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
Olathe North rallies behind its defense to top Mill Valley, 20-16
Olathe North took control of the Sunflower League race and clinched the top seed on the eastern side of Class 6A with a l-16 win over 5A No.1 Mill Valley.
The Eagle defense was exceptional in intercepting four passes in the second half, including three in the fourth quarter alone. Mill Valley led 16-7 in the fourth quarter when Joshua Parrish picked off Hayden Jay and returned it for a touchdown to pull Olathe North to within 16-14 with 7:20 remaining.
Shortly after, Alex Gunderson intercepted it Jay and returned it for a touchdown to put the Eagles in the lead, 20-16.
But Mill Valley would mount a drive to the Olathe North 15-yard line. Jay lofted a pass in the end zone on the left side, but Olathe North’s Jason Parrish separated from the intended receiver and pulled down the interception in the end zone to end the threat with 1:14 remaining.
Mill Valley used its timeouts and quickly forced Olathe North to punt, but the Eagles boomed a 68-yard punt backing the Jaguars up to their own 11-yard line. Mill Valley reached mid-field before time ran out.
The Jaguars led 10-0 in the first quarter thanks to a rushing touchdown by Jay and a Kenten Laughman field goal. Olathe North pulled to within 16-7 by halftime with a short T.J. Porter touchdown run.
All offensive points were scored in the first half.
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Free State wins battle of Lawrence, 28-26
Lawrence Free State held off rival Lawrence, 28-26, two end a two-game losing streak in the series.
Free State scored two touchdowns in the second half to break a 14-14 tie. First Wesley Edison broke a 14-yard run in the third quarter to give the Firebirds a 21-14 lead. Tay Ware added a touchdown run in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 28-14.
Lawrence would respond shortly after on a Banks Bowen touchdown, but the PAT was no good leaving the score at 28-20.
The Chesty Lions scored with under two minutes to go as Tyson Grammer hit Sam Sedo on a touchdown pass. Lawrence attempted the two-point conversion to tie the game, but the pass was incomplete.
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O’Atis leads Shawnee Mission Northwest past SM East, 38-28
Shawnee Mission Northwest snapped a two-game losing streak with a 38-28 win over Shawnee Mission East thanks to a huge game by Malik O’Atis.
O’Atis carried 39 times for 406 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cougars to victory. He broke scoring runs of 70 and 60 yards in the game.
For the season, O’Atis has rushed for 1,625 yards and 16 touchdowns on 175 attempts.
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Class 5A
Maize rolls past Hutch, 41-13
For the second consecutive week, Maize defeated a ranked team. This time, the Eagles rolled over 5A No. 5 Hutchinson, 41-13. Last week, Maize kicked a late game-winning field goal to beat 6A No. 2 Derby, 52-51.
Maize has won the ACTVL Division I championship.
The Eagles led 14-7 after the first quarter and 27-13 at halftime. Avery Johnson continued his remarkable career with 17 of 25 passing for 190 yards and two scores. Maize delivered 437 passing yards and ran just one fewer play than Hutchinson, a team that likes to control the clock.
Daeshaun Carter opened the scoring with an 83-yard touchdown run. Then, Hutchinson had a 54-yard TD pass from Nic Lange to Noah Khokhar. Maize scored 20 consecutive points, including two Johnson touchdown passes and a fumble recovery for a TD by Elijah Cunningham.
It marked Maize’s first conference title since before 2004, per Kansas Football History.
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Salina Central outscores Goddard, 47-42
In a good matchup in the AVCTL, Salina Central built a big lead and held off Goddard, 47-42.
The Mustangs jumped out to 14-point lead three times in the first half and led 28-14 at the break. Kenyon McMillian, Avery Richardson, and quarterback Gunnar Gross each rushed for scores, while Gross hit Trevon Cole on a touchdown pass just before halftime.
The Mustangs extended the lead to 35-14 after surprising Goddard with an onside kick to begin the third quarter and converting on a short scoring run by Gross.
After that, the teams started trading touchdowns with McMiliian and Gross adding scores on the ground for Salina Central and Devin Mathes getting credit for three touchdowns for Goddard. Mathes rushed for a pair of scores and fell on a fumble in the end zone for a third TD after the ball was knocked loose from Goddard quarterback Mason Healy at the 1-yard line.
Mathes’ 31-yard score pulled Goddard to within 41-28. The Lions tried an onside kick, but Salina Central recovered and got a third rushing score from Gross to lead 47-28.
After Mathes’ third touchdown brought the Lions within 47-35, Goddard got the onside kick and converted it into a Micah Johnson touchdown.
