The Kpreps Friday First Look provides our impressions of some of the game’s most notable games and performance from Friday night’s action!
The Kpreps Friday First Look is presented by K-LAWN
Class 6A
Edwards’ late heroics lifts Derby past Bishop Carroll
Derby, the No. 2 ranked team in Class 6A, went on the road and escaped with a 45-38 win at 5A No. 3 Bishop Carroll.
With the game tied 38-38 with :54 seconds remaining, Derby senior running back Dylan Edwards sprinted 85 yards for a touchdown in what would prove to be the game-winning score.
Edwards, the Notre Dame commit, finished the night with five total touchdowns. He rushed for four scores and returned a kickoff for a touchdown at a critical juncture to pull Derby within 24-21.
Leading 17014 at the half, Bishop Carroll picked off a Derby pass in the third quarter and converted the turnover into a touchdown and a 24-14 lead. Derby then went on an incredible sequence that began with Edwards returning the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.
Shortly after, Derby linebacker Miles Wash picked off a Carroll pass and returned it to the 30-yard line. On the next play, Edwards raced 30 yards to put Derby up 28-24.
The Panthers would later add a field goal to lead 31-24, but Carroll would tie the game at 31 early in the fourth quarter.
The two teams then traded touchdowns with Carroll’s coming in the final minute to knot the game and set up Edwards’ 85-yard game-winning sprint one play later.
----
Top-ranked Manhattan wins at Hays
Class 6A’s top-ranked Manhattan Indians went on the road to Hays and came away with a 31-21 win over Hays High, the No. 5 team in Class 5A.
The visiting Indians used a dominant second half to take control after falling behind 14-10 just before halftime. Late in the second quarter with Manhattan leading 10-7, Keenan Schartz tossed a short pass in the flat to Charles Morgan who was hit and appeared to go down before the ball squirted free. Everyone around the play stopped except Hays High’s Evan Lind who scooped up the ball and went down the sideline for a 30-yard score.
Hays led 14-10 at halftime.
Manhattan took the lead for good in the third quarter as Jason Sanchez scored from three yards out. Shortly after, Keenan Schartz connected with Cole Coonrod on a 26-yard touchdown pass and a 24-14 lead.
DeAndre Aukland added a short scoring run late in the game to put Manhattan up 31-14. Hays responded late as Malik Bah hauled in a 70-yard touchdown pass.
----
Wichita Northwest wins key GWAL battle
Last season, Wichita Northwest lost twice to Kapaun Mt. Carmel. Entering Friday, both teams were 1-1. Northwest is ranked fourth in 6A, and KMC fourth in 5A. Northwest rolled 41-14. NW scored on the game’s first play and controlled throughout. The Grizzlies scored 21 points in the third quarter and led 41-7 entering the fourth.
----
Blue Valley Northwest doubles up Blue Valley, 48-24
Defending Class 6A champion Blue Valley Northwest rebounded from last week’s loss to St. Thomas Aquinas with a big second-half performance in a 48-24 win over Blue Valley.
The Huskies shut out the Tigers 21-0 in the second half of Friday’s game.
Connor White threw a pair of touchdown passes and Grant Stubblefield rushed for a score as Northwest led 21-14 after a wild first quarter. Blue Valley used the big play to stay close early as Alec Swarens answered a Northwest touchdown by returning the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a score, and John Price added a 77-yard touchdown run for the Tigers.
Blue Valley tied the game in the second quarter on a Trevor Bush touchdown pass to Kansas State commit Andre Davis.
Stubblefield would answer from midfield giving the Huskies a 27-21 lead. Blue Valley added a late field goal before halftime to pull within 27-24 at the break.
The second half belonged to Blue Valley Northwest.
Stubblefield’s third touchdown run came late in the third quarter and gave the Huskies a 34-24 lead. Connor White then connected with Jashon White for a second scoring strike to put Northwest up 41-24.
Stubblefield then capped his 300-yard rushing night with his fourth touchdown to propel Blue Valley Northwest to the 48-24 win.
White passed for 368 yards and three scores for the Huskies and Jashon White’s four catches went for 191 yards and those two scores.
