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:
Wichita Northwest raced out to a 20-3 first quarter lead in cruising past Bishop Carroll, 34-13. Augie Fast carried 31 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Grizzlies. Classmate Jaylen Mason passed for 117 yards and two scores – on each going to Griffin Baker and another to Chase Carter.
Jason Filbeck’s debut as head coach of Topeka High was a successful one as the Trojans rolled in a road victory over Wichita West, 52-19. Tevante Ewing rushed for a pair of touchdowns and caught a 70-yard scoring pass from Zane Smith. Smith also tossed a 90-yard touchdown to Jayden Norman. Wichita West was led by Deandre Rogers, Jr. who rushed for 219 yards and a score on 22 attempts.
Washburn Rural doubled-up Shawnee Heights, 42-21, on Friday night. Rural quarterback John Hoytal threw three touchdown passes in the first half and T.J. Minikwu and Jadyn Baum each added rushing scores. Shawnee Heights quarterback Aiden Scott passed for 322 yards, including touchdowns to Tyren Parker and Parker Busenitz.
Shawnee Mission Northwest doubled-up Olathe North, 28-14, thanks to the Cougars new flexbone offense. John Whitener rushed for all four of Northwest’s touchdowns in the victory. The Cougar defense also held Olathe North to 43 rush yards on 15 attempts. Jamison Sarver led Olathe North with 173 passing yards and two scores.
Class 5A:
KC Washington scored in each quarter in getting past KC Sumner Academy. Sophomore Cam’ron Fields rushed for 150 yards and three scores on seven carries to lead the Wildcats. Fields also returned a kickoff 95 yards for another score. Savion Stone added 102 yards and a score on his ten carries.
After passing for 3,250 yards and 39 touchdowns last season, Max Huston opened with 109 yards and a pair of touchdown passes as Topeka Seaman defeated United Kansas Conference rival KC Piper, 35-18. The Viking defense helped provide separation on a pick-six by Kaden Whitehurst in the second half.
Liberal rolled to a 70-6 win over Wichita North. Xavier Porras led the Redskins with 107 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries. Freshman quarterback Tevin Cotter completed five of seven passes for 108 yards and two scores – one each to James Fieser and Anthony Aragonez.
Topeka Highland Park opened with a 52-0 shutout of KC Wyandotte. Junior Dontrail Fox passed for 140 yards and a touchdown, while Joe Kingcannon tossed a touchdown pass and had 98 receiving yards and a score. The Scots were led on the ground by Jamon Wilson’s 112 yards and two scores on only three carries.
Pittsburg High rushed for 347 yards in rolling to a 56-13 win over Emporia. The Purple Dragons averaged nearly 13 yards per attempt in the game and five different players rushed for touchdowns. Senior Conner Proffitt lead the way with 95 yards and a score on seven carries, while Stone Peery added 94 yards and a score on six attempts. Senior Nate Mitchell added 77 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts. Proffitt also completed three passes for 77 yards, including two touchdowns to Malakai Meadows.
Class 4A:
Lansing opened United Kansas Conference play with a 56-14 win over KC Turner. Senior quarterback Reid Oakley passed for 151 yards and threw five touchdown passes to lead the Lions. A.J. Allen caught two of Oakley’s touchdown passes, while Makhi Butler, Tanner Kell, and Braden Jackson each hauled in a scoring pass. Jackson Pollard added 140 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and Butler also added a rushing score.
Labette County rolled past rival Parsons, 42-14. It was the first win in the series for the Grizzlies since 2017. Sophomore quarterback Aaron Wyrick passed for 224 yards and five touchdowns – two of which went to Kegan Bates. Nolan Nash, Barrett Hestand, and Dylan Johnson also each caught a touchdown pass from Wyrick. Jamaal Jackson led the Grizzly ground game with 131 yards and a score.
Class 3A:
Prairie View picked up a 28-14 win over St. Louis Priory (Mo.) on Saturday. This game was recently scheduled to fill the void in Prairie View’s schedule from Osawatomie cancelling its varsity season due to a lack of players. Junior Parker Schwarz led the Buffaloes with 263 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Josh Goodwin added 72 yards and two scores, while Jay Muse contributed 76 yards and a touchdown. Prairie View rushed for 435 yards in the game.
Clay Center opened North Central Kansas League play with a 34-7 win over Abilene. Senior quarterback Cole Pladson passed for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both of which went to Jace Weller. Weller caught three passes for 108 yards. The Tigers were led on the ground by junior Eisaac Girton’s 144 yards and a touchdown, while Pladson added two rushing scores.
