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Kpreps takes you Around the Brackets to recap quarterfinal playoff action from Friday night.
Class 6A
VIEW: 6A BRACKET
6A – EAST
4-Gardner-Edgerton 21, 8-Blue Valley West 14 – Gardner-Edgerton rushed for more than 400 yards and held off Blue Valley West, 21-14, in a turnover filled game on Friday night. The Trailblazers led 15-14 at halftime and added a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Dylan Butash rushed for 171 yards the lead the Blazers, while Dawson Kindler added 114 yards and two scores. Bravin Powell-Brown completed only one pass – to Kindler for a 17-yard score. Zach Darche led Blue Valley West with 163 yards passing and a touchdown and 53 yards rushing. The Jaguars committed four turnovers, while Gardner-Edgerton had three turnovers. The Trailblazers are into the state semifinal round for the first time since 2011.
6-Olathe Northwest 35, 2-Olathe West 33 – Olathe Northwest advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in school history with a 35-33 win over Olathe West. Olathe West led 27-22 at halftime, but Northwest scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to lead 35-27. Olathe West scored on a three-yard touchdown pass from Mason McGavran to Sam Decker, but the two-point conversion was no good leaving the Ravens in front, 35-33. Olathe West got inside the Raven 40-yard line at the end, but ran out of time. McGavran rushed for two touchdowns and threw two touchdown passes. The Ravens have now won seven consecutive games.
6A – WEST
1-Manhattan 27, 4-Wichita Northwest 18 – Manhattan defeated Wichita Northwest for the second time in three weeks. The Indian defense picked off a Northwest pass and returned it deep into Grizzly territory where Kennan Schartz rushed for a short touchdown run and the early lead. After a big DeAndre Aukland run, Schartz added his second short scoring run as Manhattan led 13-3 at halftime. Northwest pulled to within 13-10 after three quarters as L.J. Phillips broke a long touchdown run. In the fourth, Schartz hit Jaxon Bowles on a short touchdown pass to extend the Indian lead to 20-10. Jason Sanchez later added a rushing score to put Manhattan up, 27-10. The Indians held on to move to 11-0 and will host Derby in the semifinals next week. Manhattan won at Derby, 29-26, in overtime to open the season.
2-Derby 36, 6-Washburn Rural 21 – Derby defeated Washburn Rural, 36-21, on Friday to advance to the state semifinals where they will get a rematch with Manhattan. Dylan Edwards rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers. Quarterback Brock Zerger rushed for more than 100 yards and two scores, but left the game with an injury in the second half. Braxton Clark entered the game and threw a long touchdown pass to extend Derby’s lead to 36-14.
Class 5A
VIEW: 5A BRACKET
5A – East
1-Mill Valley 49, 5-Pittsburg 0 – Three-time defending champion Mill Valley scored four touchdowns in the second quarter in rolling past Pittsburg, 49-0. The Jaguars led 35-0 at halftime as Hayden Jay threw two touchdown passes and rushed for a pair of scores. The Jaguar defense also returned an interception for a touchdown. Jay added his third touchdown pass in the third quarter as part of his 131-yard passing night. The Mill Valley defense held the Purple Dragons to 82 yards of total offense.
11-Blue Valley Southwest 69, 2-De Soto 35 – Blue Valley Southwest blitzed De Soto 69-35 thanks to a huge offensive night from quarterback Dylan Dunn. Dunn completed 22 of 29 passes for 583 yards and 8 touchdowns. Four Timberwolves had two receiving touchdowns. Tate Everard had two catches for 168 yards and two scores, Alex Parks had five receptions for 159 yards and two scores, Emmitt Peters had nine catches for 156 yards and two scores, and Sam Swickard had three catches for 88 yards and two scores. Parker Smith also added 110 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Carson Miller rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown for De Soto, while Bennett Hutchinson added two rushing scores. The Wildcats were led by Dylan Whittington’s 100 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
5A – West
1-Maize 21, 4-Hutchinson 14 – Maize had its lowest point total of the season in a 21-14 victory against Hutchinson. The game was tied at 14 at halftime. Maize had the game’s last points in the third quarter. Maize’s opponents normally run more plays than the Eagles, but not as drastic as Friday. Hutchinson had 80 plays for 297 yards, while Maize ran 35 plays for 283 yards. Hutchinson limited Avery Johnson to 6 of 17 for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Maize had the ball for 11:54. Hutchinson led 7-0 and 14-7, but Johnson, a K-State commit, uncorked touchdown passes to Bryce Cohoon (34 yards), Daeshaun Carter (six yards) and Justin Stephens (81 yards). Hutchinson got the ball back with 3:58 left and moved to the Maize 17-yard line. However, the 4th-and-4 pass fell incomplete.
