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:
6A No. 2 Manhattan (0-1) at 6A No. 1 Mill Valley (1-0)
The premier matchup in Class 6A this week features defending-champion No. 2 Manhattan traveling to No. 1 Mill Valley.
These two programs have been the standard over the last few years in Kansas large class football. Manhattan has reached the 6A state championship game in three of the past four years, winning titles in 2022 and 2025.
Mill Valley won five consecutive Class 5A state titles from 2019-2023 before exiting in the state quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons. Now the Jaguars are in their first season as a 6A program.
Manhattan opened as the preseason No. 1 team before falling 32-28 to Missouri-power Rockhurst last week. The Indians took a 28-25 lead in the final five minutes on a short touchdown run by quarterback Mclain Aslin. Rockhurst answered almost immediately with a 74-yard scoring strike from Garret Miller to Tristan Johnson to steal the victory.
Aslin saw significant time as a running quarterback last season alongside senior starter Finn Moore. Against Rockhurst, he led the Indians with 107 yards rushing and two scores. He also passed for 92 yards last week, and his development as a passer may be a key to keep opposing defenses honest this season.
Joe Mortensen added 83 yards rushing and a score for Manhattan. Mortensen also returned an interception 96 yards for another score.
Despite the loss of an incredibly talented class that included the likes of Miami-signee J.J. Dunnigan, Manhattan returns plenty of skill players to challenge elite competition. The Indians will get that chance again this week against Mill Valley.
The Jaguars had plenty of talent to replace as well this season. Graduation took standout quarterback/athlete Blake Jay and running back Reggie Reece among several others. But several key players returned.
Mill Valley opened with a 56-25 road win at Shawnee Mission Northwest.
Max Piva, who rushed for 1,812 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2025, opened his senior season with 182 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Holden Applebee was effective in taking over at quarterback for his dad’s team. Applebee rushed for an early touchdown and threw a long touchdown pass to Anthony Clem before halftime. The Jaguars then used a 28-8 second-half to pull away from the Cougars.
Applebee passed for 218 yards. Juniors Luke Tieman and Lucas Mendez rushed for 67 and 64 yards, respectively, with each reaching paydirt.
The Mill Valley defense is year-in and year-out one of the top units in the Sunflower League. Linebacker Ryder Farley led the Jaguars in the opener with nine tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
Our Pick: Mill Valley 31, Manhattan 28 (Gilmore)
4A No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas (0-1) at 4A No. 1 Bishop Miege (1-0)
Two of the top teams in Class 4A and in the Eastern Kansas League will square off as St. Thomas Aquinas visits rival Bishop Miege.
Both the Saints and the Stags have high expectations for a deep playoff run in 2026. Miege is the defending 4A state runner-up and returns its entire offensive unit. The Stags fell 56-21 to Kapaun Mt. Carmel in last year’s 4A state title game.
Kapaun moved up to Class 5A this fall opening the door for a new 4A champion. However, Aquinas dropped down to 4A after falling 28-27 to Mill Valley in the second round of the 5A playoffs last fall. Prior to that, Aquinas won the 5A state title in 2024 and was crowned 4A state champion in 2023.
Miege last won the 4A state championship in 2022.
Aquinas is coming off a 28-21 loss to St. James Academy in Week 1. The Saints traded score for score with the Thunder early as Aquinas scored on touchdown runs by Jackson Rafferty and Tyler Bartell.
St. James scored late in the half to take a 21-14 lead, then batted away an Aquinas pass in the end zone on the final play of the second quarter.
The Thunder expanded its lead to 28-14 in the third quarter before Aquinas responded with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Luke Bernhardt to Bartell. The Saints got the ball back twice but were held on downs and intercepted late in the game.
It marked only the second win for St. James out of the 16 all-time meetings.
Aquinas has a lot of potential on offense despite the graduation of all-state back Cal Arndt. Carson Patrick returns at quarterback to direct the flexbone. Colton McGlinn, Bartell, Rafferty, Xavier Bachamp, and Arthur Witherspoon are all options at the skill positions for the Saints.
Defensively, Zion Thornton headlines the Saints’ defensive front with Terrance Bryant at linebacker. Gunnar Greeson returns to lead the secondary that is sure to be tested again this week just as they were by St. James quarterback John Hornback in the opener.
Miege returns its entire staring offense from a season ago.
Quarterback Landon Cole is back after passing for more than 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns, despite missing most of the regular season with an injury. The backfield has several options with Vinny George, John Watskey, and Nick Nabazas running behind an experienced offensive line. Jayden Mcdanial, Wesley Walsh, and Michael Blount all return to give Cole plenty of receivers.
Linebackers Freddy Blount and Lincoln Leonard return to lead the defense with Jaylen Johnson up front. C.J. Hess and Carter O'Connor return in the secondary.
Last week, Miege scored a couple of late first-half touchdowns to pull away from Blue Valley West, 41-14. Cole hit Nabazas on a touchdown pass and George added a scoring run to extend a 10-7 lead into a 24-7 halftime advantage. Cole rushed for a score in the third quarter and Joe Jaksa added his second field goal of the game to push the lead to 34-14 after three quarters. John Watskey added a rushing score in the fourth for the final margin.
