Class 6A
Wichita Heights advanced to the 6A title game for the third consecutive season with a 34-14 victory at Derby. The Falcons led 21-7 at halftime as quarterback Matt Reed rushed for a touchdown and hit Chris Reed on a 54-yard touchdown pass. Derby quarterback Kellen Sims replaced starter Todd Freeman (who left with an injury) and threw for 186 yards and two touchdown passes to DeAndre Goolsby. Sims led the Panthers down the field in the fourth quarter trailing 21-14, but was intercepted at the goal line by Jet Moreland who returned the pick to the Derby 11-yard line. Marquel Moore scored the next play to put Heights up 28-14. Moore would add another touchdown later on as part of his 139 yards rushing. Tyler West led Derby with a game-high 158 yards rushing on 20 attempts.
Olathe South made sure it will be an all-Falcon 6A state championship next Saturday as they beat Olathe East for the second time this season, 38-21. South led 17-7 at halftime thanks to touchdown runs from Fritz Wilbur and Teddy Colbert, but really got things going in the third quarter behind Jordan Ward. Ward, who had rushed for 397 yards and six touchdowns in the Falcons’ two playoff wins, added 226 yards and three touchdown on the ground in this game. The senior rushed for all three touchdowns in the third quarter and more than 200 yards in the second half as South pulled away to a 38-7 lead. Olathe South rushed for nearly 400 yards in the game. Kendall Kelly added a pair of touchdowns for Olathe East to pull the Hawks within the final margin of 38-21.
Class 5A
Hutchinson advanced to its eight state championship game in the past nine season with a 29-21 victory over Bishop Carroll. The Salthawks got a huge day from senior Lucas Munds who rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns after replacing an injured Ja’Mon Cotton in the first quarter. The key play in the game came just before half when Bishop Carroll quarterback Zeke Palmer was stuffed on fourth-and-goal at the Hutchinson 1-yard line allowing the Salthawks to keep a 10-7 halftime advantage. Munds would score three consecutive touchdowns before Carroll added two scores in the final five minutes. Palmer threw for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles and added 37 yards and a score on the ground.
Blue Valley beat Gardner-Edgerton for the third consecutive time and advanced to their second consecutive state championship game with a 34-14 win on Friday night. Gardner-Edgerton scored early on a Traevohn Wrench touchdown and recovered an onside kick, but once Blue Valley’s offense finally took the field the Trailblazers couldn’t stop them. Kyle Zimmerman rushed for two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass as the Tigers took a 20-7 lead into halftime.
Blue Valley then pulled away as senior running back Justin Fulks broke an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half to expand the lead to 27-7. Blazer quarterback Jared Hobby hit Wrench on a 25-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to pull within 27-14, but Zimmerman would answer with his third touchdown run – this one from 40 yards. Zimmerman finished with 167 yards and three scores on the ground, and threw one touchdown through the air. Fulks finished with 136 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Tigers. Wrench finished with 96 yards rushing and a touchdown on 17 carries brining his sophomore season total to 2,416 yards and 34 touchdowns. Blue Valley advance to their ninth overall state championship game, and will seek their sixth state title.
Class 4A
Eudora advanced to the school’s first ever state championship football game with a 13-10 win over Frontier League rival Paola. The Cardinals took the lead on their opening possession after Derek Webb scored from a yard out. That 7-point advantage would last until right after halftime when Paola’s Tanner Staats broke loose on a 64-yard touchdown run to knot the game at 7. Luke Wilson added a 34-yard field goal early in the third quarter to give the Panthers their first lead at 10-7. Eudora would answer. After converting a fourth-and-one, senior Chris Pyle broke free for a 19-yard touchdown with more than five minutes remaining to give the Cardinals a 13-10 lead. Penalties and sacks would end Paola’s chances from there on out.
The Panthers fell in the state semifinals for the third consecutive season. Gabe Cleveland led Eudora with 89 yards on the ground allowing him to surpass the 1,000-yard mark on the season. Pyle added 75 yards to bring his season total to 1,799 yards and 12 scores. Staats finished with 66 yards on the ground for the Panthers who finished 11-2 with both losses to Eudora by a combined 11 points.
