Welcome to the 12th annual Kpreps Potential Breakout Teams list. This list started in 2014 and included 130 teams. In that span, 77 percent of those teams have improved their record.
Last year, 17 teams were mentioned, at least one per all nine classes. That group posted a 65-91 record (42 percent) in 2023, and a 102-60 record (63 percent) in 2024. Of those 17 teams, 13 improved and four worsened.
Notably, the three Eight-Man, Division II teams mentioned- Logan-Palco, Bucklin, and Marmaton Valley - went from a combined 11-16 in 2023 to 25-5 last year. Logan-Palco set a school record for single season wins (8-2) and Bucklin posted a 9-1 mark, its best in 25-plus years. As well, six-man Marias des Cygnes Valley went from 0-9 to 6-3. Class 3A Columbus jumped from 2-7 to 7-3.
This is the 2025 Kpreps Potential Breakout Teams:
Six-Man:
Otis-Bison (6-4) – Otis-Bison enjoyed a strong year in its first season in the six-man ranks. Marc Cowles came over to Otis-Bison after enjoying successful stints at Weskan and Ness City. While at Weskan, Cowles led the way to re-start Kansas six-man football. Otis-Bison lost four times: all to teams who finished ranked and twice to eventual state runner-up Cunningham. Otis-Bison’s projected starters include good speed and size. Offensively, Kelson Juno is at center, and Konner Schenk at guard. Travis Ross is at tight end, while three running backs will start: Aiden Ochs-Lohrey, Gavin Alloway and Maddox Firebaugh. Marcus Starr will start at defensive tackle, while five offensive players will start on defense. Alloway rushed 80 times for 570 yards and eight scores. Juno (6-3, 255) had a strong two-way season and paced the squad with 19 catches as the center. Ochs-Lohrey led with 84 tackles as a freshman. Cowles needs a young player to develop at quarterback.
Eight-Man, Division II:
Osborne (7-4) – Osborne has its highly touted freshman class that enjoyed huge seasons in junior high football, basketball and track. Osborne had a one-score loss to eventual state runner-up Victoria in ’24 and took defeats to both eight-man state champions, Hoxie and Axtell. Osborne will be a major state contender for the next four years and the freshmen (including Donavon Holloway and Tate Tiernan) are expected to have a big impact this fall. Senior Kaiden Schultze delivered 74 carries for 531 yards and 10 scores and finished with 35 stops. Veteran coach Steve Tiernan led Osborne to the No. 8 scoring defense in Division II last year at 16.7 points allowed a contest. They were the only Division II team to rank in the top-15 and lose more than three games.
Eight-Man, Division I:
WaKeeney-Trego (4-5), St. Francis (5-4), Lyndon (5-4) – Excitement is high in WaKeeney with a blend of experienced seniors and a couple of standout freshmen. Trego, which opens in a very key road game versus Hill City, is a viable contender to win the MCL eight-man championship – and made a deep run in the postseason. Last season, Trego ranked in the middle of the pack in defense at 33.4 points allowed per game and scored 33.8 points a contest. The first five games are all quality matchups: at Hill City, versus Hoxie, at Rawlins County, versus Leoti-Wichita County and versus Ellis.
Senior Ashton Wynn returns for his third season at quarterback after 734 passing, 637 rushing and 22 TDs accounted for. Junior Jack Conness rushed for 627 yards and 10 scores. The top-three tacklers return, paced by senior Cass Smith (89 stops, 12.5 for loss) and Aaron Samson (74). Freshmen Vladon Crawford and Jared Aschenbrenner have excelled in a variety of sports in the younger ranks and could make an immediate impact, too. Trego has won more than six games twice since 2002.
St. Francis, which also made this list last year, returns nearly everyone from the No. 14 scoring defense. The Indians have senior quarterback Lucas Raile, who rushed for 1,451 yards with 21 scores against eight interceptions. He rushed for 597 yards and eight TDs. More than 80 percent of the receptions and tackles return. Seniors Ethan Graham and Joel Gilliland were 1-2 in tackles with 99 and 87, respectively. St. Francis was top-15 in yards per play (7.4), per the Sunflower Sports Solutions database, also a positive metric for success.
