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:
Lawrence Free State got back to .500 on the year after cruising to a 41-7 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest. The Firebirds were carried by senior Zack Sanders who scored four different times in three different ways. Sanders caught two touchdown passes, returned an interception for a pick-6 and returned a punt 58 yards for a score.
Garden City dominated from start to finish and earned their first shutout of the season after a 34-0 win over Hays on Friday night. The Buffaloes were led by quarterback Jesse Nunez who threw for 168 yards and one touchdown and found the end zone three more times on the ground. The defense allowed just 20 total yards and one first down in the second half.
Wichita Northwest stuffed the stat sheet on Friday night after coming away with a 57-24 win over Wichita West. The Grizzlies racked up 545 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Breece Hall, Myles Garner, and Jahlyl Rounds are broke the century mark in rushing and combined for all seven rushing touchdowns. Rounds found pay dirt three times while Hall and Garner each found the end zone twice in the win.
Gardner-Edgerton improved to 2-2 on the years after grinding out a 13-7 win over Blue Valley Southwest. Senior quarterback Griffin Johns threw for 167 yards and a touchdown and ran for another in the Trailblazers second straight win. Jace Sprague was on the receiving end of the Johns touchdown pass.
Class 5A:
Goddard got the better of their rival Goddard-Eisenhower in a lopsided 60-12 win on Friday night. Kody Gonzalez led the way for the Lions with 113 yards rushing on 17 carries and three touchdowns. Quarterback Blake Sullivan rushed for 115 yards and one touchdown and also threw four touchdown passes two of which went to Gonzalez. Derek Beason had two catches on the night both were for touchdowns in the Goddard win.
Pittsburg posted their second shutout of the season after a 28-0 road win over Fort Scott. The Purple Dragons led just 7-0 at the half but managed three more scores and as the defense held stout in the second half. Jhalani Long had 59 yards rushing on 5 carries but 42 of those yards came on his lone touchdown run of the game. The Dragons have shutout the Tigers for the third consecutive year.
Topeka Seaman remained undefeated after a 24-21 road win over Shawnee Heights. Despite getting out rushed by 168 yards, the Vikings managed to squeak out the win. The Viking senior class led Seaman to the win. Senior quarterback Dalton Cowan connected with classmate Nick Steiner for a touchdown while Kevin Moranz and Mike Latendresse each found the end zone on the ground. Christian Clark rushed for 164 yards in a losing effort for Heights.
Valley Center improved to 4-0 on the season after a 21-0 shutout win over Newton. The Hornets were led by junior running back Caleb Rains who rushed 22 times for 141 yards and two scores. Senior defensive back Keyon Saunders had two interceptions on the night one of which he took to the house for the other score of the game.
Class 4A-I:
Abilene ran over rival Chapman on Friday night, 48-8. All seven touchdowns for the Cowboys came on the ground. Quarterback Ryan Wilson rushed for two touchdowns, while running backs Parker Base and Parker O’Neal found pay dirt once and twice respectively. The final touchdown came on a wide receiver reverse where the beneficiary was junior wide out Dominick Campbell.
Atchison ruined KC Wyandotte’s homecoming with a 52-12 stomping on Friday night. The Redmen put up 42 points in the first half and led 42-6 at the break. Senior quarterback Adam Smith threw five touchdowns on the night while classmate Dylon Leblue rushed for 131 yards and a one touchdown. Bryce Enzbrenner was on the receiving end of three of Smith’s five touchdown passes.
Buhler out-muscled Maize South 21-14 on Friday night in a battle of two of the top defenses in class 4A-I. The Crusaders were able to take advantage of one more turnover that the Mavericks coughed up that decided the game. The two teams combined for five turnovers in the final five minutes of the first half that proved to be the deciding factor as neither team gave up a single point after halftime. Buhler’s Hunter Wiehl came down with an interception that led to the games deciding touchdown late in the first half. Ethan White found Dalton Smyres on a 75-yard touchdown pass that gave Buhler the 21-14 lead.
Ottawa took advantage of their size and stomped Chanute 48-14. The Cylcones posted 27 points in the final 7:24 seconds of the first half to blow the game wide open. Issac McCullough led the way for Ottawa with three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown.
Class 4A-II:
Santa Fe Trail ran over Iola 46-10 to remain undefeated. The Chargers ran for 382 yards and six touchdowns in the win. Senior running Peyton Newton led the way with 222 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Gage Greenfield added 119 yards rushing and one touchdown for the Chargers.
Nickerson outscored Hesston 36-27 to improve to 3-1 on the season. The Panthers rushed for 387 yards and five touchdowns in the game. Peyton Kuhns rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Panther offense.
Scott City won its second consecutive and improved to 2-2 on the season after a 35-7 win over Hugoton. Wyatt Hayes scored three times and rushed for 107 yards for the Beavers. The Scott City defense shut out Hugoton from the second quarter on as the offense continued to put points on the board with four second half touchdowns.