Rose Hill took advantage of three Topeka Hayden first-half turnovers to build a 23-7 lead, and then scored twice late to punch their ticket to the 4A state championship game for the first time since 2004. Tyler Knight kicked his second field goal of the game in the third quarter to extend the Rose Hill lead to 26-7, but Hayden would not go quietly. The Wildcats would score the game’s next 22 points and take a 29-26 lead with 5:14 remaining when Zack Weekley dove into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game.
Rose Hill would respond in two plays as quarterback Derrick Decker hit Eastin Dockers on a crossing route that turned into a 55-yard touchdown and put the Rockets up 33-29. After holding Hayden on fourth down, the Rockets added a late touchdown on a toss from Decker to Caleb Braddy for the final margin of 40-29.
Decker threw for 103 yards and three touchdowns on the night. Rose Hill’s talented junior tailback Jonny Pearson was held to 28 yards rushing, but scored a first-half touchdown. Dockers added 78 yards rushing and a score to go along with his go-ahead touchdown reception. Hayden was led by Jason Tetuan who rushed for a game-high 113 yards. The last time the Rockets made the 4A title game they fell to Hayden, 31-13.
Class 3A
Conway Springs kept their state championship hopes alive with a 38-14 win over rival Garden Plain. The Cardinals scored on their first four possessions in the game and built a 28-14 halftime lead. Brian Doffing rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns, while Cory Misak added 80 yards and a score before leaving with an injury in the second quarter. The Conway Springs defense held Garden Plain’s outstanding running back Joey Capul to 48 yards rushing on 12 carries. The Cardinals got revenge on the Owls who defeated them 19-13 in overtime earlier this season. Now the Cardinals will seek revenge against Silver Lake which beat Conway Springs 27-21 to win the 2010 state championship.
Special teams played a major role in the outcome of Silver Lake’s 14-13 win over Rock Creek. First it was a low snap on Rock Creek’s second PAT attempt that caused a failed two-point conversion pass and held the Mustangs’ lead at 13-0 in the third quarter. Silver Lake would respond as Peter Pfannenstiel returned the kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown to pull the Eagles within 13-7. Quarterback Evan Burdiek then scored on a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put Silver Lake up 14-13, and the Eagle defense made that lead stand up. The game was a defensive battle as Silver Lake managed to outgain Rock Creek 165 to 157 in total yards. Logan Miner rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown, and Ben Commerford added 36 yards rushing and a score for Rock Creek.
Class 2-1A
Centralia controlled the line of scrimmage and did not fall victim to big plays in a 24-10 win over St. Mary’s Colgan. After a Centralia three-and-out, Colgan quickly advanced to the Centralia 3-yard line before fumbling a pitch on third down. On the next play, Centralia’s Michael Glatczak broke outside contain for a 92-yard touchdown run to give his Panthers an 8-0 lead. Glatczak later hit Sam Steinlage on a touchdown pass to put Centralia up 16-0 at halftime.
Colgan would respond in the third quarter with a Christian Smith 6-yard run to pull within 16-7, and drive to the Centralia 20-yard line before being stopped on fourth-and –one on their next possession. Centralia would return the favor as Glatczak was picked off by Derek Beck, which led to an Austin Baron 31-yard field goal to cut Centralia’s lead to 16-10.
Centralia would then put the game away with a fourth quarter drive resulting in a Glatczak to Steinlage 8-yard touchdown pass with 4:25 remaining. That touchdown pass came after Steinlage made the play of the game with a falling-down, highlight-reel 25-yard reception on third-and-five.
Steinlage caught four balls for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Glatczak rushed 22 times for 156 yards and that 92-yard early touchdown. Christian Smith led Colgan with 109 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while his twin brother Zach added 81 yards on 20 carries.
LaCrosse advanced to the state championship game for the first time in school history with a 13-6 win over Plainville. Tayler Stull rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns as the Leopards beat the Cardinals for the second time this season – and in a similar game than 14-8 victory in Week 9. Plainville scored first on a Harrison Gilliland 30-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Stull would answer with a 19-yard run to give the Leopards a 7-6 lead at halftime. Stull would then add an 8-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to send LaCrosse to the title game in nearby Hays on Saturday. After posting a 4-24 record over the previous three seasons, Plainville finished 10-2 and reached the state semifinals.
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