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:
Garden City edged Hays 7-3 in a defensive battle. The game’s only touchdown was in the second quarter when Garden City quarterback Garret Doll connected with David Arteaga for 21 yards. Hays scored on a field goal in the third quarter, but the Buffaloes kept them out of the end zone. Now 4-0, Garden City has allowed only 10 points all season. The only touchdown allowed came in a 16-7 victory over Colorado’s Castle View. Doll finished with 170 yards passing.
Junction City relied on its rushing attack to earn a 35-21 win over Washburn Rural. Running back Russell Wilkey ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while quarterback Rooster Adams rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 24 attempts. Junction City trailed 21-15, but then scored the game’s final 20 points. Wilkey and Adams each scored a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. Washburn Rural’s Michael Schurig passed for 291 yards in the loss.
The Manhattan Indians defense came up big in a 21-14 win over a previously-ranked Topeka High squad. Manhattan not only limited the Trojans to only two touchdowns, but the Indians limited super sophomore running back Ky Thomas to 47 yards on 20 carries. Meanwhile, Manhattan junior Kevontae McDonald ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.
Lawrence improved to 3-1 with a 35-28 win over Shawnee Mission West. The Lions scored on four consecutive possessions in the first half but were held to seven points in the second half. Lawrence boasted two 100-yard rushers in Dante Jackson with 130 yards and a touchdown, and Hunter Krom with 102 yards and a TD. Shawnee Mission West’s Kirby Grigsby rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the losing effort.
Class 5A:
KC Schlagle remained unbeaten with a 56-8 thrashing of KC Washington on Friday night. A year after giving up 361 rushing yards and four touchdowns to Cornelius Ruff, the Washington Wildcats allowed Schlagle’s Ivan Webb to break free for 378 yards and seven scores. Webb entered Friday’s game needing just 144 yards to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the season. After his performance on Friday, Webb (6-0, 200) now has 1,234 yards in just four games for an average of 308.5 yards per game.
Great Bend picked up a key road win in the WAC beating Dodge City, 38-13. Junior quarterback Koy Brack passed for 141 yards and a touchdown and added 160 yards rushing and three scores. Sophomore Gage Fritz added 98 yards and a score for the Panthers. Dalton Bieker had four receptions for 123 yards and the touchdown pass from Brack. Dodge City was led by sophomore Beau Foster who passed for 287 yards and added 115 yards rushing.
Valley Center used a big night from junior back Larry Wilson to top Newton 21-15. Wilson carried 30 times for 198 yards and a touchdown. Valley Center led 9-0 at halftime before Newton outscored the Hornets 15-12 in the second half. Junior quarterback Parker Schrater passed for 153 yards and a score to Kadin Pearson.
Emporia evened its record at 2-2 with a 61-8 blowout of Topeka Highland Park. The Spartans rushed for 428 yards and seven rushing touchdowns in the win. Junior Gabe Galindo led Emporia with 124 yards and two scores. Junior quarterback Jace Stewart added 82 rush yards and three touchdowns, and passed for 40 yards and another score. Highland Park’s losing streak has now reached 29 games.
Pittsburg improved to 3-1 with a 45-19 road win at Fort Scott’s Frary Field. The Purple Dragons put up more than 550 yards of total offense led by senior quarterback Chase Curtis who passed for 281 yards and rushed for 92 more. Curtis threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores in the game. Dylan White hauled in four receptions for 136 yards and two scores for the Dragons. Brandis Evans led Pittsburg with 103 rushing yards and a score. Fort Scott was led by Zarek Fewell’s 162 yards rushing with one touchdown. The game featured 28 penalties for a combined 274 yards. Pittsburg has now won five straight in the series.
Class 4A-I:
Matt Hernandez broke a 54-yard touchdown run with 1:46 remaining to lift Chanute to a 25-21 victory at Ottawa. The Blue Comets then used 6-foot-4 sophomore quarterback Ty Bowman as a defensive back to knock the Cyclones’ final Hail Mary pass down in the end zone on the game’s final play. Bowman rushed for 62 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the game and threw for 140 yards including a 52-yard touchdown pass to Corbett Kimberlin. Sophomore Shavion Bethea rushed for two touchdowns for Ottawa, while senior Devion Bethea scored the third.
