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
Derby edges Maize, 42-41
Top-ranked Derby held off Maize, 42-41, with an interception of the Eagles’ late two-point conversion attempt.
It was the second consecutive game decided by one point in this series after Maize’s 36-35 victory last season.
On Friday, the Eagles were up to the challenge as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead at Panther Stadium.
Daeshaun Carter scored on a short touchdown run and Avery Johnson sprinted 38 yards for a score in the first quarter.
Derby answered as quarterback Mercer Thatcher scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns on the night to pull the Panthers within 14-7.
Late in the first quarter, Johnson put Maize up 21-7 with a touchdown toss to Landon Helm.
Derby would get the game even in the second quarter as Thatcher scored again, and a Panther interception led to a Dylan Edwards scoring run to knot the game at 21 by halftime.
Thatcher’s third touchdown gave Derby its first lead 28-21 late in the third quarter. The Panther defense then forced a Maize punt, and a couple of minutes later, Edwards sprinted 70 yards for a 35-21 Derby lead.
But Maize wouldn’t be denied.
Carter first scored on a 40-yard touchdown run to pull the Eagles within 35-28.
Then, Johnson hit Bryce Cohoon on a 11-yard touchdown pass to pull Maize even with 3:35 remaining.
Edwards would put Derby back on top 42-35 with a 24-yard touchdown run around the left side with 1:38 remaining.
Johnson led Maize on an incredible drive resulting in a touchdown pass to Justin Stephens on a corner route with :38 seconds left.
Maize elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win, but Derby got pressure on Johnson and his pass was intercepted in the end zone.
Edwards led Derby with 234 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Johnson passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns for the Eagles.
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Dodge City wins Hatchet in Double Overtime
Dodge City won at Garden City, 36-29, in double overtime in the Hatchet Game.
Dodge City picked off Garden City in the back of the end zone in the second OT. The game was tied at 29 at the end of regulation.
Dodge City’s Manny Aguilar, a first-year transfer from Cimarron and one of the state’s top kickers entering the year, enjoyed a remarkable game. He broke school records for longest field goal in school history (52, 55) and most FGs made in a single season (10).
Garden City led 21-6 at halftime and 21-19 after three quarters. The Buffaloes led 7-0 early before Aguilar made a 55-yard field goal. Aguilar broke the previous marks of nine FGs in a single season and 51-yarder for the longest, records both set in ’13.
Dodge City broadcaster Sean Boston passed along several notes from the wild game. The Red Demons improved to 52-31-1 in the 84th annual Hatchet Game contest. It marked the 123rd all-time meeting.
DC improved to 5-2, and Garden City dropped to 4-3.
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Blue Valley wins again with a late score
The Blue Valley Tigers again got a late touchdown that resulted in another victory as they improved to 6-1 overall.
Blue Valley outscored Blue Valley West 13-0 in the fourth quarter to beat the Jaguars, 23-17.
The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, but Blue Valley West took a 17-10 lead on a Gage Roach touchdown pass to Jack Schneider in the third quarter.
The score remained 17-10 until Blue Valley’s Hayden Essex intercepted Roach and returned it for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 17.
With 2:06 remaining in the game, Blue Valley quarterback Greyson Holbert pushed across the winning score on a 1-yard run.
Holbert rushed for 59 yards and passed for 199 yards including a touchdown to Andre Davis. Davis, who recently picked up a Kansas State offer, caught ten passes for 169 yards.
Michael Solomon added 128 yards on the ground for the Tigers.
Sage Huffman led Blue Valley West with 213 rushing yards and a touchdown.
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Class 5A
Aquinas controls Blue Valley Northwest, 35-16
The St. Thomas Aquinas Saints were in control throughout on Friday night in knocking 6A No. 2 Blue Valley Northwest from the ranks of the unbeaten, 35-16.
Aquinas quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a pair of Gianni Rizzi touchdown runs before Northwest quarterback Mikey Pauley hit Steven Whitter on an 89-yard touchdown to pull the Huskies within 14-6.
