The Kpreps Friday First Look provides our impressions of some of the game’s most notable games and performance from Friday night’s action!
Class 6A
Blue Valley tops Aquinas in OT
Blue Valley traveled to St. Thomas Aquinas and spoiled the Saints’ Homecoming with a 36-35, overtime win.
This one was even throughout as the Saints and Tigers were tied 7-7 at halftime and each team scored twice in the third quarter.
Aquinas scored twice late in the third quarter to take its first lead. Gianni Rizzi rushed from 9 yards out to pull the Saints even at 14, then M.J. Overstreet picked up a fumbled Blue Valley option pitch and raced 48 yards for a score to put Aquinas up 21-14.
Blue Valley would respond a little over a minute later as Michael Solomon broke free up the middle for a 38-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21.
Aquinas would regain the lead in the fourth on a 1-yard run by Maxxwell Ford, but Blue Valley responded as Greyson Holbert hit Sterling Lockett for a 25-yard touchdown to knot the game at 28.
Blue Valley lined up for a potential game-winning field goal on the final play, but Charlie Weinrich couldn’t connect on the 47-yard attempt.
Aquinas got the ball first in overtime and scored on a touchdown pass from Ford to Jeremiah Penney.
Blue Valley answered in one play as Holbert connected with Gatlin Samuel from 10 yards out. The Tigers elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win. Holbert took the snap and dropped back under pressure to the 15-yard line, stepped up and escaped to his right to the end zone to give the Tigers the 36-35 win.
Holbert was the primary answer for the Tiger offense on Friday. He passed for 179 yards and two touchdowns on the night and added 158 yards and two more scores on the ground.
Aquinas was led by Ford’s 118 yards rushing while Sean Carroll added 106 yards and a score.
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Olathe West shocks No. 2 Olathe North
Olathe West turned in a stellar defensive performance in shutting out No. 2 Olathe North until the final minute as part of a 20-6 victory.
The Eagles didn’t reach the end zone until :52 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to pull within 20-6. Olathe North’s ensuing onside kick attempt was recovered by the Owls.
Lewie McMullen got Olathe West on the board in the first quarter with a 36-yard field goal. Mason McGavran then connected with Anthony Favrow on a 25-yard touchdown pass to put the Owls up 10-0 after the first quarter.
The score remained 10-0 until after an Olathe West interception, the Owls used the sudden change and some trickery to build their lead. Jake Scott connected with McGavran on the throwback pass for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead.
After an Eagle fumble, McMullen connected on a 25-yard field goal for a 20-0 lead. The Owls then kept Olathe North off balance by recovering an ensuing onside kick to keep the Eagles offense off the field.
The Owls improved to 3-1 with the win, while Olathe North fell to 3-1.
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Junction City tops Rural in OT
Junction City opened their new stadium with a thrilling 18-17 overtime win over previously-unbeaten Washburn Rural.
Trailing 10-7, Junction City’s Aiden Field connected on a 27-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining to tie the game 10-10.
In overtime, Washburn Rural’s Branton DeWeese connected on a short touchdown pass to Amr Sabbarini to put the Junior Blues up 17-10.
Junction City would respond as Xavion Felton scores on a short touchdown run in OT and then added the two-point conversion on basically the same play to give the Blue Jays the 18-17 win.
It was the second consecutive OT win over Junction City (3-1) who topped Seaman 23-16 in OT last week.
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Blue Valley North falls short in OT
Class 6A’s third-ranked Blue Valley North fell 28-27 in overtime to unbeaten Lee’s Summit North (Mo.).
Blue Valley North led 21-13 heading into the fourth quarter before the Broncos tied the game with two minutes left on a touchdown pass from Tre Baker to Devin Blayney. Baker added the two-point conversion to knot the game at 21.
Lee’s Summit North would late miss a 43-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game on the final play of regulation.
The Broncos got the ball first in overtime and scored on the first play as Quincey Baker rushed for a 10-yard score.
Blue Valley North responded as Henry Martin hit Mekhi Miller on a 9-yard touchdown pass to pull within 28-27. The Mustangs elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win, but Martin’s pass sailed just over the intended receiver in the end zone.
Martin passed for 276 yards and three touchdowns on the night. Cole Stratton caught 8 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, while Miller hauled in 12 receptions for 101 yards and two scores.
