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Class 6A
VIEW: 6A BRACKET
6A East
#7 Blue Valley West (7-4) at #1 Blue Valley Northwest (10-1) – Blue Valley Northwest
Eastern Kansas League rivals Blue Valley West and Blue Valley Northwest will meet with a trip to the 6A state championship game on the line.
The Jaguars and Huskies met back in the final week of the regular season with Blue Valley Northwest claiming a 21-0 shutout victory. The Huskies turned in a dominant defensive performance that night in holding Blue Valley West to 98 yards of total offense.
In that meeting, Northwest junior running back Grant Stubblefield and senior quarterback Mikey Pauley each rushed for more than 100 yards with Pauley scoring all three Husky touchdowns.
Pauley and Stubblefield have been one of the state’s best offensive duos this season. Pauley has completed nearly 68 percent of his passes for 1,679 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 894 rush yards and 14 scores. Stubblefield has rushed for 1,442 yards and 22 scores this season. Northwest has several options at receiver with Steven Whitter, Nick Cusick, and Max Muehlberger.
The Northwest offense is led by a big and athletic offensive line.
Blue Valley Northwest coach Clint Rider has the Huskies on the door step of the schools’ first-ever state football championship game. Rider took over at Northwest in 2017, a season after leading Hesston to a state runner-up finish in Class 3A. The Huskies have followed up last season’s 5-2 mark with a 10-1 record this season. Northwest’s only loss came in a 35-16 decision to 5A semifinalist St. Thomas Aquinas back in Week 7.
Blue Valley West has put together a really solid season under Josh Koerkenmeier. The Jaguars have followed up a 4-4 regular season with three playoff wins, including consecutive “upsets” over Blue Valley (35-28) and Shawnee Mission Northwest (37-34).
The Jaguars trailed by 14 points on two separate occasions last week to Shawnee Mission Northwest before rallying for the three-point win. Blue Valley West trailed 34-28 before blocking a Cougar punt for a safety and scoring on the ensuing drive to take the lead.
Senior quarterback Gage Roach has passed for 1,715 yards and 18 touchdowns this season and added more than 500 yards on the ground. The Jaguar offense has benefited from the emergence of sophomore running back Sage Huffman. Huffman has rushed for 1,410 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
In the first meeting, Northwest was especially good against the Jaguar passing attack in limiting Roach to 3 of 13 completions for only 30 yards and an interception. They also held West to just 2.6 yards per rush attempt. If the Huskies can replicate that success on defense, they have plenty of firepower on offense with Pauley and Stubblefield to send Blue Valley Northwest to the first football championship game in school history.
6A – WEST
#6 Lawrence (9-2) at #1 Derby (10-0) – Derby
Derby is the three-time defending state champion. The Panthers have won 16 straight contests. That included a 40-20 playoff win versus Lawrence in the state quarterfinals last fall.
Lawrence graduated Devin Neal, the state’s 2020 top recruit and now a key player for the University of Kansas. Lawrence was 9-1 last year with the only loss to Derby. The Lions have posted a 9-2 mark under first-year coach Clint Bowen, a LHS graduate and longtime college assistant at Kansas.
Last week, Derby held off Lawrence Free State, 27-21. Derby led 21-0, including a pair of scoring runs from junior running back Dylan Edwards, who is probably the state’s best player. Edwards also had a 95-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Derby exceeded 400 total yards, including 251 rushing yards from Edwards. He is second in Kansas with 2,129 rushing yards. Quarterback Mercer Thatcher and receiver Drake Thatcher are key players for the Panthers. Derby has its elite line with Alex Key and Jonas Vickers on the offensive side, and Sam Same on defense.
Lawrence, which has not played for a state title in 26 years, has received nice falls from quarterback Truman Juelsgaard and wide receiver Baylor Bowen. Juelsgaard rushed for more than 140 receiving yards in the 41-22 victory last week. Overall, he has more than 1,350 passing yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Kicker Grant Glasgow has emerged with a big year, including eight field goals. He kicked a game-winner earlier in ‘21. Offensive lineman Noah Smith is a quality player, too.
Lawrence bounced back from its midseason losses at Mill Valley and Shawnee Mission Northwest. The Lions have won six in a row. However, Derby is likely on a different level and has the edge. Derby, the lone undefeated 6A team, easily paces the class with 543 points. Lawrence has delivered 347 points.
Class 5A
VIEW: 5A BRACKET
5A – East
#7 St. Thomas Aquinas (7-4) at #1 Mill Valley (10-1) – Mill Valley
It seems like its this same scenario every year, St. Thomas Aquinas and Mill Valley meeting in Class 5A semifinals. Friday’s matchup will mark the seventh consecutive season that the Saints and Jaguars will meet in the 5A playoffs. Six of those meetings have come in the state semifinals.
The two schools have combined to win five of the past six 5A state championships, with Mill Valley winning four (2015, ’16, ’19, ’20) and Aquinas capturing the 2018 title.
With Mill Valley’s move to the Sunflower League in 2020, the two schools no longer play during the regular season. It has been a competitive head-to-head rivalry with Aquinas winning 8 of the 14 meeting since 2009.
