Kpreps.com takes you Around the Classes as we look at a handful of games in each classification from teams outside our top five rankings.
Class 6A:
Manhattan traveled to Garden City and opened with a 21-6 win over the Buffaloes. Quarterback Keenan Schartz rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Indians to victory. Vinny Smith added 81 yards and a scores on 20 carries. Manhattan topped Garden City 21-7 in last year’s season opener.
Olathe Northwest opened the season with a 28-21 victory over Olathe West. Max Keller and Manny Melendez each rushed for touchdowns for Olathe Northwest. Mason McGavran rushed for 154 yards and two scores and passed for 116 yards and a touchdown for Olathe West. The victory was the first to open the season for Olathe Northwest since 2015.
Blue Valley West broke open a 10-7 halftime game with 28 points in the third quarter in a 45-21 win over Blue Valley Southwest. Gage Roach threw a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for 84 yards and another score for the Jaguars. Sage Huffman led Blue Valley West with 173 rushing yards and a score. Jake Laurie rushed for two scores for Blue Valley Southwest, and Zach Atkins caught seven passes for 108 yards.
Dodge City opened the Glenn O’Neill era with a 28-6 weather-shortened victory at Wichita West. Stone Wilson scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground for the Red Demons and Tucker Smith rushed for a score and threw a touchdown pass.
Class 5A:
Kapaun-Mt. Carmel scored 48 points in the first half and cruised to a 55-0 win over Wichita South. Sophomore running back Omari Elias led the way with 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Crusaders senior running back Austin Ruda added 92 rushing yards and two TDs on seven carries. Kapaun sophomore quarterback Dylan Hamilton completed 8 of 9 passes for 108 yards and a 24-yard TD pass to Isaac Schmitz.
Making the transition to quarterback, senior Jaren Kanak passed for 162 yards and rushed for 246 yards and three TDs as Hays blasted Wichita East 35-6. Kanak, who is the state’s top recruit and has already committed to play linebacker at Clemson, showcased his versatility. Hays got back on the winning track after finishing the 2020 season with three consecutive losses.
Leavenworth opened the season with a 20-13 win over Shawnee Heights. The Pioneers got rolling in the second quarter when sophomore running back Xavier Strickland rushed for a touchdown, and junior quarterback Eddie McLaughlin found Strickland on a TD pass. Shawnee Heights had defeated Leavenworth in each of the past four seasons.
Evan Cantu ran for 249 yards and two touchdowns as he led Maize South to a 32-0 win over Great Bend. The Mavericks have defeated the Panthers by a combined score of 88-0 over the past two seasons. Great Bend finished 0-7 last year and is on a nine-game losing skid.
Class 4A:
In each of the past two seasons, the Paola Panthers have enjoyed an undefeated regular season before eventually falling in the playoffs. Paola’s regular-season streak remained intact as it rolled to a 41-21 win over the Bonner Springs Braves. Paola senior fullback Caden Rhamy (6-3, 230) was a load to bring down, rumbling for about 160 yards and three TDs on nine carries. Bonner Springs senior quarterback Jayce Smith ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 112 yards and a touchdown in the loss. The TD pass went to senior Alex Amayo for 41 yards.
Basehor-Linwood beat Tonganoxie for the first time since 2018, pulling off a 27-6 victory. Bobcats’ senior running back Zack Sisemore rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns while catching three passes for 44 yards and another touchdown. Basehor-Linwood senior quarterback Brady Garrison passed for 108 yards with the TD pass to Sisemore. Tonganoxie sophomore quarterback Trevor McGraw threw a touchdown to senior Andrew Colvert in the first quarter.
A year ago, Buhler running back Sam Elliott made a habit out of rushing for more than 200 yards in a game. Elliott, who finished 2020 with 1,962 yards and 29 TDs, opened his senior season on the same track by rushing for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns during a 42-14 win over Goddard. Buhler’s Mattew Eddy returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown. Goddard’s Dylan Reese scored on a 76-yard TD run in the third quarter. Buhler avenged last year’s 35-20 loss to Goddard.
