Kpreps.com takes you Around the Classes as we look at a handful of games in each classification from teams outside our top five rankings.
Class 6A:
Junction City used a strong defensive effort to defeat McPherson, 27-2. The Blue Jay defense limited McPherson to 134 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers on the night. Malaki Daniels led Junction City with 82 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Brock Bazan passed for 122 yards with 74 of those coming on a touchdown pass to Ja’Marcus Vornes.
Derby exploded for 28 points in the second quarter in racing past Bishop Carroll, 56-14. Senior quarterback Braxton Clark passed for 189 yards and three touchdowns in the game. He connected with Da’Saahn Brame for two scores and hit Derek Hubbard for a third touchdown. Hubbard added 106 yards with two touchdowns, while explosive freshman Arieus Finley rushed for 146 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries. Bishop Carroll was led by quarterback Jackson King who passed for 175 yards and two scores, but the Golden Eagles had negative 16 net rush yards.
Blue Valley Northwest scored 21 points early and held on to beat Blue Valley, 28-14. Quarterback Nate Livingston rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns and added 133 yards through the air, including a touchdown pass to Ayden McGibboney. Gavin Hoffman had four catches for 89 yards, while Lovie Pulliam added 77 yards on the ground.
Lawrence High remained unbeaten by surviving an upset attempt from Shawnee Mission East, 31-28 in double overtime. SM East held leads of 14-0 in the first half and 21-14 mid-way through the fourth quarter. That’s when Lawrence High’s Zander Thomas intercepted a Lancer pass and went 75 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. In the first OT, Banks Bowen scored on a 10-yard run to put Lawrence up 28-21. SM East answered on a 10-yard scoring pass from Luke Pearcy to Jack Reeves. In the second overtime, SM East missed a field goal setting up a game-winning field goal from Andrei Lefort.
Lawrence Free State held off Olathe East, 17-12, to remain unbeaten. Johnnie Williams returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to extend the Firebird lead from 10-7 to 17-7. Cameron Speier later pulled Olathe East closer with a 37-yard field goal. Late in the fourth quarter the Hawks drove to the Free State 4-yard line before being stopped on fourth down. Free State took a safety on the game’s final play.
Class 5A:
Topeka Highland Park remained unbeaten with a 26-13 win over KC Sumner Academy. The Scots has five players combine for 255 rushing yards in the game – led by Amari Taylor’s 85 yards and Jamon Wilson’s 65 yards. Taylor and Wilson each scored touchdowns. Wilson also caught a touchdown pass from Craige Sipple and returned an interception for a score on defense.
KC Washington used a big night from the its trio of Ja’Quarey Williams, Savion Stone, and Xavyer Powell to defeat Bonner Springs, 37-28. Williams passed for 191 yards and a touchdown and added a rushing score. Stone rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Powell carried five times for 92 yards and a score and had three catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. The victory was Washington’s first over Bonner Springs since 2000. The Wildcats are also 3-0 for the first time since 2005.
Liberal went on the road on Thursday night and throttled Topeka High, 51-13. Quarterback Brooks Kappelmann passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns and added 100 yards rushing on the night. Kappelmann threw two touchdown passes to Zayden Martinez who had 117 receiving yards. Aidan Schwindt also caught a touchdown pass and rushed for a score. Xavier Porras added two scores on the ground for the Redskins.
Shawnee Heights rallied from down 21 points in the second half and outlasted rival Topeka Seaman in overtime, 33-30. Quarterback Ryeki Tuley rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner after Seaman had to settle for a field goal on its overtime possession. Ruley also passed for 231 yards and two scores on the night. Max Huston passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Vikings. Two of his touchdown passes went to Callen Barta who caught eight passes for 175 yards.
Pittsburg rushed for 349 yards in picking up a road win, 45-6, at Labette County. The Purple Dragons have never lost to the Grizzlies. Ten different Dragon ball carriers combined for their 41 rushing attempts. Conner Proffitt led the team with 99 yards on six carries, while Wyatt Rink added 91 yards and three touchdowns. Tucker Akins rushed for a score and tossed a touchdown pass to Grant O’Doherty. The Purple Dragon defense came up with four interceptions of Labette County passes – three by Proffitt.
