Each week throughout the regular season, The Pick List will feature a few of the best match-ups across the state, and make our predictions on a handful of other games.
Feature Games of the Week:
5A No. 1 Mill Valley (4-1) at 6A No. 2 Gardner-Edgerton (5-0)
Perhaps the most anticipated game in the state this week features this showdown between defending state champions. Mill Valley, winners of five consecutive Class 5A state titles will travel to Gardner-Edgerton to take on the Class 6A reigning-champion Trailblazers.
The winner will be in the driver’s seat in the Sunflower League standings.
Gardner-Edgerton has won 11 consecutive games, including a 5-0 start to this season. The Trailblazers have been challenged in recent weeks, beginning with a 66-44 win over Choctaw (Okla.) in a game that featured 74 combined first-half points. The Blazers then picked up quality road wins at Shawnee Mission Northwest (28-27) and Lawrence (35-21) before last week’s 27-14 win over solid Shawnee Mission East squad.
The offense is led by multi-year starter Bravin Powell at quarterback. Powell is an exceptional runner, but has shown the ability to be effective throwing the ball out of the flexbone over the last couple of years.
Powell is joined in the backfield by talented back Syre Padilla and slotbacks Porter Swaim and Richard VanLerberg. Swaim and VanLerberg each have the ability to break big plays on the edge or catch the ball if needed. Swaim rushed for 151 yards on ten carries in last week’s win over Shawnee Mission East, including an 81-yard scoring run. Tim Chartier has been Powell’s go-to deep threat in the passing game.
Gardner-Edgerton will look to rely on winning the battle up front. The Blazers was to use their strength on the offensive and defensive lines to control the ball and the clock. Isaiah Williams and Kaleb Dewey lead the way on the defensive side of the ball.
Mill Valley wants to play a similar type of game in controlling the ball with its run game. The Jaguars average more than 300 yards per game on the ground led by junior standout Reggie Reece. Reece has already rushed for 1,010 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He has averaging 202 yards per game and more seven yards per attempt.
Senior quarterback Connor Bohon has been efficient in passing for 481 yards and eight touchdowns and adding 271 yards and three scores on the ground. Senior Andrew Watts has been Bohon’s primary receiving target with 14 catches for 190 yards and four scores.
Mill Valley ahs won three straight since a 26-13 loss to Missouri-power Lee’s Summit North. Defensively, Penn State commit Jayden Woods leads the Jaguars with 39 tackles, including 3.5 sacks. Garret Clark, Kye Jegen, and Blake Jay round out Mill Valley’s leading tacklers.
In last year’s meeting, Gardner-Edgerton delivered an impressive performance in pulling away for a 49-10 win over Mill Valley. The Blazers racked up more than 470 yards in the game as Powell threw touchdown two long early touchdown passes to Randy Singleton in building a 35-3 halftime lead.
Both teams have had high-scoring games thus far this season, but the slight edge goes to the Trailblazers at home.
Our Pick: Gardner-Edgerton 35, Mill Valley 28 (Gilmore)
6A No. 4 Wichita Northwest (5-0) at 6A No. 3 Manhattan (5-0)
Derby, Wichita Northwest, and Manhattan are the three remaining undefeated teams in Class 6A West.
Manhattan has three massive victories by at least 36 points at Garden City, at rival Junction City and versus Emporia. The 57-21 win versus Garden City was misleading since Manhattan led 57-0.
In Week 2, Manhattan beat Lawrence Free State, 38-28, at home. The following week, Manhattan scored in the final seconds to win at Hays High, 34-30.
Wichita Northwest held off Junction City, 43-30, and has won several competitive games with at Bishop Carroll (34-13) and versus Kapaun Mt. Carmel (48-24).
Manhattan has won the last three matchups in the series: 56-28 in 2022, a 27-18 win in the ’22 playoffs and 28-24 last fall. Before then, the teams had not played since 2008. Manhattan senior Carter Aslin is an excellent dual threat quarterback. He is 46 of 71 for 746 yards with six touchdowns against four interceptions. He has 51 carries for 547 yards and 11 scores.
Senior Jaydin Hudley posted 38 carries for 356 yards and nine scores. Manhattan has 10.8 yards per pass attempt and 9.8 yards per rush. Seniors Colby Altevgot (32 tackles), Landon Dobson (5.5 tackles for loss) and Brandon Stroud (21 stops). Manhattan went 9-2 last fall when it posted 7.4 yards per pass and 7.7 yards per rush.
Wichita Northwest is long known for offense, though has won in different ways this year. Junior Jaylen Mason, a Power 5 prospect, has completed 53 of 93 passes for 932 yards with 10 scores against two interceptions. Junior Augie Fast has stepped in with 116 carries for 951 yards and eight scores. Mason has posted 45 carries for 264 yards and six scores. Northwest has 7.2 yards per carry.
Senior Brady Johnson has 10 tackles for loss, and senior Quavon Harris has 46 stops. In recent years, Northwest has struggled in this matchup. Manhattan is better statistically than recent falls and has a slight edge.
Our Pick: Manhattan 38, Northwest 35 (Nicholl)
2A No. 3 Nemaha Central (4-1) at Sabetha (4-1)
Nemaha Central visits Sabetha in a Big East League contest that may also determine the Class 2A, District 4 championship.
Two-time defending 2A champion Nemaha Central opened the season with a somewhat surprising 16-8 loss to Marysville. The defeat snapped the Thunder’s 26-game win streak and dropped Nemaha Central from the top spot in the 2A poll down to No. 5. Since then, Nemaha Central has rebounded with impressive victories over Silver Lake, Rossville, and 4A contender Chanute.