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Garden City tops Hays in WAC showdown
At Fort Hays’ Lewis Field Stadium, Garden City used two 15-play drives and beat Hays High, 27-21.
Hays entered Friday 3-0, and Garden City was 2-1. Garden City has now won a pair of one-score games. Last year, the Buffaloes went 1-2 in one-score games.
In the last five years, Garden City is 4-1 against Hays High. All four wins are by one-score.
Garden City broke a 14-14 lead with a 96-yard touchdown pass, per HHS broadcaster Dustin Armbruster. Hays tied the game on a Roy Moroni TD run. Then, Garden City went on its second 15-play drive for the game-winning touchdown.
Hays High nearly reached midfield on its final drive. The Indians had a slight edge in total yards.
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Class 5A
Mill Valley holds off Lawrence in Game of the Week
Top-ranked Mill Valley scored the game’s first 21 points and then held off a late charge from Lawrence to win the battle of unbeatens, 21-14.
The Jaguars scored once in each of the first three quarters and seemed to be in control 21-0 after Hayden Jay connected with Jared Napoli on a 77-yard strike early in the third.
That score remained until Avion Nelson scored from a few yards out early in the fourth to pull the Chesty Lions within 21-7.
Nelson later added a 15-yard score with under three minutes left to get Lawrence back within 21-14.
Jay passed for 232 yards and a score to lead the Jaguars. He also added 46 yards on the ground another touchdown. Tristan Baker led Mill Valley with 70 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Kendrick Jones caught seven passes for 124 yards.
The Jaguar defense held Lawrence to 238 yards of total offense.
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Maize South outscores Campus
Maize South improved to 4-0 with a 49-34 win over Haysville-Campus.
Maverick running back Evan Cantu continued his outstanding senior season with 22 carries for more than 315 yards and five touchdowns on Friday night.
Maize South is one of two remaining unbeatens (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) on the western half of Class 5A. The Mavericks will host Newton (0-4) next week.
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Class 4A
McPherson escapes Winfield
McPherson remained unbeaten after edging Winfield 21-14 in overtime.
It was a turnover-filled game that ended, well, on a turnover. The two teams battled to a 14-14 tie at the end of regulation as Winfield’s Austin Bryant narrowly missed a 44-yard field goal on the game’s final play.
McPherson got the ball first in overtime and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Aiden Hoover to take a 21-14 lead.
Winfield then fumbled on the second play of its possession with the Bullpups recovering to secure the win.
Jaytin Gumm rushed for 165 yards and two scores to lead the McPherson offense. Winfield was led by Riley Yingling who rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown and added 80 yards passing and a score.
The teams combined for seven turnovers.
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Ark City upsets 5A No. 4 Maize
Despite an incredible run to the Class 4A state championship game last fall, Ark City had managed just one win through the first three weeks of the 2021 season. The Bulldogs picked up an eye-opening 24-17 victory at Class 5A No. 4 Maize on Friday night.
Ark City stopped Maize three times in the red zone in the first half and recovered a fumble late in the half that led to a Gabe Welch to Lucas Barnes touchdown pass and a 14-3 halftime lead. The Bulldogs scored both first-half touchdowns in the final two minutes of the second quartet.
Ark City extended the lead to 21-3 early in the fourth quarter as Welch pushed across from 1-yard out.
Maize responded with a touchdown pass from Avery Johnson to Bryce Cohoon by to pull within 21-10, but Ark City got a Cadon Clark 38-yard field goal to regain a 24-10 lead.
The Eagles would pull within the final 24-17 margin on a short touchdown run by Johnson with :05 seconds remaining in the game.
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Class 3A
Galena escapes Parsons on the final play
Galena opened play in District 1 with a 14-6 victory at Parsons.
Bulldog quarterback Brett Sarwinski lobbed a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Little in the corner of the end zone on the game’s final play. The 6-foot-5 Little out jumped a pair of Viking defenders to haul in the winning score.
WATCH - Little's game-winning catch from Sarwinski (Courtesy @sportsinkansas)
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Colby wins runs past Smoky Valley
The Colby Eagles evened their record at 2-2 with a 39-14 win over previously-unbeaten Smoky Valley.
Tyler Voss rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries to lead the Eagle offense.
After consecutive losses to Cimarron and Ulysses, Colby will now take some momentum into next week’s showdown at District 6 favorite Southeast of Saline. The Trojans blasted Russell 71-0 on Friday and have outscored their four opponents by a combined score of 229-12.