De Soto rolled to a 59-0 shutout victory over Topeka West. Six different Wildcats rushed for touchdowns on the night, led by Drew Parks’ two scores. De Soto will now prepare for consecutive home games against Leavenworth (2-1) and Shawnee Heights (3-0).
Class 4A:
Coffeyville scored two touchdowns a piece in each of the first three quarters in rolling past Columbus, 42-12. Quarterback Axel Erne passed for 106 yards and two touchdowns with one each going to Keshawn Hayes and Amanie Luten. Aaron Tunstall led the ground game with 142 yards and two scores. The ‘Nado defense held Columbus to negative yards rushing.
Towanda-Circle scored 21 points in the second quarter and pulled away from Winfield, 45-23. Thunderbird junior Westin Rose rushed for 270 yards and three touchdowns on 25 attempts. Cannon McCormack added a rushing score and Conner Chadwell threw a touchdown pass to Nick Ahles.
Basehor-Linwood cruised to a 56-0 win over KC Turner in the United Kansas Conference. The Bobcats led 35-0 at halftime and added three more scores in the third quarter. Sam Boetcher rushed for 100 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 carries.
Tonganoxie outscored Chanute 17-7 in the second half to pull away for a 38-21 win. The Chieftains were led by senior back Colton Brusven who rushed for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Trevor McGraw added 192 yards passing and a pair of touchdown passes. Todd Brown had 99 receiving yards and a score, while Isaiah Holthaus had a 70-yard touchdown reception. Kris Harding passed for 294 yards and two scores for Chanute. Kaiden Seamster had four catches for 122 yards and a score, while Eliott Stephenson had eight catches for 131 yards and a score. Chanute played without standout back Quinton Harding who had rushed for 455 yards in the first two games this season.
Class 3A:
Holcomb got off to a quick start in scoring four touchdowns in the first quarter in beating Ulysses, 61-7. Quarterback Keegan Johnson passed for 154 yards and two touchdowns and added a pair of rushing scores. Manny Reyes led the Longhorns with 98 yards and two scores on the ground. Sophomore Julian Meraz had 101 yards receiving and a touchdown for Ulysses.
Royal Valley picked up its first win of the season by defeating Riverside, 38-16. Sophomore Nolan Bausch rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries for the Panthers. Jaxson Stevens and Tyson Parks each added rushing scores and Stevens caught a touchdown pass from Aidan McKinsey.
Colby rebounded from last week’s loss to Holyoke (Colo.) with a 26-0 shutout of Cimarron. Zane Betz led the Eagles with 131 yards and two touchdowns on 30 attempts. Casen Carroll also tossed a pair of touchdown passes and totaled 138 yards through the air. Kasey Giesenhagen had three catches for 85 yards and caught both of Carroll’s touchdowns.
Parsons held off Iola, 21-12, to remain unbeaten. Jahmarion Washington led the Vikings with 120 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Trey Logan added a rushing score for Parsons. The Viking defense came up with three interceptions on the night.
Santa Fe Trail picked up its second consecutive victory by holding off Anderson County, 28-12. The Chargers rushed for 216 yards on the night led by Colton Warthen’s 84 yards. Kian Tantaros, Trent Sleichter, and Luke Edwards each added at least 40 yards on the ground. Edwards also passed for 89 yards and a score. Anderson County scored on touchdown runs by Preston Kueser and Trey Clark.
Class 2A:
Osage City shut out Olpe, 14-0, with a touchdown in each of the first and fourth quarters. The Indians scored on a short touchdown pass from Kasen Parsons to Quenten Stark to grab the early lead. Parsons later added a 11-yard rushing touchdown to complete the scoring. The Indians forced Olpe in to four turnovers and stopped the Eagles twice on fourth down.
