Class 4A
There will be a new champion in Class 4A as Chanute went to Louisburg and shutout the Wildcats 21-0. Brock Gilmore threw a pair of touchdown passes for the Blue Comets, but the Chanute defense was outstanding in pressuring Louisburg running back Garrett Griffin. The win for Chanute marked the first playoff victory by an SEK League school over a non-SEK League opponent since 2007 – a streak of 13 consecutive losses.
Eudora and Basehor-Linwood were locked in a 15-15 tie at halftime and the game remained in the balance until the final seconds. The Bobcats appeared to grab the momentum with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to take a 21-15 lead. But Eudora quarterback Derek Webb went 87 yards for a score on the Cardinals first ensuing play from scrimmage to knot the game at 21. Eudora would later pick off Bobcat quarterback Colin Murphy, and Webb would hit Gabe Cleveland for a touchdown pass to give the Eudora a 28-21 lead. Basehor-Linwood would run out of time on its final drive as Eudora advanced.
Tyler Henness rushed for more than 110 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter as Paola routed Columbus, 48-15. The Panthers will take on Blue Valley Southwest in the state quarterfinals. The Timberwolves beat KC Piper, 41-14.
For the second consecutive season, Buhler exposed Abilene’s 10-0 record with a 49-6 blowout win. The Crusaders welcomed back star running back Tanner Fisher who finished with 323 yards rushing and five touchdowns on the night. Buhler will host top-ranked Topeka Hayden in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats beat Mulvane, 19-6.
Ulysses made the long road trip to Hesston a more pleasant one as the Tigers escaped with a 26-19 win.
Class 3A
Two of the most intriguing match-ups occurred in Class 3A and on the western half of the bracket.
Top-ranked Scott City grabbed a 20-12 lead on Smith Center at halftime, and rolled to a 39-20 victory with a big second half. The Beavers got a measure of revenge for last season’s 42-35 loss to the Redmen in the second round.
Garden Plain led Wichita Collegiate for most of the afternoon, but the Spartains took a 15-12 lead late in the third quarter after a big play from Markus Phox. After a Joey Capul interception, Lucas Jennings hit Josh Becker on a 30-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to put the Owls up 18-15 with 4:35 left in the game. Garden Plain would hold Collegiate the rest of the game and advance to the Sectional Round.
In another hyped battle, Conway Springs intercepted Sedgwick quarterback Trent Stucky four times – all by Ryan Crowell – and blew out the Cardinals 55-13. Cory Misak rushed for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as Conway Springs built a 48-0 lead.
Wellsville built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but never found the end zone again as Galena rallied to beat the Eagles 22-14. The Bulldogs and Eagles were tied at 14 at the half, but the deciding score came in the third quarter when Galena’s Jared Carver picked off Wellsville quarterback Luke Meyer and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. Galena improved to 8-3 with the win, while Wellsville finished their season at 10-1.
Caney Valley continues to roll in the 3A playoffs as the Bullpups shutout Erie, 44-0. Caney is 11-0 on the season and has outscored its first two playoff opponents 108-0. The Bullpups travel to Rock Creek next Friday. The Mustangs eliminated Mid-East League rival Rossville 13-12 with a Logan Miner touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Class 8M-I
Coulter Croft and Wyatt Slaven were relentless in their rushing attack as South Gray eliminated Central Plains, 52-6. The Rebels grabbed a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and that score held until late in the third quarter when Croft broke free for a long touchdown run. Croft and Slaven would eventually wear out the Oiler defense in the fourth quarter and end the game with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Rebels will now travel to Osborne in next Friday’s semifinal. The Bulldogs outscored Macksville, 62-28.
On the eastern half of the bracket, Lakeside-Downs built a 40-20 halftime lead en route to a 70-28 win over Marmaton Valley. The Knights improved to 11-0 in earning the second playoff victory in the school’s history.
Top-ranked Madison overcame an early deficit to handle Central Burden 50-18. The Bulldogs beat the Raiders in the Regional round for the second consecutive season, and will host Lakeside-Downs in the state semifinals next week. For Central Burden, the loss ended the brilliant high school careers of quarterback Bo Savage and RB/WR Ky Biddle. Savage finished his career with more than 7,000 yards passing and 134 touchdowns, while Biddle has the rare distinction of eclipsing the 2,500 career yard mark for both rushing and receiving with more than 75 combined touchdowns.
Class 8M-II
With under a minute to go, Joel Struckhoff scored from two yards out on a fourth-and-goal to go to lift Thunder Ridge over Ashland 32-28. Quarterback Austin Stebens would lead Ashland down the field in the last minute, but the Blue Jays fumbled the ball away inside the Thunder Ridge 25 yard line with just over 20 seconds to play. Thunder Ridge would line up in victory formation and one snap later advanced on to the state semifinals.
The ending marked a wild second half which saw Thunder Ridge rally from 14-0 to take a 24-22 lead with 7:59 left in the fourth quarter. Ashland would respond with a touchdown at the 4:36 mark, but the two-point conversion attempt was fumbled through the end zone. Ashland led 28-24 before Struckhoff scored the winning points on the Longhorns fourth attempt inside the Blue Jay five yard line.
Next week, Thunder Ridge will get a rematch with Otis-Bison. The Cougars survived a defensive struggle in beating Victoria 26-6. Otis-Bison led just 6-0 at halftime before pulling away in the fourth quarter. It is the second consecutive trip to the state semifinals for Travis Starr’s Cougars.
The two teams expected to win in the eastern side of the Division II bracket did on Saturday as Baileyville B&B eliminated a good South Barber team 44-14, and South Haven rallied from an early deficit to blow past Hope, 46-14. The Falcons and Cardinals will meet in South Haven next week.
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