Northwest later tied the game at 14 on a Grant Stubblefield 67-yard run, and the Huskies took their only lead when the snap on an Aquinas punt sailed through the end zone for a safety and a 16-14 Husky advantage.
Aquinas came right back as Maxxwell Ford tossed a 46-yard touchdown pass to Evan Kammerer for a 22-16 lead.
The Saints added on in the third quarter as Rizzi scored his third rushing touchdown of the night to push the lead to 28-16.
Jack Forge’s 16-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter put the game away.
Aquinas rushed for 297 yards in the win led by Sean Carroll’s 115 yards on 25 carries. Forge added 100 yards and his touchdown on four attempts, and Rizzi rushed ten times for 88 yards and three scores. Ford completed 3 of 4 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.
For Northwest, Pauley passed for 211 yards and a touchdown, but was limited to 16 rush yards on 13 attempts. Stubblefield led the Huskies with 101 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Aquinas improves to 3-4 with the victory, while Northwest falls to 6-1.
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Hays wins shootout over Maize South, 47-43
Hays High improved to 6-1 with a wild 47-43 win against Maize South at Lewis Field Stadium.
The Indians led 20-0 in the first quarter and 26-14 at halftime. Then, Maize South took a 29-26 lead with 11:07 left in the game, per Indian broadcaster Dustin Armbruster.
That started six combined TDs in a wild back-and-forth finish.
Hays High scored on an 11-yard touchdown run by Roy Moroni with 1:17 left. Then, Jack Fields kicked the highly important extra point for the two-score lead.
Maize South reached Hays High’s two-yard line, but the Indians broke up the pass in the end zone on the final play.
Hays’ Jaren Kanak rushed for 194 yards, and Moroni tallied 185 yards. Owen Bailey threw for 383 yards for the Mavericks (5-2).
The Indians lost, 41-10, to Maize South in ’19 and twice last season.
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Class 4A
Andover Central wins the battle of Andover, 27-20
Andover Central built a big lead then held off rival Andover, 27-20.
Ashton Barkdull marked his return to the field early with a touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. Andover Central extended its lead on a Cooper Tabor 21-yard run for a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Andover would respond with a touchdown of their own to pull within 14-6, but Kai Kunz would quickly answer hitting Brock Stupka on a 25-yard touchdown pass to extend the Jaguar lead to 21-6.
Isaac Saye connected on a field goal to put Andover Central in control 24-6 at halftime.
The Trojans scored mid-way through the third quarter to pull within 24-12.
Saye’s second field goal extended that lead to 27-12 early in the fourth quarter.
Andover would respond to pull within 27-20 with a short touchdown run and two-point conversion with a little more than five minutes remaining, but the Jaguars would eventually hold on for the victory.
Barkdull rushed for 126 yards on the night after missing the Jaguars’ 21-14 loss to Salina Central last week.
Andover Central improves to 6-1 on the season, while Andover falls to 5-2.
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Mulvane’s defense shuts down McPherson, 22-12
Mulvane, a Kpreps Potential Breakout Team in the preseason, delivered another key victory and won its fifth in a row. The Wildcats won at McPherson, 22-12.
The Wildcats led 7-6 at halftime and trailed 12-7 late third quarter when Mason Ellis delivered an 80-yard touchdown run. Midway in the fourth quarter, Mulvane came up with an interception. The Wildcats forced a safety, and then Ellis scored on a touchdown run.
Mulvane only has competitive losses to Andale and Wichita Collegiate in the first two weeks, both undefeated in 3A. Mulvane lost, 52-0, to McPherson last season.
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St. James Academy tops Blue Valley North, 37-22
Defending Class 4A champion St. James Academy improved to 3-4 on the season with their most impressive victory yet, 37-22 over Blue Valley North.
Quarterback Jackson House passed for 344 yards and three touchdowns as the Thunder won for the third consecutive week.
