Back to Kpreps this fall, our contributors will hand out helmet stickers to a team or individual that delivered the most important performance of the week in their opinion. Check back each Sunday to see that week’s helmet stickers, and follow @Kpreps on Twitter and Facebook to watch as the Kpreps helmet fills up with stickers as the season goes on.
Helmet sticker: Moundridge (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
Moundridge pulled off a 48-40 double overtime victory against Goessel in one of the bigger Week 7 upsets. Goessel led 22-14 at halftime before Moundridge had a 20-6 third-quarter margin. Goessel tied the score early in the fourth quarter.
In the first overtime, Goessel standout running back Jake Wiens had a three-yard touchdown run. Then, Joaquin Huff had a one-yard touchdown run for Moundridge to tie the score in the first overtime. Moundridge had the ball to start the second OT. Henry Hecox delivered a three-yard TD run and converted the two-point play.
Moundridge ran 19 more plays and had the ball for nearly seven more minutes.
Moundridge has a strong chance for the runner-up showing in District 4 and a rare winning season. The Wildcats and Goessel are both 4-3, 3-1. After a one-score loss against Wichita Independent earlier this year, the Wildcats beat a solid Solomon squad (42-34) before last week’s win.
Moundridge has a chance for its most wins since a 5-5 season in 2011, per Kansas Football History. Moundridge has not posted a winning record since a 7-4 mark in ’08. The Wildcats had lost two straight to Goessel.
Goessel had the second-longest Eight-Man, Division I winning streak against unranked teams, a stretch of 17 victories.
Overall, Hecox completed 14 of 17 passes for 105 yards with a touchdown. He rushed 17 times for 126 yards and two scores. Joaquin Huff finished with 11 carries for 49 yards and four TDs. Huff also caught a 10-yard scoring pass. Logan Churchill finished with eight catches for 68 yards.
Defensively, Huff recorded eight tackles, two for loss. Hecox and Durst each had seven tackles. Banky Hayes recorded six stops.
Helmet sticker: Olathe North (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
Olathe North has long been a model for consistency on the eastern half of Class 6A. The Eagles have averaged more than 8 wins per season over the past 20 seasons.
The Eagles are among the top large class teams in the state again this season and have clinched the No. 1 seed on the eastern half of 6A. Olathe North also took control of the Sunflower League race with a dramatic 20-16 win over three-time Class 5A defending champion Mill Valley last week.
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.
Mill Valley would mount a drive to the Olathe North 15-yard line, but Olathe North’s Jason Parrish intercepted Jay in the end zone to end the threat with 1:14 left.
The defense for Olathe North has been solid all season. The Eagles have allowed just 12 points per game and only 32 total points over the past four weeks. Senior linebacker Alex Gunderson has been exceptional with 86 tackles, six for loss, three sacks, and three interceptions.
On offense, the Eagles have flourished despite graduating some key multi-year players from last year’s team including Noah Palmer, Jacob Parrish, and Aquantez Love. Palmer accounted for more than 4,000 yards of total offense and 55 touchdowns over the past two years, while Love rushed for more than 1,300 yards. Parrish was a standout at several positions on both sides of the ball and has seen playing time as a true freshman at Kansas State.
This season, junior T. J. Porter has emerged as the go-to back with 866 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Jason Scoma has played well at quarterback having passed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 314 rushing yards and four scores.
Parrish’s brothers Joshua and Jason have been exceptional in a variety of roles. Josh has 511 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on offense and 27 tackles and five interceptions on defense. Jason has 25 tackles, four interceptions, and a fumble recover on defense.
Olathe North will host Lawrence Free State (4-3) this week before beginning the playoffs likely hosting Blue Valley North (0-7) or Shawnee Mission West (0-7).
Helmet sticker: Wetmore (Matt Gilmore – Kpreps)
The rise of 6-man football in Kansas has been key for several small schools. Wetmore is one of those that is having its best season in recent memory. The Cardinals are 5-2 heading into a Week 8 district contest against winless Chetopa.