Bush threw for 266 yards and a score for Blue Valley, while Price carried nine times for 82 yards and a touchdown.
----
Class 5A
Mill Valley stymies Shawnee Mission Northwest, 51-0
Three-time defending Class 5A champion Mill Valley used its outstanding defense to slow the explosive Shawnee Mission Northwest offense in an impressive 51-0 victory on Friday night.
The Jaguars held Shawnee Mission Northwest to 88 yards of total offense on the night and forced three Cougar turnovers.
Meanwhile, Mill Valley was efficient on offense having produced 194 rush yards and 148 yards through the air. Senior quarterback Hayden Jay passed for 148 yards and threw touchdown passes to Hayes Miller Hayes and Brody Brigham.
The Jaguar ground game was led by Jay’s 80 yards and three rushing scores.
The Mill Valley defense limited Northwest standout Malik O’Atis to 25 yards rushing on 12 attempts. He also had two receptions for seven yards.
----
Great Bend handles Buhler to end long losing streak
The Great Bend Panthers snapped a 19-game losing streak with a 31-6 win over Buhler on Friday.
Great Bend senior quarterback Cayden Scheuerman passed for more than 220 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Scheuerman connected with Braylon Council four times for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Junior back Cody Miller also added 130 yards and a score on the ground.
Prior to Friday, Great Bend’s last win came 49-35 over Wichita Heights on November 1st, 2019.
---
Class 4A
Top-ranked Bishop Miege blitzes defending champion St. James
After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, Bishop Miege scored 45 straight points en route to a 52-14 win over two-time defending 4A champion St. James Academy.
Quarterback Mac Armstrong passed for 316 yards and threw three touchdown passes to lead the Stag offense. Armstrong connected with Teryn Jackson eight times for 96 yards and two touchdowns and Isaiah Coppage 10 times for 136 yards and another score.
David Garcia provided the balance with 85 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns for the Stags.
The Miege defense intercepted St. James quarterback Blake Boydston three times and a fourth interception was ruled incomplete early in the game. The Thunder went on to score on that possession on a short touchdown pass from Boydston to John Niesen.
Finn Burritt had five catches for 114 yards for the Thunder as Boydston passed for 156 yards. Boydston also rushed for 95 yards and a score.
----
Class 3A
Topeka Hayden races past Rossville, 55-34
Topeka Hayden used special teams to jump out to an early two-score lead and held off defending Class 2A champion Rossville, 55-34.
Jensen Schrickel returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown as Hayden, No. 3 in Class 3A, grabbed the early 7-0 lead.
Shortly after, Schrickel returned a Rossville punt nearly 70 yards for his second special teams touchdown and a 14-0 advantage.
The next Bulldawgs punt pinned Hayden back against its own goal line, but J.C. Cummings took the next handoff 98 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 Wildcat lead.
The two teams traded touchdowns from there with Hayden leading 28-14 at halftime.
Rossville got as close as 28-21 after a scoring drive to open the third quarter, but Schrickel hauled in a touchdown pass for a 35-21 lead. Schrickel later added his fourth touchdown on the ground as the Wildcats built their lead to 55-28.
---
Frontenac edges Bishop Ward, 12-10
Frontenac went on the road and escaped with a 12-10 road win over Bishop Ward. Bishop Ward controlled this game for much of the night, but Frontenac was able to grab momentum in the third quarter to pull out the victory.
Ward led 7-0 in the first quarter after a Jashaun Holliday touchdown pass to Jalen Pickens. The Cyclones extended the lead to 10-0 by halftime as Juan Delgado-Medina connected on a 30-yard field goal.
Frontenac got on the board on a 1-yard run by Mario Menghini in the third quarter to pull within 12-6. Less than a minute later, Trey Cramer intercepted a Holliday pass and took it for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 12-10 advantage.
Both defenses dictated the game. Bishop Ward produced 154 yards of total offense, while Frontenac totaled 120 total yards. Both teams are now 2-1.
----
Girard remains unbeaten with win over Galena
Girard won a second consecutive home game with a late burst to get past Galena, 41-20.
The teams traded touchdowns early as Luke Niggemann scored on a short touchdown run for an early 6-0 lead.
