Each Thursday throughout the regular season, The Pick List will feature a few of the best match-ups across the state, and make our predictions on a handful of other games.
Feature Games of the Week:
6A No. 1 Manhattan (5-0) at 6A No. 5 Junction City (4-1)
The annual battle for the Silver Trophy will take place on Friday as Class 6A’s top-ranked Manhattan Indians travel the short distance to take on No. 5 Junction City.
This rivalry between Centennial League members has been one of the state’s best in recent memory with 11 of the past 13 meetings having been decided by single digits.
Last year was one of those rare occasions where the margin was larger. Manhattan defeated then fifth-ranked Junction City, 37-21, to earn coach Joe Schartz’s 100th career victory.
This season, Schartz’s Indians have been the story in large class football beginning with their 26-23 overtime win at Derby in the season-opener. Since, the Indians’ resume includes a 10-point win at 5A-ranked Hays High and a three-point victory over a veteran Washburn Rural squad. After this week’s rivalry contest, Manhattan has home dates with Lansing and Wichita Northwest, currently No. 3 in Class 6A.
Junction City’s schedule has been no slouch. The Blue Jays opened the season with a 33-21 loss at Hays High, but have reeled off four straight wins over Dodge City, McPherson, Bishop Carroll, and Washburn Rural.
The teams have two common opponents in Hays High and Washburn Rural. Manhattan won at Hays 31-21, while Junction City lost 33-21. Meanwhile, Manhattan defeated Washburn Rural 28-25, while Junction City beat Rural 24-6.
Both teams are led by their senior quarterbacks.
Keenan Schartz guides the Manhattan offense and has pass for 735 yards and six touchdowns. Schartz has completed 67 percent of his pass attempts and has added 313 rushing yards and six scores. DeAndre Aukland paces the Indian ground game with 395 yards and six touchdowns, while Jason Sanchez has added 171 yards and three scores.
Schartz has spread the ball around as six Indian receivers have at least six catches. Senior Braxton Frey has a team-high 13 receptions, while classmate Jaxon Bowles leads the team with 187 yards and three touchdowns.
Junction City is led on offense by senior quarterback Xavion Felton. Felon (5-10, 205) is a physical runner and has been difficult for opposing defenses to bring down. Felton has rushed 129 times for 635 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Logan Nabus has added 166 yards on the ground and two scores, while Thelonius Jones has added 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Felton has completed 41 percent of his passes for 423 yards and five scores. Malijah Byers is the Blue Jays’ top receiver with 14 catches for 226 yards and a touchdown. Sheldon Butler-Lawson has added 84 receiving yards and two scores.
Both teams feature solid defenses. Manhattan has allowed 16.6 point per game, while Junction City allows 19.2 points per game. Manhattan is led by Jaxon Vikander’s 31 tackles, while rangy Junction City linebacker Michael Boganowski (6-2 ,185) leads the Blue Jays with 58 total stops.
Our Pick: Manhattan 23, Junction City 20 (Gilmore)
5A No. 2 Maize (5-0) at 6A No. 2 Derby (4-1)
This is arguably the biggest regular season game in Kansas. Derby has won 14 of the last 18 meetings. However, the last two meetings have been epic one-point contests. In 2020, Maize won 36-35, a win that put then-sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson on the national radar.
Derby won, 42-41, in this game last year. Maize scored late and went for two for the potential win, but was stopped. Johnson has committed to Kansas State and is the state’s top recruit. Derby has running back/all-purpose threat Dylan Edwards, the state’s No. 2 recruit and Notre Dame commit.
Maize has faced limited resistance with its closest game a 42-14 win at Andover Central in Week 2. Maize has scored the most points after five games in at least the last 25 years for the program. The Eagles rolled 63-26 at rival Maize South last week.
Derby lost the well-publicized home game, 26-23, in overtime against Manhattan in the season opener. Derby won 45-38 at Bishop Carroll in a wild Week 3 game. With the game tied at 38 with 54 seconds left, Edwards went 85 yards for a touchdown in what proved the game winner. Derby beat Hutchinson, 28-21, the following week. Miles Wash intercepted a pass in the end zone at the end to secure the Hutchinson win.
While Johnson and Edwards are Kansas’ most acclaimed players, this game will likely go beyond those two. Maize has done a great job with depth and star power across the board. Sophomore Bryson Hayes has delivered sub-4.4 yard dash speed and is a breakout star. His catch-and-run TD shifted the Andover Central game. He has added another dimension to an offense that includes RB Daeshaun Carter, WR Bryce Cohoon (Syracuse commit), WR Justin Stephens and a veteran line that includes Cole Chalashtari.