House threw touchdown passes to John Niesen, Callahan Huston, and Finn Burritt on the night. Niesen caught eight balls for 197 yards, while Tyler Claiborne had four receptions for 95 yards.
Blue Valley North quarterback Henry Martin passed for 328 yards and two scores in a losing effort. The Mustangs played without standout wideout Mekhi Miller.
Blue Valley North has lost four straight games.
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Basehor-Linwood remains unbeaten with rout of Lansing
No. 2 Basehor-Linwood remained the only undefeated team in Class 4A with a 58-13 win versus Lansing.
Last year, the Bobcats had a seven-point win versus the Lions. Lansing standout two-way player Caden Crawford, an Iowa commit, exited the game early with an injury.
The Bobcats are 7-0. After a scoreless first quarter, Basehor-Linwood scored 38 points in the second quarter.
Brady Garrison completed 13 of 18 passes for 221 yards and two scores. Zack Sisemore rushed 18 times for 137 yards.
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Class 3A
Riley County dominates Concordia in Game of the Week
Riley County cruised to a 48-7 victory over Concordia in the fan’s choice for Kpreps Game of the Week.
Both teams entered the contest with unblemished 6-0 records, but Riley County quickly took control with a pair of early touchdowns.
By halftime, the Falcons had extended their lead to 27-0 as Trey Harmison and Blake Brokenicky had each rushed for two touchdowns.
Keyan Miller’s touchdown run in the third quarter pulled Concordia within 27-7, but Harmison answered with a long touchdown run to extend the Falcon lead to 35-7.
Brokenicky later added two more rushing scores for the 48-7 final.
Brokenicky rushed for 120 yards and four touchdowns on the night, while Harmison added 219 yards on the ground with three scores.
Concordia was held to 138 yards rushing – around 212 less than their per-game average.
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Collegiate routs Halstead, 82-16
Wichita Collegiate exploded for 48 points in the first quarter in an 82-16 win over Halstead on Friday night.
The second-ranked Spartans got a huge performance from junior quarterback Wesley Fair. Fair rushed five times for 112 yards and three touchdowns and completed all four of his passes for 186 yards and three more scores.
Jack Duarte caught two passes for 112 yards and a touchdown for Collegiate.
Asa Ahmad got into the action and rushed for 63 yards and two scores.
Collegiate (7-0) has a huge showdown with top-ranked Andale (7-0) next week which will decide the Class 3A, District 7 championship. Andale beat Clearwater, 65-6, on Friday night.
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Bishop Ward blanks Osawatomie, 48-0
Bishop Ward rolled to a 48-0 shutout of Osawatomie on Friday night as the Cyclones clinched their first playoff berth since the 2013 season.
The Cyclones left little doubt on Friday in racing out to a 35-0 halftime lead.
James Jarrett, III rushed for 100 yards and scored four touchdowns for Bishop Ward. Quarterback Christian Stein passed for 203 yards and added a rushing touchdown. Chris Galloway, Jr. hauled in four receptions for 127 yards.
Since the 2010 season, Ward has posted an 8-97 overall record including this year’s 4-3 mark. During that span, the Cyclones have endured nine winless (0-9) seasons.
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Southeast of Saline remains unbeaten with another shutout
The Southeast of Saline Trojans improved to 7-0 with a 45-0 shutout of Smoky Valley.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Trojans scored twice in the second quarter to take a16-0 lead into halftime. Luke Gebhardt tossed a short touchdown pass to Wyatt Boyd and another to his brother Jake Gebhardt to complete the first-half scoring.
IN the third quarter, Luke Gebhardt rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Matthew Rodriguez rushed for two scores as the Trojans pulled away.
Rodriguez led the Southeast of Saline ground game with 101 yards, while Gebhardt added 62 yards. Gebhardt passed for 263 yards and two scores with Jake catching 13 for 131 yards.
