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:
De Soto (2-0) at 5A No. 3 Basehor-Linwood (2-0)
The early lead in the United Kansas Conference race is once again on the line when De Soto and Basehor-Linwood meet. This year the Wildcats will travel to Basehor-Linwood to take on the Bobcats.
Rod Stallbaumer is in his 13th season at Basehor-Linwood. The Bobcats are coming off their most successful campaign in school history, a 12-1 season that ended in a 5A state championship game loss to Salina Central. Stallbaumer is 97-33 in his time at Basehor-Linwood after a successful run at Lyndon.
The Bobcats have opened with wins over Leavenworth (59-35) and Topeka Seaman (55-20).
While graduation claimed the likes of quarterback Carson Dixon, wideout Nash Morrison, and tight end Roman Miller among others, the Bobcats return the backfield duo of Gavin Mitchell and Peter Rodriguez.
Mitchell, who also stars along the Bobcat defensive line, rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns a season ago, while Rodriguez added 500 yards. Mitchell opened the season with 143 rushing yards and a touchdown against Leavenworth, but missed last week due to an injury. In his absence, Rodriguez ran wild in carrying 34 times for 256 yards and four touchdowns in the rout of Seaman.
Dane Forshey has taken the snaps behind center and passed for 171 yards and four touchdowns through the Bobcats’ first two games. Will Parr, Brody Duckworth, Bowie Richmond, and Anderson Essary have emerged as top receiving targets.
Defensively, the Bobcats graduated Jake Sharp at linebacker, but return Charlie Peek, McCoy Martin and Brady Oaks at that position. That trio leads the team in tackles through two weeks with Peek contributing five tackles for loss and two sacks. The secondary has already picked off five passes – two each by Clay Seber and Lex Stanion. Both Seber and Stanion returned interceptions for long touchdowns last week in the win over Seaman.
De Soto is also off to a 2-0 start after wins over Topeka Seaman (48-34) and Topeka West (77-6). The Wildcats are led by Brian King in his 14th season as head coach. King has built a consistent winner at De Soto having gone 91-43 and averaging nearly eight wins a season. He’s the all-time winningest coach in pgoram history.
Through two weeks, six different Wildcats have rushed for touchdowns. Senior Emerson Tjaden leads the flexbone attack with 210 yards rushing and a touchdown on a team-high 26 attempts. Classmates Brady DeArmond and Will Morton have added 133 yards and 118 yards, respectively. The two have combined for five rushing scores.
Quarterback Ben Parks has completed 70 percent of his passes for 200 yards and four touchdowns. He’s also added 72 yards rushing with a score.
Morton and sophomore Preston Streeter lead the team in receiving yards with each catching two touchdown passes.
Last season Basehor-Linwood defeated De Soto twice – 42-38 in the regular season and 35-28 in the second round of the 5A playoffs. The Bobcats have won three consecutive in the series. Prior to that, De Soto had won four consecutive.
Our Pick: Basehor-Linwood 27, De Soto 20 (Gilmore)
3A No. 1 Andale (2-0) at Wellington (2-0)
It is one of the more unique trivia questions in current Kansas football history. Who is the last Wellington coach to beat Andale? The answer is: current highly successful Andale coach Dylan Schmidt. In 2011, Schmidt spent one season as the Wellington head coach and posted a 3-6 season. In his first game, Wellington defeated Andale, 35-28. That remains the only time Wellington has defeated Andale in the last 23 meetings, per MaxPreps archives. However, two years ago, Wellington famously played Andale to a 56-48 game, one of the few close contests for the Indians in the last seven seasons. Last year, Andale rolled, 77-20. However, it tied the most points Andale allowed all year.
After one year at Wellington, Schmidt returned to Andale, first as an assistant under Gary O’Hair and next as head coach. Schmidt is now 110-4 at his alma mater with six state titles in the last seven years. Andale posted a 13-0 mark and won the 3A crown last year in its normal dominating fashion. Andale by far paced 3A in scoring offense and defense with a combined score of 60-7.
Wellington went 8-3 and has posted three straight trips to the 4A quarterfinals. Andale is ranked first in 3A, while Wellington is just outside of the 4A rankings. This starts a huge three-week stretch for Andale with Wellington, Wichita Collegiate and Cheney as the upcoming opponents.
No team has filled holes year to year like Andale, but the Indians have to replace all but three starters. The headliner is linebacker Jrayton Dansel, a consensus first team all-state selection after 81 tackles last year. Brody Winter is a standout all-state lineman up front. Junior Parker Lies is another standout player for a depth-filed Andale squad.