2-Hays 49, 3-Salina Central 12 – Hays High set a school record for single-season victories and moved to 10-1 on a cold night at Lewis Field Stadium. Junior running back Malik Bah, one of Kansas’ most productive players in the first two months with more than 1,500 all-purpose yards, went out with injury in the first play from scrimmage in Week 9. He missed that game, and last week. Bah returned Friday. He and senior quarterback Kyreese Groen combined for five rushing touchdowns. After Salina Central downed a punt at the Hays 1-yard line after the opening possession, the Indians went 99 yards. Hays led 28-0 in the third quarter. Senior linebacker Evan Lind continued his huge season with a pick-six, his third defensive touchdown in 2022. Lind also forced a fumble, had a huge sack on fourth down and made a TD-saving tackle on another play. Salina Central standout running back Kenyon McMillian left with injury after the first couple of plays. HHS also played the bulk of the win without senior defensive tackle Carson Spray, Hays’ most experienced player. Spray suffered injury and needed help coming off the field. HHS senior Teegan Turnbull went seven of seven on extra points and set the Indian single season school record for PATs, per Hays High broadcaster Dustin Armbruster.
Class 4A
VIEW: 4A BRACKET
4A East
5-Bishop Miege 68, 8-KC Piper 20 – Bishop Miege built a 40-12 halftime lead and rolled to a 68-20 win over Piper to advance to next week’s state semifinal. Piper pulled to within 40-20 in the third quarter before the Stags scored a pair of touchdowns to widen the lead. Miege will host Eastern Kansas League rival St. Thomas Aquinas in the semifinal. Aquinas defeated Miege, 29-26, back in Week 6.
6-St. Thomas Aquinas 28, 10-St. James Academy 13 – Sean Carroll rushed for 211 yards and four touchdowns and Aquinas forced three Thunder turnovers. Class 4A will have a new champion, as SJA had captured the last two titles. St. James had defeated Aquinas, 24-20, in Week 4, the first time the Thunder had defeated the Saints in school history. This time, Aquinas led 7-3 after the first quarter, though the Thunder had a 10-7 halftime advantage. Aquinas led 14-13 after three quarters, before the Saints tallied a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns. Carroll tallied TD runs of two and four yards to put the game away in the fourth quarter. Aquinas has a semifinal rematch against Bishop Miege; STA came from 20 down to win. Aquinas held St. James quarterback Blake Boydston to 12 of 20 passing for 104 yards with a score against two interceptions. Carroll is up to 232 carries for 1,622 yards and 28 scores.
4A West
1-Wamego 42, 5-Andover Central 7 – Wamego survived an early challenge from Andover Central and then blew out the Jaguars, 42-7. Andover Central struck first on a Braden Barscewski fourth-&-goal touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. After a Red Raider turnover, Central found itself with another 4th-&-goal at the 1-yard line, but Wamego stuffed the Jaguar back for a loss. From there, Wamego rolled. Hagan Johnson rushed for two touchdown and caught a touchdown pass as the Red Raiders moved into the semifinal round for the first time since 1975.
2-McPherson 49, 3-Towanda-Circle 28 – McPherson rallied from down 20-7 to Towanda-Circle in the first half to race past the Thunderbirds, 49-28. Gavin Richardson returned an interception for a touchdown to pull the Bullpups within 20-14. Hunter Alvord then hit Cory Muehler on a touchdown pass late in the half to give McPherson a 21-20 halftime lead. The Bullpups scored three times in the third quarter as Dawson Gottwald rushed for two touchdowns and Alvord added a scoring run. Alvord rushed for 116 yards in the game, while Gottwald added 104 yards and those two scores. Alvord passed for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Class 3A
VIEW: 3A BRACKET
3A EAST
Topeka Hayden 39, Columbus 19 – Topeka Hayden went on the road and topped Columbus, 39-19. The Wildcats got on the board first on a 60-yard touchdown run by Finn Dunshee as he broke out of a pile and sprinted for the score. Jett Wahlmeier then threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jensen Schrickel for a 15-0 lead. Columbus responded with a Brett Hamilton touchdown to pull the Titans to within 15-6. Dunshee quickly got Hayden back on the board to push the lead to 22-6. Hamilton then hit Cole Minor on a short touchdown to pull Columbus to within 22-12 at halftime. Hayden added a field goal in the third quarter for a 25-12 lead. That scored remained until late in the fourth quarter when J.C. Cummings scored on a 10-yard touchdown run. Schrickel then picked off Hamilton and returned it for a touchdown and a 39-12 lead. Hamilton threw a touchdown pass with under :10 seconds remaining.
