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Kpreps takes you Around the Brackets to recap Sub-State Semifinal action from Friday night.
Class 6A
VIEW: 6A BRACKET
6A – EAST
4-Gardner-Edgerton 56, 6-Olathe Northwest 7 – Gardner-Edgerton advanced to the 6A state title game with a dominating 56-7 win over Sunflower League rival Olathe Northwest. The Trailblazers rushed for 322 yards on the night led by Dawson Kindler’s 125 yards and four touchdowns. Dylan Butash added 100 yards on 11 carries and also reached the end zone. Quarterback Conner Elder returned after not playing the past two weeks and completed both of his passes for touchdowns spanning 59 yards. Elder threw touchdown passes to Bravin Powell-Brown and Austin Buie. The Gardner-Edgerton defense forced four turnovers and limited the Ravens to 38 rushing yards on 19 attempts. Gardner-Edgerton advances to the program’s second all-time state championship game. The Blazers finished as runner-up to Hutchinson in 2009.
6A – WEST
1-Manhattan 28, 2-Derby 23 – Manhattan defeated Derby for a second time this season with this one sending the Indians to their state title game for the first time since 2001. After an early Manhattan fumble, Dylan Edwards put Derby on top first and added a second score early in the second quarter for a 13-0 lead. Manhattan’s DeAndre Aukland scored with under 1:30 in the half to pull the Indians within 13-7. Derby added a field goal at the end of the half to lead 16-7. Ben Irvine intercepted a Derby pass early in the third quarter and Aukland scored on the next play to cut the Derby lead to 16-14. Aukland’s third touchdown came from nearly 70 yards late in the third quarter to put Manhattan up 21-16. Mid-way through the fourth quarter, Keenan Schartz added a 20-yard touchdown run to put Manhattan up 28-16. Edwards added his third touchdown run a few minutes later to pull the Panthers within 28-23, but Manhattan would then run out the clock. Manhattan’s victory prevents Derby from reaching the 6A state title game for an eighth consecutive season.
Class 5A
VIEW: 5A BRACKET
5A – East
1-Mill Valley 63, 11-Blue Valley Southwest 0 – Mill Valley advanced to the 5A state championship game for the fourth consecutive season with Friday’s 63-0 blow out of Blue Valley Southwest. Tristan Baker rushed for 236 yards and five touchdowns – all in the first half – as the Jaguars built a 35-0 lead. Mill Valley rushed for 460 yards on the night as quarterback Hayden Jay completed three of seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Amarian Graves added 96 yards rushing and two scores and Terran Marshall had 68 yards on three carries. The Jaguar defense held Blue Valley Southwest quarterback Dylan Dunn to 11 of 29 for 90 yards and an interception. Dunn passed for 583 yards and eight touchdowns in last week’s win over De Soto. Mill Valley has now outscored its four playoff opponents 205-0. The Jaguars will attempt to win their fourth consecutive 5A state title. Blue Valley Southwest finished the best season in school history at 6-6.
5A – West
1-Maize 42, 2-Hays 9 – For the second straight year, Maize defeated Hays High at home in the playoffs. Maize returned to the finals for the second time in school history. The Eagles lost to Mill Valley 28-14 in the 2021 final, but will get a rematch next week. Hays High finished 10-2, the first double-digit winning season in school history. Hays High led 9-7 after a safety before Maize scored 35 straight points. Hays picked off a pass (Maize had one INT this season before Friday) and returned to the Maize 4. Kyreese Groen scored for a 7-0 lead. After Maize tied the game and the Indians forced the safety, the Eagles quickly regained the lead on a pair of TD runs from two and four yards from Daeshaun Carter. Maize led 21-9 at halftime. In the third quarter, Maize blocked and recovered a punt for a touchdown. Tayveon Williams tacked on a one-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, Avery Johnson found Justin Stephens for a four-yard TD pass. Williams enjoyed a breakout game with 15 carries for 101 yards and two scores. Johnson, the state’s top recruit, delivered 11 of 16 passing for 134 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Hays running back Malik Bah, a likely first team all-state player and the Indians’ single-season rushing leader, did not play in the second half because of injury, per Indian broadcaster Dustin Armbruster.
