The 2021 Kansas high school football season reached its conclusion last weekend as state champions were crowned in all eight classifications. Five schools were able to repeat as champions in 2021 (Mill Valley, St. James Academy, Andale, Rossville, Olpe) with two schools, Mill Valley and Andale, winning their third straight state football title.
Three teams highlighted as preseason No. 1’s in the Kpreps.com rankings brought home state titles this fall (Andale, Rossville, Olpe). Three other classifications were won by teams ranked in the top five in our preseason poll. Blue Valley Northwest was ranked fifth to begin the year in Class 6A, while Mill Valley was ranked third in Class 5A. St. James Academy began the season ranked second in Class 4A. In Eight-Man, both champions Meade (8M-I) and Axtell (8M-II) both began the year just outside our preseason top five.
Let’s take a look at the final rankings for the 2021 season.
Visit our Rankings page to see the final Kpreps poll for 2021!
Class 6A
Blue Valley Northwest captured the schools' first-ever state football championship with a 41-21 win over Derby. The Huskies dominated the first half in building a 28-0 lead behind senior quarterback Mikey Pauley’s five total touchdowns. Derby finishes second in the Class 6A poll followed by Lawrence, Lawrence Free State, and Blue Valley West.
Class 5A
Mill Valley captured its third consecutive state title and the program’s fifth state football championship in the past seven years with a 28-14 win over Maize. Reice Kennedy rushed for 230 yards and a touchdown to lead the Jaguars, while quarterback Hayden Jay accounted for three touchdowns in the win. Maize finishes second in the Class 5A poll followed by Kapaun Mt. Carmel, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Wichita Northwest.
Class 4A
St. James Academy won its second straight Class 4A state championship with a 28-21 victory over Andover Central. The Thunder trailed 14-0 early and overcame three turnovers to rally for their ninth straight victory. The Thunder (9-4) started the season 0-4. Andover Central finishes second in the Class 4A poll followed by Buhler, Bishop Miege, and Mulvane.
Class 3A
Andale was dominant in winning its 38th consecutive game and claiming a third straight Class 3A state championship with a 53-0 win over Frontenac. The Indians rushed for 504 yards in the game - all from underclassmen. The Andale defense held Frontenac to 48 yards of total offense on 45 plays. Southeast of Saline finishes second in the final Class 3A poll followed by Cheney, Frontenac, and Holton.
Class 2A
Rossville captured its second consecutive 2A state title and its 26th consecutive victory by beating Beloit, 35-12. Quarterback Torrey Horak passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldawgs to their fifth overall state title – all since 2014. Silver Lake finishes second in the Class 2A poll followed by Beloit, Kingman, and Wellsville.
Class 1A
Olpe won its second consecutive Class 1A state championship by riding its dominating defense and ground attack to a 35-6 victory over previously-unbeaten Inman. The Eagles rushed for more than 330 yards in the game and limited Inman to 42 yards rushing. Olpe allowed only 24 total points this season after allowing 35 points in all of the 2020 season. Inman finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by Sedgwick, Centralia, and Smith Center.
Eight-Man, Division I
Meade captured the fifth state football championship in school history with a 22-14 victory over 2020 champion Little River. The Buffaloes scored on their first two offensive plays of the game to take an early 16-0 lead in a game where all the scoring took place in the first half. Little River threatened inside the Meade 20-yard line four times in the game without scoring. Little River finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by Canton-Galva, Hill City, and Madison.
Eight-Man, Division II
Axtell defeated Wheatland-Grinnell for the second time this season with this victory delivering the schools second state football championship. After defeating the Thunderhawks 62-16 in the season opener, the Eagles led 28-18 after three quarters but added a pair of fourth-quarter scores to pull away for the 44-18 win. Wheatland-Grinnell finished ranked No. 2 in the poll followed by Thunder Ridge, Victoria, and Lebo.
Visit the Rankings page each week to view a complete list of the top five teams in each classification and how they performed last week.
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