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Class 2A
No. 1 Rossville holds off No. 2 Silver Lake in the ‘War on 24’
Top-ranked Rossville earned a 24-19 victory at No. 2 Silver Lake despite playing the second half without standout quarterback Torrey Horak.
The Bulldawgs built a 10-0 lead at halftime on a field goal by Pedro Arantes and a short touchdown from from Horak.
But Horak didn’t return after halftime after injuring his arm.
While Rossville’s offense was adjusting without its leader, Silver Lake scored twice to take the lead.
Daigen Kruger hit Kamryn Kaniper on a 10-yard touchdown pass to pull within 10-6, then Kruger scored himself on an 18-yard run to put Silver Lake up 12-10 in the third quarter.
That’s when Corey Catron took over.
Catron moved from running back to receiving the snaps in Horak’s absence and led the Bulldawgs on consecutive scoring drives in the fourth quarter.
First Catron hit Kaden Brown on a 16-yard scoring pass to put Rossville up 18-12. Catron then added a 16-yard run for a 24-12 lead.
Silver Lake scored late on a short run by Kruger, but Rossville recovered the ensuing onside kick when it was ruled to have been touched before traveling the necessary 10 yards.
The Eagles got the ball one last time with less than :20 seconds remaining, but Kruger was sacked on the final play.
Rossville improves to 7-0 with the victory, while Silver Lake falls to 5-2.
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Cimarron gets late FG to top TMP, 11-8
Braxton Harrison connected on a 28-yard field goal with 2:44 remaining to lift Cimarron to an 11-8 win over Thomas More Prep-Marian.
Last season, TMP had a special team's edge and beat Cimarron, 16-12, for the district title. This year, special teams again proved a key difference.
TMP entered Friday’s contest having registered four straight shutouts. Cimarron led 8-0 at halftime. The game was tied 8-8 until late. Then, TMP missed a field goal, and Cimarron converted for the win.
Cimarron is 6-1, 4-0 in District 7. TMP and Lakin are both 5-2, 3-1 and play next week in Hays.
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Class 1A
Centralia shuts out Lyndon, 26-0
In what could be their final meeting for a while on the gridiron, Centralia shut out Lyndon 26-0 on Friday at Riggins field.
These two proud programs have met multiple times over the past several years in the regular season and the playoffs.
Centralia got the best of this meeting with a touchdown in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Ethan McNally then hit Jarod Blaha on a 35-yard touchdown pass to put the Panthers up 13-0 at halftime.
Centralia then added a touchdown in each of the third and fourth quarters to improve to 6-1 with their sixth consecutive win.
Lyndon fell to 3-3 with the loss.
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Central Heights holds off Uniontown, 19-18
Central Heights improved to 4-2 with a 19-18 win over Uniontown in Class 1A, District 1.
Down 18-12, the Vikings scored the winning touchdown with :45 seconds remaining in the game.
Uniontown then quickly moved the ball to the Central Heights’ 15-yard line before time expired.
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Inman continues its shutout streak
No. 2 Inman continued its remarkable dominance with a 60-0 win at Whitewater-Remington. Inman improved to 7-0 and has outscored teams 414-3. The Teutons will be at No. 3 Smith Center (7-0) for the district title next week. Inman has six shutouts this year, Smith Center three.
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Wabaunsee clinches winning season with win over Horton
Wabaunsee won at Horton, 49-0, and clinched a winning season with a 5-2 record. The Chargers have their first winning record since 1997, per the Kansas Football History database. Wabaunsee plays No. 5-ranked Centralia next week in a key Class 1A, District 2 contest. Centralia has not lost a district game since 2016.
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8-Man Football
Behind Atkins’ heroics, Hill City wins first district title in school history
Hill City trailed WaKeeney-Trego by two points and faced 3rd-and-4 from the Golden Eagle 16-yard line. The Ringnecks called timeout with 53 seconds left. HC has standout sophomore quarterback Aiden Amrein, who is also a returning first team all-league kicker. Hill City considered playing for the game-winning field goal. However, HC elected to try for the TD and put the ball in junior Kaleb Atkins’ hands again.
