Class 4A– Division II
4A-II East: No. 2 Holton (9-1) at No. 4 Columbus (9-1)
Two of the top-ranked teams all season in Class 4A, Division II are set to meet in the quarterfinals.
The second-ranked Holton Wildcats are riding a nine-game winning streak after falling 18-7 to Silver Lake in the season opener.
Holton, which entered the season with only two returning starters on offense and four on defense, have continued to improve. The Wildcats have allowed 12 points or fewer in seven of 10 outings.
The Wildcats use their wishbone attack to rush for about 380 yards per game. Indie Allen leads Holton with almost 1,300 yards rushing.
Quarterback Trent Tanking has passed for more than 300 yards and has rushed for about 350. Junior Mason Barta leads the defense with 74 tackles.
The fourth-ranked Columbus Titans have won their last two games after falling 22-13 to second-ranked Frontenac. Columbus also boasts a strong defense, allowing 14 points or fewer in eight of 10 games and never more than 22.
The Titans are led by junior running back Jace McDown with almost 1,300 yards rushing. Columbus splits time between two quarterbacks. Senior Nate Bole has passed for 442 yards, while rushing for 427.
Junior Trey Robinson has 466 passing yards and 116 rushing yards. Senior linebacker Taylor Watkins leads the defense with 104 tackles.
Holton 26, Columbus 18 (Schremmer)
4A-II East: No. 3 Frontenac (10-0) at Santa Fe Trail (8-2)
A pair of success stories will meet in the Class 4A Division II quarterfinals.
Frontenac, which was picked to finish fifth in its Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League during the preseason, completed an undefeated regular season and claimed the conference title.
Santa Fe Trail is enjoying an 8-2 record after winning only ten games the previous ten seasons combined. The Chargers were 1-8 in 2013 and entered this season on an eight-game losing streak.
Both of their losses have been close, falling 12-6 to Wellsville and 26-15 to Ottawa. Both the Eagles and Cyclones reached the playoffs in their respective classifications.
Senior Darric Cashier has rushed for almost 1,200 yards and has scored 16 touchdowns for the Chargers. Chaz Wright has added 736 yards rushing and 10 scores, while Cody Vandevord has rushed for 680 yards and 11 scores.
The Chargers are averaging 289 yards per game on the ground; a credit to their big, veteran offensive line.
They’ve given Weston Gloss time to throw as well. The senior quarterback has passed for 826 yards and nine touchdowns.
Third-ranked Frontenac has displayed the ability to win close games. The Raiders have won four games by fewer than 10 points. Friday night will be the Raiders eighth game of the season against a playoff qualifier.
Frontenac is coming off a 48-13 win against Burlington. The Raiders rushed for about 330 yards in the victory. Cadin Bolinger led Frontenac with 129 yards rushing and two touchdowns on four carries.
Ryan Menghni is Frontenac's leading rusher with 645 yards and eight touchdowns. Cadin and Keaton Bolinger have ran for 531 and 426 yards, respectively.
Quarterback Aaron Seward has been steady in passing for 737 yards and 11 touchdowns.
In just his third season, Frontenac’s Mark Smith has posted a 21-9 record and has the tradition-rich Raiders in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2006.
Frontenac 28, Santa Fe Trail 14 (Schremmer)
4A-II West: No. 1 Andale (10-0) at Concordia (8-2)
Top-ranked Andale will travel to Concordia with the winner advancing to the 4A, Division II sub-state semifinal.
The Indians scored early and got a good test from Smoky Valley before pulling away for a 49-18 win.
Hunter Knoblauch returned from a four-game absence healthy and at full speed. The senior broke a 67-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening play and finished with 174 yards on 12 carries against the Vikings.
Andale has been tested with wins over playoff qualifiers in Buhler, McPherson, Wichita Collegiate, Mulvane, and Clearwater during the regular season.
Concordia posted a solid 7-2 regular season with single-digit losses to Abilene (14-7) and Wamego (20-14).
The Panthers have been solid on defense. Concordia has not allowed more than 20 points in a single game all season, and has held opponents to less than 10 points in six of their ten games.
It will be an entirely different challenge on Friday night, however.
Concordia will need to play ball-control offense to keep Andale’s high-powered rushing offense off the field.
The Panthers will need a big game from senior Drake Hake who has rushed for 1,873 yards and 23 touchdowns. Hake starred in Concordia’s first-round win over Pratt. He rushed 31 times for 223 yards and two scores.
Andale 36, Concordia 14 (Gilmore)
4A-II West: No. 5 Holcomb (9-1) at Clearwater (4-6)
Despite an offseason coaching change, Holcomb has rolled to a 9-1 season and a win away from a state semifinal appearance.
Kent Teeter took the Longhorns’ head job after coming over from Goodland. Along with Coach Teeter came his son Trey, a junior quarterback, who has thrown for more than 4,700 yards in his three years as a starter. Trey has passed for 1,768 yards and 20 touchdowns this fall, and has been intercepted only six times.
Teeter has spread the ball around to six different receivers that have double-digit receptions and at least 100 receiving yards. Brandon Stegman has 32 catches for a team-high 505 yards and five scores, while junior Christian Merz has 30 receptions for 501 yards and five touchdowns. Calen Rupp and Braden Showalter each have more than 220 yards receiving.
The Longhorns have balance in the backfield led by senior Blake Richmeier’s 448 yards and 13 touchdowns. Stegman and Dillon Williams, both sophomores, have added 460 and 406 yards, respectively.
Holcomb’s lone loss of the season came 49-6 at Scott City back in Week 4. Just a week earlier, the Longhorns outlasted Ulysses 17-14 in overtime.
It has been well documented that Clearwater lost their first five games of the season, but now the Indians have won four of their last five games.
Clearwater rode a strong defensive performance in winning 14-7 over an 8-2 team in Wamego in the first round of the playoffs. The Fighting Indians held Wamego to 20 rushing yards on 22 attempts. The pressured Red Raider quarterback Kyler Alderson who threw for 190 yards and a touchdown, but completed only 15 of his 30 pass attempts.
On offense, Clearwater rushed for 188 yards led by 6-foot-4 and 220-pound quarterback Hunter Hall. Hall carried 20 times for 108 yards, while Collin Ellis added 73 yards and a touchdown run on his 20 attempts.
Hall also passed for 103 yards including a 42-yard touchdown pass to Erech Wiens in the third quarter that gave the Indians a 14-0 lead. Those would prove to be the winning points as Wamego would score with 1:33 remaining in the game to close the gap to seven.
The Indians have been battle tested against teams still alive in the playoffs in Scott City, Mulvane, Wichita Collegiate, and Andale. Clearwater held Andale to its lowest points output of the season in a 21-0 loss in Week 8.
Holcomb 27, Clearwater 20 (Gilmore)
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