Topeka Hayden earned its first win of the season after a 55-14 stomping over Topeka West. Hayden dominated from start to finish. Tomas Stringer rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offensive attack for Topeka Hayden.
Class 3A:
Cimarron delivered a big upset with a 20-14 victory versus Meade, undefeated and ranked in Class 2-1A. The Bluejays, who struggled greatly in losses to 4A-II’s Scott City in the first three weeks, scored 13 points in the second quarter. The game was tied at seven in the first quarter. There was no scoring in the second half. Cimarron standout dual threat quarterback Nick Ast rushed 27 times for 257 yards and accounted for all three TDs on runs of 58, 76 and four yards. It marked Cimarron’s first win over Meade since 2005. Ast picked off Meade quarterback Lawson Luetters with 1:14 left in the game.
Southeast of Saline defeated 2-1A Sacred Heart, 24-14, in the Saline County matchup. The Trojans (4-0) had double the first downs and a big margin in yards. SE of Saline led 16-0 early before Sacred Heart (2-2) came back and closed to 16-14 with 2:50 left in the third quarter. However, the Knights didn’t score on its final three possessions, and SES had a goal line stand after Sacred Heart’s Jacob Faerber took a kickoff 95 yards. But the Trojans held their rivals on four straight plays inside the two-yard line. The Trojans limited the Knights to 27 rushing yards, and Southeast of Saline’s Bryce Banks threw for 356 yards.
Nemaha Central remained undefeated with a 56-0 win versus Jefferson West. The Thunder scored 28 points in each of the first two quarters. Nemaha Central, which had a huge Week 3 win against Big Seven rival Holton, had seven rushing scores. Senior Jacob Koelzer rushed for four scores on runs of one, seven, 49 and four yards.
Conway Springs led Medicine Lodge, 54-0, after three quarters and won 54-19. Conway Springs ran 45 plays, just five fewer than the Indians, and held just a 276-228 edge in yards. However, the Cardinals didn’t have any turnovers, and Medicine Lodge had four turnovers. As well, Conway Springs blocked a punt and recovered the ball for a touchdown and a 33-0 lead with 7:21 left in the first half. Colton Terhune rushed 10 times for 96 yards and three scores.
Despite a massive play disparity, Ellsworth defeated La Crosse, 42-22, as the Leopards dropped to 0-4. The Leopards ran 86 plays and finished with 387 yards. Ellsworth had only 39 snaps but finished with 517 yards. As well, La Crosse had 21 first downs, 10 more than Ellsworth. Ellsworth junior Zac Schneider completed 5 of 11 passes for 153 yards with two scores against two interceptions. Bearcat speedy senior Kaden Davis had four rushes for 54 yards and a touchdown, along with three receptions for 148 yards and two TDs, including a long of 72. Clayton Herdman led La Crosse with 32 carries for 223 yards but threw three interceptions.
Mission Valley, with only a close loss to Lyndon, pulled away to beat Chase County, 42-20. The game was tied at six after the first quarter before Mission Valley outscored Chase County, 14-6, in the second quarter. Clay Phillips scored on runs of seven, 76 and 67 yards. He also threw a touchdown pass. He finished with 19 carries for 264 yards in his second straight 200-yard effort on the ground.
Class 2-1A:
Jefferson Co. North stayed undefeated with a 54-6 victory against Oskaloosa. Boston Lane rushed for touchdowns of nine and 28 yards, and threw touchdown passes of 25 and 34 yards.
Jake Funk led Ell-Saline to a 42-13 Heart of America League victory against Inman. The fullback rushed 19 times for 189 yards and two scores. Ell-Saline (3-1) pulled away after Inman closed to 20-13 at halftime. Ell-Saline finished with 51 carries for 347 yards, and Inman had 28 rushes for 49 yards.
Valley Heights scored in each quarter in outpacing Ellis, 41-26. The Mustangs’ Hunter Stevenson rushed 19 times for 274 yards and five touchdowns to lead all players. Stevenson also added 10 tackles and two interceptions on defense. For the season, Stevenson now has 839 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in four games.
Stanton County picked up its first win of the season by holding off Southwestern Heights, 21-18. The Mustangs jumped out to a 12-6 first-quarter lead behind the strength of two Efren Mercado touchdown passes, but Stanton County responded with a score to lead 13-12 at halftime. The Trojans added a touchdown and two-point conversion in the third quarter to led 21-12. SW Heights scored on a third Mercado touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to pull within the final deficit. The Trojan defense held Southwestern Heights to 56 rushing yards on 23 attempts.
Centralia picked up its first win of the season with a 49-13 rout of Doniphan West. The Panthers pulled away with a 22-point third quarter that expanded their 14-point halftime lead. Trenton Flentie rushed for 257 yards and five touchdowns on only ten carries for Centralia. Kamble Haverkamp also surpassed the 100-yard mark with 126 yards on just a handful of carries.