That lead wouldn’t last as Galena’s Zane Turner returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to knot the game a 6-6.
Girard would retake the lead on a Beau Harris scoring run, then go up 20-6 as Alex Coester scored from 5 yards out.
Turner would score from 56 yards out, then eventually get the game back even at 20-20 in the third quarter with a short touchdown run.
Coester gave the Trojans the lead for good mid-way through the third quarter on a short scoring run. Niggemann later hit Ethan Davidson on a 12-yard touchdown pass as Girard pulled away 34-20.
Coester later added his third touchdown on the night for the 41-20 victory.
----
Class 2A
Silver Lake controls second half in win over St. Marys
On a night when they honored the state’s all-time winningest coach, Silver Lake went out and did what the Eagles did so many times under C.J. Hamilton – they won. Silver Lake scored 29 unanswered points over the final two-plus quarters to defeat St. Marys, 43-16.
Early on the two Mid-East League rivals traded touchdowns. Kaden Walker started the scoring for Silver Lake with the first of his two short touchdown runs for a 7-0 lead.
St. Marys would respond with a James Rezac touchdown run and the two-point conversion put the Bears up 8-7.
Silver Lake quarterback Tanner Martin then connected with Troy Heiman on a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone for a 14-8 lead for the Eagles.
St. Marys quarterback Keller Hurla then connected on a long touchdown pass to Kason Gomez and another two-point conversion gave the Bears a 16-14 advantage.
Before halftime, Walker added his second touchdown run to put Silver Lake up 21-16 at the break.
The Eagles then took control in the third quarter.
Trenton Rollenhagen started the second-half scoring with a touchdown to make the score 28-16. Martin then added a touchdown run late in the third quarter to put the Eagles up 36-16.
Silver Lake added another score in the fourth quarter for the final margin of 43-16.
----
Lakin defeats Goodland with Oldham’s big night
Lakin coach Chris Bamberger has always delivered bounce-back seasons after a down year. After 7-3, 8-2 and 8-2 seasons, the Broncs went 4-5 and 5-4 the last two falls. In 2022, Lakin opened 2-0 against a softer schedule. On Friday, Lakin defeated 3A Goodland, 45-20, in a slight upset. Lakin sophomore Colter Oldham had a big freshman season in football, basketball and track. The Broncs have consistently had zero offensive yards from seniors. Against Goodland, Oldham delivered 202 rushing yards and 267 total yards in the first half, per GHS broadcaster Ross Volkmer. Overall, Oldham rushed for 288 yards. Lakin rushed for 462 and delivered 527 total yards.
---
Council Grove opens 3-0, set more school marks
Council Grove, a preseason KPreps Breakout Team, continues to enjoy a big turnaround. CG was 1-8 in 3A and allowed the most points per game in the classification. The Braves have opened with three consecutive shutouts: Central Heights (41-0), Mission Valley (23-0) and Northern Heights (69-0). CG is at 3-0 Humboldt in a big Week 4 contest to open Class 2A, District 2 play. The five teams in that district are 13-2 combined.
Foreign exchange kicker Loup Charlier went 9 of 10 on extra points to set the school mark for kicking points and extra points in a game. Charlier is now 17 of 19 on extra points this year. CG has already back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1992. Council Grove set or tied a couple of defensive records in Week 1.
Class 1A
Olpe beats Osage City, 20-12
Two-time defending champion Olpe picked up its first win of the season with a 20-12 win over previously-unbeaten Osage City.
The Eagles got on the board first in the first quarter with a Truman Bailey touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
Osage City answered with a 28-yard field goal by Josiah Smith to pull within 7-3.
The Indians’ standout quarterback Landon Boss then connected with Cooper Parsons on a 76-yard touchdown just before halftime to put Osage City up, 9-7.
In the third quarter, Blake Redeker’s short touchdown run right after halftime gave Olpe a 14-9 advantage. The Eagles then added to their lead as Nolan Rhodes intercepted Boss and returned it for a touchdown. Olpe led 20-9 mid-way through the third quarter.
Smith connected on another field goal for Osage City to pull the Indians within 20-12, but Olpe was able to hold on.
