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
Manhattan routs rival Junction City to claim the Silver Trophy
Top-ranked Manhattan turned the 6A showdown against No. 5 Junction City into a laugher as the Indians pulled away for a 44-7 win.
With the victory, Manhattan not only claimed the Silver Trophy in this rivalry, but the Indians also claimed the outright Centennial League title.
Manhattan used a dominating defensive effort to slow down the Blue Jay offense and then grinded out more than 250 yards rushing on their own.
Keenan Schartz rushed for one of his three touchdowns early in the game for a 7-0 lead. Max Stanard then returned a Blue Jay punt for a score to get Manhattan off to a 14-0 advantage.
Schartz rushed for three scores and DeAndre Aukland led the Indians with 135 yards and a score on the ground.
Stanard also returned an interception for touchdown later in the game.
The Manhattan defense held Junction City quarterback Xavion Felton to less than 25 yards rushing on 18 attempts.
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Gardner-Edgerton shuts down Lawrence, 35-7
Gardner-Edgerton snapped a two-game losing streak with a 35-7 win over Lawrence on Friday night.
The Trailblazers used a complete performance to slow down a Chesty Lion team that entered the contest having won four straight games and that was averaging nearly 40 points per game.
The Gardner-Edgerton defense limited Lawrence to 212 total yards and intercepted three passes.
Meanwhile, the Trailblazers grinded out 255 rushing yards behind another big night from Dawson Kindler. Kindler carried 26 times for 117 yards and a score and Bravin Powell-Brown added 68 yards and three rushing scores in the win.
Gardner-Edgerton improved to 4-2 and remains among the top four teams in the 6A East. Lawrence dropped to 4-2 and into a six-way tie for fourth in the 6A West.
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Class 5A
Maize tops Derby 52-51 with late field goal.
The Maize Eagles got a 20-yard field goal from Mason Teague with 1:22 remaining to top 6A No. 2 Derby, 52-51.
Avery Johnson, the Kansas State commit, passed for 360 yards and four touchdowns and added 156 yards rushing and three more scores.
Derby scored four consecutive times to take a 34-14 lead in the second quarter. The Panthers got a Dylan Edwards touchdown to pull within 14-13, then forced a Johnson fumble and returned it for a touchdown and a 20-14 lead.
Quarterback Brock Zerger added his second rushing score to put the Panthers up 27-14, then a touchdown off of a muffed punt gave Derby the 34-14 advantage.
Johnson would respond with a rushing score late in the half to pull the Eagles within 34-21. His 41-yard touchdown run in the third quarter pulled Maize within 34-28.
Zerger responded hitting Edwards on a touchdown pass for a 41-28 Derby lead, but Johnson rushed across the goal line again to pull the Eagles within 41-35.
After a Derby field goal, Johnson threw another touchdown pass to trim the Panther lead to 44-42 early in the fourth quarter.
Zerger added another short scoring run to put Derby up 51-42. Johnson again responded with a touchdown pass mid-way through the fourth quarter to pull within 51-49 and set up Teague’s late-game heroics.
Teague’s field goal gave Maize its first lead of the night.
This marks the third consecutive season that the Derby and Maize contest has been decided by 1-point. Derby won last year’s meeting, 42-41, while Maize claimed the victory in 2020, 36-35.
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Bishop Carroll holds off Kapaun in the Holy War
Bishop Carroll again defeated rival Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 26-21, to maintain their dominance in the series. Kapaun’s last win over Carroll came in 1999.
Friday’s game was played at Wichita’s Riverfront Stadium, home of the Wichita Wind Surge minor league baseball team.
Carroll’s Jackson King scored early for a 7-0 lead and a field goal later put the Eagles up 10-0.
Kapaun responded as Dylan Hamilton’s touchdown pass mid-way through second quarter narrowed the lead to 10-7.
After a Carroll turnover, Kapaun was in the end zone again on an Omari Elias touchdown run for a 14-10 Crusader lead.
