Back to Kpreps this fall, our contributors will hand out helmet stickers to a team or individual that delivered the most important performance of the week in their opinion. Check back each Sunday to see that week’s helmet stickers, and follow @Kpreps on Twitter and Facebook to watch as the Kpreps helmet fills up with stickers as the season goes on.
Helmet sticker: Axtell (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
Axtell’s Isaac Detweiler delivered another big performance on Friday as his No. 2 Eagles upset No. 1 Hanover in an Eight-Man, Division II showdown.
Detweiler’s interception with a little more than a minute helped Axtell escape Hanover with a 30-24 victory – their third in the past three seasons over arguably the state’s top Eight-Man program.
These two contenders traded touchdowns for much of the night until Axtell scored three consecutive times 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 touchdown.
Hanover would pull within 30-24 with 5:37 remaining as Braelen Stallbaumer scored and connected with Keagan Dimler. That’s when Detweiler recorded his second interception of the night to halt the Hanover scoring threat.
Detweiler led the Eagles with 182 yards rushing and three scores. He also passed for 57 yards and a touchdown. Just a junior, Detweiler has been instrumental in Axtell’s recent success against Hanover – although Hanover has still won 15 of the past 18 meetings.
Axtell beat Hanover twice in 2019 on its way to a state runner-up finish. That regular-season victory in 2019 was Axtell’s first over the Wildcats since 2005 and it halted Hanover’s 43-game win streak. It was Detweiler, then a freshman, who entered the game in the first quarter after an injury to Axtell all-state quarterback Quinn Buessing. Detweiler produced 127 yards of total offense and threw three touchdowns passes that night – including an 11-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion with less than a minute to go to win 28-26.
In the state semifinal game later that fall, Detweiler played receiver and caught nine passes for 109 yards and a touchdown from a healthy Buessing. Axtell defeated Hanover 26-12 to advance to the state championship game the following week. ]
Detweiler is one of the Eight-Man football’s top players and is the extension of his dad, Axtell coach Eric Detwieler, on the field. He is one of the few players who can say they have a winning record (3-2) against powerful Hanover.
After Friday’s victory, Axtell assumed the top spot in the Kpreps Rankings this week and both the Eagles and Hanover appear to be on a collision course for another late season showdown.
Helmet sticker: Mulvane (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
In the preseason, Kpreps picked Mulvane as a Class 4A Potential Breakout Team. The Wildcats opened the season with a 24-14 loss to Wichita Collegiate and a 32-6 defeat to Andale. Those teams are a combined 8-0 and ranked in the top-two Class 3A spots. Andale has won 29 straight contests, and Mulvane’s 26-point margin for the Indians is their third-closest in the last 21 games.
Since then, Mulvane has pulled off back-to-back wins: 32-13 at Clearwater and 28-14 at Circle. The Wildcats have already doubled their win total from last season. Mulvane has had the well-publicized return of senior quarterback Mason Ellis after he missed nearly all last season with injury. However, several other key players have stepped up, too, especially defensively.
The Wildcats have allowed 20.8 points per game. When Mulvane’s opponents have not played the Wildcats, they have collectively scored 37.1 points per contest. Specifically, 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior running back/linebacker Trent Moses, a solid wrestler, has come out for football this season. Moses was fifth in Class 4A wrestling last winter at 138 pounds. In the spring, he helped Mulvane golf qualify for state as a team for the first time in school history.
Ellis, a North Dakota State commit, completed 17 of 26 passing for 315 yards with three scores against two interceptions. Hunter Seier caught nine passes for 219 yards and two scores. One of the passes went for a 95-yard score to Seier, which broke the school record. Drew Ellis, Mason’s brother, previously had the mark.
Plus, Circle quarterback Luke McGinnis and wide receiver Ty Smith set school records for single-game passing and receiving yards in Week 3. McGinnis threw for 364 and Smith had 244 receiving yards. Mulvane limited Circle to 11 of 26 for 193 with a touchdown against four interceptions.
