Football season is upon us as we begin our 16th season of covering Kansas high school football at Kpreps! We will once again aim to be your source of information for the action across the state.
Kpreps.com kicks off the 2023 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
In one of the more memorable finishes in recent history, Manhattan stopped a Gardner-Edgerton two-point attempt in overtime to claim the 2022 Class 6A state championship with a 21-20 win. The Indians completed a hard-earned undefeated season with two wins each over traditional power Derby and Wichita Northwest. While Manhattan must replace a talented senior class, they have the pieces in place for another deep playoff run. Gardner-Edgerton returns its entire backfield along with a strong nucleus up front on the offensive line, but must replace several starters on the defensive side of the ball. Wichita Northwest may be the most talented team in the classification, and while Derby must replace a dynamic playmaker in Dylan Edwards, Brandon Clark’s Panthers are always a factor.
Class 5A
Mill Valley won a fourth consecutive 5A state title last fall by topping Maize by the identical score of 28-14 in the state championship game for a second consecutive year. If the Jaguars are to claim their seventh 5A title in the last nine years, they may have to rely on their offensive and defensive lines which feature several talented returners with offers at the next level. While the Jaguars will have a new quarterback leading the offense, Tristan Baker returns in the backfield after more than 1,400 yards and 20 scores on the ground last season. Check out the remainder of the preseason 5A poll at the link below.
Class 4A
Last season, Bishop Miege ended fellow EKL member St. James Academy’s two-year run atop of classification as the Stags beat Wamego 35-14 in the 4A title game. The championship was the seventh for Miege in the past nine years after the Stags won six straight titles from 2014-2019. This year, Miege brings back several talented linemen to help ease the transition for a new quarterback after all-stater Mac Armstrong graduated. Several teams are expected to challenge Miege, including their EKL rivals St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James. On the western half, Wamego hope to prove it has staying power among the traditional contenders Andover Central and McPherson.
Class 3A
Andale continued its dominant run in Class 3A with a fourth consecutive state championship. The Indians have pushed their win streak to 51 consecutive game – currently the longest streak in the nation. Andale has dominated in the state championship games claiming their last four titles by a combined score of 136-7. The Indians have pitched shutouts in each of the last three title games. Although the Andale graduated a strong group of seniors, are there any challengers that can prevent a fifth straight crown for the Indians?
Class 2A
Nemaha Central completed an undefeated season in 2022 capturing the schools’ second Class 2A state football title in the past four years. The Thunder topped Kingman 33-17 in the title game. Nemaha Central will have to replace workhorse running back Cooper Hajek who produced a 2,000-yard season on the ground. Hajek’s younger brother Carter may take over the role of primary ball carrier. Whoever does so will benefit from four returning starters on the offensive line. Class 2A is expected to be balanced with several teams contending for a trip to the title game. Check out our 2A poll to see which teams are among the favorites in the class.
Class 1A
The St. Marys Bears claimed their first-ever state football championship by scoring late to top Inman, 44-41. After a late Inman fumble, the Bears went on a dramatic game-winning 99-yard drive capped by quarterback Keller Hurla's 1-yard touchdown run with :13 seconds left. Hurla was the classification’s top player last year and has moved on to the collegiate level, but the Bears have several key pieces back to have them in the mix again. But the number of legitimate state title contenders in Class 1A might be in the double-digits this season. Check out our 1A poll on the Rankings page to find out which schools begin the year in the top five!
Kpreps – Class 1A Rankings
Class 8M-I
In 8-Man, Division I, Leoti-Wichita County finished off an unbeaten season with a 54-36 victory over Little River in the state championship game. It marked the first state football title in Wichita County school history. While the Indians graduated several key players, including dynamic quarterback Erhik Hermosillo, several key players return including Erhik’s younger brother Kris Hermosillo. For the Indians to repeat, they will have to navigate a loaded field in 8M-I. Click on the Rankings tab to find out which teams made our initial poll.
Class 8M-II
Axtell won its second-consecutive state championship with a 76-28 victory over Thunder Ridge to close out last season. The Eagles trailed 28-24 in the game before rattling off 52 consecutive points. Axtell will have to replace standout quarterback Isaac Detweiler but have plenty of talent returning to extend its 26 game win streak and potential win a third straight 8M-II title.
Class 6-Man
Cunningham completed an unbeaten season with a 38-16 win over Ashland to claim the first-ever KSHSAA-sanctioned 6-Man state championship. We get treated to a state title game rematch in Week 1 as the Wildcats will host Ashland to kick off the season in a showdown of anticipated state title contenders. Cunningham won this season-opening matchup last year, 38-30. In its second year, there will be 23 teams competing in the 6-Man classification.
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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