Holton 47, Girard 27 – Holton got started early as Garyson Booth broke a long touchdown run on an option pitch on the game’s first play for a 7-0 lead. Booth was just getting started as he finished the night with 352 yards rushing and four touchdowns as the Wildcats cruised to the 20-point road win. Holton rushed for more than 500 yards on the night. Luke Niggemann rushed for a touchdown and passed for a score for Girard.
3A WEST
Andale 48, Rock Creek 0 – Andale completely shut down Rock Creek’s passing attack and forced seven turnovers in a 48-0 shutout. The Indians intercepted Rock Creek quarterback Dalton Whitworth six times and returned two of those for touchdowns. Andale limited Whitworth to 12 of 21 passing for 51 yards and held the Mustangs to 101 yards of total offense. Andale rushed for more than 260 yards on the night led by Cody Parthemer who had more than 100 yards and two scores.
Clay Center 24, Cheney 6 – Clay Center used another stout defensive effort in shutting down Cheney, 24-6. The Tigers built a 17-0 lead at halftime as Mark Hoffman tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Jackson Henry and Weston Hammond. Clay Center will travel to top-ranked Andale next week.
Class 2A
VIEW: 2A BRACKET
2A EAST
Sabetha 47, Caney Valley 0 – Sabetha shut out Caney Valley 47-0 to set up a rematch with Big 7 Conference rival Nemaha Central. Jonathan Renyer got an early interception and rushed for a couple of early touchdowns as Sabetha quickly took control. After another Bullpup turnover, Sabetha scored on a touchdown pass from Matthew Garber to Marcus Bauman. The Blue Jays added another score on a short touchdown run by Garber to lead 26-0 at halftime. Garber added a third-quarter touchdown pass to Christian McAfee for a 33-0 lead. Abe Wehner then broke a 96-yard touchdown run as Sabetha continued to pull away.
Nemaha Central 44, Humboldt 20 – Nemaha Central scored the game’s first 16 points and pulled away from Humboldt for a 44-20 win. Brayden Uphaus opened the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Cain and an errant snap led to a Humboldt safety and a 10-0 lead. Cain and Uphaus later added scoring runs as the Thunder led 24-12 at halftime. Cooper Hajek scored from seven yards out to push the lead to 32-12 in the third quarter. Gavin Cain then added his third touchdown of the gain on a short run.
2A WEST
Southeast of Saline 44, Hoisington 21 – Top-ranked Southeast of Saline steadily pulled away from Hoisington. The Trojans led 14-7 after the first quarter and 22-7 at halftime. Southeast outgained Hoisington, 461-268. SE Saline led 8-7 before the Trojans scored 30 straight points. Luke Gebhardt completed 19 of 28 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. Gebhardt recorded 13 carries for 101 yards and four scores. Michael Murray had eight catches for 129 yards and two scores. Jake Gebhardt recorded five catches for 91 yards and two scores. SE Saline is 11-0 for the second straight season. Last year, the Trojans fell to Andale in the 3A semifinals.
Kingman 35, Beloit 6 – Kingman lost to Beloit in the 2A state semifinals last season. This year, the Eagles, statistically the best defense among the 72 remaining quarterfinal teams, delivered another sizable victory. Before last year, the Eagles had not made the semifinals since 1972. Kingman led 7-0 after the first quarter. After Beloit scored, Kingman quickly responded with a 55-yard touchdown from Nolan Freund to Avrey Albright. Then, Albright had a 50-yard touchdown run for a 21-6 advantage with 8:31 left in the first half. Freund added a 15-yard touchdown for a 28-6 lead.
