In our Picks to Click, we feature several players or units from across the state that we feel will have breakout performances on Friday night.
This season, we’ve assembled a team of media members across the state to each select one player (or unit) each week. We will track the cumulative statistics of our selections throughout the season similar to fantasy scoring.
Picks to Click contributors for the 2021 season include: Sean Boston (Southwind Broadcasting); Dion Clisso (PrepsKC.com); Matt Gilmore (Kpreps.com); Chet Kuplen (Sports in Kansas); Brent Maycock (KSHSAA Covered); Conor Nicholl (Kpreps.com); and Mark Schremmer (Kansas Chronicles & Kpreps.com).
Check back next Friday to see our picks for Week 5, and how the players performed that we picked the week prior. See the bottom of this article for details.
Holden Barker, RB, Colony-Crest (Kuplen)
Crest junior Holden Barker appears on his way to a big season with 15 rushing touchdowns and 871 yards rushing through three weeks. The Lancers get St. Paul this Friday. Expect a big night from Barker in what could be a high scoring contest.
Conway Springs Offensive Line (Maycock)
After a tough start to the season against a stout Garden Plain defense, the Conway Springs offense has hit its stride the past two weeks. The Cardinals rushed for 314 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-28 win over Remington and followed with 265 yards and five more rushing touchdowns in a 50-0 win last week against Elkhart. This week, Conway Springs gets an Ellinwood team that has given up at least 66 points in each of its first three games of a brutal four-game stretch to start their season.
Derek George, DE, Natoma (Schremmer)
The 6-1, 205-pound has been all over the field for the Natoma Tigers defense in the first three weeks. Helping Natoma to a 3-0 start, George has 53 tackles, four sacks and one interception. Also a full back, George has rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns on only 10 carries.
Malik O’Atis, RB, Shawnee Mission Northwest (Clisso)
The Northwest tailback is off to a strong start to the season in rushing for 298 yards and five touchdowns to go with 220 yards receiving and two more scores. Look for him to be a big part of the offense as the Cougars take on district rival Shawnee Mission North.
Jett Vincent, WR, Wheatland-Grinnell (Nicholl)
Jett, a junior, and his brother, Trey, are two of eight-man’s most well-known players. Trey is the four-year starting quarterback, and Jett is a starter since his freshman year at wide receiver and defensive back. On Friday, Wheatland-Grinnell (2-1) plays host to Gove County rival Quinter (3-0) in a key Eight-Man, Division II district matchup. This year, Trey has thrown for 466 yards with five touchdowns against one interception. Jett has 19 catches for 296 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 23 career interceptions, including one this season.
In each game this fall, Jett has at least five catches and at least one score. Last year, he finished with 44 catches for 809 yards and 15 receiving TDs. Jett had two catches for 37 yards and a score in the 34-26 win versus Quinter in 2020. He recorded at least one receiving TD in all but one game, the playoff loss to Victoria.
Harrison Voth, QB, Cheney (Boston)
Cheney senior quarterback Harrison Voth is off to another great season. The, 6-foot-1, 190-pound Voth has passed fr 781 yards and 11 touchdowns through the Cardinals first three games. He’s connected with his brother Jackson for 205 of those yards and four touchdowns. Harrison also has the capability to beat teams with his legs. Voth has rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns for the third-ranked Cardinals. Cheney begins district play on the road at Hugoton this week.
Wellsville Offensive Line (Gilmore)
The Wellsville Eagles are unbeaten after three weeks and perhaps flying a bit under the radar on the eastern half of Class 2A. Wellsville has opened with wins at Burlington (26-6), against Anderson County (55-0), and at Iola (42-14). The Eagles have shown good balance on offense in passing for 494 yards and rushing for 515 yards in those three games. A big reason for that success is the offensive line. Up front, the Eagles feature four seniors and several multi-year starters including tackles Eddie Lopez and Parker Lengel, center Cruz Farley, and guard Jake Berg. Berg is a three-year varsity starter including his time at Baldwin. Kaleb Green holds down the other guard spot and is the lone junior of the group. Green, Berg, and Farley are all three-year starters.
