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
Free State knocks off 5A No. 1 Mill Valley
Lawrence Free State scored in each quarter in topping Class 5A’s top-ranked Mill Valley, 41-20, and snapping the Jaguars’ 11-game win streak.
Dash Cleveland rushed for a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to give the Firebirds a 13-0 lead. Mill Valley pulled to within 13-7 on a 59-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Jay to Kendrick Jones.
But Free State would respond right before the half as Jet Dineen tossed up a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jerred Willits with a few seconds left for a 20-7 advantage.
Mill Valley would pull within a score twice in the third quarter. First it was Jay breaking free for a 31-yard touchdown run to trim the Free State lead to 20-13.
The Firebirds responded as Dineen hit Xavier McKnight on a 12-yard touchdown pass to regain a two-score lead at 27-13. Just a few seconds later, Mill Valley was right back in it as Reice Kennedy broke a 64-yard touchdown run to make the score 27-20 heading to the fourth quarter.
The final period belonged to the host Firebirds as Dineen raced for a 69-yard touchdown and later added a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Brown for the 41-20 win.
Dineen passed for 148 yards and three touchdowns on the night while adding 142 yards and a score rushing. Cleveland chipped in 130 rushing yards and those two early touchdowns.
Jay passed for 156 yards and a score and added 51 yards rushing and another touchdown. Kennedy led the Jaguars with 73 rush yards on seven attempts.
Things don’t get any easier for the defending 5A champs. Mill Valley (4-1) hosts Olathe West (4-1) next week. Free State (4-1) travels to Olathe South (3-2).
----
Blue Valley pulls away from Blue Valley North
Fourth-ranked Blue Valley got a touchdown late in the second quarter and pulled away for a 45-23 win over No. 3 Blue Valley North.
The Tigers (4-1) scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the second quarter to turn a one-point game into a 24-9 halftime lead.
After the two teams traded leads early, Blue Valley went in front for good on a Charlie Weinrich field goal to go up 10-9. Blue Valley quarterback Greyson Holbert scored on a short rushing touchdown to make it 17-9, and his touchdown pass with :04 seconds left in the half pushed the lead to 24-9 at the break.
Blue Valley extended their lead out of the lockerroom as Holbert scored on another short touchdown run for a 31-9 lead.
Blue Valley North’s Henry Martin led the Mustangs on a scoring drive to pull within 31-17.
But the Tigers would answer back as Michael Solomon scored from 20 yards out for a 38-17 lead. Blue Valley then intercepted a Martin pass in the end zone and the Tigers’ ensuing drive resulted in a Solomon touchdown run for a 45-17 lead.
Martin would hit Mekhi Miller late on a touchdown to pull within the final margin.
Blue Valley (4-1) will travel to Bishop Miege next week, while Blue Valley North (3-2) will host unbeaten Blue Valley Northwest (5-0).
----
Manhattan runs past Topeka Seaman
Manhattan remained unbeaten by using a big night on the ground in defeating Topeka Seaman, 48-21.
Senior running back Vinny Smith rushed for 194 yards and three scores to lead the Indian offense. Manhattan rushed for 292 yards on the night.
Quarterback Keenan Schartz added 72 yards rushing and a score and also passed for 62 yards including a touchdown to Jaxon Bowles.
Smith has now rushed for 593 yards and ten touchdowns this season.
----
Shawnee Mission Northwest holds off Lawrence
Shawnee Mission Northwest scored in each quarter to top Lawrence, 41-24, on Friday night.
Malik O’Atis rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns and added 105 receiving yards and two more scores as part of his five-touchdown night. O’Atis also added two interceptions on defense.
Blake Reeder also connected
The Cougars improve to 3-2 with the victory and send Lawrence to its second straight loss.
----
Topeka High outscores Highland Park
Topeka High moved to 2-3 on the season after outscoring Highland Park, 70-42, on Friday night.
Trojan running back Tylan Alejos rushed for 400 yards and eight touchdowns in the victory.
