Manhattan shut out Olathe Northwest, 27-0, to capture the school’s fourth state title. The Indians held the Ravens to 132 yards on 44 plays and nine first downs, of which four were a result of Manhattan penalties. Manhattan got on the board with a 31-yard touchdown run by Finn Watson in the middle of the second quarter. The Indians took a two-score lead before halftime as J.J. Dunnigan took a short pass from Watson and broke free for a 68-yard touchdown. Dunnigan added another touchdown catch in the third quarter to put the Indians up 20-0. Watson later added a short touchdown run in the final two mintues for the 27-0 margin. Watson rushed for 142 yards and passed for 118 yards. Dunnigan caught three passes for 111 yards.
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Cooper Reves rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns as Salina Central used a big second half to defeat Basehor-Linwood, 51-34. The Mustangs trailed Basehor-Linwood 14-10 at halftime, but recovered a fumble on the second-half kickoff and quckly took the lead on a short Griffin Hall touchdown run. That just started the momentum as Salina Central forced five Bobcat turnovers in the second hald turning a 14-10 halftime deficit into a 37-14 lead. Basehor-Linwood scored a pair of touchdowns to pull within 37-27 in the fourth, but Reves answered for Salina Central to push the lead back to 44-27. Basehor-Linwood quarterback Carson Dixon threw a long touchdown pass, his fourth of the game, to pull the Bobcats to within ten again, but Reves again answered with a touchdown run. The state title is the seventh in Salina Central school history.
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Kapaun Mt. Carmel dominated Bishop Miege, 56-21, to win the schools' first state football championship since 1987. The Crusaders rushed fro 540 yards in the game led by junior Ken Huff's 250 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts. Wyatt Sullenger added 123 yards and two scores and Cal Purvis added 95 yards and three touchdowns. Purvis scored in the final seconds of the second quarter to build a 28-7 lead. The Crusaders then took further control with three third-quarter touchdowns to lead 49-7. Landon Cole threw three touchdown passes for Miege.
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Andale won its second consecutive Class 3A state championship and pushed its current winning streak to 26 games with a 38-6 victory over Topeka Hayden. After a scoreless first quarter, Andale broke the drought on a 1-yard touchdown run by Sam Harp. A few minutes later, the Indians scored again as Harp hit Crus Kaiser on a pass. As Kaiser turned toward the goal line, the ball was stripped by the Hayden defender and fumbled into the end zone where it was recovered by Andale’s Hunter Grimes for the score. Hayden pulled to within 16-6 in the third quarter, but Andale quickly turned a Wildcat fumble into points on Harp's 46- yard touchdown run. The Indians scored twice more on touchdown runs by Jack Horsch and another by Harp - his third of the night. Harp finished with 144 yards on the ground. Andale captured its ninth overall state title and their sixth in the past seven seasons.
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Nemaha Central used a pair of early special teams touchdowns to take control and defeat Southeast of Saline, 35-6, to win the Class 2A state championship. Caleb Strathman returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, then a few plays later, returned a Trojan punt 76 yards for a score to put Nemaha Central up 14-0. The Trojans pulled to within 14-6 and threatened again before halftime, but a fumble gave the ball back to Nemaha Central. One play later, Carter Hajek broke free for a 68-yard touchdown run and a 21-6 lead. Hajek added another rushing score in the third quarter as part of his 32-carry, 211-yard effort. Jayden Seitz added an 8-yard touchdown fun to complete the scoring for Nemaha Central. The title marks the fourth in school history and the third in the past four seasons for the Thunder.
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Sterling trailed 34-28 with :52 second remaining when Logan Isaac hit Jacob Lewis on a 24-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Lane Weigel connected on the ensuing PAT to lift the Black Bears to a 35-34 victory over Rossville in the Class 1A state championship game. The Black Bears dominated early in building a 21-6 lead, but Rossville answered with three consecutive touchdowns spanning the second and third quarters to take a 28-21 lead. Zane Farney broke a pair of long runs to tie the score at 28 in the fourth quarter. Rossville scored mid-way through the fourth quarter, but the PAT was blocked. Isaac's touchdown pass to Lewis and Weigel's PAT gave Sterling its second state football championship, and first since 1982. Farney carried 27 times for 279 yards and three touchdowns in his final high school game. He pushed his season totals to 2,326 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns and surpassed 6,700 career yards with 90 scores.
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South Central claimed the 8M-I state football championship with a 34-8 victory over Lincoln. The Timberwolves used a stout defense and forced two early turnovers to take a two-score lead. Easton Huck's touchdown run put South Central up 8-0, and after a Lincoln turnover, Coda Lindsay added a score for a 14-0 lead. Lincoln pulled to within 14-8 on a Jeremiah Miller run, but Lindsay later blocked a Leopard punt into the end zone and Colt Yoder recovered for a South Central touchdown to extend the lead to 22-8. Lindsay added two second-half touchdowns as the Timberwolves pulled away. Lindsay rushed for 178 yards and three scores, while Huck added 111 yards on the ground.
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Hanover used big plays and a pair of timely takeaways to defeat Victoria, 28-20, in the 8M-II championship game. After falling behind 14-12 in the third quarter, Hanover immeditely responded with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Kadrick Cohorst to Cooper Bruna. After Victoria tied the game at 20-20, Hunter Kickhaefer intercepted a Victoria pass. Hanover then scored on a reverse pass from Braylon Meyn to Kickhaefer to take a 28-20 lead. Kickhaefer picked off another Knight pass late in the game to secure the win. The championship is the eighth in school history and the seventh since 2008 under Coach Matt Heuer.
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Cunningham captured its second state football championship with a commanding 51-8 victory over Weskan. The Wildcats rushed for 401 yards in the win led by senior Skyler Thimesch's 223-yard, four-touchdown performance. Stephen Kerschen added 186 yards and two scores on 19 attempts. After falling behind early, the Wildcats got a Kerschen touchdown and a defensive score from Brody Bock to take the lead. Cunningham led 19-8 at halftime, then pulled away with three touchdowns from Thimesch and two from Kerschen in the second half. Cunningham will make the to move up to Eight-Man, Division II next season.
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Last updated: December 04, 2025 - 12:29 am
