On a night filled with big match-ups, perhaps none attracted as much attention as Class 4A’s #3-ranked Louisburg Wildcats visiting Class 3A’s #1-ranked Silver Lake Eagles. Derek Mathia returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown and the Louisburg defense made it stand up by shutting down Silver Lake for a 21-3 win. Keenan Kruger returned at quarterback for Silver Lake after missing the first three games with a broken hand. Kruger completed just five of fifteen passes for 80 yards. Defense ruled the night as the Wildcats managed just 209 yards of total offense to Silver Lake’s 117. All of the game’s scoring took place in the opening quarter. The loss marks the first in 52 regular season games for the Eagles.
Not to be outdone, Conway Springs and Garden Plain delivered their usual dogfight as the Cardinals won this Central Plains League Rivalry game 29-14. The game was a back-and-forth affair with Conway Springs opening the scoring in the first quarter with a 70 yard Cory Misak touchdown run and a Michael Harris PAT kick, followed by a Cardinal team safety to make it 9-0 after one quarter of play. Garden Plain countered with a two-yard Joey Capul touchdown run in the second and a failed two-point try would make it 9-6 at the half. The Cardinals answered with a 72 yard Misak punt return to pull ahead 16-6 after three quarters but it would be Capul again early in the fourth on a four-yard run and a two-point conversion run to pull the Owls within two, 16-14. It would be all Cardinals from there on as Brian Doffing posted a 44-yard touchdown run followed by a 10-yard Misak touchdown run and Michael Harris conversion kick to make it 29-14. The Cardinals are in the driver’s seat for the Central Plains League crown and possibly for the top spot in the 3A rankings. Check kpreps.com Monday to see.
Two of the feature games in the state turned out to be one-sided affairs.
The St. Mary’s-Colgan defense turned an anticipated CNC showdown into a rout as the Panthers held Galena to just 77 yards of total offense and forced six turnovers. Zach Smith rushed for 55 yards and three touchdowns and his twin brother Christian rushed for 101 yards and a score on just ten carries. Older brother Jordan Smith intercepted a pass in the second quarter to set up Christian’s short touchdown run as Colgan built a 31-0 halftime lead. Colgan’s varsity defense has yet to allow a point this season.
Pretty Prairie rolled past South Barber in a game featuring two teams ranked in the 8-Man polls. The Bulldog defense came up big on Friday night intercepting Chieftain quarterback Christian Johnston three times. QB Hunter Pittman’s three touchdown passes to Tanner Hines proved to be plenty of offense for the #1 ranked Bulldogs.
Blue Valley – Stilwell remained unbeaten with a 28-13 win over defending 4A champion Bishop Miege. Kyle Zimmerman threw for 232 yards – 130 of which went to P. J. Debey as the Tigers led by as many as 21 points in the game.
In a game that flew under the radar this week, 2-1A power Centralia edged 3A contender Rossville 20-13 up in Centralia. Despite losing several key players off of last year’s title team to graduation, the Panthers are going to be a big part of the 2-1A playoffs.
In a season filled with long losing streaks coming to an end, six more teams broke double-digit losing streaks on Friday night.
The state’s longest losing streak was stopped at 29 games in the North Central Activities Association as Belleville-Republic County knocked off Sacred Heart, 22-7. The win was the Buffs’ first since August 31, 2007 when they defeated Southeast of Saline 38-8.
Elsewhere, Yates Center stopped a 16-game skid with a 52-28 win over West Elk. Likewise, Rolla ended their 15-game losing streak with a 44-20 win over Boise City (Okla.).
Other losing streaks snapped tonight include Attica (13), Pleasanton (13), and Pike Valley (12).
The state’s longest winning streak also came to an end tonight as Andale ended Wichita Collegiate’s 17 game run with a solid 33-21 win. The win was key for the Indians who lost to Rose Hill last week. 31-8.
Traditional powers Wellington and Claflin each fell to 0-4 on the season after losses Friday night.
Topeka Hayden’s narrow 23-21 win over Washburn Rural marked the first loss for any of the four teams which will compete in Class 6A District 5. The loaded district includes Junction City (4-0), Topeka High (4-0), Manhattan (4-0), and Washburn Rural (3-1).
District play continued Friday night with many of the 8-man teams.
Clifton-Clyde and Rock Hills played a physical game in a key 8-Man I, District 4 match-up and the Eagles proved to be too physical for the Grizzlies scoring twice in the last 2:23 of the first half to take the 16-0 lead. Junior quarterback and defensive back Alex Deaver was the difference for the Eagles ground game and his interception with less than two minutes in the second quarter and his running on the ensuing drive capped off by a Clifton-Clyde touchdown with :53 left helped the Eagles take control of the game. The two teams exchanged kickoff returns to open the second half - the Eagles for a touchdown by freshman William Ohlde and the Grizzlies to the one by Jarrett Christie capped by a one-yard touchdown plunge - but hard running by Deaver and senior fullback Tyler Lambert would be the story of the game as the Eagles put the finishing touches on a 52-40 win.
The Lincoln offense has exploded in the last three games scoring 58, 84, and 46 points after opening with only 28 points in a win over Tescott. Of the 216 points the Leopards have scored in the 15 quarters they've played this season, 160 have come in the last seven and a half quarters as sophomore quarterback Dayton Walter has began to thrive in Mike Strack's spread offense. The Leopards are now 3-1 and 2-0 in district with their only loss by two-points to rival Sylvan Unified.
The Phillipsburg Panthers are 4-0 thanks to a 17-point second half performance against the Ellis Railers tonight. The two teams were tied at seven at the half thanks in large part to three first-half interceptions by sophomore quarterback Sean Newlan. The offense got back on track sticking to the ground game in the second half and pulled away for the 24-7 victory. Phillipsburg faces another solid 2A opponent (Washington County) at home next week while Ellis (1-3) begins district play in a competitive 2A District 7 featuring Oakley, St. Francis, and surprising Leoti-Wichita County.
For the second consecutive game the Beloit Trojans have posted at least 60 points, this week against the Larned Indians in a 69-0 shut out on homecoming night. Scoring is nothing new for the Trojans under fifth year coach Greg Koenig, Beloit has scored at least 400 points in each of the last three seasons to average over 40 points a game. So far this season the Trojans have outscored opponents 179-25 with the season opening loss to Concordia (12-6) the only blemish on the record. All this despite not having returning 1,000 yard rusher Luke Shamburg in the backfield, lost just prior to the season to a broken collar bone, but Shamburg is expected to return during district play.
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