Kpreps High School Football Rankings: Nov. 16th
(Courtesy of Kpreps.com)
Class 6A
No. 1 Derby rolled to a 40-20 win at then No. 1 Lawrence after a rough start. After an early fumble led to a Lawrence touchdown, Dylan Edwards returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. That jump-started the Panthers to score four more time in the first half to lead 33-6 at the break.
No. 2 Olathe North led 21-0 before holding off Blue Valley, 28-21. The Eagles were led by Aquantez Love’s 103 yards and two touchdowns. Olathe North held Blue Valley to 47 rush yards on 23 attempts.
No. 3 Blue Valley North scored 30 unanswered points in defeating Shawnee Mission Northwest, 30-6. Quarterback Henry Martin threw four touchdown passes to lead the Mustang offense back to the state semifinal game.
No. 4 Junction City outscored Wichita East 49-42 to advance to the 6A semifinals. D.J. Giddens scored on an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:409 remaining to put the Blue Jays on top. Giddens finished with five rushing touchdowns on the night.
No. 5 Lawrence suffered its first loss of the season in a 40-20 game against defending-champion Derby. Devin Neal finished his brilliant career as a Chesty Lion with 177 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Class 5A
No. 1 Wichita Northwest outscored Kapaun Mt. Carmel 19-0 over the final three quarters in order to advance to the state semifinals. While the Grizzly offense was slowed some, Geremiah Moore returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Carson Arndt connected on two field goals.
No. 2 Mill Valley overcame five turnovers in grinding out a low-scoring, physical win over De Soto, 16-13. The Jaguars now advance to the state semifinals for the second consecutive season and for the fifth time in the past six years.
No. 3 Bishop Carroll outscored Maize 21-7 in the second half en route to a 49-35 win and a trip to the Class 5A state semifinals. Carroll quarterback Aiden Niedens threw three touchdown passes to Oscar Gallardo and Niedens also rushed for two scores in the victory.
No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals for the seventh consecutive season with a 32-7 win over Blue Valley Southwest.
No. 5 Kapaun Mt. Carmel challenged top-ranked Wichita Northwest before falling 26-14. Kapaun finished 8-2 in Weston Schartz’s first season as Crusader head coach after finishing 2-7 a year ago.
Class 4A
No. 1 Bishop Miege kept its drive for a seventh consecutive state title alive with a 30-7 win at Tonganoxie. Stag quarterback Timothy Dorsey passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns and added a 35-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave Miege a 21-7 lead.
No. 2 St. James Academy advanced to the first state semifinal in school history with a 56-35 win over Basehor-Linwood. This was the Thunder’s second win over the Bobcats this season. Dakota Burritt threw four touchdown passes and La’James White added three rushing scores for the Thunder.
No. 3 McPherson stays put in the rankings after a 27-21 win over Buhler. The win puts the Bullpups into the state semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. McPherson will look to advance to its first state football championship game when it hosts Ark City (5-6) in this week’s semifinal.
No. 4 Paola had its season end with a 45-35 loss to St. James Academy in the second round of the 4A playoffs.
No. 5 Tonganoxie pulled to within 14-7 of Bishop Miege at halftime on a Sam Kleidosty touchdown run, but the Chieftains couldn’t product any points in the second half of a 30-7 loss to the Stags. Tyler Bowden finished his career with a 104-yard night on 25 attempts.
Class 3A
No. 1 Andale rushed for 430 yards in a 42-0 shutout of Riley County. Eli Rowland led the Indian offense with 215 yards and two scores, while Noah Meyer added 176 yards and two scores.
No. 2 Perry-Lecompton is back in the state semifinals after a 49-14 win over Prairie View. Thad Metcalfe rushed for 152 yards and three scores as the Kaws advanced to host No. 4 Holton.
No. 3 Wichita Collegiate scored on a 7-yard touchdown run by quarterback Wesley Fair with under a minute to go to defeat Southeast of Saline, 27-22. The Spartans had held a 21-8 lead before Southeast of Saline scored twice to take a 22-21 lead. Collegiate will now travel to Andale for a rematch with the Indians.
No. 4 Holton advanced to the semifinals with a 42-6 win at Frontenac. The Wildcats used an early pass to set their first score after entering the contest with only 23 pass attempts all season. Canon Karn rushed for three touchdowns in the game.
No. 5 Topeka Hayden had its season end with a 20-7 loss to Perry-Lecompton in the second round of the 3A playoffs.