Pratt scored a touchdown in each of the final three quarters in an impressive 24-3 decision over Hoisington. The Greenbacks rushed for more than 250 yards in the game led by senior Taye Wilson’s 183-yard night. Wilson accounted for Pratt’s only rushing touchdown on the night. Quarterback Creston Pore added 98 yards passing with touchdown passes to Caleb Strong and Arley Morrell.
Columbus opened the season on Thursday by beating Independence, 45-28. The Titans trailed 20-6 after the first quarter before scoring 39 consecutive points. Jack Vilela completed 18 of 24 passes for 326 yards and five touchdowns – four of which went to Jace Midgett who caught five passes for 179 yards. Kooper Saiz added a touchdown catch for Columbus. Jett Tanner led the ground game with 139 yards and a score on 15 carries.
Class 2A:
Larned outscored Smoky Valley 36-24 to open play in the Central Kansas League. The Indians were led by senior Carson Shaver who rushed for 115 yards and three scores and added 66 yards passing. Smoky Valley’s Gavin Stambaugh rushed for 161 yards and a score, while Viking quarterback Ty Heitschmidt threw three touchdown passes.
Ellsworth won its season-opener for a fourth consecutive year by beating Sacred Heart 39-16. Senior Landin Johnson carried 17 times for 274 yards and four touchdowns to lead a Bearcat offense that produced 364 yards on the ground in the game. Tucker Goss also added a pair of rushing scores for Ellsworth.
Garden Plain opened the season with a big 49-14 victory over Wichita Trinity on Thursday in a game that was called after three quarters due to lightning. The Owls were led by Emrick Hays and Cooper Scheer on the ground. Hays rushed for 148 yards and three scores, while Scheer added 118 yards and two touchdowns. Scheer also caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Brady Brack.
Lakin scored 34 points in the first quarter in routing Stanton County, 49-0. Senior Colter Oldham rushed four times for 132 yards and three touchdowns, while Ross Rider and Armando Salcido each rushed for scores. Quarterback Dru Patterson tossed two touchdown passes with one each going to Rider and Oldham.
Phillipsburg scored twice in the fourth quarter to blank Plainville, 14-0. Tanner Horinek broke the scoreless drought with a 5-yard touchdown run on fourth down with 7:39 left in the game. Quarterback Colin Springer then delivered the final score on a 14-yard run with 1:28 remaining in the game.
Osage City scored two touchdowns in each of the first two quarters in shutting out Olpe, 41-0. Junior quarterback Kasen Parsons passed for 140 yards and threw three touchdown passes for the Indians. Parsons hit Quenten Stark on two touchdown passes and Lucas Gantenbein on the third. Parsons also added a team-high 81 yards rushing with two scores.
Class 1A:
Maur Hill-Mount Academy slipped by 2023 1A state runner-up Jefferson Co. North, 22-20. The Junior Raves rushed for 202 yards in the game led by Jack Moore’s 91 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Quarterback Luke Siebert added 70 yards on the ground and tossed a touchdown pass to Raheem Thompson. James Peltzer also rushed for a score for MH-MA.
Ellinwood opened with a 32-0 shutout of Syracuse. Ten Eagle ballcarriers combined for 320 yards and three rushing scores. Senior Landon Simpson led the way with 107 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Classmate Cason Merritt added 77 yards and a score and Tavian McCaffery also rushed for a touchdown. Simpson also intercepted two passes, taking one back for a touchdown.
Mission Valley had to wait a day to kickoff their season, but the Vikings did so by edging Hogan Prep (Mo.), 30-28. Senior Porter Deters rushed for 195 yards and four touchdowns on 25 attempts to lead the Viking offense. Deters also passed for 91 yards on eight completions.
St. Mary’s Colgan held off Girard, 21-14, to pick up a quality road win in the CNC League. After graduating a talented senior class a season ago, the Panthers have just five senior on their roster this season. Colgan scored all 21 points in the first half. Junior quarterback Carston Simmons passed for 169 yards including touchdowns to Anthony Schremmer and Will Schremmer. Five different Panther ball carriers combined for 192 rushing yards, let by sophomore Lane Stultz’s 73 yards on eight attempts.