Dansel has rushed 11 times for 201 yards and three scores this season. In a 73-7 win versus El Dorado, Andale led 42-0 at the end of the first quarter. Among others, Cruz Kaiser contributed with a three-yard rush and a 10-yard interception return for a score. Jayven Dansel stepped in with a seven-yard rush, too. Afton Allaire is another key back.
Colton Elmore is a top returning quarterback for Wellington. He has completed 26 of 51 passes for 492 yards with six scores against two interceptions. Ethan Eyster has five catches for 132 yards and two scores. Running back Jon Armstrong leads with six catches.
Wellington has the firepower to score, though it’s always nearly impossible to slow the Andale attack. Andale has led 3A in scoring offense each of the last seven seasons.
Our Pick: Andale 50, Wellington 28 (Nicholl)
1A No. 2 Inman (2-0) at 1A No. 1 Sterling (2-0)
The two top-ranked teams in Class 1A will square off for early-season and Heart of America League bragging rights. The veteran Inman Teutons will travel to Sterling to take on the defending-champion Black Bears.
Sterling enters this contest having won 15 consecutive games dating back to the 2024 season. Brent Schneider’s group completed a perfect 13-0 season last fall and captured the state championship with a narrow, 35-34, victory over Rossville. It marked the schools second state football championship with the other coming in 1982.
Sterling also went 28-0 and won a boys basketball state title last season.
But gone from that team is all-state back Zane Farney who rushed for 2,300 yards and 43 touchdowns.
The cupboard isn’t empty. Several players with experience are back across the offensive line and the Bears top five tackles return no defense.
Sterling opened with a 53-21 win over Moundridge followed by a 55-0 pasting of Hutchinson Trinity last week.
The Black Bears are averaging 416 yards per game on the ground. Deryn Maxwell leads the team with 272 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while Nolan Wellman (193 yards, 4 TDs) and Jace Darnauer (174 yards, 3 TDs) have also been effective.
Quarterback Zac Wohler has completed just three passes, but two of them have gone for touchdowns to Jacob Lewis. Lewis has also rushed for nearly 100 yards and a score. He leads the Sterling defense with 24 tackles, including two for loss.
On the opposing sideline will be an Inman team that returns 17 players with starting experience. The Teutons are led by senior quarterback Malachi Brunk. Brunk, a starter since his freshman season, is coming off of a 2025 season in which he passed for more than 1,300 yards and rushed for more than 1,000.
Inman also features Braxton Malloy and Korbyn McClellan at the skill positions. Malloy has rushed for 287 yards and five touchdowns through the first two weeks. McClellan caught two long touchdown passes in Week 1, then rushed for 62 yards in last week’s win.
Inman scored 57 first-half points in the 71-0 shutout of Sedgwick in the season opener. Brunk passed for nearly 200 yards and four touchdowns and added 75 yards rushing and two scores in that game.
Last week, the Teutons scored in each quarter in shutting out Marion, 41-0. Brunk rushed for 66 yards and three touchdowns, while Malloy carried 11 times for 125 yards and two scores.
The Inman defense is led by Cayden Gaeddert along with Gage Sisson, Bo O’Neil, Cohen Liebelt, Malloy and McClellan among others.
Last season, Sterling defeated Inman 60-47 in an early-season shootout. This one is a toss-up between two of the best teams in the classification. Give a slight edge to the defending champs at home.
Our Pick: Sterling 36, Inman 35 (Gilmore)
Marais des Cygnes Valley (2-0) vs. 6M No. 1 Weskan (2-0)
Each of these teams have taken similar paths in the last couple years and have a historic meeting Friday at a neutral site in Chase.
Plus, Weskan features Karsyn Wright, who recently cleared 100 career touchdowns and is the reigning Six-Man Offensive Player of the Year. Wright is among the state’s most accomplished players for all classes. Senior Dalton Lingenfelter is the Marais des Cygnes Valley (MdCV) standout having carried 26 times for 425 yards and nine scores through the first two weeks.
In 2023, MdCV was 0-9 in the program’s last year of eight-man football. The following year the Trojans bumped to 6-3 in its first fall of six-man football. Last year, MdCV posted a 5-3 mark. It’s been a bigger rise for Weskan. In 2022, the Coyotes were not part of KSHSAA and played mainly Colorado teams because of very low numbers. Weskan posted a 4-3 mark in ’22 and 8-1 in ’23. In ’24, the Coyotes rejoined KSHSAA and finished 12-0 with a state championship.