Maize’s defense includes DB Cody Hughbanks and DT Caden Miranda. Overall, Maize has averaged 492 yards a game and permitted 202. Johnson has delivered remarkable numbers with 62 of 86 passing for 1,248 yards with 14 scores against no interceptions. He has 35 carries for 324 yards and seven TDs.
Derby has tallied 371 yards a game and allowed 336, per Kpreps research and Hudl boxscores. Maize has 10.2 yards per play and allowed 3.7. Derby has tallied 7.6 and allowed 5.0.
A key part of the game could be special teams. Edwards is a dynamic returner, and Maize has sometimes struggled in return coverage. Andover Central returned a kick for a score. Derby had a 92-yard kick return TD versus Carroll and non-offensive TDs include two punt return touchdowns and a pick-six.
If Derby has the special teams edge, the Panthers could definitely win this game. On a per-play average, Maize has the edge.
Our Pick: Maize 45, Derby 41 (Nicholl)
Kapaun Mt. Carmel (3-2) at 5A No. 4 Bishop Carroll (3-2)
For the second consecutive year the “Holy War” will be moved to a neutral site. Last season the game was moved to Cessna Stadium to accommodate the matchup between the then No. 1 and No. 2 ranked 5A teams in the state.
This season, the game will be played at Wichita’s Riverfront Stadium – home of the Wichita Wind Surge baseball team. How will the unique venue add to this rivalry? We’ll soon find out.
Regardless of location, the question each year remains is this the year that Kapaun Mt. Carmel can finally top Bishop Carroll. The Golden Eagles have won each matchup since 1999.
Despite Kapaun entering last year’s game unbeaten, it was Carroll that got a Jadonn Williams’ touchdown run in the final three minutes to win 27-21.
Both teams enter this contest having already suffered through consecutive losses. Kapaun fell to Wichita East (30-20) back in Week 2 and Wichita Northwest (41-14) in Week 3. Carroll lost to Derby in the final minute (45-38) in Week 3 and dropped a 28-21 decision to Junction City in Week 4. Carroll has a marquee victory over Wichita Northwest, 53-41, back in the season-opener.
The Golden Eagles play a pair of quarterbacks in senior Zach Steven and junior Jackson King. Steven has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 208 yards and a touchdown, while King has passed for 534 yards and two scores. King is also the team’s leading rusher with 522 yards and nine touchdowns. Thomas Gorges has added 261 yards and six scores on the ground for the Golden Eagles. Tate Blasi has emerged as one of the state’s top receivers with 27 catches for 456 yards and three scores.
Kapaun wants to run the ball with standout junior back Omari Elias. Elias has already rushed for 1,069 yards and eight touchdowns this season on 118 carries. He’s carried the ball on 49 percent of the Crusaders total plays this season.
When Kapaun looks to pass, junior quarterback Dylan Hamilton has been effective in his second year as a starter. Hamilton has completed 67 percent of his attempts for 541 yards and 10 touchdowns. Kansas State-commit Will Anciaux has been Hamilton’s top target with 18 catches for 268 yards and three scores.
Our Pick: Carroll 31, Kapaun 24 (Gilmore)
4A No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas (3-2) at 4A No. 1 Bishop Miege (5-0)
Two of the top-ranked teams in Class 4A will meet in an Eastern Kansas League showdown as No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas travels to take on No. 1 Bishop Miege.
Bishop Miege is unbeaten and coming off a complete game in a 40-0 shutout of traditional-power Blue Valley. It marked the second shutout of the season for the Stag defense which is allowing 9.8 points per game. Couple that with the Miege offense that puts up 40 points per contest and Jon Holmes has a formula for getting the Stags back to the state title game for the first time since 2019.
The Miege features senior quarterback Mac Armstrong and a talented group of receivers. Armstrong (6-0, 175) has completed an incredible 80.6 percent of his passes (129 of 160) for 1,803 yards and 16 touchdowns with no interceptions. Isaiah Coppage (6-1, 195) leads the team in receptions (45), receiving yards (675), and touchdown receptions (8). Teryn Jackson is second on the team with 25 catches for 404 yards and Tommy Wright and Daegan Jensen have 259 and 235 receiving yards, respectively.
The Stag ground game is paced by David Garcia who has rushed for 331 yards and five scores with Logan Thilges adding 150 yards and three more touchdowns. Up front, junior OL Jeremy Schleicher (6-3, 260) has received interest from several D1 schools including Iowa State, Kansas State, and Minnesota.
Miege has an athletic defense that includes Aidan Wing (6-4, 200) and DeAndre Beasley (5-11, 180) who was previously committed to Northern Iowa. Up front, Jalen Wilson (6-0, 250) and Lonnie Reed (6-2, 395) have been key.