The Eagles have plenty of firepower with quarterback Dylan McCarty and running back Nash Money. McCarty has passed for 363 yards and five touchdowns and Money has 235 yards rushing and five scores. The Eagles will begin district play at home against Jayhawk-Linn. Look for the Eagle offensive line to lead Wellsville to a big win over the Jayhawks on Friday night.
Week 3 Picks to Click results (scoring):
Reed Adelhart, RB, Garden Plain – The Cheney defense limited the star senior running back to 4.2 yards per carry in a 34-7 win over Garden Plain. Adelhart, who was averaging 9.1 yards per carry over the first two games, still managed 92 rushing yards on 22 attempts. (Schremmer – 9 pts)
Trey Buckbee, WR, McPherson – Buckbee was limited to two catches for 15 yards and a touchdown in the Bullpups’ 34-19 over Great Bend. (Boston – 7 pts)
Mitch Budke, QB, Chase County – Chase County lost one of its top weapons early in last week's clash with fellow unbeaten Valley Falls when sophomore Brock Griffin went down with an injury. But the Bulldogs' biggest weapon, Budke, was firing on all cylinders and took the game over. Budke ran for 271 yards and five touchdowns and also completed both of his pass attempts for 42 yards and a touchdown as Chase County jumped out to a 36-6 halftime lead and ended the game via the 45-point mercy rule in the third quarter with a 52-6 win. Budke had touchdown runs of 56, 3, 2, 61 and 7 yards and his touchdown pass went for 32 yards to Aidan Eidman. (Maycock – 67 pts)
Brec Long, QB, Sedan – Long completed 6 of his 10 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the Blue Devils’ 58-8 win over Central Burden. Long also rushed five times for 102 yards and four touchdowns on the night as Sedan improved to 3-0. (Gilmore – 73 pts)
Fletcher Pankey, QB, Spring Hill – Pankey passed for 108 yards and two touchdowns and added 25 rush yards and another score as the Broncos blasted Ottawa, 54-7. (Clisso – 30 pts)
Keiondre Smith, QB, Caldwell – A junior, Smith continued his terrific production that began at the start of 2020. Smith led a comeback in a 36-34 home Eight-Man, Division II district win versus Norwich. Smith scored the game-tying 32-yard touchdown, and Jackson Risley ran in the game-winning two-point conversion. Caldwell is 3-0. Smith completed 5 of 12 passes for 120 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. He rushed 36 times for 200 yards and three scores. (Nicholl – 62 pts)
Wichita Northwest OL – The Kapaun defense limited Northwest to 391 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in the Crusaders’ 34-17 win. (Kuplen – 13 pts)
Standings for the 2021 season through Week 3:
- Matt Gilmore, Kpreps 207 points
- Conor Nicholl, Kpreps 187 points
- Brent Maycock, KSHSAA Covered 130 points
- Chet Kuplen, Sports in Kansas 97 points
- Mark Schremmer, Kpreps & Kansas Chronicles 88 points
- Sean Boston, KSKZ Radio 68 points
- Dion Clisso, PrepsKC.com 48 points
2021 Picks to Click
- The objective will be to have the most cumulative points over the course of the season.
- Participants may select a quarterback, running back, WR/TE, offensive line or a defensive player each week.
- Everyone must pick a WR/TE, offensive line and defensive player at least once.
- Points will be rewarded only for the player's offensive or defensive stats, depending on how you designate the player that week. For instance, if you pick a running back then you will not receive any of his points for defense.
Scoring system
QBs/RBs/WRs/TEs
- 1 point for every 10 yards passing, rushing or receiving from a quarterback, running back or wide receiver
- 6 points for every passing, rushing or receiving touchdown
Offensive line
- 1 point for every 50 yards gained as an offense
- 3 points for every offensive touchdown
Defensive player
- 2 points for every tackle
- 4 points for every INT, sack or fumble recovery
Use your Facebook account to add a comment or start a discussion. Posts are subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment.
