Kpreps 2026 playoff coverage
Class 8-Man, Division I
VIEW: 8M-I Bracket
8M-I EAST
Highlighted Game:
D4-#3 Canton-Galva (5-5) at D1-#1 Oswego (10-0) – Oswego
Canton-Galva will travel to Oswego to take on the unbeaten Indians with a trip to the state semifinals on the line. Canton-Galva has won consecutive playoff games after a three-game losing streak to close out the regular season. The Eagles have defeated Lyndon (36-30) and Southeast-Cherokee (50-7) in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Among Canton-Galva’s losses are Clifton-Clyde and Little River – two teams still alive in the state quarterfinals. The Eagles feature a strong and physical offensive line led by Jaxon Nightengale (6-0, 230), Wesley Prieb (6-0, 240), and Magnusson Cathey (6-3, 225). Quarterback Drayden Hoppes leads a talented backfield that includes Kustom Schamp and Ty Herrera.
Oswego has been dominant all season with an exceptional ground game led by Demitri and Deonta Williamson. Demitri, a junior, has rushed for 1,738 yards and 30 touchdowns this season on 96 carries. Deonta, a sophomore, has added 649 yards and nine scores. Senior Chance Mills is second on the team in rushing with 825 yards and 18 touchdowns. Oswego survived a stiff test last week in defeating Washington County, 22-16, in a turnover-filled, penalty-plagued game. The Indians forced five Tiger turnovers including three interceptions by Wyatt McClure. McClure returned one of those picks for a touchdown. Demitri Williamson rushed for 97 yards and a score, while Deonta added 77 yards and a touchdown.
Other quarterfinal games:
D2-#2 South Sumner Co. (9-1) at D4-#1 Clifton-Clyde (9-1) – South Sumner
8M-I WEST
Highlighted Games:
D7-#1 South Central (8-1) at D8-#1 Leoti-Wichita Co. (10-0) – Leoti-Wichita Co.
Defending state champion South Central held on to beat WaKeeney-Trego, 38-28, at home last week in a game that was closer than the final score. Trego led 28-22 at halftime, and South Central led 30-28 until scoring on its final possession of the game. South Central senior quarterback Easton Huck enjoyed another big game with 15 of 21 passing for 113 yards with two scores against no interceptions. Huck rushed 22 times for 112 yards and two scores. Huck is an excellent dual threat quarterback with 786 passing yards, 751 rushing yards and 28 total scores. Senior Coda Lindsay has 50 carries for 606 yards and 14 TDs. South Central has just four turnovers and is plus 10 in turnover margin. Wichita County has enjoyed another huge year with coach Brant Douglas and outscored teams by an average score of 55-9. Junior Beau Porter has had a big year with 1,057 passing yards and 1,369 rushing yards. Porter has passed for 22 scores and rushed for 23 more touchdowns. Wichita County has been highly impressive all year, including wins against Dighton (64-44) and Ell-Saline (46-24). This is also a matchup of two great coaches with South Central’s Brett Westrup and Wichita County’s Brant Douglas.
Other quarterfinal games:
D5-#1 Lincoln (10-0) at D6-#1 Hoxie (8-2) – Lincoln
Class 8-Man, Division II
VIEW: 8M-II Bracket
8M-II EAST
Highlighted Games:
D4-#1 Hanover (9-1) at D2-#1 Cunningham (10-0) – Hanover
A pair of defending champions will square off when Hanover travels to unbeaten Cunningham. Hanover is the defending Eight-Man, Division II champions, while Cunningham is the reigning 6-Man champions and returned to eight-man football this fall. The pairing of Wildcats also features two of the state’s top defensive units. Cunningham didn’t allow a point until a Week 8 game against Sunrise Christian and has only surrendered 37 total points all season while posting eight shutouts. Hanover has shut out five opponents and has allowed only 72 points in ten games. Hanover held Marmaton Valley to six yards of total offense on 31 plays in last week’s 60-0 win.
Hanover features the backfield duo of senior quarterback Kadrick Cohorst and junior back Cooper Bruna. Both scored rushing touchdowns in last week’s win over Marmaton Valley. Cohorst has passed for more than 1,000 yards and rushed for more than 500 yards. Bruna is around 1,000 yards rushing on the season.
After graduating a talented class off of last year’s 6-Man title team, a young group of Cunningham Wildcats have played at a high level all season. Quarterback Tyler Osner has passed for 905 yards and 18 touchdowns. Sophomore Liam McGuire has a team-high 760 rushing yards with 14 touchdowns, while sophomore J.P. Kerschen has added 630 yards and eight scores. Freshman Landon Green has added 426 yards and eight scores. Cunningham’s lone senior is Stephen Kerschen who starred at running back on last year’s state title team. He rushed for nearly 1,500 yards including 185 yards and two touchdowns in the 6-Man Championship win over Weskan last season. This season, he’s on the offensive line paving the way for the younger Wildcat backs.