Class 4A
4A East
5-Bishop Miege 38, 6-St. Thomas Aquinas 28 – Bishop Miege avenged a regular-season loss to St. Thomas Aquinas by holding off the Saints, 38-28, on Friday night. Quarterback Mac Armstrong completed 18 of 23 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns as the Stags lead stretched to as much as 35-14 in the second half. Armstrong connected with Daegan Jensen six times for 123 yards and a score and also threw a pair of touchdowns to Isaiah Coppage and another score to Teryn Jackson. DeAndre Beasley helped Miege’s offensive balance with 108 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 attempts. Aquinas was led by Sean Carroll who closed out his brilliant high school career with a 34-carry, 166-yard, three-touchdown effort. Bishop Miege will play in the Class 4A title game for the first time since winning the championship in 2019 – the last of their string of six consecutive state championships.
4A West
1-Wamego 33, 2-McPherson 16 – Wamego advanced to the first state football championship game in school history with a 33-16 win over McPherson. Hayden Oviatt started the scoring with a 58-yard touchdown run and Noah Ficke kicked two field goals as the Red Raiders built a 13-0 lead. Hunter Alvord’s touchdown run pulled McPherson within 13-6 and Blaise Hoover added a field goal before halftime to narrow Wamego’s margin to 13-9. Jaytin Gumm rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter to put McPherson up 16-13, but Oviatt would score shortly after as Wamego regained the lead 20-16. Oviatt added two more touchdown runs – his third and fourth of the night – in the fourth quarter as the Red Raiders expanded their lead to 33-16. McPherson has reached the state semifinals seven times, including five of the past six seasons, but is still seeking their first state championship game appearance.
Class 3A
VIEW: 3A BRACKET
3A EAST
Holton 48, Topeka Hayden 17 – Holton controlled the second half in pulling away from Topeka Hayden for a 48-17 victory. The host Wildcats are back in the state title game for the first time since 2015. Hayden opened the scoring with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Jett Wahlmeier to Finn Dunshee on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Matt Lierz would tie the game for Holton a few minutes later. The two sets of Wildcats would then trade scores as Bradyn Rose scored for Hayden and Jaydne Fletcher for Holton. Topeka hayden would add a field goal late in the half to lead 17-14 at the break. The second half belonged to Holton as the Wildcats took the lead for good on a touchdown pass from Lierz to Fletcher. Lierz added his second rushing score of the night to widen the lead to 28-17. After a Hayden turnover, Lierz hit Fletcher again on a touchdown pass for a 34-17 lead after three quarters. Jace Boswell added a score mid-way through the final quarter and the Wildcats added a late touchdown for the 48-17 win.
3A WEST
Andale 36, Clay Center 0 – Andale won its 50th straight game in shutting out Clay Center, 36-0. Owen Eck and Cody Parthemer rushed for first-quarter touchdowns as the Indians built a 14-0 lead. Late in the first half, Wyatt Spexarth connected with Kelby Eck on a 23-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 20-0 at intermission. Owen Eck and Parthemer each added their second rushing score of the night in the second half as Andale pulled away. The Indians rushed for 370 yards on the night led by Owen Eck’s 170 yards on 22 carries. Parthemer added 147 yards on 14 attempts. The Andale defense was again exceptional in shutting out its sixth opponent this season. The Indians held the Tigers to 167 total yards. Andale is seeking its fourth consecutive state championship and the schools’ seventh football title overall.
Class 2A
VIEW: 2A BRACKET
2A EAST
Nemaha Central 30, Sabetha 14 – Nemaha Central advanced to their second state football championship game since the consolidation of Nemaha Valley and Baileyville B&B. The Thunder defeated Big 7 Conference rival Sabetha, 30-14. Cooper Hajek’s early touchdown run and two-point conversion put the Thunder up 8-0. Sabetha completed a long drive the culminated in a Colin Menold short touchdown run to pull within 8-7 at halftime. The Thunder kept that slim lead until mid-way through the third quarter when Hajek scored from six yards out for a 14-7 lead. Brayden Uphaus then hit Blake Stallbaumer for the two-point conversion and a 16-7 lead. On Sabetha’s first play of the ensuing possession, the snap hit the motion man and Nemaha Central recovered the fumble at the 28-yard line. A few plays later, Hajek scored from two yards out and Uphaus hit Aidan Broxterman on the conversion for a 24-7 lead. Sabetha scored on the final play of the third quarter on Menold’s second scoring run to pull within 24-14. Uphaus then kept the ball on a 46-yard option play to expand the Thunder’s lead to 30-14.
