Each week throughout the regular season, The Pick List will feature a few of the best match-ups across the state, and make our predictions on a handful of other games.
Feature Games of the Week:
5A No. 2 Hays (2-0) at 6A No. 1 Manhattan (2-0)
Likely no team in Kansas is riding higher than Hays High – which will face its third straight No. 1 team. The Indians went to the first state championship game in school history last year and lost to St. Thomas Aquinas. Then, Hays opened with a one-point, last-second road win versus Derby in Week 1. Derby was Class 6A No. 1. Last week, Hays High had the inaugural game on its new field in its new school and won, 21-19, against Choctaw, ranked No. 1 in its classification (6A-II) in Oklahoma.
This week, Hays High faces Manhattan for the fourth straight year. Hays lost, 31-21, in 2022. In ’23, the Indians fell 49-7 to Manhattan. Last year, Manhattan scored in the last seconds to beat Hays High, 34-30. Before then, the teams had not played since the ‘70s, per Kansas Football History.
Hays High has several well-publicized strengths. First, the Indians have its elite offensive line, punctuated by junior Gus Cosair, a Power 4 recruit. Plus, Holden Lind rushed for 1,800 yards last year and is a workhorse back. Lind easily leads the Western Athletic Conference with 344 rushing yards and four rushing scores, per Hays High broadcaster/WAC statistician Dustin Armbruster. Lind has recorded 50-plus carries in the two wins.
Plus, the Indians have several under-the-radar strengths.
Additionally, defensive coordinator Kip Keeley guided the Indians to the No. 6 scoring defense in 5A last fall. HHS is tenth in the class this year. Tanner Geist has seven tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and an interception. Jaxon Chartier has performed admirably punting. Chartier pinned Choctaw inside its own 10/20-yard line on several occasions. He has five tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Hays High has had significantly fewer penalties than its two opponents. Senior quarterback Zane Viegra, a program player, has done well leading the offense.
Manhattan finished 12-1 and was the 6A runner-up last fall. The Indians, with longtime coach Joe Schartz, have elevated from a traditionally ranked team to a state championship contender. Manhattan was second in 6A scoring offense at 47 points a game in ’24 and posted a 7-0 home record. The Indians finished 13-0 with a state title in ’22 and went 9-2 in ’23.
Manhattan has rolled its first two games with a 43-13 home versus Garden City and a 47-7 road victory versus Lawrence Free State, then ranked No. 5 in Class 6A. Free State had beaten two-time 6A defending state champion Gardner-Edgerton in Week 1. Schartz is 143-32 with the Indians.
Last week, Manhattan overwhelmed Free State with its physicality and aggression. Garrison Vikander had a huge game on the defensive line for Free State and plays both ways. Manhattan limited Free State to around 50 rushing yards. Manhattan is a little undersized, though has great aggression. Manhattan senior cornerback JJ Dunnigan is the reigning defensive player of the year and has committed to Kansas. The Indians have significant offensive depth, including all-purpose threat Ja’Marcus Vornes. Senior quarterback Finn Watson has completed 17 of 24 passes for 260 yards with three scores against no interceptions. Sophomore McLain Aslin has posted 27 carries for 212 yards and five touchdowns.
These squads, along with St. Thomas Aquinas and possibly one or two others, are likely the top-five for all classes. Hays High continues to surprise people and came within one play of beating Manhattan last year. On paper, Manhattan is favored. But that’s been the case for the last two HHS opponents – and several in the postseason last year. Don’t be surprised if Hays High grinds out another win.
Our Pick: Hays High 20, Manhattan 14 (Nicholl)
5A No. 3 Great Bend (2-0) at 4A No. 3 Buhler (2-0)
The Great Bend Panthers and Buhler Crusaders will meet for a fourth consecutive season – with this meeting featuring both teams ranked No. 3 in their respective classifications.