Seier picked off two passes, Ellis one and Moses one. Josh Phillips, Ethan Irvine, and Trenton Davis all recorded at least four tackles, one for loss. As well, Mulvane has had excellent punting with Chase Dieker and Ellis. They combined for five punts for a 40.6 average and three inside the 20-yard line.
Overall, Mulvane has scored 80 points, passed for 774 and had 1,190 yards of total offense, per Mulvane Sports. The Wildcats already have 20 plays of 20 yards or more. Defensively, Mulvane has broken up 17 passes. Moses leads with 18 tackles, while Davis has 17.5 tackles and three breakups.
Last year, Mulvane had 71 points and recorded 935 yards of total offense all season. Davis recorded 30 tackles with four pass breakups.
Helmet sticker: Olathe West (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
One of the more impressive results from Week 4 was Olathe West’s 20-6 victory over then 6A No. 2 Olathe North.
The Owls were certainly seen as a team that could be a factor on the eastern half of Class 6A, but this victory may have elevated them to “contender” status.
Olathe West held an Olathe North offense that had averaged more than 41 points per game entering Friday night, to just six points scored in the final minute of the game. The Eagles didn’t reach the end zone until :52 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Owls then promptly recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt to end the game. The Owl defense limited Olathe North to 180 yards of total offense on the night and forced a pair of turnovers.
The Olathe West offense did just enough on Friday. The Owls are led by quarterback Mason McGavran and running back Anthony Favrow. The two connected on a 25-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter after a Lewie McMullen field goal to build the Owls’ lead to 10-0.
That 10-0 lead held up until the third quarter when after an Olathe West interception, the Owls used the sudden change to implement a quarterback throwback pass from Jake Scott to McGavran from 15 yards out and a 17-0 lead.
After an Eagle fumble, McMullen connected on a 25-yard field goal to push the lead to 20. The Owls then surprised Olathe North with an ensuing onside kick to keep the Eagles offense off the field.
The victory was the first in school history for Olathe West over perennial contender Olathe North. Coach T. J. O’Neill’s Owls improved to 3-1 on the season after the victory and are a team to watch out for in Class 6A.
Helmet sticker: Weskan (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
Weskan delivered a big home 37-33 upset against Cheylin, which was ranked No. 2 in the Kpreps poll entering the week. Cheylin was 20-1 in its last 21 games before a Week 3 loss to Ashland, which moved to the No. 1 ranking in 6-Man. Cheylin has lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2018.
Weskan improved to 3-1 with three close wins. The Coyotes had its first three games on the road: 42-30 win versus Pawnee Heights, 54-46 at Golden Plains and a 67-19 loss to Natoma, currently undefeated in six-man.
Weskan and Cheylin, played Friday afternoon, in a game that went back and forth. Weskan’s Jadon Schemm threw a touchdown pass to Dalton Mackley with one second left before halftime for a 19-13 lead.
Cheylin then tied the game at 19. Weskan followed with two scores for a 31-19 advantage. Dalton Mackley has continued his standout career. The senior is the most decorated returning player in six-man football. He is a two-time first team all-state Kpreps 6-Man selection. Last year, he earned honors at end/receiver. Mackley has put together a big season, including more than 180 rushing yards and four touchdowns versus Cheylin. He recorded 70 passing yards and a receiving touchdown.
Schemm threw a pair of touchdown passes, one to Mackley and another to Lane Purvis. Coach Brett Clow said the offensive line played the best it has all year, especially Purvis, a three-year starter on the line. Last year, Mackley, who plays wide receiver/utility/defensive back/kick and punt return, recorded 47 catches for 753 yards and 10 scores, rushed for four TDs and threw three passing scores.
This is a big week for six-man games, including Weskan at Northern Valley (3-1).
Helmet Stickers (2021 Season)
Week 1 – Bishop Ward, Chapman, Iola, Royal Valley
Week 2 – Natoma, Russell, Topeka West
Week 3 – Chaparral, Cimarron, Linn, Towanda-Circle
Week 4 – Axtell, Mulvane, Olathe West, Weskan
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