It’s that time again! High school football starts in full force this week and once again Kpreps will be your source of information for the action across Kansas.
Last season was certainly unprecedented and things could be just as challenging this fall as we’ve already had multiple games cancelled for the opening week. We will do our best to keep you informed of schedule changes and how those changes impact district and playoff standings. Like last year, we anticipate assisting schools across Kansas to find opponents in the event that their schedule suddenly changes.
Kpreps.com kicks off the 2021 season with the release our Kpreps.com Top 5 rankings. The Kpreps rankings are a collaborative effort from multiple media sources across the state and will be released each Monday throughout the season.
Visit our Rankings page, take a look at our preseason rankings and let the debate begin!
Class 6A
It’s probably no surprise that Derby opens the season as the top-ranked team in Class 6A for a sixth consecutive year. The Panthers have reached the 6A state championship game in six consecutive seasons and won five titles. Is a sixth in store for Brandon Clark’s group? Who do we expect to be the primary challengers this fall?
Class 5A
Mill Valley won a second consecutive state title last fall by topping Wichita Northwest for a second consecutive year in the title game. The Jaguars also won back-to-back Class 5A titles in 2015 and 2016. Will there be a third straight meeting with Wichita Northwest in Pittsburg this season?
Class 4A
St. James Academy captured the 2020 Class 4A state title ending Bishop Miege’s reign of six consecutive state championships. The two Eastern Kansas League rivals are among the favorites in what should be a competitive 4A classification.
Class 3A
Andale won its second straight Class 3A state title by defeating Perry-Lecompton for a second consecutive season. The Indians took some heavy losses to graduation, but is their depth enough to secure their position as the favorite in the state’s deepest classification?
Class 2A
Rossville captured the 2A state title last fall by holding off Hoisington, 27-20. The Bulldawgs return plenty of firepower to get back to the title game, but will have to go through several experienced contenders on the eastern half of the state.
Class 1A
Olpe rode the strength of its stifling defense to capture the Class 1A title last fall. The Eagles return several key starters back from a defense that allowed only 35 total points last season. Which teams are expected to emerge as the primary contenders to keep Olpe from a repeat?
Kpreps – Class 1A Rankings
Class 8M-I
It is hard to imagine a more entertaining finale than played out by Little River and Leoti-Wichita County in last year’s Class 8-Man, Division I title game. The two teams traded score for score before Little River eventually held on for a 70-58 victory. The Redskins graduated the majority of their offensive production, but several key pieces return. The upper division of eight-man football is always among the most competitive, and this year appears no different.
Class 8M-II
Hanover claimed its seventh state title last fall - the schools’ fourth in the past five seasons. The Wildcats graduated multiple all-state players off of last year’s team, but it’s difficult to ignore the consistent run of success of Matt Heuer’s program. Who will be the primary challengers to another Wildcat title?
Class 6-Man
Kpreps plans to rank the top three teams in 6-Man football this fall as part of the Rankings press release.
Defending 6-man champion Cheylin opens the season as the consensus No. 1 in 6-Man. The Cougars must replace 6-Man player of the year Colton McCarty, but will look no further than his brother Logan McCarty.
Second-ranked Ashland returns several key players, including Landen McPhail, from a 4-1 season a year ago.
Finally, Cunningham opens the season in the No. 3 spot in the 6-Man rankings. The Wildcats finished 6-2 a season ago and return nearly all of their top players from that team.
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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