Class 2A
No. 1 Rossville scored all 56 points in the first half of a dominating 56-7 win at St. Mary’s Colgan. Five different Bulldawgs scored touchdowns in the game. Torrey Horak threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores.
No. 2 Hoisington used a strong defensive performance in the second half to advance past Garden Plain, 28-14. Holt Hanzlick rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals. Hoisington will travel to Beloit in this week’s state semifinal game. The Cardinals beat Beloit 26-20 during the regular season.
No. 3 Nemaha Central won a defensive battle at Osage City, 7-0. The Thunder scored the only points of the game on a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Zac Kramer in the first quarter.
No. 4 Silver Lake season ended with a 40-30 loss to Nemaha Central in the second round of the 2A playoffs.
No. 5 Osage City lost a 7-0 defensive battle to defending-champion Nemaha Central. The Indians finished the season 9-2 with a pair of 7-point losses to Nemaha Central and Lyndon.
Class 1A
No. 1 Olpe did not play but received a COVID-forfeit victory over Uniontown to advance to the state semifinal round. The Eagles will now host No. 3 Lyndon for a chance to play in the 1A title game. Olpe defeated Lyndon 13-7 back in Week 3.
No. 2 Inman turned in a dominating 46-6 performance against Conway Springs to advance to the state semifinals for the first time since 1991. The Teutons rushed for 328 yards in the win. Inman will travel to Oakley for the second time this season. Inman won the earlier meeting, 39-13 back in Week 4.
No. 3 Lyndon reversed a 48-17 regular-season loss to Centralia by eliminating the defending-champion Panthers, 26-14. Lyndon led 12-0 at halftime and answered each Centralia score in the second half with a touchdown to retain a two-score advantage.
No. 4 Oakley reversed a 42-14 regular season loss to Smith Center by shutting out the Redmen 20-0 on Friday. Ethan Abell rushed for more than 200 yards in the victory. This is the Plainsmen’s first trip to the semifinals since 2009.
No. 5 Centralia’s bid for a second consecutive Class 1A title ended with a 26-14 loss to Lyndon. The Panthers had defeated the Tigers 48-17 back in Week 7.
Eight-Man Division I
No. 1 Leoti-Wichita County assumes the top spot in the 8M-I poll after Canton-Galva’s loss to Madison. The Indians posted another dominant victory – shutting out Argonia-Attica 52-0. Kayde Rietzke threw three touchdown passes and Jesse Gardner rushed for two scores for the Indians. Wichita County will face Hoxie who they defeated 54-20 in season-opener.
No. 2 Madison won at Canton-Galva 34-24 by shutting out the defending champion Eagles in the second half. Madison forced six turnovers in the game and returned a kickoff and an interception for touchdowns. The Bulldogs will host No. 4 Little River in the semifinals this week.
No. 3 Canton-Galva committed six turnovers and saw its state-leading 23-game win streak end in a 34-24 loss to Madison.
No. 4 Little River used a 30-6 second half to roll to a 70-26 win over Chase County. Jayden Garrison rushed for 210 yards and three scores while Graham Stephens added three more rushing touchdowns. Little River will travel to No. 2 Madison in the semifinals this week.
No. 5 Hoxie moves into the poll after a 58-12 road victory over Goessel. The Indians trailed 12-8 before running off 50 straight points. Ashton Dowell and Ryan Shaw each rushed for three scores. The Indians will now host Leoti-Wichita County – the only team to defeat Hoxie this season.
Eight-Man, Division II
No. 1 Saint Francis remains in the top spot after a 48-0 shutout of Caldwell on Saturday. It marks the Indians’ sixth shutout of the season and their third consecutive. Saint Francis has now reached the state semifinals for the third consecutive season and the fourth time in the past five years.
No. 2 Hanover scored 42 points in the first quarter in rolling to a 48-0 win over previously-unbeaten Colony-Crest. The Wildcats will travel to No. 4 Frankfort this week. The two teams did not meet during the regular season due to Frankfort’s quarantine.
No. 3 Victoria held off Wheatland-Grinnell 44-26 to advance to the semifinals. Grant Schoenrock accounted for four touchdowns and Jayvon Pruitt rushed for 224 yards and two scores.
No. 4 Frankfort scored on a 61-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Gornelison to Aiden Gerstner with 5:36 remaining to beat Lebo, 46-40. That score broke a 40-40 tie in a wild game that saw nine lead changes.
No. 5 Lebo fell 46-40 at Frankfort to end their season. The Wolves fell behind 40-28 before a pair of Devan McEwen touchdowns tied the game at 40. McEwen rushed for six touchdowns in the game.