This has traditionally been an even series. Aquinas leads the all-time series 23-19 and the Saints have won seven of the past 12 meetings.
Our Pick: Miege 30, Aquinas 28 (Gilmore)
3A No. 2 Holcomb (1-0) at 2A No. 5 Garden Plain (0-1)
Both teams are perennial powers in the 2A/3A ranks and have a rare meeting.
Holcomb went 9-1 last season and finished in the top-six in 3A in both scoring offense (36.4 points per game) and points allowed (13.5). Garden Plain posted a 9-2 mark and No. 11 in 2A in offense (30.7) and sixth in defense (13.3).
Holcomb junior Cooper Cranston is one of the state’s most electrifying playmakers after 808 passing, 1,208 rushing and 24 scores accounted for in 2025.
This is the first matchup between the schools since 2005 and the second time ever. In that matchup, Garden Plain defeated Holcomb, 27-0. This is the first regular season game between the squads. The towns are located 193 miles apart on US-400.
Holcomb is ranked second in Class 3A, while Garden Plain is fifth in 2A. Garden Plain opened the season with a narrow 28-27 loss to Cheney. The Owls scored with one minute, 22 seconds left, though couldn’t convert the two-point conversion. Holcomb rolled to a 40-0 win against Lakin. The Longhorns tallied four touchdowns in the first half. Cranston rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw for a score.
These are two very different offenses. Holcomb finished in the top quartile in 3A in percentage of plays that were a pass (34.9 percent). Garden Plain threw the ball just 8.5 percent of the time and ran on 91.5 percent of snaps – the most in 2A, per Sunflower Sports Solutions database.
That held true in Week 1 when Holcomb threw 19 passes, or 46 percent of snaps. Cranston finished six of 11 passing for 83 yards. Last year, Holcomb finished in the top-10 in 3A in passing with 1,453 yards.
Last week, junior Chasyn Cosner rushed 11 times for 74 yards. Six players caught a pass, led by four catches for 87 yards and a score from junior Brooks Scherrer. Cranston led the defense with eight stops.
Cheney took a 14-0 lead before two Cardinal turnovers led to a pair of Garden Plain touchdowns. In Week 1, Garden Plain rushed for 195 yards and passed for 111. They had just seven passing attempts, completing four. Garden Plain took major graduation losses, especially from running back Emrick Hays (1,346 yards) and quarterback Eli Eck (13 TDs accounted for), but junior Braylen Dold is back. Dold rushed for 9.1 yards per carry and 644 yards with five rushing scores.
Garden Plain has often been able to control games behind its strong ground attack. However, Holcomb has the major edge at quarterback. While the Longhorns must travel three hours, they have the slight edge in a likely lower-scoring game.
Our Pick: Holcomb 24, Garden Plain 14 (Nicholl)
2A No. 4 Council Grove (1-0) at 2A No. 3 Osage City (1-0)
Flint Hills League rivals Council Grove and Osage City will meet in a ranke-2A showdown on Friday.
Expectations were high to start the season for Derron Reddick’s Council Grove Braves. An experienced roster returned with not one, but two quarterbacks in Lane Stewart and Reid Buttrey. The two combined for more than 1,700 yards passing and 23 touchdowns a season ago with Buttrey taking over when Stewart went down with an injury.
Add in that leading tackler David McDiffett returned from a solid Braves defense and the formula was set for a strong start to the season. The Braves backed that up with a convincing 62-6 win over Mission Valley in the season opener last week.
Stewart completed 10 of 13 pass attempts for 203 yards and five touchdowns. He connected with Mason Samuels four times for 136 yards and three touchdowns making Samuels the schools’ all-time receiving leader in the process. Buttrey and Logan Stockwell also caught touchdown passes.
The Braves were led on the ground by Cooper Andres’ 96 yards and two scores, while Bradley Doornbos added 43 yards.
McDiffitt led the defense with seven tackles and an interception. Doornbos also picked off a pass for a touchdown and returned a punt for a score.
Osage City entered the season with Reed Silver back at quarterback. Silver took over last season when Kasen Parsons went down with an injury. He helped lead Osage City to the state semifinals before a close loss to eventual-champion Nemaha Central.
Silver is a dynamic athlete and rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown in the Indians’ season-opening 20-7 win at Olpe. He only completed one pass on the night, but it went for a 78-yard touchdown to Sawyer Speece.
Speece was also effective on the ground rushing 11 times for 88 yards and a score.
It’s not a surprise that Osage City leaned on the run game early as the Indians returned four starters up front, including all-stater Camo Jackson.
The Indian defense will also be a strength. Osage City shut down the Olpe offense last week and registered seven tackles for loss.
Last year Osage City got the best of Council Grove in a 43-0 mid-season shutout. The Indians force two turnovers and held the Braves run game to 34 yards on 22 attempts.
Osage City has won 10 straight in the series.
