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:
Gardner-Edgerton converted a late Lawrence turnover into points to slip by the Chesty Lions, 28-26. The Trailblazer defense recovered a Lawrence fumble with around three minutes remaining and scored with about a minute to go to take the lead. Gardner-Edgerton rushed for more than 400 yards on the night as senior Carson McCall and junior Manny Mulwa had big nights. Mulwa rushed for a team-high 186 yards and two scores, while McCall added 160 yards and two scores on the ground. Lawrence was led by junior quarterback Joey Dooley who completed 19 of 23 passes for 250 yards and three scores. Ethan Currey rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass from Dooley for the Lions.
Maize opened the season with a 28-13 victory over Andover Central. Senior quarterback Colt Curry passed for 160 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing score for the Eagles. Demarye Smith added 78 yards to pace the Maize ground game, but also had 84 receiving yards and a touchdown. Pearce George rushed for a score and caught a touchdown pass from Curry. Andover Central was led by Jaxson Green’s 111 rushing yards with a touchdown.
Shawnee Mission East controlled Thursday night’s opener in beating Olathe North, 42-28. Lancer back Gus Ketteler followed his strong offensive line for a 153-yard, three touchdowns night to pace the ground game.
Class 5A:
Salina South claimed the Mayor’s Cup for the first time since 2020 with a wild 35-33 win over defending-champion Salina Central. South junior quarterback Izrael Telles passed for 207 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Sacred Heart transfer Noah Hines caught six passes for 108 yards and three scores, while Jay Curtis added 81 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Goddard kicked off the 2026 season on Thursday night with a 36-12 victory over Haysville Campus. The Lions were led by senior Erik Olivas who rushed for 266 yards and five touchdowns on 27 attempts. Brock Sullivan added 75 yards rushing and passed for 47 yards. The Lions will host defending 5A-champion Salina Central this week.
Pittsburg won its season-opener for the fourth consecutive season – defeating Coffeyville, 45-7. JaMarcus Davis led the Purple Dragons with 157 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 attempts. Landen Proffitt added 78 yards rushing and Max Busch contributed 71 yards with each scoring touchdown. Jeremiah Lattimer added two rushing scores. This marked the first meeting between the Purple Dragons and Golden Tornado since 2015.
Bishop Carroll scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to knock off then 6A No. 5 Wichita Northwest, 14-10. Senior Jonah Mull rushed for two touchdowns to provide the scoring for the Golden Eagles. Cooper Herrman led the Eagles on the ground with 112 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Aedyn Acosta added 74 yards on seven carries as Bishop Carroll rushed for 242 yards on the night. Quarterback Brekston Young connected with Zy’Air Burton on Northwest’s lone score. Young passed for 158 yards and Burton had five catches for 87 yards. The Grizzlies managed 98 yards on the ground on 32 attempts.
Valley Center held off Newton, 36-34, thanks to a big passing night from sophomore Isaac Duncan. Duncan completed 20 of 35 attempts for a school-record 394 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Ray Logan hauled in seven catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Spencer Crumrine added six catches for 168 yards and three scores.
De Soto scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to hold off Topeka Seaman, 48-34. The Wildcats led 31-14 at halftime before Seaman pulled to within 31-28 heading to the fourth quarter. Seaman quarterback Cale Ketter completed 27 of 43 pass attempts for 456 yards and five touchdowns. Ketter connected with Coy Barta 11 times for 267 yards and two scores. Josh Brown had two touchdown catches and Jack Becker also had a scoring catch.
Class 4A:
Independence picked up a close win at Columbus, 36-33. Indy senior Kaeson Lewis carried 26 times for 286 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs. Javen Colbert added a touchdown passing and 85 yards on the ground for Independence. Columbus quarterback Cole Howard passed for 177 yards with a pair of touchdowns going to Jonas Stover. Stover caught five passes for 137 yards. Howard also added a pair of rushing scores.
Louisburg opened Frontier League play with a 21-7 win over Tonganoxie. The Wildcat defense was exceptional to start the season in holding Tonganoxie to 98 rush yards on 33 attempts. Louisburg has now won five of the past six meetings with four of those coming by 6 points or less and two have went to overtime.
Labette County scored in each quarter in rolling past rival Parsons, 36-0. The Grizzlies rushed for 330 yards on the night led by senior Deontae Fields’ 154 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts. Aaron Wyrick, Riggin Ross, and Wyatt Kepley each added rushing scores for Labette County. The Grizzly defense was effective in forcing three Viking turnovers.
Paola scored a pair of late touchdowns to pull away from Fort Scott, 34-21. Bodhi Shay carried 30 times for 240 yards and a touchdown to lead the Panthers.
Wellington scored seven consecutive touchdowns in rolling past Clearwater, 48-7. After falling behind 7-0 in the second quarter, Wellington quarterback Colton Elmore rushed for a score, threw a touchdown pass to Cole Zeka, and added a second rushing score. Elmore later added a pair of touchdown passes to Jackson Curry as part of his 224-yard, three-touchdown night through the air.