Class 1A
VIEW: 1A BRACKET
1A EAST
St. Marys 36, St. Mary’s Colgan 12 – St. Marys led 20-0 at halftime as Keller Hurla rushed for a touchdown and passed for a score. Colgan pulled within 20-6 in the third quarter, but St. Marys answered right back with a long touchdown pass from Hurla. The Bears also added a fourth-quarter score after Colgan had pulled to within 28-12. Colgan played without standout quarterback Tucker Harrell and a top defender in Connor VanBecelaere due to injuries sustained last week.
Centralia 8, Olpe 7 – Centralia knocked off two-time defending 1A champion Olpe, 8-7, to advance to the state semifinal round. Olpe led 7-0 at halftime on a short touchdown run by Truman Bailey. Centralia scored on a 53-yard touchdown run by Trenton Talley in the third quarter. The Panthers converted the two-point conversion attempt for the lead. Late in the game, Olpe took over at their own 21-yard line and drove to the Centralia 38-yard line. After a sack, Olpe spiked the ball and had a false start penalty. With the clock running, Centralia was granted a timeout with :01 second left. Olpe heaved one last pass toward the end zone, two centralia players went up and batted the ball back which was caught by Olpe at the 10-yard line on a diving catch – however time had expired.
WATCH - FINAL Play of Centralia's win over Olpe (Courtesy of Landon Reinhardt @landonian87 KSNTSports)
1A WEST
Conway Springs 39, Wabaunsee 14 – Conway Springs rolled to a 39-14 win over Wabaunsee and into a semifinal rematch with Inman. Brayden Kunz rushed for 288 yards and four touchdowns on the night for the Cardinals. Conway outgained Wabaunsee, 519-231. The Cardinals have reached at least the semifinals for the first time since 2011, its last championship. Wabaunsee had its furthest playoff advancement since 1983. Conway Springs will host Inman in the semifinals after defeated the Teutons, 35-14, during district play.
Inman 28, Smith Center 6 – Inman steadily pulled away and gets the rematch with Conway Springs, the only team to beat the Teutons this season. Inman led 8-6 late in the first quarter and moved to 15-6 with 11:50 remaining in the first half. Inman scored again just before the first half for a 21-6 advantage. This marked the third straight year Inman and Smith Center have played. Inman has made at least the state semifinals for a third straight season. Before then, the Teutons haven’t made the state semifinals since 1991.
Class 8-Man, Division I
VIEW: 8M-I BRACKET
8M-I EAST
Burlingame 39, Lyndon 16 – Burlingame reversed a 60-59 loss to Lyndon in the regular-season finale with a 39-16 victory on Friday night. The Bearcats are into the semifinals for the time since 2017. The two teams combined for six turnovers in the first half as Burlingame held an 18-8 advantage. The Bearcats scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to take control. Colby Middleton rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw a long touchdown pass to Matthew Heckman.
Little River 48, Chase County 40 – Little River outpaced Chase County in a high-scoring first half and held on for a 48-40 victory. The win puts the Redskins into the state semifinals for the third consecutive season. Little River led 36-28 at halftime and the two teams each scored 12 points in the third quarter before playing a scoreless fourth. Little River produced 411 yards of total offense in the game to Chase County’s 368. Mitch Budke finished up his incredible season and career with 203 yards rushing and 82 yards passing.
8M-I WEST
Hill City 68, Meade 50 – Hill City knocked out defending-champion Meade, 68-50. The Ringnecks led 30-20 at halftime and 44-42 after three quarters. The Ringnecks then scores a pair of touchdowns to take a 60-50 lead and eventually held on for the 18-point win. Hill City avenges a 48-34 loss to Meade in last year’s state semifinal round. Eagle Radio’s Sean Boston reports that it was the most points Meade has allowed in a game in 25 years.
Leoti-Wichita County 58, Atwood-Rawlins Co. 12 – Wichita County went on the road to Atwood’s Massacre Canyon and won 58-12 over Rawlins County to advance to the state semifinals. Indian quarterback Erhik Hermosillo rushed for two touchdowns and threw four touchdown passes on the night. Erhik Hermosillo hit Wyatt Gardner on two scoring passes, Khris Hermosillo on one, and Colton Harbin on the game-ending score early in the fourth quarter. Khris Hermosillo rushed for two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass.
