Longtime Kpreps.com contributor Conor Nicholl presents his 13th straight Potential Breakout Teams list. On average, these squads improve by 20 percent. Last year, there were 12 teams listed and seven improved their record from 2024 to 2025. These teams finished 56-59 (48.7 percent) in 2024 and posted a 68-46 (59.6) record in ’25. Last year, WaKeeney-Trego went from 4-5 to 10-1 with its best season since the ‘70s. Additionally, Maize went from 5-5 to 10-1 in ’25.
Overall, the list has included 142 teams since 2014. More than 75 percent of the squads have improved their record.
These are the 2026 Potential Breakout Teams:
6A
Blue Valley Northwest (4-5) – Blue Valley Northwest has multiple positives that point to a winning season. Senior Aidan Ihm is one of the state’s top returning quarterbacks. He completed 100 of 176 passes for 1,297 yards with 12 scores versus five interceptions. The Huskies posted 136 rushing yards per game and five yards per carry. Plus, Northwest junior Braxton Wagner is a highly regarded quarterback prospect.
Junior Baron Marshall, the team’s leading receiver and a first team all-state player, posted 41 catches for 684 yards and three scores. BVNW posted plus-three in turnover margin. The Huskies return 60 percent of their tackles, a high number for a 6A school. Senior Blake Berry posted 42 stops and a team-high eight for loss. The line brings back veteran linemen Angelo Engler, Avinn Ray, and Logan Biggar.
Veteran coach Clint Rider has orchestrated impressive turnarounds, including one of the biggest one-season climbs in 6A history en route to the 2021 state championship. Northwest had posted four straight winning seasons before the drop last year. NW finished eighth in 6A scoring defense with 24.4 points allowed a contest, per Sunflower Sports Solutions (S3) database. NW dropped from 7.3 yards per play in ’24 to 5.9 yards a play in ’25 – a number that should improve this season.
5A
Salina South (3-8) – Christien Ozores led Russell to its best season since 1979 and has led an improvement with the Cougars. In 2023, the Cougars posted a winless season. In 2024, the first year under Ozores, South won one game. Last year, South opened 0-6 before it made a playoff run to the quarterfinals. The Cougars return a bevy of key players and add senior receiver Noah Hines, a transfer from Sacred Heart. Hines paced 1A in receiving touchdowns and earned all-state honors in basketball. Junior Izrael Telles completed 153 of 294 passes for 2,269 yards with 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Senior Armane Redmond delivered 239 carries for 1,053 yards and seven TDs. Senior Jabrien Curtis has 49 catches for 772 yards and nine TDs. South forced just 10 turnovers and was minus-1 in turnover margin.
Andover Central (5-5) – One of the state’s most consistent programs, Andover Central was likely to tumble last year after its state title team in 2024. Normally a 4A squad, Andover Central had massive graduation losses, though still posted a .500 season. Coach Derek Tuttle has been at the school since it opened in 2002 and served as head coach since ’19. AC’s staff is considered one of the state’s best and most consistent. The Jaguars, which bumped to 5A this year, returns a bevy of talent. Senior Jaxson Green has 205 carries for 1,649 yards and 17 scores. Seniors Cooper Mason and Noah Sawdy, the team’s top receivers are back after 28 and 27 catches, respectively. Six of the top-nine tacklers return for a team that is likely a 5A contender.
4A
Lansing (2-7) – Bill Utz led Platte County (Mo.) for 18 years. Utz had a 158-62 record and back-to-back Class 5A titles before he took over at Lansing in February. His former defensive coordinator Eric Mitchell was expected to join him at Lansing. Utz left Platte County on a 28-game winning streak. Senior Caden Garcia returns after he completed 93 of 194 passes for 1,343 yards with eight scores against six interceptions. Ninety-seven percent of the receptions return. Nine of the top-10 tacklers were non-seniors, led by 121 from senior Jameson Barnes. Lansing has not won more than six games since 2010.
3A
Chapman (1-8) – Jason Grider enjoyed a nice run of success at Halstead and is positioned to lead the Fighting Irish to an improvement this year. Chapman opened 0-3 with losses by 10, four and one. A significant number of returners are back, led by 151 carries for 804 yards and seven scores from senior Audiel Becker. Chapman has veteran experience at line, too. Chapman ran the ball on 84.8 percent of plays, seventh-most in 3A.
2A
Beloit (6-4) – Beloit has long been an extreme run-heavy team, though moved to one of the top passing offenses in Class 2A in 2025. Last year, Beloit passed the ball on 46.9 percent of plays, second-highest in 2A, per the S3 database. In 2024, the Trojans passed the ball on 23 percent of the plays. Sophomore Truitt King completed 89 of 150 passes for 1,336 yards with 12 scores against five interceptions. Junior Jacob Hand had 27 catches for 390 yards and three TDs. Beloit took a pair of competitive losses, lost 31-14 to Garden Plain in the playoffs and fell to eventual state runner-up Southeast of Saline. Beloit forced just five turnovers last year after four in 2024.