Expectations are high for Great Bend this season. The Panthers return a talented roster from a team that won its first nine games before losing 19-14 to rival Hays in the second round of last year’s 5A playoffs. The Panthers have one of the nation’s top players in Notre Dame-commit Ian Premer. Premer had nearly 550 yards receiving last year along with 260 rushing yards. Great Bend also features junior standout Cooper Ohnmacht and quarterback Daxton Minton. Minton passed for 1,385 yards and 17 touchdowns a season ago.
The Panthers opened with an impressive 42-7 win over McPherson in which Premer rushed for a score and caught a touchdown pass. Ohnmacht also had an interception return for a score. Last week, Great Bend traveled to suburban Kansas City and beat Olathe South, 40-21. Senior Conner Holladay rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Minton also passed for 177 yards and a touchdown to Hayden Kelly. Premer rushed for a touchdown, intercepted a pass and blocked a Falcon field goal. Trenton Kern, the reigning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, led the defense with 10 stops. Great Bend intercepted three Olathe South passes.
Buhler has opened with a quality road win at Mulvane (34-27) and a dominant win over Augusta (37-12).
Under Steve Warner, the Crusaders have traditionally relied on a potent ground game with a workhorse back. Senior Ben Clouse fits the mold of that back. The speedy Clouse has carried 50 times for 372 yards and six touchdowns through the first two weeks. Senior Max Harmony has added 127 yards through the first two games.
Quarterback Asher Zachary has passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns. His primary receivers have been Jacob Miller, McCade Zachary, and Landon Martinez.
Last season, Great Bend held off Buhler, 43-26, as Premer had five touchdown receptions.
The home team has won this matchup in each of the past three seasons, but Great Bend is talented enough to curb that trend.
Our Pick: Great Bend 31, Buhler 17 (Gilmore)
Paola (2-0) at 4A No. 4 Ottawa (2-0)
A pair of Class 4A unbeatens from the Frontier League will square off on Friday when Paola visits Ottawa.
Paola has opened with victories over Fort Scott (34-6) and Louisburg (28-21) and have consecutive wins for the first time since the 2021 season. The Panthers have already surpassed their win total from last season in which they struggled to a 1-8 finish.
In last week’s road win at rival Louisburg, veteran coach Mike Smith’s group got big performances from Mason Stein and Bodhi Shay.
Stein passed for more than 130 yards and threw touchdown passes to Trace Metcalf and Sasha Pichnenko. Pichnenko totaled 90 receiving yards on the night.
Shay rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns on the night.
The Paola defense also turned Louisburg away on fourth-and-goal in the third quarter to preserve a 21-14 lead at the time. Shay would score on the ensuing Panther drive to build their lead to 28-14.
Ottawa continues to ascend in Class 4A under Walt Alexander. Coach Alexander took over the program in 2021, and last year delivered the schools’ first winning season since 2016. The Cyclones have opened with wins over Atchison (49-7) and Baldwin (41-6).
Ottawa returned a talented group of skill players in quarterback Haydon Hull, receivers Nate Sims and Aiden McCullough, and sophomore running back Julius Obryan. That firepower took a hit this week when Sims, a Kansas commit, announced via his Twitter that he suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week’s win over Baldwin.
Hull has passed for 414 yards and five touchdowns through the first two weeks and still has a talented receiver in McCullough. After passing for more than 250 yards and four touchdowns in the season-opener, the Cyclones turned to the ground game with Obryan in last week’s win over Baldwin. Obryan delivered with 122 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Last season, Ottawa rallied from down 20 points late in the third quarter to shock Paola, 41-37. It was the first win for the Cyclones over the Panthers since 2003. Paola led 34-14 before Sims returned the ensuing kickoff for a score to get Ottawa back within 34-21. Sims also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in this year’s opener against Atchison.
Our Pick: Ottawa 34, Paola 22 (Gilmore)
Manhattan Eagles (3-0) at 8M-I No. 2 Leoti-Wichita Co. (1-1)
Leoti-Wichita County has made great attempts to improve its strength of schedule and face the best eight-man teams in the region. Brant Douglas has done an exceptional job of turning the Indians into a state power. He has a winning season in every year since he took over the program in 2018, along with two state runner-up finishes and the first state football crown in school history.
