Kpreps Week 8 Rankings

Share This Post:

For the second consecutive week the Class 6A rankings see the most volatility as a pair of upsets cause some shake-up in the poll. 

Olathe South fell two spots to #5 after falling 49-34 to Blue Valley Northwest. The Falcons led 21-20 before giving up 29 points in the second half as Husky quarterback Garrett Fugate accounted for six touchdowns in the game. The Falcons now face a must win situation against Blue Valley West this week to keep their playoff chances alive.

Elsewhere in the Sunflower League, Olathe North fell from the 6A Top 5 with a 28-19 loss to Lawrence. 

Second-ranked Manhattan survived an upset bid from Topeka High as the Indians rallied from down 30-13 at halftime to win 44-36. 

 The new team to the 6A poll is Washburn Rural which enters the rankings at #4 thanks to a big rushing night from Skylar Curtis in a 35-14 win over Junction City. The Junior Blues will get another test this week when they host #2 Manhattan.

The Class 5A Top 5 Rankings remain unchanged as only Blue Valley – Stilwell and Gardner-Edgerton played close games. The top-ranked Tigers made 14 first-quarter points stand up in a 14-0 shutout of St. Thomas Aquinas. 

In the other half of that tough 5A District 4, Gardner-Edgerton surrendered 419 yards of total offense but outscored Pittsburg 50-33 thanks to two blocked punts to open the second half. Pittsburg travels to Blue Valley in Week 8, while Gardner-Edgerton travels to Aquinas.

The Class 4A poll remained unchanged as all five teams rolled to district wins. Week 8 will feature one of the best games in the state all season in this classification as top-ranked Topeka Hayden will host #2 Holton in 4A District 9. 

In Class 3A, #1 Garden Plain scored with four minutes remaining to avoid upset in a 21-14 win over previously unbeaten Hutchinson Trinity. The Owls played without injured star running back Joey Capul and shifted Lucas Jennings from under center to running back in the fourth quarter to beat the Celtics. Garden Plain will be tested again this week as unbeaten Sedgwick and their dual-threat quarterback Trent Stucky come calling. 

New to the 3A poll is the Smith Center Redmen which check in at the #5 spot after dispatching of previous #4 Beloit, 33-8. The Trojans played with heavy hearts as their leading rusher Jadon Adams remains hospitalized after suffering a head injury last week. Smith Center continues to ride the legs of Truitt Kuhlmann who posted another 300-yard rushing effort this week. 

Just in front of Smith Center is Silver Lake. The Eagles are up one spot to #4 after edging arch rival Rossville 20-18 by stuffing a two-point conversion attempt with just over a minute remaining.

The Class 2-1A top five remained unchanged, but the classification will lose an unbeaten in Week 8 as #2 St. Mary’s Colgan travels to take on 7-0 Lyndon. The game is a key showdown on the east side of 2-1A, as well as a crucial District 1 match-up. A Colgan win would give coach Chuck Smith his 300^th career win.

Eight-man Division I featured the state game of the week in Week 7 and it did not disappoint. Top-ranked Madison defeated #2 Lebo 50-44 in overtime. The Bulldogs and Wolves remain 1-2 for their efforts. 

New to the Division I poll is the Macksville Mustangs which rejoin the Top 5 after outscoring Kiowa County, 56-22. Macksville replaces Central Burden which fell 74-36 to unbeaten Sedan. 

Another showdown of unbeaten teams just outside of our top 5 will take place in Week 8 as South Gray (6-0) travels to Ness City (7-0). 

A new #5 team enters our 8-Man Division II poll as South Haven beat previously fifth-ranked South Barber, 50-30. The Cardinals intercepted South Barber four times and scored 22 consecutive points in the third quarter to pull away after trailing 24-22. 

Also of note in Division II was top-ranked Baileyville B&B’s 51-6 win over traditional power Hanover, and Ashland’s 52-6 win over previously unbeaten Moscow. 

Check out the Kpreps Rankings page for a complete list of the Top 5 in each classification.