Class 8-Man, Division II
VIEW: 8M-II BRACKET
8M-II EAST
Canton-Galva 52, Lebo 6 – Canton-Galva rolled to a 52-6 halftime win over Lebo to set up a showdown with defending-champion Axtell. The Eagles led 16-0 early before a Lebo touchdown cut the lead to 16-6. Lane McMannis then returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and a 22-6 Canton-Galva advantage. Quarterback Garrett Maltbie rushed for three touchdowns and tossed a touchdown pass to Cason Mastre. The Eagle defense picked off three Lebo passes on the night.
Axtell 52, Osborne 6 – Defending champion Axtell advanced to a much-anticipated state semifinal showdown with Canton-Galva by defeating Osborne, 52-6. The Eagles trailed 6-0 after the first quarter before scoring three times in the second quarter. Isaac Detweiler rushed for a pair of scores and Eli Broxterman added another for the Eagles. Detweiler opened the second half with a touchdown pass to Brandon Schmelzle and later added his third rushing touchdown of the night. Schmelzle then threw a touchdown pass to Broxterman and Detweiler connected with Broxterman again to end the game in the fourth quarter. Detweiler passed for 197 yards and two scores and added 51 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Broxterman caught seven passes for 101 yards and two scores. Axtell committed three turnovers, while forcing four Osborne giveaways.
8M-II WEST
Thunder Ridge 62, Victoria 46 – Victoria and Thunder Ridge have been ranked in the top-4 all season in Eight-Man, Division II. This was considered a toss-up game. Thunder Ridge led 16-14 after the first quarter and 46-40 midway through the third. The Longhorns extended the advantage to 54-40 in the first three seconds of the fourth quarter. Jarron Schmidt picked up a Victoria fumble and returned it for a score with 10:48 left for a 54-46 margin. However, Thunder Ridge scored the game’s final touchdown and reached the state semifinals for a second straight season. Victoria had made the semifinals the last two years.
Dighton 38, Sharon Springs-Wallace Co. 0 – Dighton built a 30-0 lead at halftime in rolling to a 38-0 win. The Hornets turned a pair of Wildcat fumbles and an interception into points in building an insurmountable lead. Carson Shimer rushed for two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass to George Von Leonrod in the first half. Max Neely also added a pair of rushing touchdowns – one in each half – for the Hornets.
Class 6-Man
VIEW: 6M BRACKET
6M EAST
Waverly 46, Tescott 12 – Waverly improved to 10-0 on the season with an impressive 46-12 win over Tescott. After Tescott scored the game’s first points, Waverly responded in a big way by scoring 46 consecutive points on the night. The Bulldogs led 12-6 after the first quarter and 26-5 at halftime. Waverly added a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away.
Cunningham 58, Wetmore 12 – Wetmore scored first against top-ranked Cunningham, but the Wildcats controlled the game from there. Cunningham led 44-12 at halftime and ended it early with a 58-12 decision. Cunningham continued to dominate with another win by the 45-point margin. Waverly and Cunningham are the lone two undefeated teams in the first year of KSHSAA six-man football. Cunningham allowed more than one score in a game for the first time since Week 3. The Wildcats’ last eight on-field wins have all come by the 45-point margin. Wetmore (7-3) concluded the best season in school history.
6M WEST
Ashland 68, Northern Valley 20 – Ashland set the tone early in defeating Northern Valley, 68-20. The Blue Jays stopped Northern Valley on a fourth-&-15 at midfield and quickly drove the field converting on a Landen McPhail touchdown run and an 8-0 lead. The Huskies put together a long drive but fumbled inside the Ashland 7-yard line. McPhail added a second scoring run, but Northern Valley’s Gabe Rudd returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. McPhail scored again to lead 20-8 in second quarter. Ashland extended their lead to 42-14 by halftime and ended the game in the third quarter. McPhail scored five touchdowns on the night. Northern Valley played without injured players Jeremiah Hansen and Brody Preston.
Cheylin 51, Ingalls 6 – Cheylin rolled to a 51-6 win over Ingalls. The Cougars have enjoyed a remarkable season passing and haven’t thrown an interception. Junior Logan McCarty completed five of eight passes for 138 yards with two touchdowns. He rushed 10 times for 114 yards and two TDs. Junior Pablo Bermudez had 13 tackles. McCarty and Bermudez each had pick-sixes. Cheylin is 9-1 and has tripled its win total from last season. Cheylin has 31 touchdowns against no interceptions.
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