2A WEST
Kingman 28, Southeast of Saline 22 (2-OT) – Kingman quarterback Nolan Freund scored from five yards out in double overtime to lift his Eagles to a 28-22 victory over top-ranked Southeast of Saline. The Eagles advanced to a state football championship game for the second time in school history and the first time since 1972. Kingman led 14-6 for much of the night on a rushing and receiving touchdown from Avrey Albright. Southeast of Saline threw an interception late in the half at the Kingman 1-yard line. Similarly, Kingman faced a 4th-&-goal at the 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter and fumbled the snap resulting in a turnover on downs. Southeast of Saline then put together a 97-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass from Luke Gebhardt to his brother Jake with 1:29 remaining in the game. Gebhardt then surveyed the field and hit sophomore Tucker Thaxton for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14. Southeast of Saline scored on its first overtime possession in one -play as Nathan Friesen rushed for a 10-yard touchdown. Kingman faced a 4th-&-goal from the 6-yard line with the game on the line and Freund rolled right, looked back left and hit Tristan Davidson across the field in the end zone. Albright raced to the goal line on a jet sweep for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 22 and send it to a second overtime. In the second overtime, a Southeast of Saline fumble on second own pushed the ball back to the 16-yard line. Gebhardt’s fourth-down pass to the end zone was knocked away by Kingman’s Carter Helm. Freund scored two plays later to propel the Eagles into the title game.
Class 1A
VIEW: 1A BRACKET
1A EAST
St. Marys 46, Centralia 16 – St. Marys rolled to a 46-14 victory over Centralia to reach the state title game for the first time since 2006. Quarterback Keller Hurla rushed for four touchdowns as St. Marys pulled away at home. Centralia answered Hurla’s early touchdown run with a touchdown pass from Trenton Talley to Mavryk Becker to tie the game a 8-8. Hurla immediately responded with a 64-yard touchdown run for a 16-8 lead. James Rezac then added a touchdown run to put the Bears up 24-8. Centralia added another score from Talley to Becker to pull within 24-16 late in the second quarter, but Hurla scored again less than a minute later for a 32-16 halftime lead. Hurla added his fourth touchdown in the third quarter and Rezac added another scores as St. Marys pulled away. St. Marys, the pre-season No. 1 team in Class 1A, is seeking its first state championship in football. The Bears have finished as runners-up three times.
1A WEST
Inman 23, Conway Springs 6 – Inman defeated Conway Springs in the playoffs for the third straight season. Conway Springs had beaten Inman, 35-14, back in Week 7 of the regular season. This time, the Teutons reversed the result. Since the loss, Inman has allowed 25 points in five games. Inman’s only two state championship berths came in the last two seasons. The Teutons led 16-0 after the first quarter, 16-6 at halftime and 23-6 after three quarters. Inman held Conway Springs’ back Brayden Kunz to 33 carries for 117 yards and a score. Tanner Heckel rushed 13 times for 83 yards and two TDs. In the first game, Kunz delivered 34 carries for 287 yards and three touchdowns.
Class 8-Man, Division I
VIEW: 8M-I BRACKET
8M-I EAST
Little River 48, Burlingame 0 – Little River advanced to the Eight-Man, Division I state title game for the third consecutive season with a dominating 48-0 road win at Burlingame. Things didn’t start well for the Redskins as they fumbled on the first play and set up Burlingame at their 15-yard line. But the Little River defense forced a turnover on downs, and Braxton Lafferty then began his big night with a 37-yard touchdown rto un for the game’s first points. The Redskin defense knocked down a Burlingame fourth-down pass on the next possession and one-play later Lafferty sprinted 46 yards for a 16-0 lead. Lafferty then took to the air early in the second quarter, hitting Andrew Smith on a 22-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 22-0. Rylan Konen got across the goal line on a quarterback sneak and Lafferty scored again late in the half as Little River led 36-0 at intermission. In the third quarter, Lafferty broke a 60-yard run for a 42-0 lead, then ended the game in the fourth with a 40-yard scoring run. Lafferty finished with more than 250 yards rushing and five touchdowns to go along with his touchdown pass. As good as Lafferty was, Little River’s defense was exceptional in holding Burlingame’s standout quarterback Colby Middleton to less than ten rushing yards on 25 attempts. Next up, Little River will get a rematch of the 2020 state title game when then defeated Leoti-Wichita County, 70-58.