Class 3A:
Hesston scored 21 points in the second quarter to pull away from Halstead in a 35-6 victory. Senior quarterback Jerick Humphreys completed 16 of 20 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdown passes went to Gavin Larson who had eight receptions for 155 yards. Timothy Rhodes and Kason Landes each added rushing touchdowns for the Swathers.
Smoky Valley kicked off the Cale Lambert-era with a 38-16 win over Larned. The Vikings scored in each quarter in taking down the Indians. Sophomore Mason Riedel led Smoky Valley with 152 yards passing and a touchdown to classmate Elijah Lambert who had 102 receiving yards. Riedel also rushed for 78 yards and a score. The Vikings were led on the ground by Crew Elliott’s 116 yards and two scores. Sophomore Owen Shaver led Larned with 74 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Defending 2A champion Nemaha Central opened up as a 3A school with a narrow, 7-6, victory over Riley County. The Thunder rushed for 137 yards in the game with Brady Koch scoring the only touchdown. Sullivan Haverkamp led the Thunder with 60 yards rushing on 16 attempts. Riley County was led by senior quarterback Kadrick Woodward who rushed for 138 yards and the Falcons’ lone score.
Class 2A:
Southeast of Saline rallied from down 22-0 in the fourth quarter to top Beloit, 24-22, in the annual “Trojan War”. Beloit scored once in each of the first three quarters to take a commanding lead, but Southeast cut into the lead with a pair of touchdown passes from Tiernan Ptacek to Casson Klover to get within 22-16. SE Saline got the onside kick and Ptacek hit Hendrix Lund on a touchdown pass to tie the game at 22. Ptacek then lofted a high pass that Lund leaped and brought down for a successful two-point conversion to put SE Saline in the lead for good. Ptacek passed for 244 yards and three touchdowns on the night.
Chaparral opened the season with a 47-22 win over Medicine Lodge. The Roadrunners scored all 47 points in the first half in the victory. Senior quarterback Daniel Schmidt rushed for three touchdowns and added 195 yards passing with two touchdowns. Trace Hadsall caught both touchdown passes covering 90 yards.
Riverton rolled to a 50-0 road-win at Quapaw (Okla.). The Rams got 158 yards rushing and four touchdowns from quarterback Aydin Witherspoon. Riley Greer added 81 yards on the ground with a score for the Rams.
Humboldt scored in each quarter in besting Leon-Bluestem, 32-6. Cub quarterback Ty Shaughnessy passed for 114 yards and a touchdown and added 69 yards rushing and two scores. Broc Ivy hauled in the touchdown pass from Shaughnessy, while Kolton Hanson had a team-high 69 receiving yards. Ivy and Mason Miller also rushed for touchdowns.
Marion got some big contributions from sophomores Jymer Raymer and Landon Hendricks in defeating Whitewater-Remington, 18-8. Raymer passed for 146 yards, including touchdowns to Isaac Wesner and Ryder Kraus, and Hendricks added the Warriors’ lone rushing score on the night.
Cherryvale showed solid balance on offense in a 36-16 win over Fredonia. The Chargers got 194 yards passing and three touchdowns from quarterback Remington John. John connected with Brock Carrico three times for 103 yards and as core. The Chargers also rushed for 169 yards with Wyatt Duncan leading the way with 68 yards and a score.
Jayhawk-Linn rushed for 344 yards in beating Uniontown 44-8 to open the season. Sophomore Gabe Ross led the Jayhawks with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. His classmate, Londonn Burk added 60 yards on the ground with two scores. Trey Poole and Layne Goodison added rushing scores for Jayhawk-Linn. Uniontown’s lone score came on a late touchdown pass from Kyson Stock to Blake Ervin.
Neodesha picked up an impressive 35-0 win at Galena. Junior quarterback Tayte Leck passed for 171 yards and two touchdowns – one each to seniors Camryn White and J’vonte White. Camryn White also added 97 yards rushing with three scores.
Class 1A:
Jackson Heights opened the 2026 campaign with a 32-7 win over Atchison County. The Cobras scored in each quarter, including a pair of touchdowns in the fourth to break open an 18-7 game. Sophomore Tatum Eisenbarth rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns and added a receiving touchdown. Kolby Bowhay passed for 106 yards and two scores for the Cobras. Atchison County’s lone score came on a kickoff return from sophomore August Neill.
McLouth opened the season with a 36-0 shutout of Oskaloosa. It was the first meeting between the two Northeast Kansas League rivals since 2023 when Oskaloosa won 22-6. The Bulldogs and Bears have split their last four meetings.
Northeast-Arma returned to the 11-man ranks with a 26-25 win over Maranatha Academy. Tegan Mitchell had a pair of interceptions and two touchdowns. The Vikings led 19-2 at halftime and 26-9 after three quarters.