Halstead rallied from down 24-0 to upset Pratt, 42-38. Pratt led 30-13 at halftime before the Dragons outscored them 29-8 in the second half. Halstead quarterback Braxton Creed passed for 179 yards and two scores and rushed for two more touchdowns on the night. Joey Millspaugh also returned a kickoff for a touchdown for Halstead. Pratt was led by Max Younie who rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 114 yards and two more scores.
Norton rolled over Oakley, 49-7. Junior Eli Jones enjoyed another big game with nine of 14 passing for 242 yards with two touchdowns against no interceptions. Junior Tyce Melvin and senior Roman Hauser both had a receiving score. A balanced rushing effort yielded 30 carries for 192 yards and five scores. Junior Colton Stover and Hauser both finished with three tackles for loss.
Phillipsburg defeated Ellis, 65-38. However, Ellis enjoyed huge passing numbers. Senior Logan Russell completed 17 of 36 passes for 350 yards with two scores against one interception. Senior Mason Younger delivered 100 rushing and 126 receiving yards on 11 touches. He delivered a rushing and a receiving TD. Junior Caleb Noble had six carries for 137 yards and a score.
Humboldt is 3-0 and has outscored teams, 148-8. The Cubs rolled over Neodesha, 42-0, and took a 36-0 lead at halftime. Junior Blake Ellis completed 11 of 18 passes for 163 yards with three scores against no interceptions. He rushed 15 times for 112 yards. Humboldt held the Blue Streaks to 25 plays for 45 yards. Humboldt plays Council Grove in a critical district contest this week. Council Grove won this contest last year in a game that came down to the final play.
Council Grove improved to 3-0 with a 48-8 win against Northern Heights. The Braves outgained Northern Heights, 333-147. Standout quarterback Ace Monihen had two rushes for 62 yards and a score. Three players, Monihen, Luke Stewart, and Maxton Villabos, all threw for at least one touchdown. Defensively, Monihen had two tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. Council Grove is tied for sixth in 2A scoring offense.
Caney Valley rebounded from a loss to Humboldt with a 58-16 win over Eureka. The Bullpups are now 2-1 on the season and will travel to Cherryvale (2-1) this week in a key game in the Tri-Valley League and in Class 2A, District 1. The winner will likely put itself into good position for a home playoff game as a top-two finisher in the district with Riverton.
Class 1A:
Smith Center and Russell were scoreless at halftime, but the Redmen exploded for 30 points in the second half to win 30-6. Luke Franklin rushed for 279 yards and four touchdowns on 16 attempts to lead Smith Center. The Redmen did not complete a pass on the night.
Conway Springs broke into the win column with a 42-7 decision over Chaparral. The Cardinals scored 35 points in the first half in taking control. Brayden Kunz rushed 13 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Grant Fisher caught two passes for 132 yards and two scores.
Sterling blasted then No. 2 Sedgwick, 41-7 behind a huge night from sophomore Zane Farney. Farney rushed 43 times for 237 yards and scored five touchdowns for the Black Bears. Farney’s classmate, Wyatt Newberry added 78 yards on seven carries. Sterling rushed for 392 yards on the night.
Jackson Heights remained unbeaten with a 46-14 win over Pleasant Ridge. Sophomore quarterback Drake Mellies rushed for 121 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Cobras. Kade Holliday added 93 yards and a score on the ground for Jackson Heights. Mellies also passed for 122 yards, but was intercepted twice by the Ram defense.
Valley Falls steadily pulled away from Horton with a 34-24 victory. The Dragons led 12-8 after the first quarter and 26-16 at halftime. Senior Zac Evans completed seven of 16 passes for 69 yards with two scores against one interception. He delivered 17 rushes for 131 yards and one score. Senior Solomon Dinkard had 14 offensive touches for 107 yards with two TDs.
Ellinwood defeated Stanton County, 24-6, and moved to 3-0 for the first time since 1986. The Eagles held Stanton County to under 150 yards of total offense, per Russell Radio. Logan Panning had a 16-yard TD run, and the Eagles tacked on a 39-yard TD pass from Heinz to Cooper Hosman. Heinz added a one-yard run in the fourth quarter. Ellinwood forced three turnovers.