Towanda-Circle quarterback Luke McGinnis tossed a pair of TD passes to Ty Smith during a 20-12 win over Chanute. McGinnis found Smith for a 14-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to give the Thunderbird a 13-0 lead. Then clinging to a 13-12 lead in the fourth quarter, McGinnis connected with Smith again on a 34-yard TD pass to secure the win. Towanda-Circle, which finished just 1-6 a year ago, hadn’t opened the season with a win since 2012. The Thunderbirds haven’t won more than two games in a season since they finished 5-5 in 2010.
Class 3A:
Bishop Ward opened the season with a 28-6 win over KC Sumner Academy. James Jarrett, III rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries to lead the Cyclones. This is the first season-opening win for Bishop Ward since 2009. Bishop Ward will host McLouth this week. The Cyclones snapped a 57-game losing streak with a win at McLouth last season.
Defending 3A runner-up Perry-Lecompton opened the season with a 40-6 win over Jefferson West. Reichen Rush led the Kaws with 218 yards rushing and a touchdown. Junior quarterback Gunnar Ball threw for 88 yards and two scores and added 72 yards and another score.
Concordia outlasted Wamego 41-40 in four overtimes on Friday night. The Panthers and Red Raiders played to a 14-14 tie at the end of regulation. The two teams matched each other score for score for the first three overtimes. In the fourth overtime, Wamego’s Hayden Oviatt hit Collin Donahue in the back of the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown pass on fourth down for a 40-34 lead. The Red Raiders’ two-point conversion was stopped. Concordia scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by Keyan Miller to tie the game at 40. Joey Henderson then kicked the PAT to give the Panthers the dramatic 41-40 win. Miller scored three touchdowns in the overtimes for the Panthers.
Among the most impressive performances in Week 1 was Pratt’s 68-18 win over Class 2A No. 5 Hoisington. The Greenbacks led 16-11 after one quarter, then exploded for three touchdowns to lead 40-11 at half. Enoch Walton rushed for 159 yards and two scores and Max Younie added 110 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Trevor Stimatze also added a pair of rushing touchdowns for Pratt which rushed for 491 yards on the night.
Smoky Valley slipped by Halstead 20-16 in a season opening Central Kansas League game. Three different Viking junior backs rushed for touchdowns and each topped the 100-yard mark on the night. Kade Blanchat led Smoky Valley with 115 yards, while Trystan Stambaugh rushed for 113 yards and Justice Autry added 101 yards.
For the second consecutive season, Chapman topped Sabetha in a close game. Senior Eli Riegel rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries as Chapman won 24-22. Last season, Chapman topped Sabetha 34-29.
Class 2A:
In Mid-Continent League action, Thomas More Prep-Marian won at Oakley, 31-13. The teams went a combined 17-5 last season, and Oakley won the 2020 matchup en route to a Class 1A state runner-up showing. Oakley led early after a Will Schmidt touchdown before the Monarchs tallied 31 straight points. Kade Harris passed for 95 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Southwestern Heights defeated Stanton County, 6-0, in a rainy and muddy performance. Memo Flores had 26 carries for 158 yards. Parker Wurtz recorded 19 carries for 132 yards. Flores finished with 12 tackles and two TFLs. Sergio Chavez picked off two passes.
Lakin played on its brand-new turf field and beat Elkhart, 63-6. Senior Servando Gonzalez recorded nine carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Team player of the game awards went to Curtis Beam for defense, kicker Aitor Curto, and Maddux Beltran on the offensive side. Overall, Lakin rushed for 259 yards. Lakin has won four straight season openers with coach Chris Bamberger. They are 5-1 with Bamberger in Week 1 games.
Ellsworth shut out Sacred Heart 31-0 to open the season. Senior Brad Vopat rushed for 161 yards and two scores on 33 carries to lead the Bearcats. Sophomore quarterback Will Cravens passed for 126 yards and a score and added 87 rushing yards and another touchdown.
Class 1A:
Wabaunsee beat Mission Valley, 28-0. Veteran senior quarterback Cade Oliver completed 16 of 27 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns against zero interceptions. He rushed 10 times for 93 yards and a score. Senior Brayden Meseke had six catches for 104 yards and a TD. Junior Maverick Havenstein paced the defense with 12 tackles, two for loss.
Last year, the Chargers lost, 37-30, to Mission Valley. Wabaunsee ended a 15-game losing streak in season openers that dated back to a 21-8 win versus Onaga in 2005, per the Kansas Football History database. The Chargers are looking for its first winning season since a 6-3 mark in 1997.
