Each Thursday throughout the regular season, The Pick List will feature a few of the best match-ups across the state, and make our predictions on a handful of other games.
Feature Games of the Week:
5A No. 1 Bishop Carroll (4-1) at 5A No. 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (5-0)
The “Holy War” is an annual event, but it’s not often that the two rivals face as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the state.
That, however, is the case as the Bishop Carroll Golden Eagles face the Kapaun Mt. Carmel Crusaders at the Stryker Complex.
Bishop Carroll has won each matchup since 1999, but the Crusaders enter this matchup undefeated.
The Kapaun running game is led by sophomore Omari Elias. The 5-foot-9, 192-pound running back has rushed for 855 yards and seven touchdowns on only 101 carries. Sophomore quarterback Dylan Hamilton has been extremely accurate, completing 33 of 44 passes for 434 yards with seven touchdowns.
Hamilton’s favorite target is wide receiver Nathan Thengvall, who has 13 catches for 187 yards and four touchdowns. Junior tight end Will Anciaux, who is listed at 6-6 and 220 pounds and is one of the state’s top recruits for 2023, has nine catches for 104 yards and a TD.
Kapaun is fresh off an 80-20 win over Wichita Southeast.
The Crusaders and Golden Eagles have to like opponents in Wichita Northwest and Wichita South. Kapaun enjoyed the larger margin of victory in both instances. The Crusaders topped Northwest 34-17, while Bishop Carroll held off Northwest 37-27. Kapaun beat South 55-0, and the Eagles won 35-6.
Bishop Carroll’s only loss of the season came to 6A’s top-ranked Derby Panthers. Derby defeated Carroll 44-36 in Week 3.
The Eagles fell behind 41-23 at halftime in that game and were unable to make up the deficit despite outscoring the Panthers 13-3 in the second half.
Bishop Carroll displayed a strong passing attack against Derby as quarterback Chase Smarsh completed 21 of 34 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns. Matt Holthusen caught four passes for 122 yards and 2 TDs, while Tate Blasi hauled in 10 passes for 90 yards and two scores.
Carroll nipped Kapaun 31-28 a year ago. Since 2017, every meeting has been decided by two scores or fewer.
Our Pick: Bishop Carroll 34, Kapaun 28 (Schremmer)
5A No. 4 Maize South (5-0) at Maize (4-1)
Both Maize and Maize South have consistently posted excellent seasons, though Maize has held the advantage in the series, mainly because of its great offense. Maize has won the last four in the series: 35-0, 28-0, 42-38 and 59-27. The last two games came last year when Maize South couldn’t slow down Maize RB/returner Josh Sanders.
Maize South joins Kapaun Mt. Carmel and Spring Hill as the last undefeated teams in 5A.
This season, Maize South has been a slight surprise and has already clinched its tenth straight winning record under Brent Pfeifer, the only coach in program history. The Mavericks have won every game by at least 14 points, including 28-14 versus Hutchinson in Week 3, 49-34 at Campus in Week 4 and 68-24 against Newton in Week 5. Last week, they scored on all eight first half possessions.
Maize South is well-known for running back Evan Cantu and has arguably the best group of Kansas’ defensive backs. The Mavericks rank third in offense in 5A with 228 points and has permitted 87. Maize has 174-85 scoring margin. Owen Bailey, in his first year as Maize South’s quarterback, has thrown for 624 yards. Cantu leads all of 11-man in rushing with 1,149 yards.
Maize South has corners Ladislao Jaimes III and Anthony Johnson with safeties Britton Forsythe and Jake Gnagy. Jaimes, Johnson and Forysthe are returning starters. Forysthe is a returning first team all-league player. Plus, Sam Parks has emerged as a top kicker.
The Mavericks have held down multiple passing offenses. In Week 1, Great Bend was 9 of 27 for 42 yards with zero touchdowns against two interceptions. Last week, Newton, a team known for passing, was 18 of 38 for 270 yards with no TDs against two INTs.
Maize features junior quarterback Avery Johnson, who has multiple Power 5 offers, and kicker Cole Segraves, who is a Division I caliber kicker. Plus, the Eagles have talented lineman Brandon Kerr. Maize and Maize South have similar scores against the same opponents. Maize beat Andover, 17-14, in Week 1; the Trojans are 4-0 since with just 26 points allowed. Maize lost, 24-17, to Arkansas City in Week 4.
Johnson has completed 70 of 134 passes for 1,029 yards with eight scores against one interception. Bryce Cohoon has been a leading target with 15 catches for 365 yards and four scores. Seagraves has averaged 39 yards per punt and kicked a 50-plus yard field goal. Maize has played a slightly harder strength of schedule this season. This should be a very close game and sometimes the favorite has not won in the series. Maize, though, doesn’t have Sanders this year. This likely comes down to Maize South’s passing defense versus Johnson.