Class 8-man I
Logan-Palco’s David Thompson collected 36 carries for 333 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-30 victory against Stockton as the Trojans opened 4-0 for the second straight season. Logan-Palco opens district play with a home game versus Victoria. The Trojans have won each contest by at least 24 points.
Bennington defeated Thunder Ridge, 54-14, for its first win after dropping to eight-man football after many years in the 11-man ranks. Junior J.J. Allen accounted for four scores on runs of 27, six and one yard and a 35-yard reception.
Herington defeated Onaga, 78-30, behind big nights from Trendon Schneider, Richard Hagerman and Jonathan Lollar. Schneider filled in for standout quarterback Tate Becker and accounted for 311 total yards and five scores. Hagerman rushed for 167 yards and six touchdowns, while Lollar caught five balls for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
Argonia-Attica upset South Barber, 40-26. The Chieftains were undefeated and ranked No. 5 in Eight-Man, Division II. Seth Hemberger scored to put A&A up, 32-14, before the Chieftains closed the gap to 32-26. Hemberger rushed 29 times for 151 yards and four scores. A&A held a 333-296 edge in yards and a 62-44 advantage in snaps.
Class 8-man II
Lebo defeated Pleasanton, 32-26, when its defense held on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the game’s final 30 seconds. Peyton Baldwin filled in for Lebo quarterback Drew Ott and threw for 127 yards with two scores and ran for 92 yards.
Sharon Springs-Wallace County defeated WaKeeney-Trego, 50-0, in the Golden Eagles’ first home game this season. Wallace County, which opened 0-2 with close losses to St. Francis and Atwood-Rawlins County, has bounced back with quality wins versus Hoxie and the Golden Eagles, who were off to their best start since 1984. Levi Johnson had three rushing scores and had a fumble recovery for a score. Grady Hammer, the team’s standout senior, returned after missing two weeks and had a 3-yard touchdown run. The Wildcat defense limited the Golden Eagles to 31 snaps for 54 total yards in a game that ended at halftime. Senior Chisom Grund finished with 12 tackles, six for loss. Gabe Klinge blocked a punt. The Wildcats will play host to Otis-Bison in a key district contest this Friday.
Hartford moved to 3-1 with a 46-0 win versus Southern Coffey County. Hartford scored 24 points in the first quarter, 16 in the second and six in the third. Danen Kistner passed for four touchdowns of 41, 26, 50 and 11 yards. Clayton Fowler had a 55-yard punt return.
Ingalls held off Kiowa County, 44-36, when Bulldog quarterback Colton Schmidt passed for a six-yard score to David Varela to open the fourth quarter. Schmidt passed for three touchdowns, including a play to Mikel Osborne that tied the contest at 36. The game had five lead changes. Ingalls (3-1) held a 227-130 edge in rushing yards.
Frankfort rolled over Valley Falls, 62-12, behind a big night from Adam Kenworthy. He rushed for three scores, passed for three touchdowns and returned an interception for a score.
Chase was 0-3 entering its contest versus 3-0 Sylvan-Lucas, but the Kats delivered a 60-34 victory against the Mustangs.
Madison held off Wetmore, 40-34, behind 204 rushing yards and two scores from Brett Stubbs. The Bulldogs scored on a 35-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to freshman Nasun Wasson from Stephen Stutesman. Madison covered 70 yards in four plays in the final 30 seconds, but the first two plays were incomplete passes.
KCAA
Sunrise Christian outscored Cair Paravel 20-8 in the first half and 14-0 in the fourth quarter to win 54-32. Junior John Dunn rushed 21 times for 182 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Buffaloes. Quarterback Alex Wyatt added to rushing scores to go along with his 52-yard night. Wyatt also passed for 41 yards in the win. Nathan Kampe and Kobe Fields each rushed for a touchdown and combined for nearly 150 more yards on the ground.
Wichita Life Prep held off KCAA member St. John’s Military 34-28. Life Prep, a non-KCAA member, was led by junior quarterback Taj Munnings passed for 151 yards and three touchdowns on only nine completions. Nijai Armbrister led the Fire with 71 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Douglas Sawyer contributed 62 receiving yards and two scores.
6-Man
Wheatland-Grinnell had just enough to hold off Natoma 44-42 to claim their first victory of the season. The Thunderhawks were led by sophomore quarterback Zach Gillespie who passed for 189 yards and three touchdowns. Jorge Esparza led the Thunderhawks with 182 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 attempts. Esparza also caught four passes for 99 yards and a score.
Golden Plains defeated Cheylin for a second consecutive week, 44-6. The Bulldogs defeated the Cougars 49-0 the week prior, but met again due to season cancellations by Heartland Christian and Western Plains. A.J. Camacho rushed for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Golden Plains.
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