Miege will go against an Aquinas team that has lost consecutive games. The Saints fell 24-20 to St. James Academy in Week 4 and dropped a 32-11 decision to Rockhurst last week. Miege defeated Rockhurst 28-21 the week prior and hold a 52-14 win over St. James back in Week 3.
Aquinas will be ready with its ground game led by senior Sean Carroll. Carroll has rushed for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He’s complimented in the backfield by junior Gianni Rizzi who has 448 yards and averages nearly eight yards per touch.
Dylan Webb and Mac Bishop have each played behind center with Bishop passing for 191 yards and two scores and Webb adding 123 yards through the air.
The Saint defense has been solid against the run all season allowing opponent 107 yards per game. The key to this contest may be their ability to slow Armstrong and the Miege passing attack – partially by controlling the ball themselves on offense. Aquinas has allowed opponents 153 yards passing per game, but that number has been more than 210 yards per game in the last two weeks – both losses.
Last season, Miege edged Aquinas 23-20 by scoring a late touchdown and a field goal. It was the Stags first win over Aquinas since 2017.
Our Pick: Miege 31, Aquinas 27 (Gilmore)
3A No. 1 Andale (5-0) at 3A No. 2 Wichita Collegiate (5-0)
Andale has won 43 straight games and is closing in on the top-five all-time Kansas consecutive wins streak. Typically, rival Wichita Collegiate has provided the biggest test for Andale.
Andale continues to deliver historical dominance on par with 2007 Smith Center, statistically the most dominant team in Kansas history. The Indians won at Nickerson, 108-0, last week. Andale has won every game by at least 39 points.
Andale has its significant senior class, led by RB Riley Marx, QB Wyatt Spexarth, OL Jack Kraus, LB Jonah Meyer and all-purpose threat Kelby Eck. Marx has Division I offers in football and track. Andale beat Collegiate, 29-6, last season. The only other closer game was a 21-point margin in the state semifinals to Southeast of Saline, currently the No. 1 team in 2A.
Collegiate has quarterback Wesley Fair, a top-10 recruit and Kansas State commit. The Spartans have plenty of senior talent, including tight end Hayden Malaise, receiver Jaden Mitchell and lineman Brett Black. Collegiate has continually ground down opponents. Last week, the Spartans defeated run-heavy Chapman, 34-8. Carson Phelps was hurt last season and enjoyed a nice game versus Chapman with 14 carries for 155 yards and two scores. Fair passed for 162 with a TD.
Collegiate has won 15 straight home games against non-Andale opponents. The Spartans have a young, developing offensive line in several spots.
Andale is the favorite, but the big picture question is: How close can Collegiate play the Indians? Collegiate is likely Andale’s toughest test until mid-November. A close game provides a barometer for the gap between Andale and the rest of 3A.
Our Pick: Andale 34, Collegiate 12 (Nicholl)
8M-I No. 2 Hill City (5-0) at Hoxie (4-1)
In the summer, Hill City coach Travis Desbien noted that Hoxie was a vastly underrated team in Eight-Man, Division I. This Friday will likely provide the separation in Division I West. Hill City/Hoxie and Wichita County/Meade play each other and are considered the top-four teams in the West.
Hill City and Hoxie, separated by 30 minutes in adjoining counties, are expected to decide District 6. Hoxie has four dominant wins and a 56-28 road loss to No. 1 Wichita County in Week 3 when the Indians pulled away in the second half. Hill City has the quality 48-22 win at Thunder Ridge in Week 3. Thunder Ridge is ranked fourth in Division II.
Last week, Hill City struggled with Quinter in a 20-12 victory. Quinter has lost three one-score games, including a pair to ranked teams. Hill City had a few players in new positions against Quinter and especially struggled with the quarterback/center exchange. The Ringnecks had 10-plus penalties.
Junior quarterback Aiden Amrein continued his great career with 17 of 20 passing for 202 yards with a touchdown. Senior Kaleb Atkins delivered 17 touches for 225 yards and three scores. Senior Conner Dinkel continued his great career with 19 tackles, three for loss. Junior Jaden Nuss has 14 tackles.
Dinkel, with 365 tackles, has a strong case for eight-man’s best linebacker. He is a four-year starter. Amrein, Atkins and Nuss are key players in the 2-front defense and are arguably eight-man’s top backfield.
Hill City has allowed 12 points a game. In all other contests, Hill City’s opponents have scored 45.9 points a contest, per Kpreps research.
Hoxie has allowed 15.6 points a game, including the loss to No. 1 Wichita County. Hoxie’s opponents have scored 27.3 points a contest when not facing the Indians.