Our Pick: Maize South 32, Maize 28 (Nicholl)
4A No. 3 McPherson (5-0) at 4A No. 5 Buhler (4-1)
The matchup between No. 3 McPherson and No. 5 Buhler will likely decide the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail – III title. It will also go a long way in determining who will be seeded atop the bracket on the western half of Class 4A.
McPherson enters Friday’s game unbeaten but it hasn’t been easy. The Bullpups have a hard-fought win over Salina South (24-14), grinded past Great Bend (34-19), survived Winfield in overtime (21-14), and pulled away from El Dorado in the second half (63-36).
The Bullpups have challenging games remaining too against Mulvane (3-2) and at Augusta (3-2).
Coach Jace Pavlovich’s group has been very balanced on offense. The Bullpups average 186 yards passing and 185 yards rushing per game. Jaytin Gumm again leads the ground game after emerging as a 1,300-yard rusher as a sophomore last season. Gumm has rushed for 581 yards and nine touchdowns this season through five games.
Junior quarterback Hunter Alvord has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 828 yards and six touchdowns in his first year starting. Alvord has the luxury of throwing to a talented receiving group including senior Trey Buckbee who picked up an offer from Drake this week. Buckbee leads the Bullpups with 18 receptions for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Tucker Pelnar and senior Jayden Dukes have each contributed more than 100 receiving yards as well.
Samuel Becker and Aiden Hoover lead the McPherson defense with 57 and 56 tackles, respectively.
Meanwhile, Buhler is about one minute away from being unbeaten as well. Back in Week 2, the Crusaders scored late to lead Andover Central, 19-14, but the Jaguars scored on a 54-yard touchdown pass with 1:00 remaining to win 21-19.
Andover Central, still unbeaten, was the only team to limit Buhler’s physical ground game. The Jaguars held Buhler to 31 rushing yards on 21 attempts. That included limiting senior Sam Elliott to 21 yards on 13 carries. Elliott has rushed for 846 yards and nine touchdowns this season after a 1,962-yard, 29-touchdown season last fall.
Buhler’s ability to throw the ball has been key to the Crusaders’ success this season. Quarterback Bradley Neill has passed for 661 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Matthew Eddy has 212 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. Eddy is also a threat in the return game as evidenced by his 88-yard kickoff return for a score in last week’s win over Augusta.
McPherson holds an 8-3 advantage in the series since the two teams resumed playing again regularly in 2012. The Bullpups have won the last six meetings including twice in 2017 and in 2020. McPherson beat Buhler 18-6 in the regular season last fall and 28-21 in the playoffs. But this might be the senior-laden Buhler team to get one back for the Crusaders.
Our Pick: Buhler 26, McPherson 21 (Gilmore)
Yates Center (5-0) at Sedan (5-0)
This game is expected to determine the top-two spots in Eight-Man, Division I, District 1.
Yates Center has been one of Kansas’ top stories this year with its best start since 1969. The Wildcats returned every player from last year for coach Ryan Panko.
Six-foot-4 senior quarterback Sean Hurst leads Yates Center’s wide-open, quick-strike offense. Jaron Morrison and Shane Weber have been key running backs, and junior Cash Cummings is a top receiver. Blake Audiss is one of the anchors up front.
Sedan has again rolled through its schedule, including 72-22 versus West Elk and 60-8 at Oswego last week. Sedan has won every game by the 45-point margin. Yates Center has won four in a row by the mercy rule after a 50-22 season-opening victory versus Colony-Crest. Sedan has won 14 straight regular season/Week 9 games and seven in a row in districts.
Senior 6-foot-4, 200-pounder Brec Long has been highly impressive since he came over from Caney Valley. Long has completed 30 of 49 passes for 775 yards with 17 scores against zero interceptions. He has rushed 44 times for 631 yards and 15 scores. Sophomore Jeremiah Prince has 428 all-purpose yards. Prince leads the defense with 32 stops. Plus, 6-3, 195-pound senior Dameion Hatten, a team captain, has 43 offensive touches for 660 yards and 18 scores. Sedan lists 13 seniors on its 30-player roster. Sedan is averaging an impressive 12.8 yards per play.
Yates Center recently had just 13 healthy players. The Wildcats have outscored teams, 280-34. Yates Center has averaged 13.1 yards per play. Hurst, like Long, has yet to throw a pick. Hurst has completed 14 of 23 passes for 381 yards with six scores against zero interceptions. He has 43 carries for 642 yards and 16 scores. Cummings is at 10 receptions for 277 yards and six TDs. Junior Shane Weber has 33 tackles, 15 for loss. Junior Jayston Rice has 37 tackles, six for loss.