Osage City outgained Olpe 334 to 163 in total yardage on the night. Both teams committed two turnovers – all of which were interceptions, but it was Rhodes’ pick-six that ended up being the difference in the game.
Boss passed for 234 yards and added 71 yards on the ground. Olpe was led by Blake Redeker’s 79 yards rushing.
---
Class 8-Man, Division I
Wichita County doubles up Hoxie in 8-Man showdown
Top-ranked Wichita County used a key special teams play and a big second half to pull away from Hoxie, 56-28.
The two teams are thought to be among the best in 8-Man, Division I this season.
The game was relatively low scoring through a quarter and a half until a Wichita County touchdown with 3:05 remaining until halftime put the host Indians up 22-8.
Hoxie responded right away as quarterback Brady Jones connected on a 50-yard bomb to Ryan Shaw to pull the visiting Indians within 22-14.
Wichita County scored out of halftime to go up 28-14, but Hoxie responded with 4:30 remaining in the third to pull the margin to within 28-22.
Then in a key sequence, Wichita County quarterback Erhik Hermosillo spun off a Hoxie defender and raced 25 yards for a touchdown and a 34-22 Indian lead.
Wichita County squibbed the ensuing kickoff and a Hoxie defender appeared to try and shield the Wichita County player from the ball so it would roll out of bounds. Instead, Wichita County recovered and had all the momentum.
The Indians would score shortly after for a 42-22 lead early in the fourth quarter.
----
Hill City wins at Eight-Man, Division II, No. 3 Thunder Ridge
Behind a big defensive performance, Hill City, just outside of the Division I rankings, delivered a 48-22 win against Thunder Ridge, ranked third in Division II. Defensive coordinator Craig Amrein called the game the best defensive performance since he came to HC three years ago after a long stint on the Ellis staff.
Hill City held Thunder Ridge to 6 of 22 passing for 54 yards and two interceptions. Senior linebacker Conner Dinkel, a returning first team all-state player, has more than 320 career tackles. He delivered two sacks. Jaden Nuss picked off a pass. Kaleb Atkins had a critical 1-on-1 pass breakup in the end zone. Trent Long has emerged this season and delivered three tackles for loss. Sophomore Sylar Rohr had a key block for a momentum-changing touchdown and picked off a pass.
Thunder Ridge opened Friday’s game with an 18-play, 66-yard drive that soaked up more than nine minutes of the first quarter clock. Senior Dylan Bice scored on a two-yard run. Hill City quickly tied the game with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Amrein to Kaleb Atkins.
In the second quarter, Jaden Nuss hauled in a 65-yard TD pass from Amrein on an impressive play from the all-state junior quarterback. Amrein went right, avoided a sack and faced pressure. He looked up and found a wide-open Nuss, who outran the defense. Hill City led Thunder Ridge, 14-6.
At halftime, Thunder Ridge delivered 41 plays for 106 yards. Hill City had 10 plays for 103 yards.
In the third quarter, Nuss had a 26-yard receiving score from Amrein. Bice delivered a 28-yard TD run, and HC led 20-14 entering the fourth. The game changed in the first 53 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Dayton Stephen, who had one total carry entering the game, had his lone touch with a 34-yard run around the end to TR’s 14-yard line. After a five-yard rush, Atkins delivered a nine-yard TD run with 11:07 left. He had great blocking from Dinkel and Rohr. Amrein ran for the two-point conversion, and Bice was ejected after the play. In his stead, junior Mason Baker stepped in at quarterback and delivered a rushing score. Hill City scored four times in the fourth quarter.
Amrein, Nuss and Atkins all delivered more than 100 yards of total offense. HC is 3-0, and TR is 2-1.
Class 8-Man, Division II
Axtell pulls away from Clifton-Clyde in Game of the Week
In a ranked showdown that was voted by Kpreps’ Fans as the statewide Game of the Week, it was Eight-Man, Division II’s No. 1 Axtell Eagles going on the road and pulling away from Eight-Man, Division I No. 3 Clifton-Clyde Eagles, 58-12.
Axtell started early as all-state quarterback Isaac Detweiler connected on a pair of touchdown passes to Grady Buessing for a 14-0 lead.