Tonganoxie remained undefeated with a 28-18 win over Kaw Valley League foe Bonner Springs. With the win, the Chieftains improved to 2-0 in the league. Basehor-Linwood is the only other unbeaten team remaining in the league. Against Bonner Springs, the Chieftains rushed for 361 yards. Dalton Bock ran for 174 yards and a touchdown, while Korbin Riedel ran for 164 yards and a touchdown. The 4-0 start is a year after Tonganoxie finished 5-4.
Basehor-Linwood still hasn’t allowed a point. In their most recent game, the Bobcats thumped Independence 50-0. On the season, Basehor-Linwood has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 223-0. Against Independence, the Bobcats led 43-0 at halftime. Junior Nolan Ford rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown on only three carries.
KC Piper earned its first win of the season by beating Lansing 14-7 in overtime. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Pirates that started with last year’s 64-0 playoff loss to Bishop Miege. Junior Dalton White rushed for 80 yards in the win over Lansing.
Coffeyville improved to 3-1 with a 35-7 victory over Towanda-Circle. The Golden Tornado let 14-7 at halftime and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away. Field Kindley held Circle to 176 yards of total offense on the night. Coffeyville will get big tests the next two weeks when they host unbeaten Galena and one-loss Fort Scott.
Class 4A-II:
Holcomb moved to 3-1 on the season with a 26-14 victory over Goodland. The Longhorns outscored the Cowboys 12-0 in the second half to break open a 14-14 halftime tie. Senior Trey Gilbert passed for 148 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Chance Rodriguez. Kaden Tichenor led the Longhorns with 90 rushing yards and two scores.
Osawatomie picked up its first win of the season by beating Anderson County, 42-29. Trojan senior quarterback Weston Smith passed for 114 yards and three touchdowns, and added 160 yards and two scores on the ground. Freshman Bo Dilliner caught five passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Boyd Cole added 101 yards rushing on 25 attempts.
The Kingman Eagles evened their record at 2-2 with a 32-20 win over Haven. Kingman led 18-14 at halftime and scored one touchdown in the third and fourth quarter. John Molitor led the Eagles with 100 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Molitor also caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from Riley Krehbiel.
Santa Fe Trail remained unbeaten with a 42-14 win over Iola. The Chargers played without leading rusher Will Herren who rushed for 626 yards and 12 touchdowns in the first three games. In his absence, freshman McClain Weekley rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries to lead the Chargers. Sophomore quarterback Andrew Berckefeldt passed for 156 yards and three touchdowns; two to Angel Esparza who caught four passes for 130 yards.
Baldwin improved to 3-1 by doubling-up Spring Hill, 40-20 on Friday night. The Bulldogs outscored Spring Hill 14-0 in the second half en route to victory. Baldwin has now won two consecutive games under new coach Doug Kerr and equaled its win total from last season.
Class 3A:
Hutchinson Trinity stayed unbeaten with a 32-19 victory over Sedgwick. The Celtics led 18-6 at halftime and put the game away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Junior quarterback Kaleb Hammeke rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown and passed for 114 yards and two more scores. Freshman Andrew Bergmeier added 118 yards rushing and two scores on 17 attempts. Bergmeier now has 464 rushing yards and five touchdowns this season.
Southeast of Saline came back to beat rival Sacred Heart, 44-41, in NCAA play. Southeast of Saline had lost the previous two weeks by a combined nine points. The Trojans led at halftime, but Sacred Heart took a 34-22 advantage after a touchdown late in the third quarter. Then, SES’ Damon Douglas responded with an 87-yard kick return for a score. The Trojans regained the lead on a 3-yard run by Hunter White. After an interception, White scored from 34 yards out on the next offensive play. White led the Trojans with 37 rushes for 195 yards and passed for 208. David Anderson threw for 368 yards for Sacred Heart.
In NCAA play, Russell trailed Minneapolis 12-0 at halftime, but scored 27 unanswered points and recovered for a 27-18 victory. The Broncos won its third straight contest, their longest winning streak since 2010. Russell has used defensive touchdowns to great success in 2017 and added another one. In the third quarter, tailback Chris Pummell scored on a one-yard run. Austin Price found Brody Whitman for a 35-yard touchdown pass. Then, Price had a 25-yard pick-six. Rhett Pospichal had a 19-yard touchdown run for the fourth score. Russell is now plus-9 in turnover margin.