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Riegel, Chapman run past Marysville
Chapman improved to 3-1 with a 48-14 win over Marysville.
The Irish rushed for 321 yards in the game led by senior Eli Riegel’s 137 yards and four touchdowns. Classmate Tate Milton added 104 yards and a score on just six carries and Trevor Mead added 57 yards and a touchdown.
After his fourth consecutive 100-yard game, Riegel now has rushed for 749 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
The Irish move to 1-0 in what should be a competitive Class 3A, District 5 with the likes of Concordia (4-0), Riley County (4-0), and Clay Center (2-2).
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Holton blows past Sabetha in second half
Fifth-ranked Holton held a slight 14-9 lead over Sabetha at halftime, but the Wildcats exploded for three touchdowns in the third quarter and pulled away for a 41-17 win.
Jayden Fletcher opened the third quarter with a long run to get the Wildcats in scoring position, then reached the end zone shortly after for a 21-9 lead. A few minutes later, Jace Hallauer added a short touchdown run for a 29-8 lead.
Garyson Booth then added his second touchdown of the game on a 33-yard run to extend the Wildcat lead to 35-9 late in the third quarter.
Hallauer then broke an 86-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach, 41-9.
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Class 2A
Nemaha Central battles past Atchison County
Nemaha Central shut out Atchison County 20-0 on Friday in what is expected to be a key game in 2A, District 4.
The second-ranked Thunder scored mid-way through the second quarter to take a 6-0 lead into halftime.
Nemaha Central added a touchdown late in the third quarter to lead 14-0 and a final touchdown with 8:00 left in the fourth for a 20-0 victory.
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Chaparral moves to 4-0
Chaparral improved to 4-0 with a 53-6 win over Leon-Bluestem. The Roadrunners scored 40 points in the first quarter and led 53-0 at halftime.
Quarterback Wyatt Drouhard passed for 181 yards and threw five touchdown passes to four different receivers. Drouhard connected with Jack Francis three times for 63 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw touchdown passes to Jackson Swartz, Aiden Guy, and Kaden Harding.
Guy also rushed for a touchdown and Chaparral was led by Austin Clark’s 93 yards rushing and a score.
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TMP runs shutout streak to two in big win over Syracuse
Thomas More Prep-Marian set a litany of milestones in its 62-0 road win against Syracuse in Class 2A district play. TMP beat Plainville, 21-0, in Week 3. First, TMP has shutout Syracuse in back-to-back years with a 32-0 win last year.
Since 1970, it marks the most points and biggest margin of victory for the Monarchs, according to the KFH database. It marked the first times since 1990 and 2002 that TMP has posted back-to-back shutouts.
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Class 1A
Conway rolls past Ellinwood
Izic Billups accounted for four touchdowns as Conway Springs raced out to a 45-0 halftime lead and cruised past Ellinwood, 45-13.
Billups rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns and connected with Lance Pauly on a pair of touchdown passes as part of a 116-yard passing night. Pauly caught three for 75 yards.
Conway Springs moved to 2-0 in district play and stays on a collision course with Sedgwick for the District 4 crown.
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Sedgwick dominates Stanton County
Sedgwick remained unbeaten with a 62-0 shutout of Stanton County on Friday night.
Cardinal quarterback Lance Hoffsommer passed for 257 yards and four touchdowns and added a pair of rushing scores in the win.
Sedgwick has outscored its four opponents by a combined score of 240-22 this season.
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8-Man Football
No. 2 Axtell knocks off No. 1 Hanover, 30-24
Axtell’s Isaac Detweiler came up with a huge interception with just over a minute to go as No. 2 Axtell held off No. 1 Hanover, 30-24, on Friday night.
The two eight-man heavy-weights traded touchdowns for much of the night until Axtell scored three consecutive touchdowns in the second half to turn a 16-12 deficit into a 30-16 lead. Detweiler rushed for two of those scores with Brandon Schmelzle adding the third from 8 yards out.
Hanover would pull within one score as Braelen Stallbaumer scored from 6 yards out and then hit Keagan Dimler on the two-point conversion to pull within 30-24 with 5;37 remaining.
After an Axtell turnover, Detweiler got his second interception of Stallbaumer late to thwart Hanover’s scoring threat. The Wildcats had the ball again late but a desperation heave fell incomplete.
