District play is now in full swing in all classifications.
The level of competition and the number of exciting games seem to be more prevalent during these last three weeks as teams are fighting for their playoff lives.
Week 7 certainly fit that bill.
Let’s take an initial look at Friday night’s action.
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The Kpreps.com Game of the Week between 8 Man-I #1 Madison and 8 Man-I #2 Lebo was every bit as good as it was supposed to be as the top-ranked Bulldogs prevailed 50-44 in overtime.
Madison would score the only points of overtime as Kole Schankie threw a half-back pass to Dallas Thompson to give the Bulldogs a six-point lead. Schankie would then intercept Lebo quarterback Trevor White on the Wolves’ possession to allow the Bulldogs to escape with their 20th consecutive win.
Schankie led Madison with 180 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown pass and threw for the winning score to Thompson.
White threw for 340 yards and seven touchdown passes for the Lebo, including four to Austin Holmes.
Madison built a 12 point lead in each half before Lebo eventually tied the game at 44 with just over two minutes to go. Madison drove the ball deep in the Wolves’ territory at the end of regulation, but threw an interception in the end zone with 13 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
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We knew going in that District 6 in Class 5A was going to be very competitive with four solid teams, but Friday night’s action was beyond expectations.
Chris Wearing kicked a 37-yard field goal with one second left on the clock as Salina South rallied for a 44-41 win over cross-town rival Salina Central.
In the other half of the district, Hays High edged Great Bend 43-42 in overtime.
Hays will play at Salina South next week, while Salina Central and Great Bend will square off to fight for their playoff lives.
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On Thursday night, 6A’s #3-ranked Olathe South Falcons went down 49-34 to Blue Valley Northwest.
The Huskies outscored the Falcons 29-13 in the second half to pull off what many would view as an upset, but maybe shouldn’t be given the strength of the Eastern Kansas League this season.
BV Northwest quarterback Garrett Fugate threw four touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores. Austin Swailes rushed for a touchdown, and was on the receiving end of two Fugate scoring strikes for the Huskies.
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Silver Lake won the “War on 24” again by edging Rossville 20-18. The Eagles led the Bulldogs just 7-6 entering the fourth quarter before a late scoring barrage.
Rossville’s Gage Streckel scored on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Sam Reesor with just over a minute to go to pull the Bulldogs within two points, but the Eagles stuffed Rossville’s conversion attempt to hold on for the win.
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Bishop Miege flexed their Eastern Kansas League muscles with a 41-7 win over a 5-1 Mill Valley team.
Stag quarterback Montel Cozart completed 22 of 28 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns as Miege scored 24 points in the second quarter to pull away.
Mill Valley’s playoff chances are still very good with KC Turner and KC Harmon left on the schedule. Turner edged Harmon 28-22 on Friday night.
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Brad Strauss threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter as Lawrence topped Olathe North 28-19 in 6A District 4.
This had all the makings of trouble for the Eagles who were coming off the loss to Olathe South, and few players have been as dynamic in recent weeks as the Lions’ Strauss.
Tanner Gentry scored all three Olathe North touchdowns on receptions from quarterback Jordan Bruce.
The Eagles, once thought of as among the elite in Class 6A, have now dropped two straight and must defeat Lawrence Free State (5-2) and Olathe Northwest (3-4) to qualify for a playoff spot.
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In one of the most shocking scores of the night, Topeka High led 6A #2 Manhattan 30-13 at halftime before the Indians came roaring back with 31 points in the second half for a 44-36 win.
A loss would have been damaging to the Indians’ playoffs chances with rival Junction City and 6-1 Washburn Rural looming on the remaining schedule. Rural knocked off Junction City 35-14 on Friday night.
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Defending 4A champion Louisburg took the first step towards a return playoff bid with a 42-14 win over Spring Hill. Louisburg senior running back Garrett Griffin exploded for 320 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 26 carries.
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Ashland flexed their defensive muscles and stated their case as a legitimate contender in 8 Man-II with a 52-6 blowout of previously unbeaten Moscow.
The Moscow offense had been averaging 74 points per game coming in.
The Blue Jays wrapped up the District 6 Championship with the win, and will close our their regular season at Ingalls in Week 8.
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In another 8 Man showdown, Sedan throttled Central Burden 72-36 to improve to 7-0.
The Blue Devils built a 28-14 halftime lead, before the two teams exploded for 48 combined points in the third quarter which ended with Sedan up 60-30.
The victory marked the second consecutive season the Blue Devils have defeated the Raiders.
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Central Plains took over the driver seat of District 8 of 8 Man-I with a 62-60 win over Lincoln.
Oiler running back Benn Kirmer rushed for more than 250 yards and six touchdowns on the night.
Central Plains got down by as many as 16 points in the first quarter before pulling to within 24-20 at the half.
The Oilers will step out of district play next week to take on Victoria, before wrapping up with Solomon in Week 9.
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In 2-1A District 1, St. Mary’s-Colgan notched its fourth shutout of the season with a 43-0 blanking of Humboldt.
Early in the second quarter, Colgan led 34-0 and had ran just three offensive plays – all of which went for touchdowns. The Panthers also returned a punt and an interception for a touchdown.
At halftime, Panther running backs Zach and Christian Smith had one carry each for 61 and 79 yard touchdown runs, respectively.
The win sets up a District and state showdown with unbeaten Lyndon in Week 8. Lyndon drilled Jayhawk-Linn 62-7 on Friday night to improve to 7-0.
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Hanover held a surprising 6-0 lead over top-ranked Baileyville B&B after one quarter on Friday night. The Falcons would then explode for 51 points in the middle quarters to end the game with a 51-6 win.
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Elsewhere, #3 Lakeside-Downs continued to roll with a 68-22 victory over Mankato-Rock Hills. Miles Thomas rushed for 266 yards and five scores for the Kinghts. Thomas also had two touchdown catches and 131 yards receiving.
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Chetopa outscored St. Paul 46-36 to improve to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in 8 Man-I District 2. The win marked the first for the Green Hornets over the Indians since 1997.
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