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:
Wichita East won its first and only game of the season and spoiled Wichita Southeast’s playoff chances with an 8-0 win. East’s Quintrell Royal, rushed up the middle, broke a pair of tackles and sprinted to the open field for a 35-yard touchdown for the only score of the game.
Blue Valley North improved to 8-1 with a 49-21 win over Shawnee Mission West. North led 28-21 at the half and outscored SM West 21-0 in the second half to run away with the game. Quarterback Joey Dolan threw five touchdown passes in the win. Josh Pederson caught four of Dolan’s touchdown passes.
Manhattan closed out their season with a 28-8 win over Washburn Rural on Friday. Jemell Richardson ended the season on a high not with 154 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The Indians finished 5-4 on the year.
Class 5A:
Kapaun Mt. Carmel used a goal-line stand early in the fourth quarter to power its way to a 31-21 win over Wichita Heights. The Crusaders had five different players find the end zone in the win.
Goddard earned a hard fought 34-19 win over rival Goddard-Eisenhower on Friday night. The Lions trailed 13-6 at the break but outscored Eisenhower 28-6 in the second half to earn the district championship. Kody Gonzalez rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown for the Lions in the win.
Shawnee Heights claimed the district title with a 33-26 overtime win over Topeka Seaman. Alex Sheikh rushed for 275 yards and four touchdowns including the game winner in overtime.
Emporia finished 4-5 on the season but concluded the season with a convincing 54-6 win over Andover. The Spartans were led by Nick Kirmer who rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Class 4A-I:
Andover Central cruised into the playoffs with a 49-14 rout of El Dorado. Jordan Birch rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns for the Jaguars.
Mulvane advanced to the 4A-I playoffs with a 46-0 shutout of Rose Hill. Jayden Price rushed for 128 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Mulvane will travel to Buhler in the first round of the playoffs. The Wildcats fell to Buhler 20-14 earlier in the season.
Eudora rolled to a 45-18 win over Baldwin. Senior quarterback Grant Elston ran for four touchdowns and threw for another in the win for the Cardinals while fellow senior Austin Downing had 19 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown.
Independence took home a district championship with a 22-7 win over Augusta on Friday night. The Bulldogs fell behind early 7-0 but then scored 22 unanswered points to earn the win. Will Schabel led the way with two rushing touchdowns.
McPherson scored in the last minute of the game to end their season with a 31-24 win over Hays. The Bullpups got a touchdown pass from Casen Hoover to Jack Reifschneider with 27 seconds left in the game to give them the win.
Class 4A-II:
Clearwater earned a playoff berth after a 33-31 win over Wichita Trinity. Junior running back Collin Ellis fueled Clearwater’s offense, running over Knights defenders and stiff-arming his way to 345 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 48 carries.
Girard advanced to the 4A-II playoffs after a 28-14 win over Iola on Thursday night. The Trojan defense did not allow Iola to score in the second half, while the offense scored two touchdowns to turn a one point halftime deficit into a playoff-clinching win. The offensive highlight was when Girard put together an 11 play 99-yard drive for a 21-14 lead.
Wamego won its third consecutive game to advance to the 4A-II playoffs with an 18-8 win over Nickerson. Despite only totaling 153 yards of offense, the Red Raiders managed to get the win. Hunter Loewen and Dillon Blain each had a rushing touchdown for Wamego.
Class 3A:
St. Mary’s Colgan steam rolled Erie 48-0 to earn a first-round home playoff game. The Panthers scored all 48 points in the first half and held the Erie offense to negative 8 total yards. Colgan quarterback Ryan Cedeno found Sawyer Esch for a 64-yard pitch and catch on the first play from scrimmage to start the rout.
Galena earned a district championship after a 49-14 blowout of Riverton. The Bulldogs scored on four of their five possessions in the first half. Sal DiCamillo and Brandon Shepherd led Galena with 110 and 107 rushing yards, respectively.
Garden Plain qualified for the 3A playoffs after a 21-7 win over Kingman to improve to 8-1 on the season. Kingman scored first but the Owls defense did not allow any more scoring as the offense put up 21 unanswered points. Nate Pauly rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns for the Owls in the win.
Wellsville crushed Central Heights 72-0 to improve to 7-2 on the season. The Eagles were led by Zachary Strawn 149 yards and three touchdowns. Reece Williams had two rushing touchdowns of his own in the Wellsville win.
Class 2-1A:
Marion walked away with a 22-20 win over district champion Mission Valley on a rainy Friday night. The Warriors ended the season 7-2 and missed the playoffs due to the tiebreaker. Marion rolled up 349 yards of offense, including 317 on the ground led by Aaron Riggs with 16 carries for 133 yards. Jack Schneider also surpassed the century mark with 13 carries for 120 yards.
Olpe clinched a district title Friday with a 22-0 victory at Yates Center. As a team, Olpe rushed for 250 yards in the wet and sloppy conditions. Dylan Redeker collected two rushing touchdowns for the Eagles in the win.
The Oakley Plainsmen completed a sweep of District 7 with a 33-6 road win at La Crosse. The Plainsmen gave up their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter and allowed just 39 points in four district games. The Plainsmen enter the playoffs having won five consecutive games.
Northern Heights improved 6-3 on the year with a 34-7 win over Chase County. The Wildcats ran for 309 yards, with four touchdowns, and passed for 136 yards and a score, while racking up 445 yards of total offense.
Class 8-Man I
West Elk remained undefeated after a 42-22 win over Central Burden. The Patriots were led by senior running back Armando Gomez who carried the ball 46 times for 229 yards and four touchdowns.
South Central pounded Kinsley 75-0 to improve to 8-1 on the season. The Timberwolves put up 53 points in the first quarter and rushed for eight touchdowns as a team. Gerald Morehead led the way with three scores on 97 yards rushing.
WaKeeny-Trego ran over Dighton-Healy 68-22 on Friday Night. The Golden Eagles rushed for 429 yards and nine touchdowns in the win. Cedric Flax rushed for 267 yards and four touchdowns, while Corbin Shoenthaler rushed for 159 yards and five touchdowns.
Uniontown stayed unbeaten after a 60-12 win over Waverly. The Eagles were led by John Reed with seven touchdowns and 297 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Class 8-Man II
Hoxie shut out Golden Plains 58-0 to improve to 5-3 on the year. The Indians rushed for 250 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Drake Rowh and Peyton Taylor each scored twice in the Hoxie win.
Minneola stomped Stafford 66-12 on to wrap up the district championship. The Wildcats rushed for six touchdowns on the night. Landon Walker led the way with 100 yards on the ground and three trips to pay dirt.
Pike Valley steam rolled Southern Cloud 50-0 on to qualify for the playoffs as the District 1 runner-up. The Panthers were led by Blaze Payeur who rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown.
Triplains-Brewster improved to 7-2 with a 69-24 win over Wheatland-Grinnell. Verlen Plummer and Ryan Gfeller combined for 216 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the Titans win.
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