Class 4A– Division II
East: Santa Fe Trail (6-4) at No. 1 Columbus (10-0)
The same four schools have reached the state quarterfinals on the east side of the Class 4A-II bracket as last season, only the match ups are different. Last season, Columbus topped Holton 22-21 and Santa Fe Trail edged Frontenac 14-13 to advance to the state semifinals.
This time around, No. 4 Holton travels to No. 5 Frontenac while top-ranked Columbus will host Santa Fe Trail.
The Titans defeated the Chargers 44-12 in the 2014 sub-state semifinal on their way to Columbus’ first state title game appearance in school history. Santa Fe Trail scored first in that semifinal game only to see Columbus score the game’s next 44 points.
This season the Titans are undefeated behind an offense that averages 52.7 points and 538 total yards per game.
Senior running back Jace McDown, a Kpreps All-State selection last season, has rushed for 2,313 yards and 34 touchdowns. McDown (6-0, 220) averages 231 yards per game and more than 13 yards per carry. McDown rushed for 1,626 yards and 20 scores last season, and has more than 5,150 career rushing yards with 68 touchdowns.
Senior JaVohn Morrill has added 387 yards rushing and six touchdowns, while junior Peyton Hale has 358 yards and six scores.
Quarterback Trey Robinson has completed 77 percent of his passes for 1,426 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s been intercepted only one time this season.
Morrill is Robinson’s top receiving target with 35 catches for 895 yards and nine touchdowns. Sophomore Keenan Stanley has 15 receptions for 303 yards and six scores.
The Titan defense has given up 18.5 points per game, but has been challenged by the passing attacks of St. Mary’s Colgan and Frontenac. Columbus defeated Colgan 43-40 in Week 6 and Frontenac 54-43 in Week 8.
Santa Fe Trail graduated some standout players from last year’s state semifinal appearance, the Chargers returned a strong nucleus in 2015.
Jayson Duncan’s group has won four consecutive games since a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season. Those losses were to quality opponents in Royal Valley (40-14), Anderson County (22-20), 3A quarterfinalist Wellsville (14-7), and Ottawa (19-16).
Since the Chargers have posted district wins over Prairie View and Osawatomie, and a hard-fought 35-22 victory over Jefferson West in the first round last week.
In that game the Chargers built a 20-8 lead only to see the Tigers mount a comeback to lead 22-20 in the third quarter. Santa Fe Trail scored twice in the fourth quarter to win 35-22. Gage Greenfield returned a Jefferson West interception for a touchdown and a 28-22 lead, while another interception led to a Bryce Erickson touchdown run to seal the win for the Chargers.
Senior Trevor Boudeman (6-1, 190) leads the Santa Fe Trail offense with 807 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. Collin Watkins and Daniel Courtwright have contributed 551 and 505 yards, respectively.
Erickson, the Chargers’ junior quarterback, has passed for 832 yards and nine touchdowns, but has been intercepted nine times.
Santa Fe Trail will have to avoid turnovers in order to win at Columbus and return to the 4A-II semifinals.
Columbus 48, Santa Fe Trail 26 (Gilmore)
West: No. 3 Holcomb (8-2) at Wamego (5-5)
Holcomb opened the 4A-II playoffs with a 48-0 home victory versus Concordia, while Wamego rallied from down 20 points in the fourth quarter to top Clearwater, 28-27.
Holcomb, which has been ranked in the top five all season, has righted itself after a 34-20 loss at Ulysses and 15-7 at home versus Scott City in Weeks 3 and 4 in GWAC play.
Since then, the Longhorns haven’t been seriously challenged with the closest game a 27-12 win at Hugoton to close out the regular season. Holcomb owns victories against playoff teams Colby, Cimarron and Hugoton; the former two by a combined score of 92-20.
Holcomb averages 380 total yards a game, including 211 passing. Senior quarterback Trey Teeter, a four-year starter, has enjoyed the finest season of his career. He has completed 129 of 188 passes for 2,043 yards with 26 scores against five interceptions.
Four players have between five and seven receiving scores, led by senior Christian Merz with 41 catches for 910 yards.
Holcomb has a total scoring margin of 356-107 and ranks No. 1 in scoring defense. Junior Dillon Williams paces the Longhorns with 105 tackles.
Wamego, under first-year coach Lee Weber, a veteran coach who has made several stops, opened 1-5 with three losses within 16 points. Then, it has won four straight since against some solid teams: 34-0 against Chapman, 18-14 at Smoky Valley and 18-8 versus Nickerson to clinch the district title.
Wamego entered the postseason 4-9 all-time in the playoffs with wins only in 1971, 1975 and 2001.
The Red Raiders trailed Clearwater 20-0 at halftime and 27-7 in the fourth quarter. Wamego behind quarterback Dillon Blain who connected with Jayson Ebert on three touchdown passes in the final period. The final go-ahead strike to Ebert came with 1:33 remaining.
In 2014, the Red Raiders went 8-2 but lost 14-7 to Clearwater in the first round. Coach Dale Burkholder retired, and Weber took over.
Blain, a junior, leads the offense with 1,258 passing yards and an 11/10 TD/INT ratio. Three seniors, Kasey Feyh, Shawn Burns and Hunter Loewen key the defense.
Wamego has established some momentum with the playoff victory, but can’t match Holcomb’s prolific attack.
Holcomb 42, Wamego 20 (Nicholl)
The rest of our 4A-II quarterfinal picks:
No. 4 Holton (7-3) at No. 5 Frontenac (7-3) -- Holton
No. 2 Andale (8-2) at Hugoton (5-5) -- Andale
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