“The better choice was to just go for the touchdown and not risk it,” Amrein said.
A one-yard run by Amrein gave Hill City 4th-and-3 from Trego’s 15-yard line. On its final offensive snap, Amrein tossed a quick bubble screen left to Atkins, a play that worked well all Friday. The shifty Atkins sprinted down and reached out into the corner of the end zone. He knocked over the pylon, and the official ruled touchdown with 19 seconds remaining.
The two-point conversion gave Hill City a wild 56-50 road win versus the Golden Eagles, ranked No. 4 in Eight-Man, Division I.
“I knew we had less than a minute left, and the game was on the line, and we needed a touchdown,” Nuss said. “I tried to give it everything I had. My lead blockers up in front of me, they worked hard, so that I could get some yards.”
Hill City, which has been ranked fifth in Division I at various points this year, improved to 6-1, 4-0 and has clinched the District 8 title and Mid-Continent League eight-man crown. Trego is 6-1, 3-1. The victory marks the first district title in the school’s history. The Ringnecks had never made the playoffs before ’09, per KPreps/Prep Power Index records.
“I told the boys down there on the field right afterwards, I said, ‘My heart is swelling with pride right now,’” Hill City coach Travis Desbien said. “Because it’s moments like those big games you get into, and winning those games just makes your heart swell with pride and energy, and if you lose those, you are just sunk. I mean, props to Trego. They are not a loser tonight. Those guys are excellent. But our guys just wanted it tonight, and they seized that opportunity.”
Entering the game, the 5-foot-8, 138-pound Atkins had 56 offensive plays for 521 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished with 14 carries for 95 yards and six catches for 49 yards. He rushed for two scores and caught three TDs.
“Amazing,” Atkins said. “Better than anything.”
Atkins continually broke tackles throughout the game, including on a long kickoff return. Atkins helped HC build 13-0 and 20-6 leads.
“He is just Mighty Mouse out there,” Desbien said. “He is so shifty and quick.”
“I just try to keep my feet moving and my head up,” Atkins added.
Overall, he caught a 16-yard pass for the game’s first score, and then delivered TDs on a 31-yard run and 12-yard pass in the second quarter. Hill City led 26-20 at halftime.
“He works hard,” Amrein said. “He executes. He gets it done. When he gets put in a spot, he is going to focus, and he will get it done. A lot of trust in him.”
The teams continued to alternate leads throughout the second half in an emotionally charged night. At one point, Atkins even helped a WaKeeney player stretch near the sideline when he suffered cramps.
“That made more of an impression on me than maybe how hard he ran,” Trego coach Pat Haxton said.
Amrein finished with another big game with 27 carries for 204 yards and three rushing scores. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 190 yards for four TDs. Defensively, Amrein normally is at end. In the first half, he was part of four tackles for loss.
“We have been thinking about this game the entire year,” Amrein said. “And this game, it means the most. … My mind was racing the whole week in school and everything about this game. I guarantee everyone else on this team’s was, too.”
With 2:21 left in the third quarter, Amrein picked off Trego quarterback Owen Day at the HC 5-yard line. It marked the second Trego drive that stalled inside the Ringnecks’ five. Amrein converted the turnover into a 51-yard TD run for a 48-36 advantage.
“It was very tiring,” Atkins said. “But it just feels great to come out, and that’s a great team we played against over there.”
Then, Trego scored a pair of touchdowns from junior running back James Kriegh on runs of 45 and one yard. Kriegh went over 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career. He finished with 22 carries for 130 yards and four scores. The last TD came with 5:39 remaining and tied the score at 48.
“It was frustrating,” Haxton said. “…But at the same time, I was so happy, we just kept fighting and getting back into it, and then all of a sudden, they would fight and get back into it. It was just two teams wanting to win, and unfortunately, we came out on the bottom end of this one. I told my kids afterward, ‘I still think we are one of the best teams in the western half of the state of Kansas,’ and I truly believe that.”
