In compiling the football schedules for every team in Kansas for the 2011 season, it was evident that Week 4 was going to be special.
Several key match-ups littered the schedule in the season’s fourth week, and thus far the teams have held up their end of the bargain.
This week’s Pick List features three games involving ranked teams in class 5A, 3A, and 8-Man II sure to answer a lot of questions about league championships and potential playoff contenders.
We put the vote to you to the fans to pick our game of the week, and you responded to the tune of more than 900 votes given the number of high-profile games this week.
Feature Games of the Week:
5A #1 Blue Valley – Stilwell (3-0) at 5A #3 Bishop Miege (3-0)
Perhaps the premier game in all the state will take place in the Eastern Kansas League. Defending 5A champion Blue Valley – Stilwell travels to Bishop Miege in a game magnified in importance after the Stags’ 34-0 shutout of Gardner-Edgerton last week.
In that game, the Miege defense, led by sophomore linebacker Bradley Ivory, held Marvin Diener’s patent run game in check allowing just 150 yards of total offense. In the process, the Stags held talented Blazer sophomore Traevohn Wrench to just 46 yards on 21 carries.
Meanwhile, the Miege offense was just as impressive. Junior quarterback Montel Cozart continues to show a flair for the big game atmosphere. A week after lead a two-minute drill to rally Miege to a 27-24 win over Blue Valley Northwest, Cozart completed 19 of 28 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns to bury Gardner-Edgerton.
Blue Valley, on the other hand, has rolled to an unbeaten start thanks to an experienced offense led by senior quarterback Kyle Zimmerman and running back Justin Fulks.
Zimmerman is getting used to a new group of receivers, but has already thrown five touchdowns.
Fulks has carried the Tiger offense at times already this season. The senior has scored 12 touchdowns, five touchdowns in each of the last two games, including a 234-yard rushing performance last week against Blue Valley West.
The Tiger defense was the major question mark coming into the 2011 season. Coach Eric Driskell had to replace all eleven starters on last season’s state championship defense. The defense has been strong thus far, allowing only 20 total points in their first three games.
Blue Valley has won the last two meetings in this series, both last season, including a 35-34 escape in the first round of the 5A playoffs. This game has the potential to be a preview of a late-round playoff game again later this fall. At this point, give the edge to the defending champs.
Our Pick: Blue Valley 31, Bishop Miege 24
4A #1 Topeka Hayden (2-1) at Washburn Rural (3-0)
In a rematch of one of 2010's most exciting games Rural will try to continue their upward climb by earning a victory over perennial power Hayden.
In last year's 23-21 Hayden win, Rural punter Skylar Curtis was unable to handle the snap from center and the ball went through the end zone delivering Hayden a game-winning safety with only 13.6 seconds left.
If Rural is to turn back 4A's top-ranked Wildcats they will need a big game from Curtis, who returns at quarterback for the Junior Blues this season. He is joined in the backfield by talented runner Brandon Dozier. The duo has fueled an explosive offense which has scored at least 31 points in each of the first three contests including a solid 52-43 win over Emporia in week two.
For Hayden, different season, same result. The Wildcats opened with a narrow loss to Manhattan, a top 6A opponent, and have since outscored Seaman and West 86-0. Last week Hayden coach Bill Arnold earned his 100th career victory in just his 12th season as a head coach - his first seven seasons were spent at Scott City.
Arnold's son Grant leads the Hayden offense from his quarterback spot and will hand off to senior running back Jason Tetuan who rushed for 139 yards on 11 carries in last week's win over Topeka West.
Our Pick: Washburn Rural 21, Topeka Hayden 14
3A #4 Garden Plain (3-0) at 3A #1 Conway Springs (3-0)
One would be hard pressed to find a better rivalry in Kansas high school football than this one. These two schools separated by just over 20 miles are seldom separated by more than a few points on the gridiron.
Recently Conway Springs has taken the edge in this series winning four consecutive contests - one in the 2008 playoffs, one in the 2009 regular season and two in 2010. The Cardinals have not lost to the Owls since the first game of district play in 2008.
In spite of Conway's recent mastery of the Owls, the last three games in this rivalry have been epic. In 2009 the Cardinals edged the Owls 19-13. In the fourth game of the 2010 regular season, Conway edged GP 29-14, and again in the playoffs the Cardinals upended the Owls 20-6 on the way to their state runner-up finish.
The prognosticators have Conway storming into the 3A state title game as all of the Cardinals explosive backfield (Tanner Wood, Brian Doffing, Cory Misak and Matt Seiwert) return this season, but the Owls have other ideas as 38 returning lettermen are back for Todd Puetz's 11th season as head coach of the Owls.
These two teams have posted incredible numbers already this season with the Cardinals outscoring opponents 200-8 and the Owls beating their first three opponents a combined 176-13.
Our Pick: Conway Springs 24, Garden Plain 6
Galena (3-0) at 2-1A #2 St. Marys Colgan (3-0)
The most anticipated match-up involving CNC League schools will take place on Thursday night at Hutchinson Field when Galena visits St. Mary’s Colgan.
The hype to last season’s match-up between these two proved to be just that, hype, as the Panthers held Galena to just 77 yards of total offense in a 45-0 shutout.
Both schools began this season with high expectations as they were picked 1-2 in the preseason CNC standings thanks to rosters full of returning starters.
But Galena’s season took a major detour in week one when starting quarterback/linebacker Tyler VanCleave went down with a knee injury. Since then, senior Levi Sturgis and sophomore Nick Sivert each have spent time under center.
Several weapons remain on offense with the likes of Martyn Soriano, Trenton Little, Tylor Albright, and a 6-4, 240-pound tight-end in Zach Gougler.