Carroll responded before halftime as Tate Blasi hauled in a long touchdown pass for a 17-14 Golden Eagle lead.
Bishop Carroll opened the third quarter with a Thomas Gorges touchdown run for a 23-14 advantage. The Eagles would another field goal late in the third quarter to lead 26-14.
Kapaun’s final points came on Hamilton’s second touchdown pass of the night to pull within 26-21. The Crusaders threatened once more in Carroll territory in the fourth quarter, but the Golden Eagles held them on downs.
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Class 4A
St. Thomas Aquinas rallies to top No. 1 Bishop Miege, 29-26
Friday tied the biggest comeback of coach Randy Dreiling’s legendary career. Class 4A No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas trailed rival Bishop Miege, ranked No. 1 4A, by 20 points on the Stags’ Homecoming.
However, the Saints rallied with four second-half touchdowns and won 29-26 in a key Eastern Kansas League and 4A East contest. Aquinas senior running back Sean Carroll who rushed for 1,608 yards last fall, and is one of Kansas’ strongest players, bulldozed Miege’s defense in the second half.
Miege led 20-0 midway through the third quarter.
Carroll, on the short list for the state’s top running back, finished with 40 carries for 233 yards and three TDs. He battled injury and fatigue throughout the game. The 6-foot, 213-pound Carroll had 30 second half carries and wore down the Stags. Carroll has 141 carries for 878 yards and 13 TDs this season.
After two straight losses, Aquinas improved to 4-2. The top-three 4A squads are the EKL private schools: Miege, Aquinas and St. James Academy. They all split against each other this year. Miege is 5-1.
After a scoreless first quarter, Miege led 14-0 at halftime. Mac Armstrong found 6-foot-3 junior tight end Daegan Jensen with a four-yard TD pass. Senior DeAndre Beasley then scored from a yard out.
Miege moved the lead to 20-0 in the third quarter when Beasley scored again from four yards. Aquinas had a steady diet of Carroll runs, and then pitched to senior Jack Forge on a 26-yard TD run on an option right. Miege led 20-7 entering the fourth quarter.
Carroll scored on a three-yard run for a 20-14 deficit. Miege immediately came back on a 78-yard TD pass to a wide-open Jensen. However, the kick was blocked, and Miege led 26-14 with 9 minutes, 59 seconds left.
Aquinas scored in 58 seconds after a four-yard TD run from Carroll. Then, Aquinas junior Wyatt Potter recovered a fumble at the Saints 36-yard line. Carroll quickly moved the ball down and scored from a yard out. Aquinas went for two and didn’t convert, but a penalty gave the Saints another chance. This time, Forge caught the two-point conversion for the final margin.
Junior Wyatt Lewis picked Armstrong on a deep pass with 2:18 left to essentially seal the win. Lewis also had two pass breakups. Aquinas has no senior starters on the offensive line. In addition to Carroll, Dreiling gave significant credit to the offensive line and defense. Stephen Carroll, Sean’s younger brother, is starting at right guard as a freshman. It's the first freshman Dreiling has ever started up front.
Dreiling is 76-25 at Aquinas and 261-101 in his career.
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Atchison outscores Topeka Highland Park, 70-56
Atchison inched closer to claiming the first-ever Meadowlark Conference title by outscoring Topeka Highland Park, 70-56, on Friday night.
Jesse Greenly, IV, had a huge night rushing for nine touchdowns for the Phoenix in the win. He scored four touchdowns in the first quarter as the Phoenix opened a 28-6 lead.
Atchison led 42-18 before halftime, but a second-half push by Highland Park got the Scots to within 56-48 early in the fourth quarter.
Greenly then took over scoring his eighth and ninth touchdowns to push the lead to 70-48.
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Louisburg dominates Tonganoxie, 49-0
Louisburg won for the fifth consecutive week as the Wildcats dominated Tonganoxie, 49-0, on Friday night.