Weskan and MdCV are at opposite ends of the state and will meet in the middle at Chase. Weskan and Marais des Cygnes are 442 miles apart, which is about as far as two places are in Kansas. Weskan is only a few miles from Colorado.
Instead, Weskan will travel 237 miles to Chase. MdCV will go 158 miles west. It is the first-ever contest between the two teams. The Trojans have outscored its two opponents, 100-6, and are just outside the top-5 in six-man. Weskan has been the early favorite in six-man after it finished as state runner-up to Cunningham last season. Cunningham bumped to Eight-Man, Division II this fall. Weskan finished second in six-man in scoring offense (50.2 points per game) and scoring defense (15.8 points allowed a contest).
Weskan defeated Satanta (84-36) and beat Northern Valley (65-18). Last year, MdCV posted a 5-3 record and lost 54-0 to Otis-Bison in the playoffs.
Against Northern Valley, Weskan led 34-12 in a game that was called at halftime. Weskan rushed 13 times for 242 yards and completed six of six passes for 76 yards. Wright tallied five touchdowns in the first quarter, all on runs: 49, 32, 56, seven and 29 yards.
Sophomore Ayson Cox had a 13-yard pass to Ayden Alridge. Eli Goodwin posted a 53-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Weskan lists 15 players on its roster, including five seniors – a high number for a six-man school.
MdCV has delivered 787 yards of total offense in two games, including 599 on the ground and 15.8 yards per carry. Senior Landon Reed has completed 16 of 26 passes for 188 yards with three scores.
The Trojans are 0-5 against six-man teams on the western half of the state with multiple losses to Peabody-Burns and Otis-Bison. MdCV will score, but Weskan likely is the state favorite and will have the best player on the field.
Our Pick: Weskan 54, Marais des Cygnes Valley 24 (Nicholl)
The Pick List:
Bishop Carroll (2-0) at Washburn Rural (1-1) – Bishop Carroll
Gardner-Edgerton (1-1) at 6A No. 5 Lawrence Free State (2-0) – Free State
4A No. 4 Great Bend (2-0) at Garden City (2-0) – Great Bend
Junction City (0-2) at Wichita Northwest (0-2) – Wichita Northwest
Maize South (1-1) at 6A No. 4 Maize (2-0) – Maize
6A No. 3 Manhattan (0-2) at Dodge City (2-0) – Manhattan
Olathe West (1-1) at Olathe Northwest (1-1) – Olathe Northwest
Shawnee Mission East (1-1) at Lawrence (2-0) – Lawrence
Wichita East (2-0) at 5A No. 1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2-0) – Kapaun
Ark City (2-0) at Salina Central (1-1) – Salina Central
Bentonville (Ark.) (2-0) at 5A No. 4 Hays (2-0) – Bentonville
5A No. 5 Blue Valley (2-0) at 4A No. 1 Bishop Miege (2-0) – Miege
Buhler (2-0) at McPherson (1-1) -- Buhler
Chanute (1-1) at Louisburg (2-0) – Louisburg
Tonganoxie (1-1) at 4A No. 3 Eudora (2-0) – Eudora
Ulysses (2-0) at 3A No. 3 Holcomb (1-1) – Holcomb
3A No. 2 Cheney (2-0) at Hoisington (1-1) – Cheney
3A No. 5 Hesston (2-0) at Pratt (1-1) – Hesston
3A No. 4 Jefferson West (2-0) at 2A No. 2 Silver Lake (2-0) – Silver Lake
Hillsboro (1-1) at Haven (2-0) – Haven
Riley County (1-1) at 1A No. 3 Rossville (1-1) – Rossville
Riverside (2-0) at Maur Hill-Mount Academy (2-0) – Riverside
Cair Paravel (2-0) at Troy (2-0) – Troy
Chase County (2-0) at 8M-II No. 2 Axtell (2-0) – Axtell
8M-I No. 3 Leoti-Wichita Co. (1-1) at Dighton (2-0) – Wichita Co.
WaKeeney-Trego (1-1) at Hoxie (2-0) – WaKeeney-Trego
Southeast-Cherokee (2-0) at Oxford (1-1) – Oxford
Cunnigham (2-0) at Hutch Central Christian (2-0) – Central Christian
8M-II No. 4 Sylvan-Lucas (2-0) at Osborne (1-1) – Sylvan-Lucas
Logan (2-0) at 6M No. 5 Otis-Bison (2-0) – Otis-Bison
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