Still last week the Bulldogs found themselves in a scoreless battle at halftime against Frontenac. Sivert came in to lead two third quarter touchdown drives, and Galena prevailed 14-7.
Colgan, on the other hand, boasts two of the state’s top players in twins Zach and Christian Smith.
In last year’s meeting, Zach rushed for 55 yards and three touchdowns and Christian added 101 yards and a score on just ten carries.
Thus far this season they have led the Panthers to three wins by a combined score of 136-12.
Christian leads Colgan in rushing with 260 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 11.8 yards per carry. Zach’s seven touchdowns have come by run, pass reception, punt return, and fumble return.
The Panthers have plenty of other impact players on offense including quarterbacks Sam Gilbert and Dyson Dechant, and kicker Austin Barone who kicked two 38-yard field goals in last week’s win over Southeast.
Galena pulled out a 36-34 thriller the last time these two met at Hutchinson Field, but Colgan’s experienced defense should be the difference in this meeting.
Our pick: St. Mary’s Colgan 34, Galena 14
Chetopa (3-0) at Sedan (3-0)
This pair of unbeatens in 8-Man Division I are perhaps flying under the radar, but not in respect to fans of Kpreps.com.
Chetopa and Sedan finished second in this weeks Game of the Week poll with 310 votes.
The game features two teams that have dominated their first three opponents in different fashions.
Sedan has used a suffocating defense and power running game to start off 3-0. The Blue Devils have outscored their opponents 174 to 6.
Junior quarterback Nick Kimple has led the Blue Devil offense in running for 211 yards and four touchdowns to go along with his 170 yards and three scores through the air.
The Sedan backfield features a balanced attack. Seniors Sam Powell and Tim Walther have added 184 and 130 yards rushing, respectively. The duo have combined for eight rushing touchdowns to go along with four other Blue Devils who have rushed for touchdowns.
Powell also anchors the defense for the tradition-rich Blue Devil program which fell short of the playoffs in their first season of 8-man football last fall.
Under coach Sean Price, Chetopa is trying to revive a program that had struggled in the late 2000s.
The Green Hornets have found success in a wide-open offense directed by junior quarterback Dylan Price.
Last season, Price completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,144 yards and 33 touchdowns against only five interceptions. Through three games this fall, he has already thrown for 508 yards and eight touchdowns.
Justice Riddle returns in the backfield for Chetopa. As a junior last fall, Riddle rushed for 1,022 yards and 14 touchdowns, and already has nearly 300 yards and six touchdowns this season.
Tyler Pike received Kpreps All-State honors at wide receiver last fall after hauling in 48 passes for 1,030 yards and 14 scores. He returns as Price’s main target this fall, and has already caught 15 passes for 359 yards and four scores.
Last season, Sedan’s defense dominated this match-up holding the Green Hornets to just 156 total yards in a 52-6 romp. In that game, Sedan surprised Chetopa by throwing for touchdown passes.
Expect Sedan to try and control the ball and the game again this year. Give the edge to the Blue Devils at home.
Our Pick: Sedan 46, Chetopa 28
8M-II #3 Otis-Bison (3-0) at 8M-II #2 Thunder Ridge (3-0)
On paper this appeared to be Thunder Ridge's season, and three weeks into 2011 the Longhorns have yet to disappoint.
In the season opener against 8-man I runner-up Hill City the Longhorns were undeterred by a lightning delay and dominated the Ringnecks 50-0 in a game that started on Friday and finished on Monday.
In week two the Longhorns played a Hanover team they had lost their previous three games to by a combined score of 166-58. Thunder Ridge didn’t appear intimidated in dispatching of the second-ranked Wildcats, 26-6.
Last week's 56-6 tune-up against Trego has set the stage for another chance to prove this is the season Kensington and Agra have been waiting for.
The Otis-Bison Cougars, last year's 8-Man II runner-up, appeared headed for a small step backwards this season thanks to the loss 2010's senior linemen Dominic Trapp, Josh Krom and Robert Kolas. But Otis-Bison has been dominant so far behind a talented group of returning skill players including quarterback Trevor Keller, running backs Dylan Wissman and Patrick Piper and ends Zach Stejskal and Matt Crotinger.
If the Cougars can slow down Joel Struckhoff and the Longhorn offense they could earn a signature victory, but the big Thunder Ridge front led by Dakota Foreman presents a formidable challenge.
Our Pick: Thunder Ridge 48, Otis-Bison 24
The Pick List:
Blue Valley Northwest (2-1) at 5A #5 St. Thomas Aquinas (3-0) -- Aquinas
Olathe South (3-0) at SM East (2-1) – Olathe South
Olathe East (2-1) at Olathe Northwest (2-1) – Olathe East
Bishop Carroll (2-1) at 6A #5 Wichita Northwest (3-0) – Wichita Northwest
5A #2 Hutchinson (2-1) at Salina Central (3-0) -- Hutchinson
Chanute (3-0) at Pittsburg (2-1) – Pittsburg
Abilene (3-0) at Concordia (3-0) -- Concordia
Fort Scott (3-0) at Parsons (3-0) – Fort Scott
Eudora (2-1) at De Soto (2-1) – De Soto
4A #5 Ulysses (3-0) at Hoisington (2-1) -- Ulysses
3A #3 Silver Lake (3-0) at Louisburg (1-2) – Silver Lake
Thomas More Prep (3-0) at 2-1A #5 LaCrosse (3-0) – LaCrosse
South Barber (3-0) at Pretty Prairie (3-0) – Pretty Prairie
Mankato-Rock Hills (2-1) at Clifton-Clyde (3-0) – Clifton-Clyde
8M-I #4 Osborne (2-1) at Hoxie (2-1) – Osborne
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