Topeka High led 36-28 at halftime on the strength of four Alejos touchdowns. Tylan continued his dominance in the second half in rushing for three consecutive touchdowns to build the Trojan lead to 57-34 after three quarters. Alejos’ eighth touchdown in the fourth quarter gave Topeka High a 64-34 lead.
Tre Richardson put up more than 300 all-purpose yards on the night for the Scots. Richardson caught a pair of touchdown passes, rushed for a score, and returned two kicks for touchdowns.
Highland Park has now lost 61 consecutive games dating back to the 2014 season.
----
Class 5A
Spring Hill cruises past De Soto
The Spring Hill Broncos passed a big test on Friday with a 28-14 win over De Soto.
The Broncos scored on all four first-half possession in taking a commanding 28-0 lead into halftime.
Zach Knowlton rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the first half and quarterback Fletcher Pankey tossed touchdowns passes to Daniel Mitchell and Kameron Crotchett.
Defenses ruled the second half as the two teams traded punts. De Soto scored on a Tyler Schultze touchdown pass to Ethan Schultze followed by a Tyler Schultze touchdown run.
Spring Hill is 5-0 on the season and will have a chance to secure at least 6 wins in a single season for the first time since 1995 when the Broncos finished 7-3.
Spring Hill’s victory on Friday coupled with Mill Valley’s loss to Lawrence Free State means that the Broncos are the lone unbeaten team on the eastern half of Class 5A.
---
Hays rolls over Abilene, 64-7
Hays High rolled over Abilene, 64-7, in a road victory. The 4-1 Indians have now scored at least 50 points in three of its victories.
Hays tied the school record for points in a game, per Indian broadcaster Dustin Armbruster. Roy Moroni rushed for four touchdowns, and Jack Fields kicked six extra points.
The Indians will now face a challenging last three regular season games with at Dodge City (4-1), home against Maize South (5-0), and at Wichita Northwest (3-2).
Abilene has not won a game since Week 8 in the 2018 season and has lost 21 in a row.
---
Aquinas falls at Missouri-power CBC
The St. Thomas Aquinas Saints couldn’t overcome four turnovers in a 42-7 loss at Missouri-power Christian Brothers College (CBC) out of the St. Louis area. The loss was the third in three consecutive weeks for the Saints who dropped a 3-point decision to Bishop Miege then a 1-point overtime loss to Blue Valley last week.
CBC’s Ralph Dixon broke a 74-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the game to put the Cadets up 7-0.
After an Aquinas fumble, CBC was in the end zone again in just four plays on a Patrick Heitert short touchdown run for a 14-0 lead.
Jeremiyah Love broke free for a 45-yard touchdown to put CBC up 21-0 midway through the second quarter.
Aquinas finally answered on a Maxxwell Ford 45-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Marozas to pull within 21-7 late in the half.
CBC would respond with a touchdown in the third quarter and two more scores in the final period for the 42-7 win.
Aquinas rushed for more than 250 yards on the night but lost three fumbles. Sean Carroll rushed for 111 yards to lead the Saints.
Dixon rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns for the Cadets.
----
Class 4A
Bishop Miege doubles up Blue Valley West
Top-ranked Bishop Miege produced more than 500 yards of total offense as part of a 28-14 win over Blue Valley West on Friday night.
Stag quarterback Mac Armstrong completed 28 of 34 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns on the night. He also added 61 yards on the ground.
Rohan Putz led Bishop Miege with five catches for 110 yards and four touchdowns – the fourth coming from Aidan Wing instead of Armstrong.
The Stag defense held Blue Valley West to 222 yards of total offense on the night and forced a pair of turnovers.
---
Wamego in OT, again!
We have completed five weeks of the regular season and the Wamego Red Raiders have had three contests go into a total of eight overtimes.
On Friday, The Red Raiders were tied with Paola 14-14 at the end of regulation.
The Panthers got the ball first and scored to take a 21-14 lead.
Wamego then pushed across the winning score and two-point conversion for the 22-21 victory.
Wamego improves to 4-1 on the season, while Paola drops to 2-3.
----
Louisburg scores late to top Eudora
Facing 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line and trailing 12-7, Louisburg’s Declan Battle breaks across for the touchdown. The Wildcat two-point conversion was not successful, but the Wildcats held on for a 13-12 win.