Last week, the Thunder opened district play with a 48-6 win over Oskaloosa.
Nemaha Central’s offense runs through junior Carter Hajek. After rushing for 2,431 yards and 43 touchdowns as a sophomore a season ago, Hajek has continued his strong performance this season. Hajek has rushed for 723 yards and 12 touchdowns through five games, while passing for 412 yards and four touchdowns.
Offensively, Hajek has accounted for 75.6 percent of the Thunder’s carries this season. When Nemaha Central looks to pass, Hajek has connected with Caleb Strathman 15 times for 197 yards and two scores and Sam Nordhus for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Nemaha Central is led by Abram Keim’s 68 tackles, including four for loss. The Thunder allow only 12.8 points per game.
Sabetha has started 4-1 under new head coach Kaleb Moeller. The Blue Jays have narrow victories over Holton (7-6) and Royal Valley (7-6), while their loss came to Perry-Lecompton (12-9) back in Week 2.
Landon Meyer and Cole Menold are the two primary ball carriers in the backfield. Senior quarterback Mitchell Kramer was a key player in the Blue Jays 10-2 season last fall that ended with a 17-7 loss to Nemaha Central in the state semifinals.
These two teams have met twice in each of the last two seasons – once in the regular season and once in the state semifinals. Overall, Nemaha Central has won five straight in the series.
Our Pick: Nemaha Central 24, Sabetha 8 (Gilmore)
Ell-Saline (4-1) at 8M-I No. 2 Little River (5-0)
This game could decide the Eight-Man, Division, I, District 3 title. Little River stands at 5-0, 2-0. Central Plains and Ell-Saline are both 4-1, 2-0.
Little River has again enjoyed another dominant season under legendary coach Kevin Ayers. The Redskins started with a 42-22 road victory versus Chase County. Since then, they have permitted 18 total points and has an impressive victory versus Rural Vista, 58-12, in Week 2.
Little River plays Central Plains at home next week.
Ayers has a state title and two state runner-up finishes with Little River. Entering last season, the Redskins had the state’s second-longest home winning streak in Kansas, trailing only Andale. Little River lost one home game in a 7-3 season, still the lone home loss since Ayers took over in 2019. Additionally, Little River fell, 24-14, at Ell-Saline in Week 3. Ell-Saline eventually advanced to the state semifinals.
This fall, Ell-Saline is just outside the top-five. The Cardinals opened with two quality opponents, a 34-16 home loss to Hanover and a 38-20 home victory versus Osborne. Hanover is currently a top-five team in Eight-Man, Division II.
Ayers has used two quarterbacks for several years at Little River, a strategy that has yielded great success. This season, the Redskins have significantly ran the ball with 84 percent of snaps on the ground. Senior Logan Renken, one of the state’s top baseball players, returned to football this fall. Renken has 47 carries for 416 yards and 10 scores. He has completed eight of 20 passes for 171 yards with five TDs against zero interceptions. Sophomore Jaren Garrison has 42 carries for 371 yards and six scores. He has thrown two passes and completed both, each for a 24-yard score. Sophomore Jhet Ewertt has 36 stops. Senior Ruxton Birdsong is a multi-year starter.
Ell-Saline features junior quarterback Reese Krone and standout all-purpose player Kas Kramer. Last week against Solomon, Kramer returned a punt for a touchdown and had another one that was called back for a penalty.
Against Hanover, Ell-Saline led 16-12 at halftime. Krone threw a touchdown pass to Kramer. Melvin Lutes also scored a rushing touchdown. Both teams are top-seven teams in this class, but Little River might have the edge with playing at home and overall depth.
Our Pick: Little River 36, Ell-Saline 24 (Nicholl)
The Pick List:
Dodge City (3-2) at Hays (3-2) – Hays
De Soto (4-1) at Leavenworth (3-2) – De Soto
5A No. 5 Great Bend (5-0) at Liberal (4-1) – Great Bend
4A No. 3 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (4-1) at Bishop Carroll (2-3) – Kapaun
Salina Central (3-2) at 4A No. 2 Andover Central (4-1) – Andover Central
Tonganoxie (3-2) at Basehor-Linwood (5-0) – Basehor-Linwood
Topeka Highland Park (4-1) at Atchison (4-1) – Atchison
Mulvane (4-1) at McPherson (3-2) – McPherson
Winfield (4-1) at 4A No. 5 Wellington (3-2) – Wellington
Rock Creek (4-1) at 3A No. 3 Marysville (5-0) – Marysville
3A No. 5 Scott City (4-1) at Holcomb (4-1) – Scott City
3A No. 4 Topeka Hayden (4-1) at Holton (3-2) – Hayden
Kingman (3-2) at Garden Plain (3-2) – Garden Plain
Lakin (4-1) at Hoisington (1-4) – Hoisington
Riley County (4-1) at 2A No. 4 Silver Lake (4-1) – Silver Lake
2A No. 5 Osage City (5-0) at St. Marys (3-2) – St. Marys
1A No. 1 Conway Springs (5-0) at Sterling (3-2) – Conway Springs
1A No. 4 Moundridge (4-0) at Marion (4-1) – Moundridge
Atwood-Rawlins Co. (4-1) at St. Francis (3-2) – Rawlins Co.
Clifton-Clyde (3-2) at Sylvan-Lucas Unified (5-0) – Clifton-Clyde
Hill City (3-2) at 8M-I No. 1 Hoxie (5-0) – Hoxie
Argonia-Attica (4-1) at Hutchinson Central Christian (4-1) – Central Christian
Golden Plains (4-1) at 6M No. 3 Weskan (5-0) – Weksan
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