On the two-point play, Day reached across and hit the pylon for the go-ahead conversion. Then, Hill City went on the game-winning 12-play drive.
Before the game, Amrein was 23 of 32 on extra points and 0 of 2 on field goals in his career. However, Desbien wanted to get Atkins the ball. Desbien loves screens, and HC practices screens non-stop in practice. In Desbien’s eyes, HC has athletic guards who can block on the edge. Amrein took a quick step and tossed it out to Atkins, who went in for school history.
“I knew I was going to give it to that guy,” Desbien said. “Because he has been playing his heart out all game.”
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Hermosillo has another big game for Wichita County
Wichita County improved to 5-2, 3-1 and is strong position for the runner-up slot out of District 7.
The Indians, the only team to beat Hill City, won 66-20 at Spearville. Wichita County quarterback Erhik Hermosillo enjoyed another huge performance with 13 of 18 for 218 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. He had 15 carries for 96 yards and a TD. Tristen Porter finished with 124 rushing yards and a score, along with 99 receiving yards and two TDs.
Also in District 7, Meade moved to 7-0 with a 56-6 win versus Ness City. The Buffs have a nine-game winning streak, second-longest in eight-man football behind Little River.
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Eight-Man, Division II
No. 2 Thunder Ridge drills No. 4 Frankfort
Second-ranked Thunder Ridge easily handled No. 4 Frankfort, 60-12, in a non-district game on Friday night.
The Longhorns led 22-0 at the end of the first quarter and extended that advantage to 54-12 by halftime.
Thunder Ridge held Frankfort to 76 yards of total offense in the game. Meanwhile, Longhorn quarterback Dylan Bice accounted for six touchdowns (3 rushing and 3 passing) in the victory. Bice rushed for 143 yards and three scores on nine carries. He also completed all six of his passes for 120 yards and three scores – two going to Daxton Dunlap.
Thunder Ridge improved to 6-0, while Frankfort fell to 4-2.
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Coach Starr reaches 100 wins
Otis-Bison defeated Chase, 68-14, and improved to 4-3. It marked the 100th career victory for 17th year head coach Travis Starr. His entire professional career has been spent as Otis-Bison’s head coach.
As Kpreps noted last week, Starr is one of seven current eight-man head coaches to win 100 career games at the eight-man level. He is one of five to do it all at one school. Starr stands 100-66-1.
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Jewell leads South Barber to key win
Caldwell had a pair of early leads, but South Barber earned a 46-34 victory in a game that featured 140 plays.
South Barber, Caldwell and Norwich all have one district loss, though Norwich had its game cancelled against Stafford this week. Caldwell is 6-1, 5-1. South Barber stands 6-1, 4-1. Norwich is 4-2, 3-1.
South Barber multi-purpose standout Gatlin Jewell delivered 25 carries for 191 yards and five scores. For Caldwell, junior quarterback Keiondre Smith rushed 34 times for 288 yards and three scores, though finished 2 of 15 passing for four yards and an interception.
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Red Aces roll to 7-0
Bucklin improved to 7-0, 4-0 in Eight-Man, Division 7 with a 54-6 win at Ingalls. The Red Aces set up a winner-take-all game for the district title next week at Dighton (6-1, 4-0).
The Red Aces have enjoyed a bevy of historical footnotes this season. Friday clinched Bucklin’s most wins in a single season since an 8-2 mark in 1996. Bucklin had set a goal coming into the fall to have the best year since at least ’96.
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6-Man Football
The pairings are set for the 6-Man playoffs which begin on Tuesday, October 19th.
(North #4) Cheylin (3-4) at (South #1) Cunningham (7-0)
(South #4) Pawnee Heights (3-4) at (North #1) Natoma (6-0)
(North #3) Weskan (5-2) at (South #2) Ashland (6-1)
(South #3) Moscow (5-2) at (North #2) Northern Valley (6-1)
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