Other quarterfinal games:
D3-#1 Lebo (10-0) at D4-#1 Axtell (10-0) – Axtell
8M-II WEST
Highlighted Games:
D6-#1 Sylvan-Lucas Unified (10-0) at D5-#1 Hodgeman County (10-0) – Sylvan-Lucas
These two squads have been in the top five throughout the year and each posted dominant seasons. Each squad is chasing an elusive state berth. Sylvan-Lucas had its breakthrough year last fall and finished in the Division I semifinals. Hodgeman County has not made the finals since 2017. Sylvan-Lucas has enjoyed another huge year from running back Zayne Maupin, possibly the best eight-man player. Maupin scored four touchdowns last week. The Mustangs have scored at least 46 points in every game and averaged 55.6 points per game. Notably, the Mustangs beat Little River, 54-38, at home in Week 7, and won at Victoria, 48-0, in Week 8. Little River and Victoria will face in the other West Division II quarterfinal. Hodgeman County has been incredibly consistent, though against a slightly lighter schedule. The Longhorns have allowed just 48 points all year and scored at least 45 in each contest. Sophomore Gavin Reece has a remarkable year with the Longhorns. He has completed 120 of 154 passes for 2,043 yards with 41 scores against no interceptions. This is one of the state’s best games for all classes, but Sylvan-Lucas might have a slight edge with Maupin and the more difficult strength of schedule.
Other quarterfinal games:
D6-#3 Victoria (6-4) at D6-#2 Little River (9-1) – Little River
Class 6-Man
VIEW: 6-Man Bracket
6M EAST
Highlighted Games:
D2-#2 Otis-Bison (9-1) at D1-#1 Peabody-Burns (8-1) – Otis-Bison
Otis-Bison will travel to Peabody-Burns to take on the Warriors with the winner advancing to the state semifinals. These two teams have been eliminated in the quarterfinal round in each of the past two seasons – Otis-Bison by Cunningham and Peabody by Tescott. Otis-Bison advanced to this round with a dominating 57-0 win over Marais des Cygnes Valley last week. The Cougars got another huge performance from junior Aiden Ochs-Lohrey who rushed for 264 yards and six touchdowns on only ten carries. He also caught a touchdown pass from Maddox Firebaugh. For the season, Ochs-Lohrey has rushed for 1,985 yards and 45 touchdowns. Firebaugh has provided a nice compliment in passing for 717 yards and 18 touchdowns with nine scoring passes to Kolten Cory and eight going to Marcus Starr.
Peabody-Burns will counter with a veteran group including quarterback Aiden Hurst, back Dalton Philpott, and receivers Colin Groff, Jameson Miles, and Ashton Talkington. Hurst has passed for 1,499 yards and 28 touchdowns this season and more than 5,400 yards with 92 touchdowns in his career. He’s also added impressive career rushing stats including more than 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. Miles has 98 career receptions for 2,592 yards and 54 touchdowns. He has 19 catches for 531 yards and 12 scores this fall. Groff has 19 catches for 537 yards and ten scores and Talkington has 353 yards and six scores on a team-high 20 catches. Philpott leads the ground attack with 438 yards and nine scores. Both teams lone loss this season came to Tescott. The Trojans defeated Peabody-Burns 47-0 in Week 2, while Otis-Bison lost to Tescott 47-12 in a weather-shortened game in Week 4.
Other quarterfinal games:
D1-#2 Centre-Lost Springs (7-3) at D2-#1 Tescott (9-0) – Tescott
6M WEST
Highlighted Games:
D4-#2 Wheatland-Grinnell (9-1) at D3-#1 Ingalls (9-0) – Ingalls
Both teams have exceeded preseason expectations, especially Wheatland-Grinnell, which has enjoyed one of the biggest turnarounds in the state for all classes. Ingalls defeated Bucklin, 54-6, last week and has a quality win at South Barber, 30-14, in Week 7. Wheatland-Grinnell has a six-win improvement under first-year coach Will Bixenman, a former Thunderhawk standout quarterback and veteran boys’ basketball coach. Wheatland-Grinnell was 4-23 in the last three seasons before the big jump. Wheatland-Grinnell has been most impressive in its loss, 40-36, at No. 1 Weskan in Week 4. The two teams have never played. Ingalls did face Grinnell in the 1996 postseason, per Kansas Football History. Ingalls senior Logan Simon has completed 55 of 89 passes for 889 yards with 19 scores against six interceptions. Senior Keegan Nothern has 60 carries for 607 yards and 14 TDs. For Wheatland-Grinnell, senior Riley Tuttle has 53 of 87 passing for 861 yards with 17 scores against one INT. Senior Branton Goetz has posted 59 carries for 718 yards and 14 scores. This is a very even matchup that could come down to turnovers. Wheatland-Grinnell is plus 15 in the turnover margin, while Ingalls stands at plus 20.
Other quarterfinal games:
D3-#2 South Barber (8-2) at D4-#1 Weskan (9-0) – Weskan
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