Lakin moved to 4-0 with a 56-6 road win against Sublette. Lakin’s 271 yards all came on the ground. Senior Clay Michel finished with seven carries for 124 yards and two scores. Four players tallied a rushing touchdown. Senior Khai Hernandez returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, and the Broncs defense picked off three passes.
Belle Plaine beat Northeast-Arma, 68-0. The Dragons had lost three games in row and were giving up 80.6 points per game entering Friday’s contest. Belle Plaine tallied 28 points in the first and second quarters. Bo Gooch finished 8 of 12 for 178 yards and five scores. Northeast has now lost 16 straight games.
Riley County remained unbeaten with a 37-14 win over St. Marys. The Falcons rushed for 316 yards and nearly had three players break the 100-yard mark. Mikey Waggoner led the Falcons with 156 yards and a touchdown while also catching a touchdown pass. Tyler Halstead added 149 rushing yards and rushed for two scores, while Ty Nelson chipped in 98 yards rushing on only nine carries.
Class 2-1A:
La Crosse defeated Ellsworth, 31-26. The Bearcats had been undefeated entering the contest. Sophomore quarterback Hunter Morgan completed 12 of 15 passes for 173 yards and three scores. He rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown. Ellsworth led 20-13 at halftime.
After losses to powers Smith Center, Phillipsburg and Norton, Plainville made a key position switch and delivered a 24-6 home victory against Thomas More Prep. The Cardinals moved senior all-stater Hayden Gillum from offensive line to fullback. He finished with 21 carries for 152 yards and pair of touchdowns and missed most of the second half with cramps. Gillum had played spot time at fullback in a Week 1 loss to Smith Center.
Olpe’s defense provided a standout effort in a 13-8 home win against Burlington. The Eagles picked off three passes and had a goal-line stand at the end of the third quarter. Olpe (2-2) had a pair of interceptions early, including one in the end zone. However, after a Burlington fumble, Olpe scored on a 25-yard pass from Colby Hoelting to Damon Schmidt. Blaine Hinrichs had a receiving touchdown for the second score.
Horton stopped a two-game losing skid with a 57-16 road win at Maranatha Academy. The Chargers forced seven total turnovers and intercepted five Eagle passes. Horton held Maranatha to 36 rushing yards on 15 attempts. The Chargers will host the No. 2 ranked Jefferson County North Chargers this week.
Class 8-man I
Pleasanton, playing its third game in eight days, opened district play with a 60-14 victory against Lebo. The Wolves led 8-6 after the first quarter before Pleasanton came back. Pleasanton outscored Lebo, 36-6, in the second quarter. The Blujays, which haven’t had a winning record since 2008, are 3-1 this season. Friday’s win marked the second of four straight road games.
Division I’s Argonia-Attica held off Division II’s South Barber, 34-30, in a key matchup. Both teams are 3-1. South Barber had not permitted a point this season entering Week 4. The lead changed hands four times in the second half. Trevor Pierce intercepted a pass at the goal line with 1:32 left. A&A used Masen McDaniel, generally a lineman, at quarterback for several key plays, including a completion after Pierce’s interception that allowed the Titans to run out the clock. South Barber led 22-20 with 9:06 left in the contest before McDaniel had a 32-yard run on third down and completed a jump pass for a score. The TD gave the Titans a 28-22 lead with 6:48 remaining.
Oxford defeated Stafford, 48-24, and earned a victory after back-to-back big losses to West Elk and Sedan. Oxford led 16-6 at halftime and outscored Stafford, 20-12, in the third quarter and 12-6 in the fourth quarter. Cal Shimkus had a big game with touchdown runs of six, 35, 70 and a 53-yard touchdown reception.
West Elk won at Central Burden, 52-6. Senior Cade Miller had another big game with 19 carries for 236 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 5 of 11 passes for 64 yards with a 2/1 TD/INT ratio. Junior William Silvey had nine carries for 57 yards and two rushing scores.