Riley Van Eaton rushed for three touchdowns in the first half as the Wildcats built a 35-0 lead.
Quarterback Declan Battle added a pair of rushing scores in the second half and opened the scoring on the night by connecting with Mason Dobbins on a touchdown pass.
Louisburg’s lone loss this season came to Rogers-Heritage (Ark.) in the season-opener. The Wildcats remain among the top teams on the eastern half of Class 4A.
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Class 3A
Andale blows out No. 1 Wichita Collegiate, 49-0
In a matchup of the two top-ranked 3A teams, No. 1 Andale rolled No. 2 Wichita Collegiate, 49-0.
The Indians continue to assert themselves as the clear favorite in Class 3A. Collegiate has generally provided the most resistance to Andale in the last couple of years, but not on Friday night. Andale led 21-0 after the first quarter and 35-0 at halftime.
The Indians claimed their 44th consecutive win and moved past Hanover on the all-time Kansas consecutive wins list. Andale could become the fifth team in state history to win 50 straight games.
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Scott City doubles-up Holcomb, 28-14
Scott City improved to 5-1 and took control of District 8 with a 28-14 victory at Holcomb.
Holcomb led this game 7-6 at halftime, but the Beavers scored three touchdowns in the second half to pull away.
Brady Welker carried 25 times for 203 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Beaver offense. His touchdown run in the third quarter gave Scott City the lead.
Holcomb would later tie the game at 14-14 on a Keegan Johnson touchdown, but Scott City would answer as quarterback Dylan Metzger hit Lawson Baily on a long touchdown pass to take the lead for good.
Metzger passed for more than 160 yards and that touchdown.
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Class 2A
Kingman wins unbeaten battle over Chaparral, 35-7
In a battle of unbeaten teams in Class 2A, District 6, Kingman scored 21 points in the first half and defeated Chaparral, 35-7.
Nolan Freund started the scoring with a touchdown pass to Avrey Albright for a 7-0 lead.
Ty Birkenbaugh then returned an interception for a touchdown and Jake Fischer added a scoring run for the three-score halftime lead.
Freund tossed his second touchdown pass in the third quarter – this one to Tristen Davidson -- as the Eagles went up 28-0.
Fischer later added his second score on the ground for a 35-point Kingman advantage.
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Ellsworth wins at Russell to remain unbeaten
Ellsworth allowed its first points since Week 1, though squeaked past much improved Russell, 18-15.
Ellsworth has permitted just 21 points this year and is one of Kansas’ biggest turnarounds. The Bearcats are 6-0, its best start since the mid-80s, per Kansas Football History.
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Osage City holds off Humboldt, 42-34
Osage City built a three-touchdown advantage and then held off Humboldt for a key 42-34 district win.
The Indians led 35-14 at halftime as Landon Boss rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two more.
But Humboldt would rally in the third quarter. Sam Hull and Trey Sommer each rushed for touchdowns to pull the Cubs back within 35-26.
Boss would answer with his fourth rushing score of the game to give Osage City a 42-26 lead.
Sommer’s touchdown in the final 4 minutes got Humboldt within 42-34, but the Cubs could get no closer.
Boss rushed for 152 yards and those four touchdowns and passed for 253 yards and two more scores.
Sommer, filling in at quarterback, passed for 131 yards and a score and added 207 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
The Osage City victory allows the Indians to keep pace with Council Grove in District 2. Both the Indians and Braves are 2-0 in district play. They will meet Week 8 in Osage City.
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Class 1A
Northeast-Arma edges Uniontown to end streak
Northeast-Arma edged Uniontown 8-6 on Friday to end an 18-game on-field losing streak. The game was moved up to the middle of the afternoon due to a shortage of officials.
The Vikings recorded their first on-field victory since September 13, 2019 when they defeated Yates Center, 36-0.
Northeast received a COVID forfeit win over Valley Heights, then ranked in 1A, in the first-round of the 2020 playoffs.