Thomas More Prep-Marian opened with a 26-14 victory against Norton at Lewis Field Stadium in a Mid-Continent League game. TMP freshman quarterback Austin Liles tossed three touchdown passes, all to the Monarchs’ standout receiving duo of Grant Nehls and Jacob Seib. Nehls scored the first touchdown on a 48-yard run. Seib had TD catches of seven and 14 yards. Norton closed to 20-14, though Nehls tacked on the last touchdown on a 53-yard pass. Norton opened the Zac Dreher era. He is a former Norton Shrine Bowl linebacker and served as an assistant for 12 years combined at three schools.
Class 8-man I
Solomon opened with an impressive 70-20 Wheat State League win over Rural Vista. The Gorillas led 42-20 after a wild first quarter in a game that ended at halftime. Solomon senior quarterback Breken Coup passed for 247 yards and five touchdowns. Coup threw two touchdown passes to Jack Westhead and one each to Owen Westhead, Junior Gonzalez, and Koehn Duryea. Matt Hamm-Jones led the ground game with 153 yards and three touchdowns.
Atwood-Rawlins County defeated rival St. Francis, 30-0, in the Yoke Bowl. The Buffs were led on the ground by Tanner Lankas who rushed for 98 yards and a score. Ryan Micek added 84 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Dominique Paz tossed a touchdown pass to senior Justice Farr.
Oswego defeated Marmaton Valley, 56-32, in a Three Rivers League contest. Oswego, just outside the top-five in Division I, led 21-8 after the first quarter and 36-8 at halftime. Oswego held a 43-20 lead following three quarters. Oswego’s terrific back Demitri Williamson rushed 11 times for 266 yards and three TDs. Chance Mills tacked on 148 rushing yards. Oswego collected 550 yards of total offense, all but eight on the ground. Williamson also intercepted a pass and returned it 10 yards. Oswego had lost the season opener to Marmaton Valley in each of the last three seasons. Kaden McVey threw for 181 yards for the Wildcats.
Hoxie held on to defeat Ellis, 24-18, in a Mid-Continent League contest. Both teams are expected to be much improved this year. Ellis opened the Dan Rogers era; he spent more than a decade at Victoria in many roles, including high school football assistant. The game was scoreless after the first quarter, and Ellis held a 12-0 lead into halftime. Hoxie scored 16 unanswered in the third quarter. Hoxie quarterback Gage Epp completed seven of 19 passes for 127 yards and a score against an interception. Chase Meyer posted 15 carries for 123 yards.
Cedar Vale-Dexter started with a 54-8 win versus West Elk. Senior Cooper Criss completed nine of 11 passes for 225 yards with three scores against no interceptions. He added seven carries for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Maverick Shalk added four catches for 150 yards and a score.
Class 8-man II
Flinthills opened the season with high expectations and the Mustangs proved why with a 58-0 shutout of Udall. Beau Hall rushed for 135 yards and four touchdowns, while Lane Jenkins added 121 yards and a pair of scores.
Frankfort scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Washington County, 44-28. Henry Ketter rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass for the Wildcats. Peyton Adams added 98 yards on the ground with a score. Washington County was led by Easton Finlayson’s 240 passing yards with three touchdowns. Michael Peterson caught five balls for 125 yards and two scores for the Tigers.
Little River went on the road and shut out Ell-Saline, 46-0. Jaron Garrison threw touchdown passes to Jake White and Logan Schubert in the win. Nash Look also threw a touchdown pass and rushed for two scores. Eastyn Wohletz returned an interception for a touchdown to get the Redskin defense on the board. Prior to Friday, Ell-Saline had won three straight in the series.
Osborne posted a 54-8 win versus Bennington in a game that ended at halftime. Osborne led 22-0 after the first quarter. Tate Tiernan posted four of four passing for 106 yards and a score. Tiernan also had three carries for 53 yards and a TD. Donavon Holloway finished with four carries for 70 yards and a TD. Ethan Conrad delivered two catches for 80 yards and a score. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back season openers and three of the last four.
Kinsley defeated La Crosse, 32-12. Kinsley’s Cade Chamberlain rushed for 181 yards and three TDs. La Crosse junior quarterback Marcus Thielenhaus completed five of 12 passes for 62 yards and a score. He rushed 14 times for 102 yards and a score. Senior Hooper Castaneda finished with nine catches for 68 yards and a TD.
6-Man
Northern Valley and Logan, a rivalry for decades, met up in LHS’ first football game since 2012. From ’13-25, Logan formed a co-operative agreement with Palco, though did maintain the Trojans’ nickname that Logan uses. Logan beat Northern Valley, 43-32. It marked Logan’s first win versus Northern Valley since 2007. Logan had three losses to the Huskies before the co-op with Palco. Logan led 18-12 after the first quarter, though Northern Valley took a 25-24 lead at intermission. Logan scored 12 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Otis-Bison defeated Centre-Lost Springs, 60-19, behind 286 rushing yards, seven offensive touchdowns and 18 tackles by junior Aiden Ochs-Lohrey. Junior Marcus Starr finished with a pair of sacks for Otis-Bison.
Chetopa opened the season Thursday night with a 58-12 win over Altoona-Midway. The Green Hornets rushed for nearly 400 yards on the night led by Harrison Carter’s 180 yards and five touchdowns.
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