Logan-Palco moved to 4-0 with a 52-0 victory against Stockton for Palco’s Homecoming. David Thompson delivered six carries for 103 yards and two scores. Quarterback Riley Allen tallied 129 total yards and three touchdowns.
Hill City won, 55-8, at Quinter for the Bulldogs’ Homecoming. Hill City scored 27 in the first quarter and 28 in the second. Ethan Hamel had nine carries for 145 yards and five rushing touchdowns.
South Gray, 2-7 last season, moved to a surprising 4-0 with a 70-0 home victory against Minneola. The Rebels scored 46 points in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Austin Jantz threw for 49 yards and completed both of his pass attempts for touchdowns. He and senior Brock Davis tacked on a pair of rushing TDs.
Class 8-man II
Caldwell rolled over Flinthills, 58-22. The Bluejays (4-0) started the scoring with a 19-yard pass from Corbin Rice to Jalen Risley. Flinthills responded with a touchdown, but Caldwell tacked on two more scores with a Jalen Risley 30-yard reception and a Dru Volavka 51-yard run. Caldwell finished with 332 yards of offense in a game that featured 16 flags for 149 yards. Rice passed for 85 yards, while Volavka led with 142 rushing yards.
After an 0-3 start against St. Francis, Atwood and Hoxie, Sharon Springs-Wallace County won its first game with a 42-14 home win against WaKeeney-Trego. The Wildcats led 14-0 at halftime and 28-0 by the end of the third quarter. Wallace County is at Otis-Bison this week to open district play.
Dighton held on to beat Northern Valley, 36-20, in a home contest. The Hornets moved to 4-0 and 16-1 in its last 17 contests after a Division II state runner-up appearance last season. The game was tied at six after the first quarter, and the Hornets led 22-16 at halftime. Dighton ran 40 times for 308 yards. Junior Blair Hoffman finished with 21 carries for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Dalton Hoffman had nine carries for 100 yards and a score. For Northern Valley, senior Caden Kinderknecht completed 6 of 15 passes for 79 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He rushed 24 times for 91 yards.
Wilson earned its first victory of 2017 with a 46-12 home win versus Tescott. Brady Mermis and Kory Kriley both went over 135 rushing yards and tallied three touchdowns apiece. Wilson led 18-12 before 28 straight points. Of the final four scores, two came from Kriley and the other two by Mermis.
Beloit St. John’s-Tipton defeated Lincoln, 44-42, when the Blujays stopped a two-point conversion with 11 seconds remaining. Ty Brummer scored five touchdowns for BSJT, and Drew Biggs tallied five scores for Lincoln in a back-and-forth game. With 7:29 left, Brummer scored from four yards out for a 42-36 advantage, and Kail Dubbert ran in the two-point conversion for the eventual game-winning score.
KCAA
Veritas Christian scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to overcome KC East (Mo.) 48-32. The Eagles led KC East 28-26 after three quarters and used three fourth-quarter touchdowns to secure the win. Quinton Donohoe rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw a pair of touchdown passes. Matthew Evans led Veritas with more than 100 yards rushing and a score.
Wichita Life Prep Academy improved to 2-1 overall with a 52-0 shut out of St. John’s Military. The Fire scored 32 points in the first quarter and 20 more in the second quarter to end the game at halftime. Life Prep will take on Cornerstone Christian (Mo.) on Saturday, while St. John’s Military will travel to Veritas Christian on Friday.
6-Man
Pawnee Heights won the rematch of last seasons’ inaugural 6-Man championship with a 51-6 thrashing of Weskan. Junior back Kade Scott led the Tigers with 237 yards rushing and scored five touchdowns in the game. Scott now has more than 650 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns this season. Pawnee Heights ended Weskan’s 11-game winning streak. Two of those Coyote wins came against Pawnee Heights last season; 36-25 during the regular season and 36-18 in the 6-Man championship game.
Cheylin rolled to a 79-34 victory over Fowler to improve to 3-1 on the season. The Cougars were led by senior Manny Castillo who rushed for 265 yards and five touchdowns on 29 carries. Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Colton McCarty passed for 144 yards and four touchdowns and added 167 yards and two more scores on the ground.
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