Kpreps 2026 playoff coverage
Class 6A
VIEW: 6A Bracket
6A EAST
Highlighted Games:
#11 Shawnee Mission East (3-5) at #6 Olathe West (5-3) – Olathe West
Sunflower League members Shawnee Mission East and Olathe West will meet on the football field for a second consecutive week. Last week, Olathe West turned away a late Lancer scoring attempt to win 17-10. SM East has battled some significant injuries in playing without quarterback Owen Wantland and back Gus Ketteler last week. Their status remains unknown heading into this game. In last week’s win, Olathe West overcame a pair of turnovers and scored on two Cash Warren touchdowns runs. Warren rushed 18 times for 141 yards on the night. Andre Day added 107 yards passing. SM East rushed for 229 yards with Thomas Vanice leading the way with 95 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts.
Other first-round games:
#16 Shawnee Mission West (0-8) at #1 Mill Valley (8-0) – Mill Valley
#9 Shawnee Mission North (4-4) at #8 Olathe South (4-4) – Olathe South
#13 Shawnee Mission South (1-7) at #4 Lawrence (6-2) – Lawrence
#10 Blue Valley Northwest (4-4) at #7 Shawnee Mission Northwest – BVNW
Thursday night games:
(5) Olathe North 56, (12) KC Wyandotte 0
(2) Gardner-Edgerton 49, (15) Olathe East 28
(3) Olathe Northwest 40, (14) Blue Valley West 0
6A WEST
Highlighted Games:
#11 Wichita East (3-5) at #6 Garden City (5-3) – Garden City
Garden City has posted a nice turnaround this fall with coach Joe Price. The Buffs have been highly competitive in losses to Great Bend and Hays High. Garden City won one game last year and two in 2024. Tatum Heavner has passed for more than 1,700 yards, while Mackoy Hemmert leads with more than 600 receiving yards. Both pace the WAC, per conference statistician Dustin Armbruster. Wichita East sophomore CT McGill has thrown for more than 880 yards this year. These two teams met last week with Garden City building a two-score lead and holding off Wichita East, 28-27. Garden City should continue a nice season and is a slight favorite.
Other first-round games:
#16 Wichita North (0-8) at #1 Derby (8-0) – Derby
#9 Dodge City (3-5) at #8 Lawrence Free State (3-5) – Free State
#13 Wichita South (2-6) at #4 Wichita Northwest (6-2) – Wichita Northwest
#12 Wichita Heights (2-6) at #5 Wichita Southeast (5-3) – Wichita Southeast
#15 Haysville Campus (0-8) at #2 Maize (7-1) – Maize
#10 Washburn Rural (3-5) at #7 Junction City (4-4) – Junction City
#14 Topeka High (1-7) at #3 Manhattan (6-2) – Manhattan
Class 5A
VIEW: 5A Bracket
5A EAST
Highlighted Games:
#10 Blue Valley North (3-5) at #7 Topeka Seaman (5-3) – Blue Valley North
There may be some points scored in this one. Blue Valley North travels to Topeka Seaman in a matchup of two of the state’s top passing quarterbacks. Blue Valley North has survived the brutal Eastern Kansas League schedule and is well-prepared for a playoff run. Quarterback Ethan O’Hara has passed for 2,101 yards and 14 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Colton Nichols is the Mustangs’ leading receiver with 679 yards and seven touchdowns, while Wes Riegel has 478 yards and a score on 33 catches. On the other side, Cale Ketter has been one among the state’s top passers all season. Ketter has completed 62 percent of his attempts of 2,254 yards and 29 touchdowns while also having thrown 10 interceptions. While O’Hara is able to spread the ball around to several teammates for Blue Valley North, Ketter relies on back Quinn Moravec and wide out Coy Barta. Moravec has rushed for 904 yards and seven touchdowns, while Barta has 58 receptions for 1,011 yards and 11 scores.
Other first-round games:
#16 Topeka West (1-7) at #1 De Soto (8-0) – De Soto
#9 KC Harmon (4-4) at #8 St. James Academy (5-3) – St. James
#13 Blue Valley Southwest (2-6) at #4 KC Washington (6-2) – BV Southwest
#12 Leavenworth (3-5) at #5 Blue Valley (6-2) – Blue Valley
#14 Shawnee Heights (1-7) at #3 Basehor-Linwood (6-2) – Basehor-Linwood
#11 Pittsburg (3-5) at #6 KC Piper (5-3) – Piper
Thursday night games:
(2) Spring Hill 56, (15) KC Turner 7
5A WEST
Highlighted Games:
#11 Goddard (3-5) at #6 Goddard-Eisenhower (5-3) – Eisenhower
The cross-town rivalry continues in Goddard. In Week 3, Eisenhower won 36-17. Goddard is a highly run-heavy team with rushing attempts on 71 percent of snaps. Senior Erik Olivas has 135 carries for 1,316 yards and 14 scores. Goddard has 13 turnovers and has a minus-3 turnover margin this year. Eisenhower features senior Isaac Hegarty, who has 195 carries for 1,321 yards and 13 scores. Eisenhower has also posted 1,147 passing yards and 16 scores, mainly from junior Braedan Schulte. The Tigers are plus-four in turnover margin.