Leading 47-42, Salina Central mounted a drive inside the Goddard 20-yard line, but came up short on fourth down. Goddard’s final drive reached inside the Central 40, but the Lions came up short on fourth down.
Salina Central improved to 5-2, while Goddard fell to 5-2.
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Sumner blasts Harmon behind Harrison
KC Sumner Academy improved to 5-2 with a 50-6 win over JC Harmon. It was the Sabres fourth consecutive win after back-to-back losses to Atchison and Topeka Highland Park earlier this year.
During the contest, Sumner running back Antonio Harrison became the schools’ all-time leading rusher with a touchdown run early in the game. Harrison has posted consecutive 1,000-yard season and has now surpassed 2,500 yards for his career.
On the other side, the Harmon Hawks scored their first points in a game since November 1, 2019 – ending a streak of being on the wrong end of 11 consecutive shutouts. Harmon cancelled the 2020 season due to COVID concerns and played only six games last fall.
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Hays High wins the WAC
On Senior Night at Lewis Field Stadium, Hays High rolled over Liberal, 56-12.
Hays High led 43-0 at halftime. Malik Bah again went over 100 rushing yards and has 1,180 rushing yards this season.
The Indians (6-1) posted a 4-0 mark in Western Athletic Conference play.
HHS, No. 3 in 5A, has won or shared the WAC football crown in the last three years, which is a first in program history.
The Indians have three consecutive wins by at least 34 points.
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Class 4A
St. James beats Kapaun on late FG, 31-29
Kylar Haarhuis connected on a 24-yard field goal with :02 remaining to propel St. James Academy to a 31-29 win at Kapaun Mt. Carmel.
The two teams traded touchdowns for much of the night with St. James getting four touchdown passes from quarterback Blake Boydson. Boydson tossed two touchdown passes to Finn Burritt and one each to John Niesen and Callahan Huston. His touchdown pass to Huston gave the Thunder a 28-21 lead mid-way through the fourth quarter.
Kapaun would respond as Omari Elias scored his third rushing touchdown of the game with 2:32 remaining. Elias would then add the two-point conversion around the left side to put the Crusaders up 29-28 late in the game.
The Thunder then drove down the field to set up Haarhuis’ game-winning kick.
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Chanute slips by Coffeyville
Chanute captured the outright SEK League title with a 40-26 win at Coffeyville.
The fourth-ranked Blue Comets and Golden Tornado were tied 20-20 at halftime. Chanute scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Eric Erbe early in the fourth quarter to take a 27-20 lead.
Coffeyville would respond with a 20-yard touchdown run by LaMarcus Allen with 7:20 remaining. The Golden Tornado went for the two-point conversion, but was stopped.
Chanute then scored on another Erbe short touchdown run to push the lead to 34-26. The Blue Comets later stopped Coffeyville on fourth down late, then went to the air on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Erbe to Dagan Dean to secure the 14-point victory.
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Aquinas rolls past Blue Valley
A week after 4A No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas came back by 20 in the second half against 4A No. 1 Bishop Miege, the Saints pulled off a key 44-14 victory over Blue Valley. Aquinas rushed 465 yards and steadily pulled away. The game was tied at seven after the first quarter before Aquinas tallied 10 unanswered in the second and another 14 in the third.
Sean Carroll ran behind an offensive line and delivered another big game with 17 carries for 172 yards and three scores. Carroll cleared 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight year with 158 carries for 1,050 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
The game was tied at seven after the first quarter before Aquinas scored 37 straight points. Carroll rushed for a three-yard score, and Matt Seibolt kicked a 34-yard field goal. Then, Carroll rushed for 43-yard TD, and Aiden Skinner tallied a 21-yard rushing touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Gabriel Slaughter delivered a four-yard TD run, and Nathan Phillips scored from a yard. All three 4A EKL private school powers, Bishop Miege, St. James Academy and Aquinas won.
These three squads a combined 12-3 when not facing each other. SJA, the two-time defending state champion, has won four a row after a 31-29 road victory against Kapaun Mt. Carmel at Stryker Complex.
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Class 3A
Andale shuts out Cheney, 32-0
Andale pushed its win streak to 45 games with a 32-0 shutout of Cheney in a key district game on Friday night.
The Indians scored in each quarter in topping the Cardinals. Cody Parthemer and Wyatt Spexarth each rushed for two touchdowns for Andale, while Owen Eck also added a short scoring run.