8M-I WEST
Leoti-Wichita County 76, Hill City 30 – Top-ranked Wichita County quickly pulled away from Hill City and continued Eight-Man, Division I’s top scoring offense. Hill City scored in the second quarter on a 33-yard run from Kaleb Atkins and converted the two-point play. At that point, Wichita County led 26-22 with 10 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first half. From that point, Wichita County outscored Hill City, 50-6, the remainder of the game. The contest ended on a 26-yard run from sophomore Khris Hermosillo on the first play of the fourth quarter. Wichita County recovered an onside kick and forced five turnovers, including a 55-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown from Wyatt Gardner. Erhik Hermosillo continued his huge career with 27 rushes for 262 yards and six rushing TDs, along with 163 passing yards and a score. Khris Hermosillo rushed for a pair of touchdowns and made a diving catch on a two-point conversion. Junior Colton Harbin caught a pair of receiving scores. Wichita County has a rematch with Little River in the state title game. In 2020, Little River defeated Wichita County, 70-58.
Class 8-Man, Division II
VIEW: 8M-II BRACKET
8M-II EAST
Axtell 36, Canton-Galva 32 – All season, Axtell was ranked No. 1 and Canton-Galva No. 2. The highly anticipated game lived up to its billing. Defending Division II champion Axtell pushed its winning streak to 25 games with the 36-32 victory on Friday night. Axtell will face Thunder Ridge in the playoffs for the third straight year. Canton-Galva is 53-6 in the last five seasons. Axtell led 6-0 after the first quarter, 20-16 at halftime and 36-32 after the third quarter. Isaac Detweiler continued his remarkable career with 14 of 20 passing for 188 yards and two touchdowns, along with 26 carries for 142 yards and two scores. Sophomore Brandon Schmelzle had seven catches for 93 yards and a TD. Garrett Maltbie paced Canton-Galva with 13 of 25 passing for 184 yards and two scores, along with 18 carries for 70 yards and a score. Axtell led 20-8 after a three-yard run from Detweiler. Canton-Galva closed to 20-16 after a 24-yard TD pass from Maltbie to Jett Vincent. Canton-Galva took a brief 24-20 lead early in the third quarter on a 26-yard run from Vincent. Axtell then scored twice on an eight-yard pass from Detweiler to Broxterman and a seven-yard run by Detweiler. In the fourth quarter, Detweiler picked off Maltbie with 3:34 left. Axtell then ran seven straight plays and ran out the clock. Canton-Galva finished 10-1.
8M-II WEST
Thunder Ridge 58, Dighton 12 – Thunder Ridge is into the state championship game for the third time in school history after a title in 2011 and a runner-up finish in 2012. Senior Dylan Bice scored on a 54-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, and the Longhorns quickly ran out to a 16-0 lead in the first 3 minutes, 53 seconds. Dighton closed to 16-6 later in the first quarter and 22-12 at halftime before the Longhorns took control. Thunder Ridge will now face Axtell in the state title game. The Longhorns lost to Axtell in the state semifinals last fall and in the first round of the 2020 playoffs. Dighton was depleted and faced injuries to key players, notably standout receiver Daniel Cramer. Thunder Ridge has won nine straight games.
Class 6-Man,
VIEW: 6M BRACKET
6M EAST
Cunningham 60, Waverly 12 – Cunningham continued to dominate and returned to the state championship game after a second-place showing to Natoma last year. The Wildcats improved to 11-0 and won its last nine games by at least 42 points. Cunningham has an average score of 55-7. Cunningham and Waverly were the lone two undefeated squads. Waverly finished 10-1. The Bulldogs won double-digit games for the first time since 2005. Cunningham has won the most games in at least 25 years.
6M WEST
Ashland 78, Cheylin 34 – Ashland advanced to the schools first state football championship game since 1995 by outscoring Cheylin, 78-34. Kale Harris rushed for seven touchdowns and Landen McPhail added four scores for the Blue Jays. Cheylin scored first on a short touchdown pass from Brady Ketzner to Logan McCarty, but Ashland responded quickly with a pair of scores to take the lead for good. Landen McPhail immediately responded with a touchdown to pull the Blue Jays within 8-6. Ashland then stopped the Cougars on downs at midfield and converted it into points on a short touchdown run by Kale Harris to lead 14-8. Harris’ second touchdown extended the Ashland lead to 20-8. A Pablo Bermudez touchdown catch pulled Cheylin within 20-14, but Ashland answered late in the half (:06) on a short scoring run by Harris to lead 26-14 at the half. The lead kept expanding from there as Cheylin did not have an answer for Harris and McPhail. Ashland will now take on Cunningham in the first-ever KSHSAA sanctioned 6-Man state title game. The Blue Jays and Wildcats met to open the season with Cunningham winning, 38-30.
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