There are changes at the top of two classifications in this week’s Kpreps Rankings, but more importantly, the second season is upon. District play will be in full swing in all classifications beginning this week. Let’s take a look at the Kpreps Rankings for Week 7!
Class 6A
Lawrence Free State remains the top ranked team in the state’s largest class. The Firebirds beat Olathe Northwest 42-14 on Thursday night after putting up more than 400 yards of total offense. Free State will host Olathe East this week.
Second-ranked Shawnee Mission East rolled to a 43-14 victory over Olathe East last Thursday. The Lancers and Hawks entered Week 6 as the top two teams on the east side of Class 6A in terms of seeding for bracket play. Shawnee Mission East will host Lawrence this week. The Lions are now tied with Blue Valley with the second best record on the east side of 6A.
Derby won a weather-shortened game at Salina Central, 34-0. The Panthers played without quarterback Grant Adler who suffered a chest injury late in the Week 5 victory over Bishop Carroll. Derby takes on Salina South this week.
Wichita Northwest remains No. 4 this week after using a big second half to rally for a 36-23 win over previously-unbeaten Garden City. The Grizzlies trailed 23-6 at halftime but shutout the Buffs in the second half. Northwest scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to register the 13-point win.
Manhattan beat rival Junction City 42-12 and claimed the Silver Trophy for the second consecutive season. The large margin of victory was rate for the Silver Trophy series. The past eight meetings between Manhattan and Junction City had been decided by nine points or less. With the win, Manhattan claimed at least a share of the Centennial League title for the eight time in the past nine seasons.
Class 5A
Goddard remained unbeaten by beating Arkansas City 44-21. Senior quarterback Blake Sullivan exited the game in the first quarter with an injury. Freshman Kyler Semrad came on to pass for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Second-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas built a 34-0 lead in defeating No. 5 St. James Academy, 34-14. The Saints held St. James to 160 yards of total offense. St. James dropped one spot in this week’s poll after the loss.
Bishop Carroll retains the No. 3 spot this week after a 42-6 win over Wichita South. The Golden Eagles have a big showdown with No. 4 Wichita Heights this week. Heights scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Kapaun Mount Carmel, 34-24.
Class 4A-I
Bishop Miege’s 54-21 victory at Mill Valley coupled with St. James Academy’s loss to St. Thomas Aquinas give the Stags the outright Eastern Kansas League title. Miege now enters district play this week at home with Eudora.
Second-ranked De Soto rolled to a 42-0 shutout of Baldwin to improve to 6-0. It was the third shutout of the season for the Wildcats. Opponents have scored only 36 total points against the Wildcats this season.
Buhler stays in the No. 3 spot this week after a 24-6 road win at Augusta. The Crusaders have won five consecutive games since a loss to McPherson in the season opener. Buhler travels to undefeated Andale this week in one of the top games on the Week 7 schedule.
Maize South rolled past Winfield 49-21 on Friday to improve to 5-1. The Mavericks will host Augusta this week to open district play.
McPherson stays in the No. 5 spot this week after shutting out Rose Hill, 35-0. The Bullpups open district play with a road trip to Hays.
Class 4A-II
There’s a new No. 1 atop this week’s 4A-II poll. The defending-champion Pratt Greenbacks return to the top of the classification after a 39-30 victory at Halstead. Pratt led 39-14 entering the fourth quarter before the Dragons pulled closer.
Pratt narrowly edges out Scott City for the top spot. The Beavers move up to No. 2 this week with a 28-6 win over Wellington. Scott City opens district play this week by hosting Colby.
Columbus falls two spots to No. 3 this week after falling 33-29 at unbeaten Galena. The Titans fell behind Galena 26-7 in the second quarter before rallying to take a 29-26 lead on a Ridge Smith touchdown in the fourth quarter. Galena took the lead with five minutes left and sacked Columbus on a fourth-down play deep in Galena territory to secure the win.
Holcomb moves up one spot in this week’s poll to No. 4. The Longhorns shutout previously-unbeaten Lakin, 21-0, on Friday night. Holcomb’s defense held the Broncs to less than 30 yards of total offense in the win.
Finally, Smoky Valley enters the top five for the first time this season with a 22-0 win over Lyons in a game that was called “final” after the first quarter. The Vikings have won four consecutive contests since a 28-14 loss to Larned back in Week 2.
Class 3A
Nemaha Central remained unbeaten with a 30-13 victory at Perry-Lecompton. Now the top-ranked Thunder will turn its attention to this week’s showdown with unbeaten Sabetha in a game that will likely decide the Big 7 Conference title.