Other first-round games:
#16 Wichita West (1-7) at #1 Andover (8-0) – Andover
#9 Hutchinson (3-5) at #8 Emporia (4-4) – Hutchinson
#13 Liberal (3-5) at #4 Bishop Carroll (7-1) – Bishop Carroll
#12 Maize South (3-5) at #5 Salina South (6-2) – Salina South
#15 Newton (1-7) at #2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (8-0) – Kapaun
#14 Valley Center (2-6) at #3 Hays High (7-1) – Hays
Thursday night games:
(7) Salina Central 17, (10) Andover Central 10
Class 4A
VIEW: 4A Bracket
4A EAST
Highlighted Games:
#11 Ottawa (4-4) at #6 Independence (6-2) – Ottawa
Independence and Ottawa met just a few weeks ago in Ottawa on October 9th. In that meeting, Ottawa built a two-score least in the first half only to see Independence outscored the Cyclones 12-0 in the second half to pick up a big 18-14 road win. Kaeson Lewis rushed 32 times for a team-high 148 yards and Javen Colbert added 77 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 attempts. Colbert also passed for 103 yards and a touchdown that went to Reece Reichenberger. For the season, Lewis has put up incredible numbers having rushed for 1,275 yards and 13 touchdowns on 178 attempts. Independence has posted a 6-2 mark after having posted a 3-6 season a year ago. The Bulldogs have won five consecutive games after back-to-back losses to Augusta and Fort Scott early in the season. Ottawa has shown some inconsistency having alternated losses and wins going back the past five weeks. Following the loss to Indy, Ottawa rebounded with an impressive upset of Louisburg, 22-20 before being shut out 21-0 by Tonganoxie last week. Ottawa did a decent job of limiting Lewis in the first meeting – something that is paramount if they want to keep their season alive.
Other first-round games:
#16 Coffeyville (0-8) at #1 Bishop Miege (8-0) – Bishop Miege
#9 St. Thomas Aquinas (5-3) at #8 Paola (5-3) -- Aquinas
#13 Lansing (3-5) at #4 Fort Scott (6-2) – Lansing
#12 Chanute (3-5) at #5 Eudora (6-2) – Eudora
#15 Bonner Springs (1-7) at #2 Louisburg (6-2) – Louisburg
#10 Labette County (4-4) at #7 Tonganoxie (5-3) – Tonganoxie
#14 KC Schlagle (2-6) at #3 KC Sumner Academy (7-1) -- Sumner
4A WEST
Highlighted Games:
#11 Mulvane (4-4) at #6 Great Bend (6-2) – Great Bend
Great Bend opened 6-0, though has lost its last two games by big margins to Hays High and Junction City. The Panthers have permitted 90 points in the losses. Mulvane has scored 23.3 points per game, though does feature an impressive 41-40 road win versus Wamego in Week 4. Great Bend junior quarterback Maxson Smiley has completed 127 of 209 passes for 1,496 yards with 17 touchdowns against no interceptions. Senior Cooper Ohnmacht, a Kansas State commit, has 960 all-purpose yards. Kale Kern leads the defense with nine TFLs. Great Bend has played relatively turnover-free all year and is plus-10 in turnover margin, which could be the difference. Mulvane has 12 turnovers and is even in turnover margin. Mulvane’s Hays Ensley has rushed 175 times for 1,106 yards and 13 scores.
Other first-round games:
#16 El Dorado (1-7) at #1 McPherson (7-1) – McPherson
#9 Rose Hill (5-3) at #8 Augusta (5-3) – Augusta
#13 Arkansas City (2-6) at #4 Wellington (6-2) – Wellington
#12 Winfield (3-5) at #5 Ulysses (6-2) – Ulysses
#14 Towanda-Circle (2-6) at #3 Buhler (6-2) – Buhler
Thursday night games:
(2) Wamego 41, (15) Abilene 13
(7) Rock Creek 78, (10) Topeka Highland Park 0
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