----
Fort Scott picks up victory on final play
Similar to Louisburg, Fort Scott scored on the game’s final play to secure a 19-15 win over Labette County.
The Tigers trailed the Grizzlies 15-13 before Cade Gulager scored on a two-yard touchdown run on the game’s final play.
WATCH – Cade Gulager’s winning touchdown for Fort Scott (courtesy (@FSHSTigers)
---
Class 3A
Cheney handles Pratt 27-14
In one of the week’s most anticipated games, No. 3 Cheney traveled to Pratt and defeated the Greenbacks 27-14 in a battle of unbeaten teams in Class 3A.
After a Pratt three-&-out, Cheney waisted little time to get its high-powered offense going. The Cardinals started with a pair of short quarterback draws from Harrison Voth before he went to the air and eventually connected with Luke Grace on a 14-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.
Pratt then put together a long drive that included two fourth-down conversions, but the Greenbacks couldn’t get a third and were turned away at the 21-yard line.
On the very next play, Voth connected with Grace again on a short pass that turned into a 79-yard touchdown sprint and a 14-0 Cardinal lead.
Pratt would answer by keeping the ball on the ground and eventually cash-in a long drive with a Johnny Martinez 9-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed and left Cheney in front, 14-6.
The momentum appeared to be switching to the home Greenbacks after they forced a Cardinal punt on the next possession. Pratt’s Max Younie then raced into the secondary past midfield, but was stripped by a defender given the Cardinals the ball back at their own 46-yard line with about two minutes until halftime.
That was plenty of time for Voth as he connected with Grace on a 26-yard scoring toss and a 21-6 lead.
The Cardinals also got the ball to start the third quarter and extended their lead as Voth avoided heavy pressure, drifted left, and hit his brother Jackson Voth in the back of the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown and a 27-6 lead.
Cheney maintained that same three-score lead until late when Enoch Walton scored for Pratt with :16 seconds remaining.
The victory keeps Cheney atop the Class 3A, District 8 standings with another big game against Holcomb (4-1) next week.
----
Girard wins unbeaten battle with Prairie View in Game of the Week
Girard scored 24 consecutive points and shut down Prairie View for three quarters during a 38-15 victory over the Buffaloes in LaCygne.
The game between the two unbeatens in Class 3A was voted on by Kpreps Fans as the statewide Game of the Week.
Damien Kline’s touchdown run gave Prairie View a 15-14 lead early in the second quarter and from there on, Girard dominated this game.
The Trojans added a touchdown and a field goal to lead 25-15 at halftime, then expanded that lead to 38-15 by the end of the third quarter.
With the victory, Girard improves to 5-0 for the first time since 1999.
----
Andale cruises to district win at Hesston
Andale won its 30th consecutive game with a 48-0 win at Hesston.
It was the Indians’ second consecutive shutout and the 11th shutout during their 30-game win streak over the past three seasons.
----
Russell shocks Scott City
The Russell Broncos improved to 3-2 and continued to be one of the more intriguing teams of 2021.
Russell opened the season with two wins, including 23-17 in three overtimes against TMP. The Broncos were then handed back-to-back shutout losses by a combined score of 111-0.
On Friday, Russell won at Scott, 12-7. With the Broncos trailing 7-6 and only 2:30 remaining in the game, Andrew Sohm threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Josh Sohm to give Russell the lead.
The Broncos were 0-5 against Scott City since ’12 and had scored seven total points during that span. Scott City missed three starters, per Western Kansas News. Plus, Russell standout Jesse Whitmer had returned from injury.
----
Class 2A
St. Marys upsets No. 2 Nemaha Central
The St. Marys Bears pulled off a major upset in Class 2A, District 4 with a 30-12 victory over No. 2 Nemaha Central.
The Bears took a slim 6-0 lead into halftime as Keller Hurla scored on a short touchdown run.
St. Marys led 14-12 going into the fourth quarter and Hurla gave the Bears a two-score advantage with a short touchdown run with 1:34 remaining in the game for a 22-12 lead.