Wetmore began rebooting its football program around 7-8 years ago at the eight-man level. The Cardinals played a predominately junior varsity schedule in 2015 before playing a varsity schedule in 2016. It was Wetmore’s first team since 1986. During that time, Wetmore kids played via a coop with nearby Centralia or Sabetha.
Prior to this season, the Cardinals most wins came in 2017 when they finished 3-6. Since revitalizing the program, Wetmore had posted a 9-41 record entering this season.
This season, the Cardinals have five blowout wins and a 38-32 loss to unbeaten Waverly. Wetmore’s other loss came to Pawnee City (Neb.) back in Week 2.
Seniors Dierk Hanzlicek and Kyler Wommack are the leaders for second-year coach Miles Hanzilcek. Wommack has passed for 790 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 201 yards rushing and seven scores.
The younger Hanzlicek has a team-high 855 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s also thrown for 343 yards and five scores. Senior Jacob Carls has a team-leading 26 receptions for 540 yards and eight scores. Hanzlicek has added 242 receiving yards and five scores, while Weston Schultejans has three receiving scores.
Wommack leads the Cardinals defense with 70 tackles including 23 for loss and has three interceptions. Hanzlicek has added 55 stops, and Carls has a team-high 4 interceptions.
Wetmore has clinched the runner-up finish in District 1 behind Waverly and will likely have a bye into the second-round of the 6-man playoffs given Southern Cloud’s forfeiture of the remaining of their season.
Helmet sticker: Sharon Springs-Wallace Co. (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
In Week 6, Sharon Springs-Wallace County fell, 30-28, against Eight-Man, Division II No. 3-ranked Victoria. The Wildcats led 8-0 early and 8-6 after the first quarter. Victoria held a 30-22 advantage at halftime. Wallace County scored on a 34-yard run by Cade Johnson in the third quarter for the game’s final points.
Last Friday, Victoria players and longtime VHS coach Doug Oberle were complimentary of the Wildcats. Standout junior end Seth Schwien labeled the contest “like a playoff game.” Oberle has long focused on Victoria playing hard from snap to whistle – and said Wallace County did that well. Oberle said Wallace County was “well-coached.” Overall, Oberle believed Victoria performed really well down the stretch to hold off the Wildcats.
Last Friday, Wallace County defeated Logan-Palco, 49-0, in a district contest. The Wildcats moved to 5-2, 3-0 in District 6. On Friday, Wallace County, located in Mountain Time, makes a long trip Kensington for the district championship against No. 4-ranked Thunder Ridge (6-1, 3-0).
Coach Kyle Gfeller has done a nice job turning around his alma mater. Wallace County was among the state’s top-five eight-man programs from ’06-16. That stretch yielded an undefeated state championship, a ’13 state runner-up and five state semifinals with coaches Kevin Ayers and Jeff Hennick. Gfeller was a first team all-state player on the ’13 squad and played at Bethany College.
This will mark Wallace County’s first winning season since 2016. Since then, the Wildcats went 3-6, 3-6, 2-7, 1-5 and 3-6. This year, the Wildcats have allowed 12 total points in its five wins and overall permitted just 13.4 points a game this season. The Wildcats allowed 41 points a contest last year.
Against Victoria, Cade Johnson scored all four touchdowns on runs of 18, 31, 14 and 34 yards. He rushed 26 times for 150 yards and four scores. Junior Tyler Korbe has also been a key player. In 2021, Johnson and Korbe accounted for 121 and 72 tackles, respectively. In addition to the duo, junior linemen Braedon McKain and Jarren Rains, junior end/defensive lineman Ace Edwards, junior end/cornerback Kean Dinkel and sophomore defensive back Travis Korbe are returning starters.
Helmet Stickers (2022 Season)
Week 1 – Atwood-Rawlins County, Coffeyville, Ellsworth, Ingalls, Topeka Highland Park
Week 2 – Abilene, Baxter Springs, Inman, Oswego, Shawnee Mission North
Week 3 – Deerfield, Great Bend, Meade, Valley Falls
Week 4 – Chanute, Shawnee Heights, Stafford, West Franklin, Wichita Independent
Week 5 – Goddard, Goessel, Jayhawk-Linn, La Crosse
Week 6 – Goodland, Oakley, Olathe South, Valley Center
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