Central Heights defeated West Franklin, 34-13. The game was scoreless after the first quarter. Central Heights led 13-6 at halftime and 20-6 after three quarters. Senior Tony Detwiler exploded for 26 carries for 247 yards and four touchdowns. Central Heights finished with 41 carries for 355 yards and five scores. Detwiler has been a key contributor since his sophomore year. Last season, he passed for 803 yards with 12 scores and rushed 133 times for 1,039 yards and eight scores. Central Heights has won three straight in the series.
Class 8-man I
Ness City opened with a 32-20 win over Macksville and set up a big Week 2 game with No. 5-ranked Hill City. Macksville led 20-6 at halftime. Ness City scored 12 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth. Macksville’s Ryan Kuckelman passed for 79 yards and rushed for 106.
Jose Guzman passed for 51 and rushed for 102. Macksville ran 22 more plays and held a 252-216 yardafe advantage. Jose Guzman scored on a four-yard run and completed a 17-yard touchdown pass from Danny Guzman. He also rushed for touchdowns from one, 10 and 25 yards. Overall, Guzman rushed 18 times for 102 yards and four touchdowns.
Jackson Seib paced the defense with 13 tackles and a TFL. Gavin Schreiber delivered 15 tackles. Cason Marshall had 14 tackles and two sacks.
Sedan beat St. Paul, 50-0. Senior Brec Long recorded five carries for 107 yards and three touchdowns. His only completion went for a 38-yard touchdown. Sophomore Jeremiah Prince led with seven tackles.
Argonia-Attica beat Heart of the Plains League rival Norwich, 36-6. Standout quarterback Xander Newberry passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one. Sophomore Colter McDaniel had six carries for 112 yards and two scores. In the game, A&A ran 24 plays for 296 yards. The Titans delivered three sacks. McDaniel picked off a pass, and Newberry blocked a punt.
Hodgeman County senior Drew Dansel opened with 19 carries for 148 yards as the Longhorns beat Satanta, 48-0. Hodgeman County has won nine straight season openers. The Longhorns have never had a losing record since Jetmore and Hanston combined for form Hodgeman County in 2010.
Valley Falls had big performances from two backs as part of a 34-20 win at Wetmore. Sophomore Zach Evans rushed 15 times for 127 yards, and senior Samuel Drinkard delivered 14 carries for 139 yards.
Class 8-man II
Caldwell opened with a 30-0 win against Oxford in a weather-shortened game. Dawson Bristor had a 10-yard touchdown. Keiondre Smith ran for two scores and also passed to Bristor for a score. Smith ran for 114 yards after an electrifying year last year.
Southern Cloud received 15 carries for 153 yards from senior running back/free safety Dusty Mason in a 52-8 win against Wilson. SC’s players of the game were Mason and lineman Gabe Rice. Southern Cloud had lost seven straight season openers. Southern Cloud had lost to Wilson in Week 1 the last two years by a combined score of 92-8.
Minneola has high expectations after it returned virtually its entire team. Eli Lang had a big freshman year and opened with 13 carries for 137 yards. Minneola shutout Kiowa County, 48-0.
Dighton had big games from Jaden Coleman (130 rushing yards) and Max Neeley (119). Dighton at Sharon Springs-Wallace County, 54-22. The Hornets are 2-7 since the start of 2020 with both wins against Sharon Springs. Dighton led 14-0 after the first quarter and 26-14 at halftime. The Hornets outscored Wallace County, 14-0, in the third quarter.
Shayden Sull of Hartford rushed for 494 yards and 12 touchdowns as the Jaguars defeated Maranatha Academy 100-58. Sull also added a 33-yard touchdown catch, completed both of his passes for 15 yards, and had a hand in seven two-point conversions. Sull is coming off a standout junior season where he rushed for 1,547 yards and 21 scores and he’s well on pace to top those totals after Friday night.
6-Man
Logan McCarty passed for 190 yards and three touchdowns and added 171 yards and five scores on the ground as Cheylin opened its state title defense with a 67-12 win over Golden Plains. John Serrano, Brady Ketzner, and Harley McPherson each caught touchdown passes for the Cougars.
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