The two-time defending champion Jaguars have won six straight games after their lone loss of the season, 41-20, to Lawrence Free State. Mill Valley’s defense has played extremely well in allowing only 21 total points over the past five games. The Jaguars allow only 13 points per game on the season.
Junior Mikey Bergeron paces the Jaguar defense with 81 stops, while Broc Worcester is second on the team with 74. The Jaguar defense has been disruptive in opponents’ backfields with Truman Griffith, Cody Moore, and Aidan Shaffer. Griffith leads the team with nine sacks, while Moore and Shaffer have added 6.5 and 5.5, respectively. Shaffer has 8 tackles for loss and Moore has 7.5 TFLs.
The Jaguars task this week is to stop the Aquinas ground game that averages 309 yards per game on the ground paced by junior Sean Carroll. Carroll leads the Saints with 1,560 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. Sophomore Gianni Rizzi has added 643 yards and five scores, while quarterback Maxxwell Ford has added 632 yards and 11 touchdowns. Ford has passed for 479 yards and three touchdowns.
For Mill Valley’s offense, Hayden Jay has passed for 1,979 yards and 22 touchdowns and has spread the ball around with four different receivers having at least 340 receiving yards. Kendrick Jones leads the team with 647 yards and six scores.
Reice Kennedy has emerged as the primary back for the Jaguars with 1,149 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Tristan Baker has added 562 yards and nine touchdowns, while Jay has nearly 400 yards and nine scores.
In last season’s state semifinal, Mill Valley was dominant in limiting Aquinas to 85 yards of total offense in a 42-7 victory. For the Jaguars to get back to a third consecutive state championship game, their defense will need to continue their string of strong performances against the run.
5A – West
#3 Maize (9-2) at #1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (10-1) – Kapaun
Two long-time City League coaches, Maize’s Gary Guzman and Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Weston Schartz, match up with plenty of stars on both sides. Guzman stands at 74-39 in 11 years with Maize and is in his 30th year as a head football coach. He has coached at Kapaun Mt. Carmel and Wichita Southeast before he came to Maize.
Schartz is 18-3 in two years at Kapaun and has enjoyed a big turnaround with the Crusaders. Both coaches are in the strong running for 5A Coach of the Year. Schartz has won 212 career games over stints at Wichita West, Wichita Northwest, West again and now KMC. Neither Guzman nor Schartz has ever won a state title. Maize has made the semifinals in ’18, ’19 and this year. The Eagles have never made a state championship game.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel has nine all-time state championships, though has not made a final since 1987. The Crusaders’ only loss this season came to rival Bishop Carroll. KMC has defeated Wichita Northwest twice this fall, in a 34-17 regular season victory and a 38-35 state semifinal win last week.
Maize has two close losses, including 42-41 to Derby. Since then, Maize has four wins, including 28-21 versus Bishop Carroll in the Round of 16. Last week, Maize beat Hays High, 48-36, in a game that was closer than the final score. It was a one-score contest late when Hays drove down the field and threw an interception.
Maize junior quarterback Avery Johnson and Derby running back Derby Edwards are the state’s top recruits for their class. Johnson has completed 137 of 248 passes for 2,212 yards with 18 scores against four interceptions. He has 117 carries for 904 yards and 19 TDs. Bryce Cohoon has 34 catches for 726 yards and seven TDs. That included four catches for 138 yards and a TD last week. Brandon Kerr is a likely first team all-state lineman. Daeshaun Carter has been a key running back with 164 carries for 1,138 yards and 16 TDs.
KMC has outscored teams, 457-159, and has played superb defense throughout the year. The Crusaders rank third in 5A in scoring defense. Maize has a total margin of 421-234. KMC has standout sophomore running back Omari Elias, who leads Kansas in rushing yards with 315 carries for 2,140 yards and 24 scores. Sophomore Dylan Hamilton has a highly efficient year with 67 percent completion for 1,077 yards and 14 scores against three interceptions. KMC has three quality receivers with seniors Isaac Schmitz and Nathan Thengvall, and junior Will Anciaux, who has D1 offers.
Both squads have put together great seasons, and Johnson, Elias and Hays High’s Jaren Kanak are likely the three front runners for 5A Offensive Player of the Year. However, KMC has continually delivered a sterling year on defense and should have the advantage on that side.
Class 4A
VIEW: 4A BRACKET
4A East
#10 Bishop Miege (5-6) at #8 St. James Academy (7-4) – St. James Academy
Eastern Kansas League rivals Bishop Miege and St. James Academy will face off for a second time this season and for a second consecutive year in the Class 4A state semifinals. The 8-seed Thunder will serve as the host against the tenth-seeded Stags. Since both teams use Bishop Miege’s Dixon Doll Stadium as their home stadium, St. James will host the game at Blue Valley High School.
Both teams battled through difficult regular-season schedules. The defending-champion Thunder opened the season 0-4 with losses to Blue Valley, 5A semifinalist St. Thomas Aquinas, and both 6A-East semifinalists Blue Valley Northwest and Blue Valley West. Since then, St. James Academy has won seven straight games, including a 45-28 decision over Bishop Miege back in the final week of the regular season.