Second-ranked Phillipsburg overcame a long weather delay and picked up a solid win at Larned. The Panthers begin district play against pass-happy Thomas More Prep this week.
Silver Lake claimed another Mid-East League title with a 41-14 victory over Riley County. The Falcons closed to within 26-14 in the third quarter before the Eagles put the game away with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Conway Springs picked up a solid 44-13 victory against Mulvane. The fourth-ranked Cardinals will take on fifth-ranked Garden Plain this week in one of the marquee games in the state this week. The Cardinals and Owls are part of a loaded District 10 that also includes Cheney (6-0) and Chaparral (5-1).
Class 2-1A
Smith Center remains atop the Class 2-1A poll after a 33-7 victory at Ellis. The Redmen and Railers ended their game late the first quarter due to severe weather. Smith Center gets Sacred Heart team this week. The Knights have dropped five consecutive games after a season-opening win.
Lyndon moves up a spot to No. 2 in this week’s poll after a 30-17 road victory at previously-unbeaten Osage City. Lyndon’s Dexton Swinehart rushed for 236 yards, scored five touchdowns, and led the Tiger defense with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The Tigers likely secured the Flint Hills League title with the win.
Third-ranked Jefferson County North entered Friday averaging more than 50 points per game but struggled to a 12-6 win over Christ Prep Academy. Ridge Robertson’s touchdown run with five minutes left in the fourth quarter put the Chargers up 12-0 before the Patriots scored a late touchdown.
Ell-Saline remains at No. 4 in this week’s poll. The Cardinals led Sterling 14-6 in the second quarter before the game was postponed due to weather. Unfortunately, the two schools could not agree on a time to resume the game and decided to cancel the game with no result. The game would have had significant Heart of America League implications with Ell-Saline at 5-0, Marion at 5-1, and Sterling at 4-1 in league play.
Valley Heights narrowly remains in this week’s poll with both Centralia and St. Mary’s Colgan closing in on the voting. The Mustangs shut out Oswego, 48-0 on Saturday. Valley Heights has a key district game at unbeaten Jackson Heights this week.
Class 8M-I
There’s a new No.1 in this week’s poll as Atwood-Rawlins County topped rival Saint Francis, 40-32, in the battle for the Yoke. The loss was the first regular season defeat for St. Francis under coach Rodney Yates.
As a result, Saint Francis drops to No. 4 in this week’s poll opening the door for Burlingame to take over the top spot. The Bearcats overcame a long road trip and long weather delay to win a district showdown over Clifton-Clyde, 48-0.
Burlingame is closely followed in this week’s poll by Spearville. When we say close, we mean by a matter of a single vote. The Royal Lancers improved to 6-0 with a 58-8 win over Ness City. Spearville will face unbeaten Satanta this week.
Defending champion Osborne moves up to the No. 3 spot this week. The Bulldogs won a key district game at Logan-Palco on a wet, sloppy turf. Osborne led 16-10 after one quarter and held the Trojans scoreless the rest of the game. The Bulldogs will host traditional-power Victoria this week in another District 4 showdown.
Hoxie stays in the poll at No. 5 this week after a 54-0 win at Quinter. The Indians sent Quinter to a 26th consecutive loss. Hoxie will host WaKeeney-Trego this week.
Class 8M-II
Hanover cruised to a fourth consecutive shutout in beating Blue Valley Randolph 62-0. The Wildcats have allowed opponents to score a total of 12 points all season. During their state title run in 2016, Hanover also recorded four straight shutouts to begin the season and five on the year.
Pike Valley remains No. 2 this week. The Panthers led Mankato-Rock Hills 22-6 in the second quarter on Friday when the game was delayed due to weather. The Panthers and Grizzlies will finish their battle of unbeatens on Monday night.
Otis-Bison shut out Tribune-Greeley County 50-0 on Friday and remains in the No. 3 spot in this week’s poll. The Cougars, Hodgeman County, and unbeaten Dighton all sit at 2-0 in District 6. Otis-Bison hosts Dighton this week.
Hodgeman County rolled past Triplains-Brewster, 52-6. The game began on Friday night but was delayed due to weather and finished on Saturday. The Longhorns have won four straight game since their lone loss to Spearville. Hodgeman County will travel to Sharon Springs-Wallace County this week.
Hutchinson Central Christian stays in the No. 5 spot after a 68-8 win at Hartford. The Cougars jumped out to a 38-0 lead after the first quarter and cruised to their sixth straight victory. Central Christian remains the top scoring team in the state with 412 points this season.
Visit the Rankings page each week to view a complete list of the top five teams in each classification and how they performed last week.
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