This should be a very close game, and Yates Center, even with a loss Friday, should still finish with the school’s best regular season in decades. Sedan has slight edges with overall depth, home field advantage and some more experience in big games. Expect a high-scoring showdown and both quarterbacks to put up big numbers.
Our Pick: Sedan 52, Yates Center 46 (Nicholl)
8M-II No. 4 Osborne (4-1) at 8M-II No. 2 Thunder Ridge (5-0)
This is likely for the District 4 title in what could be the first of two matchups. The squads went a combined 9-9 in 2020 and each team was expected to be much better.
This game is normally very close. Two years ago, Osborne won, 40-34, in Kensington on a late touchdown. Thunder Ridge battled through the second half with then-freshmen Dylan Bice and Kaleb Wagenblast after 2,000-yard back Reece Struckhoff went out with injury. Osborne required a late touchdown to win. Last season, the Bulldogs held on for a big 18-12 home district win.
This year, both teams entered with high expectations after they returned the bulk of its rosters, especially at the skill positions. Osborne earned the marquee 36-26 win versus defending state champion Hanover last week, a team it lost twice to last season. Thunder Ridge has dominated its season with all wins by the 45-point margin. The Longhorns have a total margin of 298-40. Last season, Thunder Ridge opened against the same five opponents, went 4-1 with a double-overtime win and two other victories by a combined 28 points.
Bice, whom coach Joel Struckhoff said looks like a prototypical quarterback, has arm strength not often seen in eight-man football. He has completed 36 of 43 passes for 666 yards with five touchdowns against one interception. Bice has rushed 46 times for 627 yards with 18 scores. Junior Dalton Bice has 35 carries for 250 yards and two TDs. Junior Jace Randall and Wagenblast have combined for 20 catches for 462 yards and five scores. Senior Olin Brown leads the defense with 50 tackles. The Longhorns have averaged 11.5 yards per play.
Osborne, winners of four straight, has received a nice season from sophomore Doak Guttery with 22 of 42 passing for 352 yards with six scores against one interception. Senior Mason Schurr has 41 carries for 396 yards and seven TDs. Schurr has been a key four-year player. Osborne, against a much harder strength of schedule, has 6.4 yards per play. Senior Dayton Lantz has five catches for 134 yards and three TDs. Coach Steve Tiernan is one of the state’s top coaches with a 182-40 career record.
Much of this comes down to the Bices, specifically Dylan, who has lessened his turnovers from last year. Thunder Ridge finished 5-4 in 2020, but had 16 turnovers and actually outgained the opponent in three defeats. Dylan Bice continues to assert himself as an elite player.
Our Pick: Thunder Ridge 30, Osborne 24 (Nicholl)
The Pick List:
6A No. 3 Blue Valley (4-1) at 4A No. 1 Bishop Miege (2-3) – Blue Valley
6A No. 2 Blue Valley Northwest (5-0) at Blue Valley North (3-2) – Blue Valley Northwest
Garden City (4-1) at Wichita East (2-3) – Garden City
Hays (4-1) at Dodge City (4-1) – Dodge City
6A No. 5 Olathe West (4-1) at 5A No. 3 Mill Valley (4-1) – Mill Valley
KC Piper (4-1) at Paola (2-3) – Piper
5A No. 5 Spring Hill (5-0) at Tonganoxie (2-3) – Spring Hill
Clearwater (3-2) at 3A No. 2 Wichita Collegiate (5-0) – Collegiate
Holcomb (4-1) at 3A No. 3 Cheney (5-0) – Cheney
Kingman (4-1) at Garden Plain (3-2) – Kingman
Lakin (4-1) at Cimarron (4-1) – Cimarron
Jackson Heights (3-2) at 1A No. 1 Olpe (5-0) – Olpe
Jefferson Co. North (3-2) at Wabaunsee (4-1) – Jeff Co. North
Plainville (3-2) at 1A No. 3 Smith Center (5-0) – Smith Center
Hoxie (3-2) at Hill City (4-1) – Hill City
8M-I No. 2 Madison (5-0) at Chase County (5-0) – Madison
Meade (5-0) at 8M-I No. 5 Leoti-Wichita Co. (4-1) – Wichita County
8M-II No. 5 Hanover (3-2) at Frankfort (4-1) – Hanover
Minneola (3-1) at Bucklin (5-0) – Bucklin
6M No. 1 Cunningham (5-0) at Moscow (4-1) – Cunningham
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