In our Picks to Click, we feature several players or units from across the state that we feel will have breakout performances on Friday night.
This season, we’ve assembled a team of media members across the state to each select one player (or unit) each week. We will track the cumulative statistics of our selections throughout the season similar to fantasy scoring.
Picks to Click contributors for the 2022 season include: Sean Boston (Eagle Radio); Dion Clisso (PrepsKC.com); Matt Gilmore (Kpreps.com); Chet Kuplen (Sports in Kansas); Brent Maycock (KSHSAA Covered); and Conor Nicholl (Kpreps.com).
Check back next Friday to see our picks for Week 3, and how the players performed that we picked the week prior. See the bottom of this article for details.
Mitch Budke, QB, Chase County (Maycock)
**This pick was published prior to Chase County’s 70-54 win over Crest on Thursday Night
Budke has done nothing but produce since taking over as Chase County's starting quarterback. As a sophomore he ran and threw for more than 1,000 yards. Last season, his passing numbers dipped a bit, but he had a monster season rushing the ball, finishing with 1,975 yards and 40 touchdowns on the ground. He picked right up where he left off last year in the 2022 opener, rushing for 187 yards and 5 TDs in the Bulldogs' 60-8 win over Frankfort. He also saw both of his pass completions go for touchdowns. Chase County has weapons to go with Budke in Brock Griffin and Cal Kohlmeier. But he's the meal ticket and going up against a Colony-Crest team that returns 2,000-yard rusher Holden Barker and all of its other starters a year ago, a potential shootout exists this Friday in Colony which could lead to a huge night for Budke.
Dylan Edwards, RB, Derby (Boston)
Edwards (5-9, 165) will try and help Derby rebound from a rare regular-season loss. In fact, Manhattan’s 26-23 overtime win at Derby ended the Panthers’ 46-game home winning streak. Edwards, the Notre Dame commit, did his part with 191 rush yards and two touchdowns. He’s coming off of back-to-back all-state seasons in which he’s rushed for a combined 4,436 yards and 63 touchdowns. After last week, Derby will be hungry to get back in the win column against a struggling Salina South program that has lost seven consecutive and 45 of its last 55 games. Derby defeated the Cougars 77-7 last season.
Avery Johnson, QB, Maize (Kuplen)
Johnson (6-3, 170) is one of the state’s top players and a Kansas State commit. After an all-state season in 2021 which ended in a 5A state runner-up finish, Johnson hopes to lead his talented Eagles squad one step further this season. Johnson passed for 2,549 yards and 20 touchdowns last season and added 1,080 yards rushing and 22 scores.
Johnson and the Eagles opened last Saturday with a 78-7 thrashing of Topeka High. Johnson completed 7 of 10 passes in the opener for 179 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 81 rush yards and a score on three attempts. The explosive Maize offense features standout back Daeshaun Carter and several explosive receivers including Syracuse commit Bryce Cohoon and senior Justin Stephens. Sophomore receiver Bryson Hayes had a breakout game against Topeka High with three catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Maize will have a test at Andover Central (1-0) this week.
John Price, RB, Blue Valley (Clisso)
Price transferred to Blue Valley from Lincoln Prep (Mo.) where he rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 22 touchdowns as season ago. He was equally as effective on the defensive side of the ball having registered 76 tackles, including 18.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks. In Blue Valley’s opening 28-21 win over Blue Valley Southwest, Price carried 23 times for 187 yards and a touchdown. This week, Price and the Tigers will host defending 4A champion St. James Academy.
Philip Tomac, QB, KC East Christian (Gilmore)
KC East Christian senior quarterback Philip Tomac (6-1, 195) is off to a great start this season. The Lions are not a KSHSAA sanctioned school, so they have already played a couple of games. KC East opened the season with a 62-40 win over Topeka-Cornerstone Family and followed that up with a 70-44 victory at Manhattan (Flint Hills Christian) Eagles last week. Tomac has produced big numbers both weeks thus far. In the season-opener over Cornerstone, Tomac carried ten times for 245 yards and five touchdowns and added 78 pass yards and another score. In last week’s win over the Manhattan Eagles, Tomac completed 18 of 34 pass attempts for 263 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 286 yards and six score on the ground on 15 carries. Through two games, Tomac has rushed for 531 yards and 11 touchdowns and passed for 341 yards and six scores. Tomac and the Lions will be heavy favorites this week against Maranatha Academy. The Eagles dropped their season opener last week to Topeka-Cornerstone Family, 46-0.
