Kpreps 2023 playoff coverage
Class 6A
VIEW: 6A BRACKET
6A East
Highlighted Game: (Gilmore)
#6 Blue Valley (6-4) at #2 Olathe North (9-1) – Olathe North
This quarterfinal matchup features two tradition-rich programs in Blue Valley from the Eastern Kansas League and Olathe North from the Sunflower League. The two programs have met eight times since 2008 with Olathe North winning five of those meetings.
The Eagles have won five consecutive games since their lone loss of the season, 21-14, to Gardner-Edgerton. In that contest, the Eagles missed standout back T.J. Porter due to injury. Porter has rushed for 1,102 yards and 20 touchdowns in eight games. Quarterback Jamison Sarver and backs Aiden Bruce and Miller Jones have combined to add 950 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
Sarver has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 1,490 yards and 15 touchdowns. Bruce has been Sarver’s primary receiver with 44 catches for 553 yards and three scores. Five other Eagle players have between 165 and 224 receiving yards. Sam Simmons has four touchdown catches, while Porter and Cole Smither each have three.
Blue Valley has been playing good football of late in grinding out tough victories using their defense and strong running game. The Tigers have won three straight games over Blue Valley West (24-20), Olathe West (40-28), and Olathe East (17-0). Blue Valley is led on offense by senior back John Price who has more than 900 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
The Tigers are looking for consistency in their passing game and Christopher Aiello has thrown for nearly 1,400 yards. He primarily looks for Grady Westphal who has more than 700 receiving yards.
The Tiger defense has been effective all season in allowing a little more than 16 points per game. That side of the ball is led by Lincoln Stueve up front with six sacks and 19 TFLs. Linebacker Maguire Richman leads the team with 106 tackles, while Dawson Merritt has added 68 stops including 14 for loss and seven sacks. In the secondary, Martell Buchanan has more than 100 tackles and Anthony Lonergan has four interceptions.
Of Blue Valley’s four losses this season, three have come to teams that are still playing in the state quarterfinals in this weekend. The other was to 4A defending champion Bishop Miege.
Blue Valley and Olathe North have met eight times over the past 16 seasons with the Eagles holding a 5-3 advantage. Olathe North has won the last two meetings, a semifinal win in 2019 followed by a quarterfinal victory the following year.
Other Sectional game:
#5 Blue Valley Northwest (6-4) at #1 Gardner-Edgerton (9-1) – Gardner-Edgerton
6A – WEST
Highlighted Game: (Nicholl)
#5 Wichita East (8-2) at #1 Washburn Rural (10-0) – Wichita East
In the last two seasons, Wichita East and Washburn Rural have played a great Week 1 contest. In 2022, Washburn Rural beat East, 49-42. This season, the Junior Blues held off East, 26-25. Rural has since risen to 10-0 and the top-ranked team in Class 6A. The East Blue Aces own a pair of wins against Wichita Northwest, including a 48-28 decision last week. Wichita East has won eight straight games and has easily led 6A in scoring offense.
In the first meeting, the Blue Aces outgained Washburn Rural, 526-176. However, Wichita East committed five turnovers, while Rural committed just one turnover.
DaeOnte Mitchell has enjoyed a huge career for Wichita East, and has added more than 2,600 passing and 1,000 rushing this season. LT Robinson, Dayontay Standifer, Rayvelle Leak and Ashton White are key offensive playmakers. Last week, Mitchell accounted for four touchdowns while Leak scored three times in the second half. Leak has rushed for more than 1,700 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. Robinson is closing in on 1,000 receiving yards with ten scores.
Washburn Rural has enjoyed an impressive season, too, including with quarterback Branton DeWeese and twins JC and Jaren Heim. The Junior Blues have won games by one, 14, seven, and 27-20 versus Junction City last week.
Last week, Junction City led 10-7 before Rural grabbed a lead 13-10 after an interception. DeWeese then found wide receiver Titan Osburn for a touchdown. The game was tied at 20 when DeWeese found Calvin Hayes for a 70-yard pass for the deciding score.
Similar to 5A, the gap between No. 1 and the rest of the classification is minimal. East has one of the City League’s all-time great passers in Mitchell and could move into a rare semifinal.
Other Sectional game:
#3 Derby (9-1) at #2 Manhattan (9-1) – Manhattan
Class 5A
VIEW: 5A BRACKET
5A – East
Highlighted Game: (Gilmore)
#6 Shawnee Heights (8-2) at #2 Blue Valley Southwest (9-1) – BV Southwest
This quarterfinal has 6-seed Shawnee Heights traveling to 2-seed Blue Valley Southwest. Blue Valley Southwest has reached the 5A quarterfinals for a fifth consecutive season, while Shawnee Heights is in the final eight for the first time since a semifinal finish in 2014. Last season was Blue Valley Southwest’s first appearance in the state semifinals, but the Timberwolves were shut out 63-0 by Mill Valley.