Hoxie has continued to throw well and moved Brady Jones, an all-state receiver, to quarterback. He has completed 29 of 44 passes for 478 yards with 10 scores against one interception. Hoxie has averaged seven rushing yards. Seniors Miles Baalman and Ryan Shaw have combined for 21 catches for 11 scores.
Much of the result hinges on Hill City’s health. Hill City has a slight edge with defense and the more experienced backfield. These two teams know each other well from football and wrestling and should have a close game.
Our Pick: Hill City 36, Hoxie 30 (Nicholl)
8M-I No. 5 South Sumner Co. (5-0) at Wichita Independent (5-0)
This game will likely decide Eight-Man, Division I, District 3. South Sumner County, Wichita Independent and Central-Burden are all 2-0 in district play.
South Sumner County is the first-year co-operative agreement between Caldwell and South Haven. Longtime Caldwell coach Sean Blosser took over SSC. The schools have played together for many years in junior high football. South Sumner has highly dominated with a 278-12 margin.
Senior Keiondre Smith has been one of the state’s top dual threat quarterbacks the last two years. Smith has passed for 206 yards with score and delivered 50 carries for 729 yards and 20 TDs. Junior Alex Smith has 30 carries for 229 yards and five scores. In the summer, Blosser believed Smith, who was hurt a large chunk of last season for South Haven, could be a breakout player.
South Sumner Co. defeated Cedar-Vale Dexter (58-0), Norwich (54-6), Sedan (56-6), Udall (48-0) and Oxford (62-0). Junior Jackson Risley has 39 tackles and more than 110 tackles last year.
Independent has been a great turnaround story. This is the best start in Independent school history. The Panthers won, 40-34, at Oxford and has three one-score victories. The Panthers were an 11-man team last fall and had games cancelled and forfeited last year because of lack of players. That included a contest against Sublette when Independent was leading but ran out of players and had to forfeit.
Sophomore Tatum Stalnaker has completed 28 of 43 passes for 632 yards with 11 scores against two interceptions. Senior Christian Dean has 66 carries for 537 yards and 15 TDs.
Independent has 9.7 yards per play, SSC with 10.9. South Sumner, with Caldwell, has consistently been an eight-man power. Smith is one of Kansas’ most electrifying players, and SSC has the edge.
Our Pick: South Sumner 52, Independent 40 (Nicholl)
The Pick List:
Dodge City (3-2) at 5A No. 3 Hays (4-1) – Hays High
Lawrence (4-1) at Gardner-Edgerton (3-2) – Gardner-Edgerton
4A No. 2 St. James Academy (2-3) at Blue Valley West (3-2) – St. James
KC Piper (3-2) at De Soto (4-1) – De Soto
Maize South (3-2) at Goddard (4-1) – Maize South
Shawnee Heights (3-2) at 4A No. 5 Wamego (5-0) – Wamego
Topeka Highland Park (4-1) at Atchison (5-0) – Atchison
Valley Center (4-1) at Andover (3-2) – Andover
Abilene (3-2) at Towanda-Circle (4-1) – Circle
McPherson (4-1) at Wellington (3-2) – McPherson
Tonganoxie (3-2) at Louisburg (4-1) – Louisburg
3A No. 4 Holton (4-1) at Rossville (2-3) – Holton
Parsons (5-0) at Galena (3-2) – Galena
Scott City (4-1) at Holcomb (5-0) – Scott City
Beloit (3-2) at Norton (4-1) – Beloit
Chaparral (5-0) at 2A No. 3 Kingman (5-0) – Kingman
1A No. 3 Centralia (5-0) at Garden Plain (3-2) – Centralia
1A No. 2 Olpe (3-2) at Caney Valley (4-1) – Olpe
Humboldt (4-1) at Osage City (4-1) – Osage City
2A No. 4 Sabetha (4-1) at Riverside (3-2) – Sabetha
Jackson Heights (3-2) at 1A No. 5 Troy (4-1) – Troy
Jayhawk-Linn (5-0) at Pleasanton (4-1) – Jayhawk-Linn
Jefferson Co. North (3-2) at St. Marys (3-2) – St. Marys
Chase County (4-1) at Lyndon (4-1) – Chase County
Ell-Saline (4-1) at Clifton-Clyde (4-1) – Clifton-Clyde
La Crosse (4-1) at Macksville (5-0) – Macksville
Hanover (2-3) at 8M-II No. 1 Axtell (5-0) – Axtell
8M-II No. 3 Victoria (5-0) at Sharon Springs-Wallace Co. (4-1) – Victoria
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