Luke Homan then intercepted a Thunder pass and returned it for a touchdown and the 30-12 victory.
----
Chaparral remains unbeaten
Chaparral remained unbeaten with a 41-21 statement victory over Central Plains League rival Garden Plain. The Roadrunners led 20-7 at halftime and scored twice in the third quarter to pull away.
Quarterback Wyatt Drouhard completed 24 of his 34 pass attempts for 364 yards and six touchdowns. Drouhard threw touchdown passes to three different receivers. Kaden Harding caught eight passes for 139 yards and three scores, while Jackson Swartz added 103 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Alex Pfaff had 44 yards and two scores.
Chaparral managed only 9 rushing yards on 15 attempts for the game.
Meanwhile, Garden Plain was led by Reed Adelhardt’s 146 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Both teams committed three turnovers on the night.
----
Legend leads Hoisington over Minneapolis
Hoisington won its fourth consecutive game with a 36-6 decision over Minneapolis on Friday.
Cardinal back Legend Robinson rushed 24 times for 327 yards and five touchdowns in the victory. After tonight, Robinson has pushed his season rushing total to 1,043 yards and 14 touchdowns on only 97 carries.
Hoisington improves to 4-1 on the season, but more importantly 2-0 in district play. The Cardinals and Beloit are both 2-0 in Class 2A, District 8. Hoisington and Beloit are scheduled to meet in Beloit to close out the regular season.
----
TMP posts third consecutive shutout
Thomas More Prep-Marian earned its third straight shutout by beating Ellis, 27-0, in the Ellis County Rivalry at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. TMP has won its last three games by a combined score of 110-0.
The Monarchs led 7-0 most of the first half and then scored with 10 seconds before halftime. TMP improved to 4-1 this year and has won five straight in the in-county rivalry. The last three wins were by a combined 17 points.
Standout junior quarterback Kade Harris was briefly knocked out of the game, though did return. Ellis had a short punt, and TMP took over at the 15-yard line. The Monarchs eventually scored a rushing touchdown.
The Monarchs have posted back-to-back shutouts several times in the last 40 years, including three occasions in ’82 alone, along with ’86, ’88, ’90 and ’02. However, this is the first time the Monarchs have shutout three straight teams in at least 50 years.
---
Class 1A
Ellinwood edges Sacred Heart in OT
Ellinwood snapped a 20-game losing streak with a 9-6, double-overtime victory at Salina Sacred Heart on Friday night.
The Eagles and Knights finished regulation tied a 6 and neither team scored on their first OT possession.
Ellinwood foreign exchange student Moritz Jaehme kicked a 24-yard field goal in the second OT to give the Eagles the victory.
Prior to Friday night, Ellinwood’s last victory came on September 13, 2019 against Sublette.
----
Inman dominates 1A showdown with Plainville
At Plainville, No. 3 Inman delivered a complete effort in a 48-3 win for a key Class 1A district victory.
Inman allowed its first points this year, though has still not allowed a touchdown.
Harrison Brunk, who missed a chunk of the first month with injury, had the game’s first two scores on catches of four and 15 yards. Then, Kendyn Blank rushed for a pair of scores around a Plainville field goal. Inman led 24-3 at halftime.
In the second half, Kyler Konrade rushed for an 80-yard TD run, and Tanner Heckel delivered a pair of scoring runs. Senior quarterback Jace Doerksen threw for 179 yards. Senior Dawson Mannebach had a big game up front on both sides.
----
8-Man Football
No. 3 Little River holds off No. 1 Canton-Galva, 60-52
Defending-champion Little River scored three consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat No. 1 Canton-Galva, 60-52, in classic matchup between the two eight-man heavyweights.
The Redskins and Eagles entered the fourth quarter tied at 38. Little River scored right away as Rylan Konen tossed a 58-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Smith for a 44-38 lead.
Braden Young then intercepted Canton-Galva quarterback Garrett Maltbie for the second time on the night to give the Redskins the ball back. A little over a minute later, Braxton Lafferty raced to the end zone from 50 yards out to put Little River up 52-38.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Konen added a short touchdown run that extended the Little River lead to 60-38.