Shawnee Heights has its most wins in a single season in at least the past 15 years. The T-Birds are 8-2 with consecutive road losses at Basehor-Linwood and De Soto as the only blemishes on their record. The T-Birds have some close wins on their resume, including over Lansing (26-25), over 5A quarterfinalist Topeka Seaman (33-30, OT), and over 4A quarterfinalist Wamego (12-7).
Shawnee Heights advanced to his round with a 56-20 rout of Topeka Highland Park. Last season, Heights relied heavily on the legs of running back Allen Baughman. Baughman rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns a season ago on 225 attempts. This fall, he has rushed for 879 yards and 15 scores on 71 less carries. Along with the run game, the T-Birds’ success has come with the play of quarterback Ryeki Tuley. Tuley has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,005 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has also added 374 yards and seven rushing scores. The T-Birds have five players with double-digit receptions led by four seniors: Jayden Moore, Jacob Malcom, Jayden Holly, and Jordan Armbruster. Moore has a team high 52 catches for 679 yards and has five touchdowns. Malcom has seven touchdown catches and has 583 receiving yards. Holly and Armbruster have 407 and 385 yards, respectively.
Blue Valley Southwest will counter with a talented receiving room of its own. The Timberwolves have one of the most explosive offenses in Kansas led by senior quarterback Dylan Dunn. Dunn has completed 74 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards and 40 touchdowns this fall. He has a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in seniors Alex Parks and Tate Everard. Parks has a team-high 66 receptions for 1,104 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Everard has 59 catches for 1,043 yards and 12 scores. Emmitt Peters has 32 catches for 347 yards and ten touchdowns.
Southwest has not often been able to effectively run the football in past playoff runs, but the Timberwolves have some balance this season with four backs having rushed for between 250 and 450 yards. Quinn Lemons leads the group with 448 yards and eight scores, while Drake Dombrosky has added seven rushing scores in just six games. Luke Falkner and Angelo Keuwo have also seen significant carries for the Timberwolves.
Traditionally, Blue Valley Southwest has been the team entering late-round playoff games as the higher seed as the Timberwolves have suffered regular-season losses against a brutal Eastern Kansas League schedule. This season, Southwest is the home team and the favorite given their explosive offense.
Other Sectional game:
#9 Topeka Seaman (6-4) at #4 Mill Valley (8-2) – Mill Valley
5A – West
Highlighted Game: (Nicholl)
#4 Maize South (8-2) at #1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (9-1) – Maize South
In the last two falls, Maize, led by Avery Johnson, were considered at least a notch, perhaps several notches above the rest of 5A West. This year, Class 5A West has featured multiple contenders with significant parity and no undefeated squads.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel, which has not reached a state title game since the late ‘80s, has been considered a slight favorite and 5A No. 1 for the last several weeks. However, KMC has had a loss to Wichita Northwest and several close calls, including a 42-35 road win at Wichita East in Week 2, 33-21 at Wichita Heights in Week 8, and 36-34 at home versus Great Bend last week. The Crusaders never trailed against Great Bend, though the Panthers nearly tied the game in the third quarter. Great Bend ran 49 plays for 442 yards and returned a kickoff for a score. Kapaun finished with 82 plays for 399 yards.
Kapaun back Omari Elias, possibly the state’s best player, finished with 49 carries for 255 yards and three scores in another big game last week. Elias has cleared 1,950 rushing yards this year. Against Wichita Heights, he rushed 35 times for 135 yards, well under his season average, but Kapaun took advantage of a pair of non-offensive touchdowns.
Maize South is 8-2 and has doubled its win total from last fall. The Mavericks lost to Hutchinson by three and Derby by eight before a one-point victory against Hutchinson last week. Maize South is much more pass-heavy. Last week, Maize South threw for 248 yards with two touchdowns against two interceptions. Two weeks ago against Bishop Carroll, the Mavericks threw for 263 yards with two scores.
Elias is extremely consistent and will likely have 30-plus carries for 180-plus rushing yards. What occurs on non-Elias plays could dictate the game. Maize South has permitted just 19.9 points per game, better than Kapaun’s 21.4. The Mavericks have the passing attack and defense to pull the upset.
Other Sectional game:
#11 Maize (5-5) at #2 Goddard-Eisenhower (9-1) – Eisenhower
Class 4A
VIEW: 4A BRACKET
4A East
Highlighted Game: (Gilmore)
#7 Basehor-Linwood (7-3) at #6 St. Thomas Aquinas (7-3) – Aquinas
Basehor-Linwood will meet St. Thomas Aquinas in a quarterfinal game that is probably considered a surprise for many across the state. Both teams seemingly pulled off upsets last week to advance to this round. Basehor-Linwood went on the road and knocked out unbeaten Louisburg, 22-20, and Aquinas used another strong defensive effort to take out defending-champion Bishop Miege, 14-7.