Our Pick: Osage City 27, Council Grove 26 (Gilmore)
1A No. 2 Rossville (1-0) at 2A No. 2 Silver Lake (1-0)
Possibly the state’s premier rivalry continues with another installment of the “War on 24”. Rossville is ranked second in Class 1A and opened with a solid 35-14 victory against Perry-Lecompton. The Bulldawgs are the defending 1A state runners-up to Sterling.
Rossville always has a superb dual threat quarterback, and junior Landen Lewis appears to be the next great one. Lewis completed 13 of 17 passes for 159 yards, along with 167 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Silver Lake beat St. Marys, 27-0, and ran its winning streak versus the Bears to 25 straight games. Dominic Monhollon rushed for two touchdowns in the first half, and Owen Rottinghaus added a punt return for score.
Sophomore Kipton Kruger enjoyed a standout freshman year. He completed 14 of 29 passes for 165 yards with a score against an interception. Monhollon finished with 10 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles finished with 295 yards and 6.6 yards per play. Rossville ran 59 plays for 406 yards and 6.9 yards per play.
Rossville won 28-27 last year after three straight losses in the series (22-21, 42-28, and 33-26). This is always close and will likely come to special teams, extra points and turnovers.
Our Pick: Rossville 24, Silver Lake 23 (Nicholl)
Kiowa County (1-0) at 8M-II No. 5 Hodgeman County (1-0)
A pair of the top teams in the Southern Plains Iroquois Athletic Association will meet when the Kiowa County Mavericks take on the Hodgeman County Longhorns.
Kiowa County opened the season with a 56-6 victory over Minneola. The Mavericks feature a talented backfield with the likes of Boone McDonald and backs Jacob Hogan and James Greenleaf. Greenleaf, also a wrestling standout, had a pair of long touchdown runs in the win over Minneola. He also tossed a long touchdown pass to McDonald.
Hogan showed break-away ability as well, cutting back for a long run that set up another long touchdown before halftime. McDonald also threw a long touchdown pass to Carson Roenbaugh.
Kiowa County is building some momentum in the program the past couple of years under Clint Young. The Mavericks are now 10-10 since Young took over at the beginning of the 2024 season. The Mavs had won just seven total games the previous four seasons.
Hodgeman County opened the season with a 57-0 shutout of South Gray. The explosive Longhorn offense is led by sophomore quarterback Gavin Reece and senior back Ian Reece. Gavin Reece completed nine of ten passes for 101 yards and four touchdowns. Ian Reece also threw a touchdown pass, rushed for a score, and caught a touchdown pass.
Tyson Younger had a pair of touchdown receptions, while Cody Holste and Talon Shank also caught scoring passes.
Last season, Gavin Reece passed for nearly 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns as a freshman. Ian Reece led the team in rushing with 450 yards and 20 scores. Younger was also the team’s leading receiver with 614 yards and 11 scores.
These two schools haven’t met on the gridiron since 2019 – a 38-26 win by Hodgeman County. Since becoming Kiowa County, the Mavericks have never beaten Hodgeman County, haven lost all six meetings.
Our Pick: Hodgeman Co. 44, Kiowa Co. 28 (Gilmore)
The Pick List:
Bishop Carroll (1-0) at Wichita Southeast (0-1) – Bishop Carroll
5A No. 4 Hays (1-0) at Gardner-Edgerton (1-0) – Gardner-Edgerton
5A No. 1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (1-0) at Wichita Northwest (0-1) – Kapaun
Maize (1-0) at Salina South (1-0) – Salina South
Andover (1-0) at Andover Central (0-1) -- Andover
Salina Central (0-1) at Goddard (1-0) – Salina Central
Baldwin (1-0) at Ottawa (1-0) – Ottawa
Frontenac (1-0) at Labette County (1-0) – Labette County
Louisburg (1-0) at Paola (1-0) – Paola
McPherson (1-0) at 4A No. 4 Great Bend (1-0) – Great Bend
Mulvane (1-0) at Buhler (1-0) – Buhler
Wellington (1-0) at Wichita Collegiate (1-0) – Wellington
1A No. 5 Centralia (0-1) at Jefferson West (1-0) – Jeff West
Nemaha Central (1-0) at 2A No. 1 Sabetha (1-0) – Sabetha
Pratt (1-0) at Haven (1-0) – Pratt
Marion (1-0) at 1A No. 3 Inman (1-0) -- Inman
Neodesha (1-0) at Cherryvale (1-0) – Neodesha
Phillipsburg (1-0) at 1A No. 4 Smith Center (1-0) – Smith Center
Jayhawk-Linn (1-0) at Northeast-Arma (1-0) – Jayhawk-Linn
1A No. 1 Sterling (1-0) at Hutchinson Trinity (1-0) – Sterling
8M-II No. 2 Axtell (1-0) at Clifton-Clyde (1-0) – Axtell
Sharon Srings-Wallace Co. (0-0) at 8M-I No. 5 Hill City (1-0) – Hill City
8M-II No. 4 Sylvan-Lucas (1-0) at Beloit St. John’s-Tipton (1-0) – Sylvan-Lucas
6M No. 4 Peabody-Burns (1-0) at 6M No. 2 Tescott (1-0) – Tescott
Use your Facebook account to add a comment or start a discussion. Posts are subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment.