Class 8-man I
In a wild game, Ellis opened its eight-man era with a 48-44 victory versus Lincoln. Ellis had to replace quarterback Logan Russell and wide receiver Mason Younger, each set school records. Freshmen Trenton Schartz stepped in and delivered five of 12 passing for 78 yards and two scores. Junior Carson Schartz finished with 23 carries for 175 yards and four scores. Standout end Caleb Noble delivered three catches for 51 yards. Carson Schartz delivered 16 tackles. Ellis coach Bryant Eichman and Hill City coach Travis Desbien are longtime friends and will play each other in Week 2.
Hill City opened with a 50-20 win at WaKeeney-Trego. Trego led 12-6 after the first quarter before Hill City tallied 22 unanswered points in the second quarter. For WaKeeney, junior Ashton Wynn finished nine of 17 passing for 83 yards with no scores against two interceptions. Junior Tate Balthazor delivered 16 of 21 passing for 225 yards with two scores against an interception. He rushed 17 times for 87 yards and a TD. Senior Dayton Stephen finished with 23 offensive touches for 255 yards and four scores. He also tacked on 41 special teams yards.
St. Francis started with a 49-0 win against Quinter. Junior Lucas Raile finished nine of 10 for 128 yards with four scores against no interceptions. Junior Layn Todd delivered 10 carries for 58 yards and two TDs.
Kinsley beat Ashland, 54-22. Ashland had three straight top-four finishes in six-man before it moved to eight-man this year. Kinsley sophomore Woodrow Lancaster is expected to have a big season. He delivered 18 carries for 182 yards and three scores. Heralded freshman Joshua Stuckey finished with 12 carries for 75 yards and a TD.
Class 8-man II
In a key Three River League game, Marmaton Valley held off Oswego, 34-28. Marmaton Valley senior Brayden Lawson finished 16 of 28 passing for 181 yards with two scores against an interception. Sophomore Cooper Scharff rushed for a pair of scores. Senior Jaedon Granere and junior Tyler Lord collected 11 catches, two for TDs. Oswego senior Josh Hutchinson had a big opening night with 25 carries for 217 yards and two TDs. Oswego rushed 52 times for 387 yards and four TDs. After a scoreless first quarter, Marmaton Valley led 12-0 at halftime. Oswego was up 22-20 after three quarters.
Bucklin rolled over Spearville, 44-0. The Red Aces held Spearville to one of six passing for five yards with two interceptions. Spearville delivered 47 rushes for 120 yards. Bucklin senior Lucas Kirk finished 13 of 20 passing for 178 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. Kirk had 12 rushes for 60 yards and two scores, and senior Aiden Haskell finished with seven carries for 81 yards and a TD.
Highly experienced Rural Vista defeated Solomon, 46-0. The Heat led 16-0 after the first quarter and 30-0 at halftime in a game called in the third quarter. Rural Vista brought back all its offensive skill players. Junior Koden Sanford finished six of 12 for 131 yards and a TD. Senior Logan Tate had 10 rushes for 136 yards and a TD. Sanford produced a rushing score, and four players total scored on the ground.
6-Man
In a battle of teams just outside the top-five in the state rankings, Peabody-Burns held off Tescott, 40-39. Peabody-Burns returned basically its entire team. Sophomore Aiden Hurst completed eight of 12 passes for 262 yards with four touchdowns against no interceptions. Sophomore Dalton Philpott delivered 10 carries for 106 yards and a score. The Warriors finished with 434 yards of total offense. Sophomore Jameson Miles caught all the receptions in the big performance.
Northern Valley opened with a 57-34 loss to Crawford, Nebraska. Gavin Thalheim rushed 21 times for 57 yards and caught a 46-yard scoring pass. He finished with 17 tackles and a defensive score. Northern Valley trailed 16-6 after the first quarter and 30-20 at halftime. The game was played in a neutral site in a noon Saturday start. Owen Hammond paced the squad with 158 yards of offense, scored two touchdowns and threw for another. Crawford outgained the Huskies, 497-295.
Chetopa’s Tagg Bond rushed 23 times for 480 yards and five scores in a 50-25 win against Altoona-Midway. Bond and Harrison Carter (WR/SS) earned the team’s player of the game honors.
Golden Plains is expected to be much improved this year and defeated Moscow, 62-16. Bulldog senior quarterback Josh Rath was five of nine for 143 yards and two TDs. He rushed four times for 90 yards and two scores. Golden Plains ran 26 offensive plays and finished with 371 total yards.
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