In the first meeting, St. James scored on a touchdown pass from Jackson House to Tyler Claiborne on the final play of the first half to lead 24-20. The Thunder then scored 21 consecutive points in the second half to take a commanding 45-20 lead. House passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns in that first meeting and added 119 yards rushing and another score. Tiave Watts added 80 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.
House has passed for 2,285 yards and 19 touchdowns this season while rushing for 681 yards and six scores. Watts leads the team in rushing with 804 yards and ten touchdowns. Watts has really come on recently having rushed for nine touchdowns in the past four games. He had 136 yards and two scores in last week’s 31-7 win over KC Piper.
The Thunder feature two of the top receivers in the state in John Niesen and Tyler Claiborne. Niesen has 56 receptions for 1,159 yards and six touchdowns, while Claiborne has 66 catches for 748 yards and 11 scores.
Bishop Miege enters this contest having won three straight after only a two-win regular season. Those two wins, however, came against 5A semifinalist St. Thomas Aquinas and 6A semifinalist Blue Valley West.
The Stags have grinded through three playoffs wins each coming by two touchdowns. Last week, Miege defeated Eudora, 21-6, as Jaylen Burch rushed for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Burch has rushed for 1,175 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He has produced six consecutive 100-yard performances including 109 yards and three scores in the regular-season loss to St. James Academy.
Quarterback Mac Armstrong has also put up solid numbers having passed for 2,470 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. The Stags’ top receivers include Christian Bowen-Webb and Rohan Putz. Bowen-Webb has 43 catches for 656 yards and four scores, while Putz has added 57 catches for 624 yards and nine touchdowns.
It was St. James Academy that ended Bishop Miege’s six-year reign atop Class 4A as the Thunder topped the Stags 36-35 in overtime in last year’s state semifinal. In order for the Thunder to continue their stay as the team to beat in Class 4A, they must defeat Miege for a third consecutive time.
4A West
#3 Andover Central (10-1) at #1 Buhler (10-1) – Andover Central
Both teams have achieved nice increases from 2020. Andover Central was 7-2 last fall with a close playoff loss versus Arkansas City. Buhler finished 6-4 with a pair of losses to McPherson. This season, Andover Central defeated Buhler, 21-19, in Week 2. The Jaguars led 14-0 early before Buhler took a 19-14 lead. Then, the Jaguars scored late on an Ashton Barkdull touchdown. In the first matchup, Andover Central outgained Buhler, 451-254.
Each squad is veteran-laden with talent across the board. A strong case can be made this is the best Andover Central squad ever. The Jaguars, which started playing football in 2002, can tie the school record for single-season victories with a win. The Jaguars have allowed 10.2 points per game, which would break the scoring defense mark of 10.3 set in ’04, per the Kansas Football History database.
Buhler features quarterback Bradley Neill, running back Sam Elliott and defensive end Bo Van Bruggen - all three-year starters. Elliott has 2,178 rushing yards this season and 5,058 in his career. Andover Central limited him to 13 carries for 21 yards behind its great defensive line. This is by far Elliott’s lowest performance this year.
He should break former Buhler standout running back Tanner Fisher’s school record for rushing yards early Friday. Neill has upped his completion percentage 10-plus points from last year. He has 1,253 yards with 17 TDs against four interceptions. Van Bruggen has eight sacks and has the school record for career sacks. Buhler paces 4A with 434 points and has permitted 148. Andover Central, known for defense, has permitted just 112 points, second-fewest in 4A.
Buhler has been superb against the pass, including five interceptions from Diante Campbell and 119 tackles by Tanner Tustian. Buhler has retooled its offensive line midseason and has key senior Jackson Childs and standout freshman Bodey Redenbaugh.
Andover Central has enjoyed a highly efficient passing year from highly touted quarterback Kai Kunz. The Jaguars have won five in a row. He has completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,756 yards with 17 scores against four interceptions. Barkdull, who has played in nine games, has 161 carries for 994 yards and 18 scores, including 146 yards and four scores versus Wamego last week.
Andover Central has committed just eight turnovers all season and stands plus-14 in turnover margin. This is easily the fewest turnovers for the program since before 2010. As well, the Jaguars have averaged 6.9 yards per play, its best since 2015, and 5.78 yards per rush, its best since 2010.
Senior Dillon Savage has 13 tackles for loss and four interceptions. Senior Kamden Wilson has 18.5 tackles for loss. Senior Isaac Sheeran had 10 TFLs. Senior Drew Daniels, who has five TFLs and three sacks, is receiving recruiting interest from several MIAA schools.
Buhler coach Steve Warner is 267-103 and is currently tied with former Riley County coach Steve Wagner for eighth all-time in Kansas history, per historian Brett Marshall. While rematches have been infrequent, Warner has never beaten a team in the playoffs after falling to the same squad during the regular season. Buhler has delivered 7.2 yards per play.
Buhler is 1-1 all-time in state finals with Warner, including a title in ’13 and runner-up in ’16. Andover Central has taken second twice, in ’15 and ’19. This is expected to be another low-scoring contest. Andover Central should have a slight edge on the lines.
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