Andale rushed for more than 280 yards on the night led by Parthemer’s 117 yards on 19 attempts. Spexarth also passed for 101 yards on six completions.
The Andale defense limited Cheney to 39 rush yards on 15 attempts. Cheney quarterback Josh Burdick passed for 141 yards in the game.
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Holton blasts Hayden, 37-13
In a battle of ranked teams in Class 3A, No. 3 Holton ran over No. 2 Topeka Hayden, 37-13.
Holton won the battle of Wildcats on the ground by rushing for 474 yards on the night. Holton senior Garyson Booth rushed for all five touchdowns for the Wildcats in the victory.
Hayden scored only one offensive touchdown, a 26-yard score by Finn Dunshee in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 37-13. Hayden’s other score came via Dunshee returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
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Rock Creek doubles up Clay Center
Rock Creek built a 21-0 lead and maintained that advantage in a 42-21 win over Clay Center.
Dalton Whitworth passed for 416 yards and five touchdowns on the night. Ethan Burgess caught 11 passes for 205 yards and three scores – including an 85-yard connection to open the scoring.
Whitworth also threw touchdown passes to Brandon Krainbill and Maddox Ibarra.
The Mustangs captured the 3A, District 5 championship with the victory and will travel to Concordia next week.
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Frontenac slips by Parsons, 27-21
Frontenac won for a third consecutive week using a strong second half to get by Parsons, 27-21.
The Raiders and Vikings were tied at 14 at halftime before Frontenac grabbed the lead on a Kal Terlip touchdown pass to Mario Menghini late in the third quarter.
Menghini added a touchdown run mid-way through the fourth quarter for the Raiders third consecutive score in the game. Frontenac’s lead was 27-14.
Parsons pulled within 27-21 with 2:27 left on Jahmarion Washington’s second touchdown run of the night.
Terlip threw three touchdown passes for the Raiders.
The victory sets up a district title game between Frontenac and Galena next week. Both teams are 3-0 in 3A, District 1.
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Class 2A
Southeast of Saline scores 94 against Lyons; Ellsworth stays unbeaten
Top-ranked Southeast of Saline exploded for 94 points in a shutout win over Lyons.
The Trojans led 46-0 after the first quarter when they pulled their starters. The backup players continued to execute as Southeast of Saline led 74-0 at halftime.
The Trojans will have a big showdown with unbeaten Ellsworth next week to decide the Class 2A, District 5 title.
Ellsworth remained unbeaten with a 37-19 win over Halstead.
The Bearcats raced out to a 30-7 lead at halftime and held off the Dragons to improve to 7-0.
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Kingman blanks Haven, 42-0
Kingman scored four touchdowns in the second quarter in rolling past Haven, 42-0.
The Eagles led 7-0 after the first quarter on a Nolan Freund 1-yard touchdown run.
Jake Fischer then broke a 35-yard touchdown run and Freund hit Tristen Davidson for the first of their two touchdown connections in the quarter.
The Eagles led 35-0 at the break.
Kingman is unbeaten overall and atop the District 6 standings. The Eagles will host Garden Plain next week.
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Class 1A
Conway Springs upsets No. 1 Inman
Conway Springs used a big night rushing the ball to dominate No. 1 Inman, 35-14.
Brayden Kunz rushed 34 times for 287 yards and three touchdowns as the Cardinals won their fourth consecutive game. Kunz had touchdown runs of 5 yards, 66, and 44 yards on the night.
Kunz also returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to put Conway Springs up 35-6.
The Cardinal defense forced two turnovers and held Inman to 239 total yards.
Tanner Heckel passed for 90 yards and score for Inman, while Samual Shober led the Teutons with 89 yards rushing and a score.
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Olpe drills Jayhawk-Linn
Defending champion Olpe claimed the District 2 championship by dominating previously-unbeaten Jayhawk-Linn, 49-0.
The Eagles wasted little time in scoring on the game’s first play in building a 35-0 halftime lead.
Olpe has now won five consecutive games and hasn’t allowed a point in the last four weeks. The Eagles have not allowed a point against 1A opponents this season.
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Northeast-Arma wins second straight
Northeast-Arma went on the road and picked up a 30-28 win over Northern Heights in overtime.
The Vikings have won consecutive games for the first time since October of 2014 when they defeated Erie and Humboldt in consecutive weeks as part of a 6-4 season.
Northeast has now won two games in a single season for the first time since 2015.
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Centralia late score tops Riverside, 26-20
Centralia scored on a 76-yard touchdown pass from Trenton Talley to Maverick Becker with :15 seconds left to top Riverside 26-20.