Basehor-Linwood has won seven of its last eight games since dropping games to Tonganoxie (34-20) and Piper (34-31) to open the season. The Bobcats have impressive victories over 5A quarterfinalists Shawnee Heights (42-14) and Topeka Seaman (27-24).
In last week’s 22-20 win over second-ranked Louisburg, the Bobcats stopped the Wildcats two-point attempt to tie the game when they held Ashton Moore out of the end zone on a swing pass. The teams were tied 7-7 in the second quarter when Louisburg forced a Bobcat turnover near the goal-line. Basehor-Linwood’s defense rose to the occasion and recorded a safety shortly after to take a 9-7 lead. Bobcat quarterback Brady VanDonge then scored on a 1-yard run to give Basehor-Linwood a 16-7 lead at halftime. A Louisburg touchdown pass late in the second half trimmed Basehor-Linwood’s lead to 16-14. The Bobcats then added a third-quarter score as VanDonge hit Kaleb Scott on a touchdown pass for a 22-14 lead.
VanDonge passed for 122 yards and Sam Boetcher rushed for 116 yards and a score for the Bobcats. For the season, VanDonge has completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,913 yards and 17 touchdowns. Boetcher has been the Bobcats’ primary production on the ground with 995 yards and 15 scores. Scott has had a strong senior season with 47 catches for 777 yards and 8 touchdowns. Classmates Nash McCarty and Mile Hinkle have combined for nearly 60 receptions for more than 600 yards and four touchdowns.
Aquinas sent a shockwave around the state in knocking out Bishop Miege. Wyatt Lewis blocked a Miege field goal attempt and Owen Charlton scooped up the ball and ran for a touchdown for the Saints. Late in the second quarter, Lewis intercepted a Miege pass. Shortly after, the Saints executed a flea-flicker from quarterback Aiden Skinner to Joe Loughman for a 14-0 lead. Miege added a fourth-quarter score and was threatening again on the final play before multiple Aquinas players knocked the ball away from the intended Miege receiver in the end zone.
The Saints have battled through injuries, particularly in their backfield. Leading rusher Gianni Rizzi and Calin Arndt were lost to injury during a 45-44 loss to Rockhurst mid-way through the season. The Saint offense struggled to find the right combination of backs, but the defense remained consistent lead by Kian Payne up front. Last week, Rizzi returned and rushed for 140 yards against Miege. The Saints are also less than full strength on the offensive lines. If Aquinas can withstand the injuries, the Saints can advance to the state semifinals for a tenth consecutive season.
Other Sectional game:
#5 Tonganoxie (8-2) at #1 Atchison (10-0) – Tonganoxie
4A West
Highlighted Game: (Nicholl)
#4 Wellington (7-3) at #1 Wamego (8-2) – Wamego
Wamego is the defending 4A state runner-up and has been in the top five multiple times this fall. The Red Raiders have competitive losses to 3A top-five Clay Center and 5A Shawnee Heights. Both teams are still alive in the state quarterfinals this week.
Wamego led 4A in scoring defense in 2022 and again does so this fall with 10.9 points permitted a contest. The Red Raiders rank second in 4A points per game at 38.8.
Wellington is one of the state’s bigger surprises behind its excellent statistical passing offense. The Crusaders are fifth in the classification with 34.4 points per game and have permitted 33 a contest.
Wellington has losses at 3A top-5 Andale and Wichita Collegiate. The Crusaders have won a remarkable five straight games by nine points or fewer: two, nine, four, seven, and seven. In Week 2, Wellington also won 21-14 at Clearwater. Wellington is into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2018 and third occasion in the last 14 years.
Wamego beat Clearwater, 35-7, while Wellington defeated Clearwater, 21-14. Dusty Bannister has enjoyed a huge season as the Wellington quarterback and easily set the single-game school passing record with 472 yards. He has thrown for 25 touchdowns. Carter Burnett and Skyler Branam are Wellington’s top-two receivers and both are 700 yards. Nick Giefer has 848 rushing yards.
The Red Raiders returned 14 players with starting experience from a season ago and have a strong line, including center Brayden Fulton. Running behind the highly experienced offensive line, is veteran running back Thomas McIntire. Last week, McIntire rushed 23 times for 127 yards. Pruitt Nowlin continued his strong year in his first season as the starter with 13 of 17 passing for five touchdowns against no interceptions. Gannon Couture is a key leader for Wamego’s defense.
Wellington has a three-win improvement from 2022 and been a great storyline, though Wamego again has posted a terrific season and has excellent depth and defense for coach Weston Moody.
Other Sectional game:
#7 McPherson (7-3) at #6 Andover Central (7-3) – Andover Central
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