Clifton-Clyde would respond with an incredible 4th-down scramble by Trent Long for a touchdown to pull within 14-6. Long seemingly doubled back from side-to-side on the field a couple during the 16-yard run.
Axtell’s Brandon Schmelzle then began to get into the action. The super-sophomore broke free for a 25-yard run to extend the lead to 20-6.
Clifton-Clyde would pull back within one score as Long connected with Drayden Reed on a touchdown pass to make the score 20-12.
But before half, Detweiler hit Eli Broxterman on a short touchdown toss to put the visitors up 28-12 at the break.
Schmelzle then scored three consecutive touchdowns in the third quarter to help Axtell pull away. He broke free for touchdown runs of 38 yards and 30 yards to put the Eagles up 42-12. Then, Schmelzle caught a long touchdown pass from Detweiler for a 50-12 lead.
The Axtell defense got into the act as Owen Strathman tackled a Clifton-Clyde player in the end zone for a safety and a 52-12 lead. Schmelzle then ended the game with a touchdown sprint from mid-field in the fourth quarter.
----
Lebo hands Madison rare regular-season loss
The Lebo Wolves forced three Madison turnovers and held on to defeat the Bulldogs, 30-26. Drew Konrade led the Wolves with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Konrade also passed for 52 yards including a touchdown pass to Luke Davies.
Madison’s Cade Hurlburt rushed for 95 yards and a score and passed for 116 yards and another touchdown. Lebo was able to somewhat limit Madison standout Bryson Turner. Turner rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and had 60 receiving yards and another scores.
The loss was Madison’s first in the regular season since 2017.
---
Jett Vincent’s big night paces No. 2 Canton-Galva
C-G senior Jett Vincent, who played his first three years at Wheatland-Grinnell, had three pick-sixes in the Eagles’ 58-6 win at Solomon. Vincent led Kansas in interceptions as a freshman, and KPreps has continued to track his progress on the all-time career interceptions record. Vincent now has 31 career interceptions, which tie the 8-man record of Gunner Boss from Bennington in ’85-88.
Vincent helped C-G outscore Solomon 38-6 in the first quarter and win at halftime. Garrett Maltbie, a three-year starter at quarterback, returned from injury. In his first game this year, Maltbie completed six of nine passes for 157 yards and four scores. Vincent switched back to receiver and caught two passes for 15 yards with a TD.
----
Colony-Crest wins key game
In Week 2, Division II Colony-Crest had a close loss against Division I No. 2 Chase County. C-C continued to establish itself as a Division II East favorite with a 52-7 victory against previously undefeated Oswego in a Three Rivers League contest. Crest outrushed Oswego, 262-27. Holden Barker, a 2,000-yard rusher last year, had scoring runs of 28 and 60 yards. Ethan Godderez delivered a 48-yard scoring pass to Stetson Setter. Godderz had a 32-yard run. Setter also tallied scoring runs of 19, five and four yards.
Six-Man
Ashland wins matchup of ranked teams
No. 2 Ashland and No. 3 Bird City-Cheylin had a key Friday afternoon contest. Ashland won, 50-28, and picked up its second straight win in the series. Both teams are extremely junior-heavy. The win helped further establish Ashland, third last year in six man, has the No. 2 team in the classification. Ashland lost, 38-30, to No. 1 Cunningham in the first contest. Cheylin, state runner-up and state champion in ’19 and ’20, is 2-1 and much improved after a 3-5 season last year.
----
No. 5 Northern Valley bounces back
In an intriguing six-man matchup, No. 5 Northern Valley bounced back from its one-point loss to Tescott with a 34-7 win against Ingalls. NV led 13-0 after the first quarter and by the same margin at halftime. NV led 26-7 after the third quarter. Jeremiah Hansen was banged up in Week 2. He returned with 119 total yards and three scores. Ingalls was 2-0 in its first season of six-man football. NV, fourth in six-man last year, did not allow an offensive touchdown Friday. Foster Brands had 15 tackles, Brody Preston finished with 14, and Gavin Thalheim accounted for two turnovers.
Use your Facebook account to add a comment or start a discussion. Posts are subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment.
