Class 6A
Shawnee Mission East 36, Olathe North 35 (Double OT) -- The game of the year lived up to every bit of the hype. Top-ranked Shawnee Mission East edged No.2 Olathe North 36-35 in double overtime. Wyatt Edmisten stretched the ball across the goal line before the Eagles ripped it away to pull the Lancers to within 35-34 in the second overtime. SM East coach Dustin Delaney decided to line up quickly and go for two and the win. They ran a wide toss play to Sam Huffman that Olathe North appeared to have strung out very well, but Huffman stopped and cut back through the defense and into the end zone for the dramatic winning points. The Lancers led 7-0 well into the third quarter until Olathe North’s Chaz Burgess returned an interception 81 yards to tie the game. Olathe North later blocked a punt which led to a Venus Triplett touchdown and a 14-7 Eagle lead. Shawnee Mission East answered with a long run by Huffman, but the PAT was no good. Edmisten scored from five yards out with about five minutes remaining and the two-point conversion gave SM East a 21-14 lead. Olathe North tied the game at 21 with less than a minute to go on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cole Murphy to Burgess on a 4th-and-9 play.
Hutchinson 42, Lawrence Free State 14 – Free State couldn’t overcome several turnovers and a huge night from Hutchinson running back Blaik Middleton in a 42-14 loss. Middleton rushed for 357 yards and six touchdowns to push his season total to 2.624 yards and 39 touchdowns. He’s now rushed for 1.627 yards and 28 scores in the past five games. Free State could only get as close as 28-14 after apair of Carson Bowen touchdown runs, but Middleton struck again in the third quarter after the Salthawks intercepted a Firebird pass. Turner Wintz also added 98 yards on the ground for the Salthawks. Bowen rushed for 100 yards for Free State, while quarterback Bryce Torneden added 72 rush yards and 98 yards passing.
Class 5A
St. Thomas Aquinas 42, Shawnee Heights 41 – St. Thomas Aquinas led by 21 points twice in the first half, but had to hold on to defeat Shawnee Heights, 42-41. Aquinas quarterback Karter Odermann rushed for three of his four touchdown in the first half as the Saints built a 35-14 lead. The second half was all T-Birds as Tony Barksdale Jr. scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to narrow the gap to 35-28. Aquinas appeared to be driving to extend their lead, but the Saints lost a fumble at the T-Bird 5-yard line. Shortly after, Heights’ quarterback Camden Wheatley hit Austen Hubert on a 95-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 35 in the fourth quarter. Odermann tacked on his fourth score to give the Saints a 42-35 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Wheatley answered with a touchdown pass to Malik Stanley about a minute later. The PAT was blocked and Heights still trailed 42-41. The T-Birds mounted one last drive and had first down at the Saints’ 20-yard line with 13 seconds remaining, but Ethan Meyers intercepted Wheatley’s pass in the end zone to seal the game. Odermann rushed for 230 yards and four scores for Aquinas, while Kyle Bollig added 83 yards and a touchdown. Shawnee Heights was led by Barksdale’s 207 yards and three scores. Wheatley passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Hubert caught three balls for 152 yards and two scores, while Stanley had 10 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Bishop Carroll 49, Salina South 0 – Colton Howell rushed for three touchdowns in the first half as Bishop Carroll routed Salina South 49-0. The Golden Eagles led 42-0 at halftime and cruised to the win as the running clock was initiated in the second half. Howell finished with four touchdown on the ground and 104 yards rushing on 11 carries. He ran through several arm tackles on his 37-yard run in a first quarter highlighted by sloppy play and turnovers. Denzel Goolsby also topped the 100-yard mark on 13 carries and scored a touchdown. Josh Hornback returned a punt 72 yards for a late second-quarter touchdown that buried the Cougars. Carroll forced six turnovers in the game, including five interceptions of South quarterback Dalton Wassenberg.
Class 4A-I
Bishop Miege 62, KC Piper 7 -- Bishop Miege scored 31 points in the second quarter on their way to a 48-0 halftime lead. Quarterback Ryan Willis completed 15 of 22 passes for 237 yards and two scores in the first half. Dawson Downing rushed for 136 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Stags. Chris Ford hauled in seven receptions for 106 yards and a score, and Jafar Armstrong also caught a touchdown pass. The Miege defense limited Piper to 97 yards of total offense, including 31 rushing yards on 22 carries.