Class 8-man I
South Sumner County remained unbeaten with a 68-20 win over Sedan in South Central Border League action. The Outlaws were led by Alex Smith who rushed for 159 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Mak Blosser completed 13 of 14 pass attempts for 212 yards and three scores. Blosser connected with Jackson Risley six times for 117 yards and two scores.
Argonia-Attica defeated Pratt Skyline, 52-28. The Titans led 16-14 after the first quarter, 22-14 at halftime and 30-14 after three quarters. Senior Dalton Morrison had 26 rushes for 296 yards and six scores. Plus, Morrison completed three of seven passes for 122 yards with a touchdown. Sophomore Carson Vineyard had two catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Skyline rushed for 398 yards. Brayden Berens led the Thunderbirds with 148 yards, while Justus Novotny and Jake Hittle had 118 and 110 yards, respectively.
Hill City continued to play without standout quarterback Aiden Amrein. The Ringnecks picked up a 28-18 win over Thunder Ridge. Senior Jaden Nuss had 18 carries for 128 yards and a score. Sophomore Tate Balthazor finished with 86 passing and 82 rushing yards. Nuss had 15 tackles, two for loss on defense. Junior Sylar Rohr has 13 tackles. Hill City caused four fumbles and intercepted a pass; Balthazor had one of both.
Quinter continued its impressive start with a 42-12 win against Dighton. The Bulldogs rushed for 280 yards. Lakin Getz enjoyed a huge game with a 30-yard run, a 15-yard TD pass from Shea Salyers, and runs of one and five yards. Trace Kinderknecht continued his fine season with 23 carries for 150 yards and a score. Getz finished with 12 carries for 106 yards and three scores. He also picked off a pass.
Class 8-man II
Lakeside-Downs improved to 3-0 with a 52-6 win against Logan-Palco. Junior Kaden McCoy had eight rushes for 122 yards and a score. Senior Ian Kresin delivered nine rushes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Lakeside held Logan-Palco to 121 yards of total offense.
South Barber defeated Fairfield, 46-0, in a game that ended at halftime. South Barber led 16-0 after the first quarter. Senior Briggs Jewell had 11 of 14 passing for 179 yards with four touchdowns against no interceptions.
Reno County Homeschool improved to 2-1 with a 54-8 victory over Wheatland-Grinnell. The Sabres were led by freshman quarterback Bo Smith who passed for 236 yards and five touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Mason Kingsley hauled in four receptions for 106 yards and three scores, while Jett Smith had three catches for 4 yards and two scores.
Mankato-Rock Hills held off a furious fourth-quarter effort from Pike Valley to win 36-32. The Grizzlies led 30-14 at halftime in a game played on Saturday. Isaiah Ridgeway led Rock Hills with 126 yards rushing and three scores. Pike Valley’s Elijah Field passed for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Andrew Cooper had 12 catches for 115 yards and three scores and Miles Rickard had five catches for 97 yards and a score for the Panthers.
6-Man
Peabody-Burns defeated Burrton, 53-31. The Warriors led 13-6 after the first quarter and the same score entering halftime. In the third quarter, Peabody-Burns had a 14-6 edge and a 26-19 margin in the fourth. Freshman Aiden Hurst completed eight of 13 passes for 174 yards and five touchdowns. The Warriors had 36 carries for 175 yards, all from non-seniors. Freshman Jameson Miles caught four passes for 78 yards, all for touchdowns.
Tescott defeated Pawnee Heights, 37-12. Tescott’s defense held Pawnee Heights to 7 of 11 passing for 76 yards, along with 20 carries for 103 yards.
Deerfield improved to 3-0 with a 51-39 win over Golden Plains. The Spartans built a 31-6 halftime lead before Golden Plains got back into the game with a 27-point third quarter. Deerfield’s Maverick Najera passed for 315 yards and four touchdowns on the night and added 161 yards rushing and two scores. Najera threw two touchdowns each to Yulexs Quintero-Robles and freshman Cristian Botello – each of which had more than 100 receiving yards. Josh Rath threw three touchdown passes for Golden Plains. Dylan Wark was on the receiving end of two of those and also rushed for a score.
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