrett Maltbie. Struber, a Kansas State commit, has a chance to break career eight-man marks in receiving touchdowns and interceptions. Canton-Galva was first in offense at 54.4 points a game and second with 8.4 points permitted. Struber delivered 45 catches for 901 yards and 17 scores last fall. He is expected to move from defensive back to linebacker. Canton-Galva has eight new starters on defense that either are first-year starters or are returning and playing in a different spot. Struber finished with 81 tackles and five interceptions.
Maltbie tossed 1,313 yards and 24 scores in a breakout sophomore year. Canton-Galva has a brand new offensive line. Eagle coach Shelby Hoppes, hired his brother, Zac, a former Canton-Galva head coach, to coach the offensive line. The Eagles have 6-foot-4 junior tight end T.J. Koehn, along with 6-3, 300-pound senior Brayden Doughman. Senior Xavier Westbrook is a talented player and will move to the offensive line after he missed last season with injury. Veteran Tyler O’Connor again coordinates the Eagle defense.
Goessel had no player above 201 pounds last season. The Bluebirds return significant talent, including junior running back Jake Wiens, junior quarterback Grant Bryant, and its entire offensive line of seniors Logan Sterk, Caiden Duerksen, Dylan Riley and junior Caleb Burkholder. Goessel was outscored for the year with 29.3 points tallied and 40.3 allowed.
Overall, Wiens finished with 86 carries for 646 yards and 13 scores, while Bryant threw for 423 and six TDs. Wiens and Bryant combined for 83 tackles. None of the eight returning starters are more than 185 pounds, but Wiens won a state powerlifting crown this spring.
Eight-Man, Division I is likely Kansas’ deepest classification. Both teams are expected to make another postseason run, and especially Canton-Galva is a state favorite. This is a key measuring stick game in what could be the first of two matchups. Canton-Galva has the significant size advantage, and Struber is highly difficult to solve for any team. Goessel will need to make big defensive strides in 2021. This game should be much closer than ’20, Canton-Galva still has the edge.
Our Pick: Canton-Galva 42, Goessel 22 (Nicholl)
The Pick List:
4A No. 1 Bishop Miege at 6A No. 3 Blue Valley North – Blue Valley North
Manhattan at Garden City – Manhattan
5A No. 4 Bishop Carroll at 5A No. 1 Wichita Northwest – Wichita Northwest
5A No. 5 Maize at Andover – Maize
Basehor-Linwood at Tonganoxie – Basehor-Linwood
Goddard at Buhler – Buhler
3A No. 4 Cheney at Kingman – Cheney
Cimarron at Holcomb – Holcomb
2A No. 3 Nemaha Central at 3A No. 5 Holton – Holton
1A No. 5 Centralia at 2A No. 1 Rossville – Rossville
Garden Plain at Conway Springs – Garden Plain
Norton at 1A No. 2 Smith Center – Smith Center
Osage City at Lyndon – Osage City
Hutchinson Trinity at 1A No. 3 Inman – Inman
Thomas More Prep at Oakley – Thomas More Prep
Leoti-Wichita Co. at 8M-I No. 4 Hoxie – Hoxie
Norwich at Argonia-Attica – Argonia-Attica
8M-II No. 3 Osborne at 8M-I No. 5 Hill City – Hill City
South Central at Meade – Meade
Pratt-Skyline at South Barber – South Barber
8M-II No. 2 Victoria at La Crosse – Victoria
8M-II No. 5 Wheatland-Grinnell at Axtell – Wheatland-Grinnell
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