Jett Vincent, QB, Canton-Galva (Nicholl)
Canton-Galva senior Jett Vincent was already one of Kansas’ top players entering 2022. Vincent was a three-year starter and three-time first team all-state pick at Wheatland-Grinnell. He started at wide receiver and safety and picked up a couple of Division II offers. Vincent was pressed into some quarterback duty as a freshman when his brother, Trey, suffered injury. Last year, Wheatland-Grinnell finished as state runner-up to Axtell for the best season in school annals.
Then, Vincent transferred to Canton-Galva when his dad became principal. Vincent was expected to play wide receiver. Three Canton-Galva senior starters suffered injuries, including multi-year starting quarterback Garrett Maltbie. The Eagles, ranked No. 2 in Eight-Man, Division II, shifted Vincent to quarterback against rival Little River, ranked No. 1 in Division I. Canton-Galva won, 66-36, behind an historic day from Vincent.
He completed four of six passes for 149 yards and two scores. Vincent carried 24 times for 349 yards and eight scores. He caught one pass for four yards. This week, Canton-Galva faces Wheat State League rival Goessel on the road. Goessel is back-to-back state quarterfinalist and returns many key pieces, including backs Grant Bryant and Jake Wiens. Expect Vincent to shoulder a heavy load again Friday.
Week 1 Picks to Click results (scoring):
Isaac Detweiler, QB, Axtell – Detweiler was huge in Axtell’s 82-38 victory over Cair Paravel. The senior quarterback completed 12 of 18 passes for 169 yards and four touchdowns and added 205 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. (Gilmore – 84 pts)
Erhik Hermosillo, QB, Leoti-Wichita County – Hermosillo passed for 105 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 49 yards and three scores in the Indians’ 76-0 win over Wheatland-Grinnell. (Boston – 38 pts)
Sage Huffman, RB, Blue Valley West – Huffman was held to 67 rush yards on 13 attempts in the Jaguars’ 31-7 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas. (Clisso – 6 pts)
Colby Middleton, QB, Burlingame – Middleton passed for 128 yards and four touchdowns, rushed for 29 yards and two scores, and caught a 17-yard touchdown pass as the Bearcats shut out Marais des Cygnes Valley, 46-0. (Kuplen – 57 pts)
Garrett Maltbie, QB, Canton-Galva – Unknown to Kpreps last week, Maltbie was injured in the Eagles jamboree and did not play in the 66-36 victory over Little River. (Maycock – 0 pts)
Carson Werth, RB, Victoria – Werth contributed all three phases for the Knights in a 49-0 home victory versus Kinsley. However, Werth didn’t score any touchdowns. Senior quarterback Thaddeus Wohler accounted for five: four rushing and one passing. Werth rushed three times for 22 yards. He caught one pass for 20 yards. (Nicholl – 4 pts)
Standings for the 2022 season through Week 1:
- Matt Gilmore, Kpreps.com 84 points
- Chet Kuplen, Sports in Kansas 57 points
- Sean Boston, Eagle Radio 38 points
- Dion Clisso, PrepsKC.com 6 points
- Conor Nicholl, Kpreps 4 points
- Brent Maycock, KSHSAA Covered 0 points
2022 Picks to Click
- The objective will be to have the most cumulative points over the course of the season.
- Participants may select a quarterback, running back, WR/TE, offensive line or a defensive player each week.
- Everyone must pick a WR/TE, offensive line and defensive player at least once.
- Points will be rewarded only for the player's offensive or defensive stats, depending on how you designate the player that week. For instance, if you pick a running back then you will not receive any of his points for defense.
Scoring system
QBs/RBs/WRs/TEs
- 1 point for every 10 yards passing, rushing or receiving from a quarterback, running back or wide receiver
- 6 points for every passing, rushing or receiving touchdown
Offensive line
- 1 point for every 50 yards gained as an offense
- 3 points for every offensive touchdown
Defensive player
- 2 points for every tackle
- 4 points for every INT, sack or fumble recovery
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