Detweiler led the Eagles with 182 yards rushing and three scores. He also passed for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Stallbaumer led Hanover with 103 yards and two scores on the ground and 152 yards through the air, but was intercepted three times. Hanover had four turnovers on the night to Axtell’s one.
The victory for Axtell stopped defending-champion Hanover’s 14-game winning streak. Hanover’s last loss – a 26-12 decision to Axtell in the 2019 state semifinals.
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Sedan, Yates Center, Marmaton Valley roll in District 1
With district play opening in Eight-Man, Division I, we highlight some results from District 1 where teams are a combined 16-8.
Yates Center improved to 4-0 with a 56-6 win over Oswego. The Wildcats are unbeaten after four weeks for the first time since 1969. Yates Center has used an up-tempo, spread formation offense to average 54.5 points per game.
Sedan rolled to an impressive 72-22 win over West Elk in a battle of unbeatens. The Blue Devils got another big game from Brec Long who has a had in seven touchdowns. The Sedan defense also came up big in forcing six West Elk turnovers.
Finally, Marmaton Valley improved to 3-1 with a 54-6 halftime victory over Cedar Vale-Dexter. Wildcat senior Quincy Adams scored 5 touchdowns to lead the offense. Adams now has 12 total touchdowns on the season.
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Canton-Galva outpaces Bennington
Top-ranked Canton-Galva used a 20-6 fourth quarter to pull away from previously-unbeaten Bennington, 60-42.
The Eagles led 26-20 at halftime and 40-36 after three quarters before scoring three consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Jayden Ediger connected on touchdown passes to Cason Mastre and Tyson Struber to push the lead to 52-36, then Struber broke a 40-yard run to put Canton-Galva up 60-36.
Struber rushed for 72 yards and four touchdowns on the night while catching seven passes for 208 yards and four more scores. Ediger passed for 283 yards and five touchdowns in the game.
Bennington quarterback Ryker Greene passed for 277 yards and three scores and added 121 yards rushing and two more touchdowns. Greene connected with 6-foot-4 receiver Cayden Bauer five times for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
District 4 could be decided next week when Canton-Galva (4-0) travels to No. 3 Little River (4-0) and Bennington (3-1) makes the trip to Solomon (3-1).
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Wheatland-Grinnell wins Gove County Rivalry
Wheatland-Grinnell and Quinter are both just outside the top-5 in Eight-Man, Division II. They are expected to pace District 8. Wheatland-Grinnell won its Homecoming game and third straight in the series with a 58-26 victory against Quinter. Wheatland-Grinnell led 20-12 at halftime and stopped the Bulldogs inside the Thunderhawk 15-yard line on the final play of the first half. Quinter, out of timeouts, completed a pass and tried to run a hook-and-ladder but fumbled the ball.
Wheatland-Grinnell had five touchdowns from senior running back Isaac Mendez. He returned a fumble 54 yards for a TD in the first half. Mendez collected four rushing touchdowns, all in the second half. Junior Jett Vincent set a career-high with four receiving scores, all from his brother, senior Trey. Senior Tyrell Chapin led the defense with three sacks and three forced fumbles.
The Thunderhawks pulled ahead with a 24-6 margin in the third quarter and led 44-18 after three. Quinter struggled some with senior quarterback Jaden Boone, the team’s best player, limited with injury. He played with a cast on his left forearm, and then was banged up during the game. Both teams are 3-1.
The Thunderhawks have won three straight, including two against squads with winning records, since a season-opening loss to Axtell. It marked the most points Wheatland-Grinnell has ever scored against Quinter since Wheatland and Grinnell first joined together to play football in the mid-2000s, per the Kansas Football History database.
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6-Man Football
Northern Valley beats Rolla at Grainfield
In a game played earlier Friday at Grainfield, Northern Valley beat Rolla, 69-6, and sets a big home game with Weskan next Friday.
For Northern Valley, sophomore Jeremiah Hansen and junior Foster Brands each rushed for three touchdowns. Sophomore Gabriel Rudd had a pair of rushing TDs. The Huskies have already exceeded their win total after last year’s 2-5 fall.
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Weskan tops Cheylin
After seeing their 11-game win streak stopped last week in a loss to Ashland, defending-champion Cheylin dropped their second straight game with a 37-33 loss to Weskan.
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