A year after a dominant 13-0 season and first-ever football state championship, Lyndon fell back to 5-4 and lost three games by a combined 18 points. Lyndon should be the favorite in all but one of its regular season contests and returns basically its entire team, including senior running back James Marcotte (887 yards, 21 scores). Lyndon also averaged 6.9 yards per play and was of the classes’ most balanced offenses with 60 percent rush and 40 percent pass.
Class 1A:
Cair Paravel (2-7) – Multiple possibilities exist in 1A, including Mid-Continent League’s Thomas More Prep-Marian and Smith Center. Though Cair Paravel is expected to make a major jump back up. Cair Paravel tends to have big changes including 5-5, 11-0, 3-5, 9-3 and 2-7 in the last five years. The Lions generally feature a strong offense, especially passing. Cair Paravel ranked in the top-15 in 1A both percentage of snaps that were a pass (47 percent) and yards per pass attempt (8.6). Cair Paravel ranked in the top-10 in turnover margin (-3), a number that should improve this year. Senior Tobias Bonura returns after 146 rushing and 181 receiving yards.
Class 2A:
Eureka (6-3) – Eureka enjoyed a five-win improvement last year from 1-8 to 6-3. Eureka has not won more than six games in a season since 2000 – and the Tornadoes have multiple indicators pointing up this year. First, Eureka only had four home games (3-1 record) in ’24 and ranked No. 21 in scoring defense with 23.1 points allowed a contest. Eureka has five home games against just three road games this fall. Senior quarterback Peyton Hare threw for 805 yards with 12 scores against four interceptions, along with 868 rushing yards and 13 scores. Senior Noah Rippy is back after a team-high 98 tackles.
Class 3A:
Smoky Valley (2-7) – Coach Tim Lambert has more than 200 career victories and is known for orchestrating quick turnarounds. Four of the top-six tacklers return, including junior Crew Elliott and senior Jack Opat. The Vikings lost games by 12, 11 and five points last season. Smoky Valley is traditionally one of the best running offenses in 3A and ran the ball on 80 percent of snaps last year, top-10 in 3A.
Class 4A:
Ottawa (6-4), McPherson (5-5) – Both Ottawa and McPherson rank just outside the Class 4A rankings. Ottawa coach Walt Alexander has rebuilt multiple programs throughout the state, including Topeka High. Ottawa is 2-7, 2-7, 3-6 and 6-4 in his four seasons. Ottawa has not won more than six games since 2016. The Cyclones had three close losses and return many of its top players. Senior Hayden Hull passed for 1,973 yards and 21 scores. Nate Sims has committed to KU, while Aiden McCullough finished with 842 receiving yards. Liam Marler is back after 129 tackles. McPherson had a rare downturn last year with multiple close losses. All the defeats came against playoff teams. The Bullpups finished 3-4 in games decided by 14 points or fewer. Receiver Ashton Malm is an electrifying player, and Jayren Stutzman is a key edge rusher.
Class 5A:
Valley Center (3-7) – The Hornets played in a lot of low scoring games last season, including losses by margins of 28-17, 13-0, 10-7 and 24-0, and wins by scores of 21-0 and 7-6. Valley Center senior Rylan Bailey is back after 444 rushing yards and four scores. Senior Gavin Saner returns following 66 tackles. Scott L’Ecuyer has experienced success at Valley Center, including 7-3 in ’22 and 5-4 in ’23. The Hornets have won more than six games twice in a season since 2001.
Class 6A:
Maize (5-5) – Multiple indicators point up for Maize, which has enjoyed great success as a program in the last 10 years. The Eagles finished No. 9 in defense and No. 13 in offense in Class 6A, the only team in the classification to achieve that feat and not have a winning record. Senior quarterback Brayden Myovela is back after 848 passing yards and 11 scores versus two interceptions. Senior Shannon Jones paced the Eagles with 113 carries for 521 yards and eight touchdowns
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