Top-ranked La Crosse used a monster night from senior running back Levi Morss to knock off Plainville, 42-22 in the Kpreps Game of the Week as chosen by the fans. Morss rushed for 355 yards and four touchdowns as the Leopards overcame several fumbles to run away from the Cardinals.
Morss scored two first-half touchdowns as La Crosse built a 20-6 lead. That lead grew to 34-6 after Morss’ third touchdown, and a 10-yard scoring run by William Storie.
Plainville answered with a long Trevor Axelson touchdown run, and Axelson scored again after a Leopard turnover to pull the Cardinals within 34-22.
But Morss would cap his big night by breaking a 67-yard touchdown run to give the Leopards a 42-22 win.
The highly anticipated match-up between these 2-1A contenders went quite a bit different than the two meetings last season. The Leopards beat Plainville 14-8 in Week 9 last season to win a district championship, and 13-6 in the semifinals of the state playoffs.
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What a night at Hutchinson Field in Pittsburg as Frontenac edged their bitter rival St. Mary’s Colgan 26-25 in overtime. The storyline leading up to the game was centered on Colgan coach Chuck Smith against his son Mark Smith; in his first season as head coach of the Frontenac Raiders. But on Friday night, it was the game that stole the spotlight
The Raiders overcame an early 10-0 deficit including a fumble returned by Colgan’s Aaron Twarog for a touchdown on the third play of the game.
Frontenac would get on the board with a wild touchdown pass from Devon Keith to Blake Vail on a ball that was batted in the air twice by Colgan defensive back Colton Gilbert, bounced off of the top of Gilbert’s helmet, and fell to the seated Vail in the end zone.
The Raiders would take their first lead on a touchdown run by Ethan Powell in the second quarter.
Twarog’s second 20-yard field goal of the game tied the score at 13 as time expired in the first half.
Colgan seemingly took control in the third quarter as a 12-yard Connor Dayton touchdown run gave the Panthers a 19-13 lead. The Panthers then threatened again inside the Frontenac 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Dyson Dechant’s pass was intercepted by Tanner Craig in the end zone.
The Raiders would march the length of the field and score with 3 minutes remaining on a Taylor Johnson touchdown. But the PAT was blocked leaving the game tied at 19.
Colgan could only muster a drive to mid-field before the two rivals would settle for overtime.
Frontenac scored first on a third-and-9 pass from Keith to Brett Macary. This time the PAT was partially deflected but had enough to get over the cross bar.
Colgan would answer two plays later as Dechant scored from 5-yards out, but Twarog’s extra point sailed wide left.
Frontenac stormed the field having defeated Colgan for the first time since 1997.
It is the first career win for the younger Smith who now sits 305 wins behind his father.
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The Sunflower League took center stage on Thursday night as Shawnee Mission East defeated defending 6A champion Olathe South 3-0.
The surprise wasn’t necessarily that Chip Sherman’s Lancers upset Olathe South, but perhaps more so that the game was a defensive struggle.
Neither team could get a lot going on offense, but SM East reached the Falcon 2-yard line in the second quarter which resulted in a 19-yard Will Humphrey field goal for the only points of the game.
SM East quarterback Jordan Darling, a Kansas commit, threw for 162 yards on the night. Russell White led Olathe South with 94 yards on the ground.
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The Centennial League battle of unbeatens lived up to its billing as No. 2 Emporia escaped with a 21-19 win over Topeka Seaman.
The Vikings scored with just over a minute to go on a Butch Rea touchdown pass to Ryan Greenwood. Seaman went for the two-point conversion to tie, but Emporia’s Jerel Morrow knocked away the pass to secure the win for the Spartans.
Dylan Jackson led the Spartans with 229 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns.
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McPherson made a strong statement in the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League by knocking off Buhler, 44-28.
The Bullpups’ lone loss came to Hays in Week 2, but they have since posted strong wins over Rose Hill and against the Crusaders on Friday night.
McPherson still has an October 5th showdown with Mulvane on the schedule. The Wildcats remained unbeaten with a 42-7 thrashing of El Dorado.
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St. Thomas Aquinas sits atop the Eastern Kansas League standings after a 38-35 three overtime win over previously unbeaten Blue Valley West.
The Saints and Jaguars each scored touchdowns in the first two overtimes, but Aquinas was forced to settle for a Derek Rodgers field goal in the third OT.
Blue Valley West’s third overtime attempt also stalled, but the Jaguars tried a fake field goal that the Aquinas defense stopped to end the game.
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Highlights from the 8-man classes include Chetopa scoring on the game’s final play to top Uniontown 58-56, Sharon Springs-Wallace County blasting Cheylin 50-6 in a game featured in Thursday’s Pick List, and Clifton-Clyde putting together a great performance to knock off fifth-ranked Mankato-Rock Hills, 42-22.
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