Humboldt (3-6) – Logan Wyrick has enjoyed a long stretch of winning seasons, including a couple of double-digit years. Last year, Humboldt slipped to 3-6, its fewest wins since 2014. Junior Kolton Hanson is back after 13 catches for 170 yards and two scores. The Cubs return its top-four tacklers: senior Broc Ivy, sophomore Envy Oberbeck, senior Gavin Gunderman and junior Kam McClenning. Humboldt should significantly improve its scoring defense that finished No. 27 in 2A in scoring defense at 31.2 points allowed a contest. Normally, Humboldt is stingy defensively. In the previous six years, Humboldt allowed 14.9, 28.4, 27.7, 16.2, 12.2 and a 2A-best 10.8 points allowed per game in ’24 before the spike last year.
1A
Olpe (6-3) – The Eagles sustained significant injuries, especially senior Brecken McGuire. Olpe was again highly stingy on defense and finished ninth in scoring defense with 15.3 points allowed a contest. Olpe was seventh in 1A in scoring offense at 38 points scored per game. Last year, Olpe’s three losses all came to teams that finished in the top-three in its classes, including a 21-20 overtime to Jackson Heights. Abbott Bailey is back after a torn ACL. Brecken McGuire returns after a great all-around season. Olpe is one of the 1A’s most tradition-rich programs under longtime coach Chris Schmidt.
8M1
Hoxie (2-7) – Two years ago, Hoxie finished 13-0, won the second title of the Lance Baar era, and had the best year in school history. Last fall, the Indians had massive graduation losses, though is expected to bounce back. Hoxie returns essentially everyone, including junior Noah Nickelson (83 carries, 525 yards and seven scores). Both quarterbacks are back which combined for 1,006 yards and 11 scores against eight interceptions.
Central Plains (5-4) – Central Plains is just outside the top-five in Eight-Man, Division I and is expected to take a big jump under coach J.D. Johnson. Senior Braedan Crites returns as one of the state’s top quarterbacks with more than 1,300 passing yards last year.
8M2
Dighton (3-7) – Ken Simon has twice earned Kpreps Coach of the Year and has done a great job with big improvements from Dighton. Junior Rangler Price is back after he collected 79 of 144 passes for 866 yards and 13 scores. All the rushing yards return, along with 87 percent of tackles. Simon has orchestrated quick one-season turnarounds before, notably a 2-7 mark in 2020 to 9-2 the following year. He had a six-win improvement from ’13 to ’14.
Osborne (3-6) – Osborne went through massive injuries, though returns its vaunted sophomore class. Tate Tiernan enjoyed a huge freshman season with 106 of 174 passing for 1,299 yards against 17 scores versus seven interceptions. All the offensive yards return. Tiernan rushed for 874 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore Donavon Holloway had 80 carries for 554 yards.
Thunder Ridge (4-5) – Coach Joel Struckhoff has built a successful program at his alma mater, including a state runner-up. A lot of indicators point to a significant improvement this year. Junior Tate Foreman completed 110 of 170 passes for 1,779 yards with 22 scores against 11 interceptions. Struckhoff is long known for great dual threat quarterbacks, and Foreman posted 155 carries for 958 yards and nine scores. Junior Rashad Stafford has 81 rushes for 604 yards and eight TDs. The Longhorns forced just 10 turnovers – which ranked in the bottom quarter of the classification - and was minus-4 in turnover margin, numbers that should improve this year. Thunder Ridge averaged 8.2 yards per play, which was higher than several teams that made playoff runs, including Hutchinson Central Christian, Victoria and Hodgeman County.
6M
Otis-Bison (4-6) – Otis-Bison makes this list for a second straight year. The Cougars had a pair of two-point losses to Ashland in 2026 and had losses to top-four ranked teams with Cunningham and South Barber. This year, the Cougars should be the favorite in at least five of their regular season games under veteran coach Marc Cowles. Weskan, South Barber and Tescott are the headliners in six-man, but Otis-Bison is just outside the top-five. Aiden Ochs-Lohrey is a two-year starter at linebacker. He led the squad with 83 tackles and has 167 stops in his first two seasons. Ochs-Lohrey has been selected to first team all-league linebacker and was consensus all-state last year. Marcus Starr paced the squad in receiving yards. Travis Ross was all-league honorable mention at defensive back. Maddox Firebaugh is back at quarterback.
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