Maltbie and standout wide receive Tyson Struber would pull Canton-Galva closer as Struber made a diving touchdown catch to cut the margin to 60-46 with 3:28 remaining.
Canton-Galva would then get the ensuing onside kick and score on a Maltbie pass to Cason Mastre to get within 60-52 with a little over a minute to go, but Little River would hold on for the 60-52 win.
The two teams did things in different fashions on Friday night. Little River rushed for 444 yards led by Lafferty’s 332-yard, 5-touchdown effort. Konen also added 103 yards on the ground and two scores while passing for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Maltbie returned from injury to quarterback Canton-Galva to a 436-yard passing night. He threw five touchdown passes – three to Mastre and two to Struber – but also had the two interceptions. Struber had 11 catches for 184 yards and two scores, while Mastre caught six for 136 and three scores. Struber also rushed for 34 yards and two touchdowns.
The game was close throughout as Little River led 22-12 after the first quarter and 30-26 at halftime. Canton-Galva took its first lead in the third quarter on consecutive Maltbie touchdown passes to go up 38-30.
Canton-Galva turned the ball over four times on the night to Little River’s three.
----
Top-ranked Axtell drills No. 5 Frankfort
Isaac Detweiler accounted for seven touchdowns as top-ranked Axtell looked every bit the part of a No. 1 team in throttling No. 5 Frankfort, 54-8.
Detweiler’s long touchdown pass to Grady Buessing less than a minute into the game set the tone for the night. The Eagles held that 6-0 lead until late in the first quarter when Detwelier broke a 28-yard touchdown run. He then added a short touchdown run a few minutes later for an 18-0 lead.
Frankfort would get on the board in the second quarter as Ethan Armstrong scored from midfield.
But Detweiler and Axtell would come right back with three more scores before halftime to take a 40-8 lead.
Detweiler broke a 59-yard touchdown run followed by touchdown passes to Grady Buessing and Evan Buessing before hald.
After halftime, Ethan Broxterman raced to the end zone from 35 yards out and Detweiler added his fourth rushing score on a short run to end the game.
Detweiler passed for 127 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 131 yards rushing and four more scores.
Armstrong led Frankfort with 91 yards rushing and the lone Wildcat score.
Axtell (5-0) will travel to Linn (2-3) next week, while Frankfort (4-1) will try to regroup against defending-champion Hanover (3-2).
----
Osborne sends Hanover to second straight loss
In a key Eight-Man, Division II non-district game, Osborne defeated No. 2-ranked Hanover, 36-26.
Osborne won its fourth consecutive game. Defending champion Hanover had won 14 straight games before back-to-back losses to Axtell and Osborne.
Hanover has not lost two games in the regular season since 2013.
----
Victoria blows out Central Plains to take control in District 5
Third-ranked Victoria took a major step to clinch District 5 with a 56-6 home win versus Central Plains. The Knights moved to 4-1, 3-0 in district.
Victoria led 22-6 after the first quarter and 42-6 at halftime. Grant Schoenrock finished 8 of 12 passing for 128 yards and two scores. Nate Windholz had eight rushes for 100 yards and two TDs, including a 63-yard run. Schoenrock rushed a pair of TDs, too. Windholz also caught four passes for 87 yards. Thaddeus Wohler, who has played some quarterback this year, had a 64-yard run and 21-yard pass for scores in the second half.
Victoria has defeated Central Plains (3-2) and Sylvan-Lucas (2-3), considered the other top-two teams in the district. The Knights have Wilson and Tescott, combined 1-8 squads, the next two weeks before closing with Otis-Bison, a team that has already lost to Sylvan-Lucas.
----
6-Man Football
No. 3 Cunningham drills No. 1 Ashland
Third-ranked Cunningham made its case for the top team in 6-Man football with a 72-24 win over top-ranked Ashland.
The Wildcats have now won 11 of their past 13 games after restarting the football program in 2019. Cunningham went 1-7 during that 2019 season with the one win coming via an opponent forfeit.
Not the Wildcats have arguably the top 6-Man team in the state a short time later.
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.