Wichita County opened the year No. 1 in Eight-Man, Division I. In Week 1, the Indians lost to Haxtun, a defending state Colorado champion, in a 56-32 contest. However, Wichita County standout dual-threat quarterback Cashton Young didn’t play. Young returned last week in a 60-0 win versus Elkhart.
This week, Wichita County faces undefeated Manhattan Eagles (3-0) in a neutral site game Saturday in Victoria. This marks the first time the teams have ever played. This also fills the Indians’ bye week from last year. In ’24, Wichita County lost 22-12 to Haxtun, rolled Elkhart, had a bye and then won seven more in a row before a 40-30 loss to eventual state titlist Hoxie.
This marks the first time Wichita County has played a neutral site regular season game since blowout wins to open ’18 and ’19 against Pretty Prairie in Otis-Bison and Spearville, respectively.
Young leads the Indians with 14 carries for 144 yards and three scores. Young and sophomore Beau Porter have combined for 342 passing yards and five scores against two interceptions. Porter, who expected to play receiver, has three catches for 111 yards and a score. Senior Dylan Luna has 11 catches for 145 yards and three TDs.
The Manhattan Eagles is a collection of players from (homeschool and others) from around their area. The program had posted 8-2, 8-2 and 7-0 records in the last three years, winning the Kansas Approved Schools Conference championship in each of those seasons. The Eagles have won 14 straight games, per Kansas Football History.
Coach Travis Goff has a veteran group of Eagles led by five seniors. Senior quarterback Conor Mericle has passed for 419 yards through three games this season.
Mericle is joined on offense by senior Corbin Goff (374 all-purpose yards) and classmate Leighton Wertenberger (386 yards) at receiver. Sophomore Mason Goff is also a threat catching the ball with more than 203 all-purpose yards.
Senior Noah Thurman anchors both sides of the Eagle lines
The defense is led by senior linebacker Frankie Rutledge who has registered 25 tackles this season. Corbin and Mason Coff have contributed 19 and 18 stops, respectively.
Kudos to both teams for scheduling this game – and the story will likely be more about Wichita County and its ability to control contests.
Our Pick: Wichita County 36, Manhattan Eagles 20 (Nicholl)
The Pick List:
Blue Valley West (0-2) at 4A No. 2 Bishop Miege (1-1) – Blue Valley West
6A No. 4 Blue Valley Northwest (2-0) at 5A No. 5 St. James Academy (1-1) – BV Northwest
6A No. 3 Wichita Northwest (2-0) at Junction City (2-0) – Wichita Northwest
Maize (2-0) at Hutchinson (2-0) – Hutchinson
Olathe West (2-0) at Shawnee Mission Northwest (1-1) – SM Northwest
6A No. 5 Shawnee Mission East (2-0) at 5A No. 4 Mill Valley (1-1) – Mill Valley
Blue Valley (1-1) at 5A No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (2-0) – Aquinas
4A No. 5 Chanute (2-0) at McPherson (1-1) – Chanute
Cheney (1-1) at 2A No. 4 Garden Plain (2-0) – Cheney
Scott City (2-0) at 2A No. 5 Hoisington (2-0) – Hoisington
Haven (2-0) at Smoky Valley (2-0) – Haven
Neodesha (2-0) at Caney Valley (2-0) – Caney Valley
3A No. 3 Wellsville (2-0) at Prairie View (1-1) -- Wellsville
2A No. 1 Southeast of Saline (2-0) at Beloit (1-1) – SE Saline
2A No. 2 Nemaha Central (2-0) at 1A No. 2 Rossville (2-0) – Nemaha Central
Inman (2-0) at 1A No. 4 Sterling (2-0) – Sterling
8M-II No. 4 Burlingame (2-0) at Madison (2-0) – Burlingame
WaKeeney-Trego (2-0) at Atwood-Rawlins Co. (2-0) – Rawlins Co.
Osborne (1-1) at 8M-II No. 2 Victoria (2-0) – Victoria
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