Topeka Hayden 49, Buhler 19 – Topeka Hayden turned two early Buhler turnovers into touchdowns in eliminating the defending 4A champs, 49-19. Hayden quarterback Jacob Head threw for 190 yards and touchdowns to three different receivers. Noah Huston had five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, while Connor Schumacher and Derrick McGreevey also caught touchdown passes. Schumacher rushed for 20 yards and two scores and McGreevey also had two touchdowns on the ground. Jace Williams led Buhler with 130 yards rushing and 158 more passing. Dillon Engelland was limited to just 38 rush yards on 11 carries.
Class 4A-II
Columbus 44, Santa Fe Trail 12 – The Columbus Titans advanced to their first ever state football championship game with a dominating 44-12 win over Santa Fe Trail. Jace McDown rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Nate Bole. Bole completed 7 of 12 passes for 128 yards and two scores. He connected with freshman Keenan Stanley on a 24-yard strike in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 6 after Santa Fe Trail scored early. The game changed when Taylor Watkins intercepted a deflected Weston Gloss pass and returned it 8 yards for a touchdown as Columbus grabbed a 15-6 lead. The running clock was employed in the second half after the Titans took a 44-6 lead.
Andale 57, Holcomb 13 – After being tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter, Andale blitzed Holcomb with 22 second-quarter points to take control. The Indians rushed for more than 290 yards in the game and advanced to their first state championship game since winning consecutive state titles in 2006 and 2007. Holcomb’s touchdowns came on a short run by Blake Richmeier and a 32-yard pass from Trey Teeter to Conner VanCleave.
Class 3A
Rossville 21, Silver Lake 14 – Thatcher Horak broke an 85-yard touchdown run with 2:21 remaining to lift Rossville past rival Silver Lake 21-14. With the win, Rossville advances to the state championship game for the first time since 1992. The Bulldogs had fallen to Silver Lake in the state semifinals in eight of the past 12 seasons. Silver Lake’s final drive ended when Corbin Horak intercepted Eagle backup quarterback Cole Baird’s pass at the 2-yard line. Thatcher Horak finished with 101 yards on the ground including his game-deciding touchdown. Tucker Horak added 85 yards and a score rushing and tossed a touchdown pass to Nick Reesor. Silver Lake was led by Baird who rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Scott City (12-0) at Halstead (10-1) – Saturday at 2:30PM
Class 2-1A
Olpe 36, Troy 28 – The Olpe Eagles used big plays to rally past Troy and advance to their first state title game since 2008. Troy quarterback Tristan Speer threw a touchdown pass and rushed for two more scores as the Trojans grabbed a 20-7 lead with just 3:06 remaining in the second quarter. The Eagles would strike quickly as Bo Krueger returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a score to cut the lead to 20-14. Troy was then forced to punt and the snap sailed over the punter resulting in a safety; 20-16. The Eagles then scored just before halftime on a Kruger touchdown pass to lead 22-20 at the break. Derek Franken put Troy up 28-22 in the third quarter with a touchdown run, but Olpe regained the lead on a Kruger scoring run on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line to lead 29-28. The Eagles tacked on a final Kruger score in the last three minutes to win 36-28.
Ell-Saline 22, Phillipsburg 21 – Phillipsburg missed opportunities was the story of the night in this matchup as Ell-Saline held off the Panthers 22-21 to advance to their first state title game since winning an 8-man championship in 1989. Trailing by one point with 17 seconds remaining, Phillipsburg faced a fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. After a timeout, Phillipsburg fumbled on the play and Ell-Saline recovered at the 2. The Cardinals avoided a safety and ran out the final 14 seconds for the win. Phillipsburg was also stopped at the Cardinal 2-yard line as the first half ended. Trailing 15-8 in the third quarter, Cody Walters score to bring the Cards to within 15-14, but penalties derailed the two-point attempt. Nate Prewitt extended the Panther lead to 21-14 mid-way through the fourth quarter before Luis Arceo hit Garrett Jacobson on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:54 remaining. The Cardinals converted the two-point conversion and led 22-21.
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