Northeast was unable to field a varsity team in 2021 and suited up only 11 players in last week’s district-loss to St. Mary’s Colgan.
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Jayhawk-Linn wins TRL by topping Pleasanton
Jayhawk-Linn remained unbeaten with a 20-6 win at Three Rivers League rival Pleasanton.
The Jayhawks scored on a pair of Dylan Nickelson touchdown passes in the first half to lead 12-0 at the intermission. Nickelson tossed a long scoring pass to Garrett Seeley, then connected with Bryton Spencer late in the second quarter.
Pleasanton pulled to within 12-6 in the third as Dale Gillespie hit Kam Staton on a 20-yard scoring strike.
The Blu-Jays were driving again in the third when an interception ended the scoring threat. Shortly after, Nickelson hit Seeley on a 70-yard touchdown pass for the 20-6 advantage.
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Marion runs past Council Grove, 46-15
Marion stepped outside of district play for a challenge against unbeaten Council Grove. The Warriors responded with big first quarter en route to a dominating 46-15 win.
Marion scored 24 points in the opening quarter to take control and led 32-7 at halftime. The Warriors rushed for 349 yards in the game led by Jack Lanning’s 174 yards and four touchdowns. Trevor Schafers added 166 yards and three scores.
Marion only attempted one pass which was incomplete.
Meanwhile, the Warrior defense held Council Grove to 26 rush yards on 17 attempts.
Marion improved to 4-2 with the victory, while Council Grove is now 5-1.
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Class 8-Man, Division I
Wichita County handles defending champion Meade, 56-20
After trading touchdowns early, No. 1 Wichita County took control and rolled to a 56-20 road win over defending champion Meade.
The Indians led 20-14 at halftime and took control in the third quarter as quarterback Erhik Hermosillo rushed for a touchdown and tossed a touchdown pass to a wide-open Cordell Brown for a 34-14 advantage.
Following a Meade turnover, Hemosillo then opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 9-yard run to put Wichita County up 40-14.
Meade would answer to pull within 40-20, but Hermosillo would counter again to push the advantage to 48-20.
Wyatt Gardner’s late touchdown run completed the scoring for the Indians.
Wichita County sapped Meade’s 20-game win streak an took control in District 8.
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Madison outscores Cair Paravel behind Turner’s big night
Madison outscored Cair Paravel 38-28 in the second half to claim an 86-72 win in Eight-Man, Division I, District 2.
Once again, senior Bryson Turner produced huge numbers in order to lead the Bulldogs to victory. Turner carried 39 times for 435 yards and nine touchdowns on the night. A week ago, Turner exploded for 43 carries and 325 yards and six touchdowns in a 40-26 win over Lyndon.
That means in the past two weeks, Turner has rushed 82 times for 760 yards and 15 scores. For the season Turner has 111 carries for 1,013 yards and 27 touchdowns.
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Class 8-Man, Division II
Top-ranked Axtell rolls past Hanover
Axtell won its 19th consecutive game with a 62-14 decision over Twin Valley League rival Hanover.
Isaac Detweiler completed 8 of 12 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns and is closing in on 100 passing touchdowns for his career. Detweiler also added 94 yards on the ground and three scores.
Brandon Schmelzle had another huge game with 137 yards and two receiving scores. He also finished with 84 yards and a rushing touchdown and intercepted a pass on defense.
Hanover dropped to 2-4 on the season marking the second consecutive season the Wildcats have four losses. Prior to the 2021 season, Hanover had lost only four total games from the 2014 to the 2020 season.
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Victoria edges Wallace County, 30-28
Third-ranked Victoria recovered a late fumble to secures a 30-28 victory over Sharon Springs-Wallace County.
The Knights and Wildcats are two of the favorites on the west side of Eight-Man, Division II to make a run to Newton for the state title game.
Victoria led 30-22 at halftime and held on for the win. This was a non-district game.
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