The Panthers and Cyclones were tied 20-20 before the Talley-Becker game-winning connection.
Centralia is now the only unbeaten team remaining in Class 1A after top-ranked Inman’s loss to Conway Springs on Friday night. The Panthers claimed the District 4 championship with the victory.
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Class 8-Man, Division I
Burlingame holds off Madison in Game of the Week
District 2 has been well-publicized with its depth. Five teams, Burlingame, Madison, Lyndon, Chase County and Cair Paravel, are competing for four spots. On Friday, No. 2 Burlingame (7-0, 4-0) defeated Madison, 44-28, and won the district and the Lyon County League title.
Colby Middleton had another huge game when he accounted for more than 200 rushing and 100 passing. He rushed for four touchdowns and passed for one. Sophomore Dane Winters continued his breakout year with one rushing and one passing score.
Coach Jeff Slater noted in his postgame interview with Emporia radio that his goal was to hold Madison’s elite quarterback Bryson Turner to under 225 yards. Burlingame held him to 166. Turner suffered injury in the final seconds of the contest and was helped off the field.
Burlingame opened the scoring on a 1-yard run from Middleton. Madison briefly took a 30-8 lead when Middleton accounted for two scores and rushed for one.
Madison scored in the final seconds to close the margin.
Burlingame stands at 7-0, 4-0; Chase County is 6-1, 3-1; Madison is 5-2, 3-1; Lyndon is 5-2, 2-2; and Cair Paravel is 2-5, 0-4.
Madison had won three straight in the series. The game was cancelled last season when Burlingame couldn’t play because of COVID.
Spots two, three and four in the competitive district will be decided next week.
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Independent wins at Central Burden
Wichita Independent rebounded from last week’s loss to South Sumner County with a 66-48 win at Central Burden.
The Panthers built a 32-14 lead in the first half before a long lightning delayed halted the game. Independent added another score after the delay to lead 40-14 at halftime.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter with Independent leading 54-34 after three quarters.
The win puts Independent and Central Burden both at 3-1 in District 3 play with the Panthers holding the head-to-head tie-breaker. Central Burden has a stiff road test against unbeaten South Sumner County next week.
Class 8-Man, Division II
Stafford wins battle of unbeatens over South Barber
Stafford scored 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to erase a 10-point deficit and beat South Barber, 68-54
The Trojans got huge performances on the ground from senior Dylan Gantz and sophomore Cody Knoche. Gantz rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns and Knoche added 153 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
Zander Nickelson also added 78 yards and a score as the Trojan ground game pounded out 474 rush yards.
Gantz also passed for 113 yards including touchdown passes to Colson Minks and Josh Hildebrand.
Stafford remains unbeaten and sits atop the District 7 standings. The Trojans have a big showdown with Kinsley (4-3; 2-1) next week.
South Barber falls to 6-1 overall and finishes at 3-1 in district play. The Chieftains have a non-district contest at Hodgeman County next week.
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Vincent breaks all-time, all-class INT record for Canton-Galva
Canton-Galva senior Jett Vincent, who played at Wheatland-Grinnell, has enjoyed his well-publicized run to multiple stare interception records. On Friday, Canton-Galva, ranked No. 2 in Eight-Man, Division II, defeated Beloit St. John’s-Tipton, 58-12, in a non-district, non-league game.
Vincent picked off BSJT quarterback Tyson Gates once in the contest. In a great display of sportsmanship, Vincent and Gates took a picture together after the game. Canton-Galva is 7-0 and allowed its first points in a month. BSJT stands at 5-2.
Vincent finished with seven tackles and the interception. He has five interceptions this season and 33 in his career. He broke the all-classes mark of 32 set by St. John’s Travis Neidig from 2004-07. The eight-man mark is 31 set by Bennington’s Gunner Boss from ’85-88.
The game was tied at six after the first quarter before the Eagles outscored BSJT, 40-6, in the second quarter. Vincent, used in a multi-purpose role on offense this year because of Canton-Galva injuries, finished with nine carries for 119 yards and two scores. Garrett Maltbie completed 15 of 26 passes for 219 yards and three TDs.
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Class 6-Man
Waverly with another close victory to remain unbeaten
Waverly recorded a second consecutive victory by single digits to remain unbeaten. The Bulldogs won at Peabody-Burns, 38-34.
The Bulldogs defeated Wetmore, 38-32, last week.
Waverly has wrapped up the 6-Man, District 1 championship. The Bulldogs will host Southern Coffey County next week. The two schools met in the season-opener with Waverly winning, 48-0.
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