Class 6A
Junction City’s Jovan Toles rushed for 239 yards as the Blue Jays built a 26-7 halftime lead en route to a 39-19 win over Washburn Rural. Toles carried the ball 26 times to get his yardage, but did not score in the game. Instead, Sam Cusack rushed for a touchdown and caught a pair of touchdown passes from Cody Devin. Devin completed just five passes, but four went four touchdowns. Rural’s Jarid Ladson rushed for more than 100 yards and a score.
Prentice Byrd rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns as Wichita Heights survived Wichita East, 42-27. The Falcons built a 14-0 halftime lead, and led 14-6 after three quarters. Heights and East each scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. Chris Witten added 119 yards and a touchdown for Wichita Heights. The Blue Aces were led by Calil Burnett’s 113 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Garden City outscored Maize 14-9 in a decisive fourth quarter to pull out a 31-26 road win. Quarterback Greyson Tempel hit tight-end Taylor Forley on an 11-yard touchdown pass with under a minute to go to propel the Buffaloes past the Eagles. Maize drove into Garden City territory in the final minute before an interception by Brady Bean ended the threat. Tempel threw for 222 yards and that decisive touchdown, while Bean rushed for 76 yards and three scores.
Shawnee Mission West throttled Shawnee Mission North 58-0 to improve to 6-1. The Vikings got another huge night on the ground from Bret Sterbach who rushed for 240 yards and three scores. Sterbach now has 1,235 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns this season. The Vikings will host rival Shawnee Mission East in Week 8.
Olathe East picked up its third win of the season by a 31-14 margin over Blue Valley North. The Hawks were led by senior back Hayden Frazier who rushed for 248 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Olathe East is trying to return to the playoffs for the 11th straight season. The Hawks have advanced to the state semifinals in each of the past two years.
Class 5A
Arkansas City quarterback Riley Dowler helped lead the Bulldogs to a 41-20 district win over Andover Central. Dowler rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 141 yards and another score. The Bulldogs are trying to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
Blue Valley West took advantage of two Pittsburg turnovers in jumping out to a 17-0 in rolling the Purple Dragons 61-21. Jaguar junior quarterback Ryan Ralston converted the two Pittsburg fumbles in to touchdown runs as part of his 130-yard, four-touchdown night. Senior running back Conley Wilkins exploded for 219 yards and two touchdowns a week after rushing for more than 300 yards and four scores. Wilkins also returned a kickoff 89 yards for a score against the Purple Dragons. Pittsburg was led by sophomore Alex Barnes who rushed for 155 yards on 24 carries.
Blue Valley rallied from down 14-7 and 21-7 to top Blue Valley Southwest 28-21. Ryan McNerlin rushed 33 times for 183 yards and the go-ahead touchdown with just over five minutes remaining in the game. Southwest’s Aaron Ramsey rushed for 130 yards and all three of the Timberwolves’ scores.
Goddard scored 35 points in the first half in rolling past Liberal 45-21. The Lions rushed for nearly 400 yards in the game, led by Devin Bultmann’s 225-yard night. Bultmann also scored a pair of touchdowns as part of his 24 carries. Liberal quarterback Britton Abbott threw for 296 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 141 yards and two scores. Junior receiver Trenton Hammond caught 11 passes for 197 yards for the Redskins.
Michael Motel II led Shawnee Heights with 96 yards rushing on 23 carries as the T-Birds knocked off Topeka Highland Park, 38-7. Heights outscored the Scots 21-0 in the second half to put the game away. Shawnee Heights is trying to reach the playoffs for the eight consecutive season.
Class 4A
Topeka Hayden’s lead over Royal Valley was just 14-6 at halftime, but the Wildcats scored 33 second-half points on their way to a 47-14 win. Hayden quarterback Jacob Tetuan threw for 140 yards and three touchdowns; two of which went to standout wide receiver Brogan Berry. Berry caught six passes for 76 yards in the game.
Hesston’s Wyatt McKinney threw for 196 yards and six touchdowns as the Swathes had no trouble with Towanda Circle. McKinney connected four different receivers on scoring strikes, and Tyler McCartney and Ryan Schadler caught two each. Schadler also added 126 yards and a pair of rushing scores as the Swathers won 51-6.
Hugoton scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to edge Pratt 21-20. The Eagles got touchdown runs from Yates Sutton and Ross Davis in the final period to rally from a 20-9 halftime deficit. Hugoton scored three touchdowns on the night, but missed two PATs and a two-point conversion. The Eagles were able to make up those missed opportunities with a Jeison Rodriguez 29-yard field goal in the second quarter. Senior Garrett Walker registered 23 tackles in the game for Hugoton.
Andale rallied from a 31-20 second-half deficit to knock off Buhler 36-31. The Indians trailed by 11 after Buhler’s Riley Allen returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Andale would respond with a touchdown pass from Jared Smarsh to Hunter Knoblauch to pull within 31-28. The Indians would get the ball back and score on a short touchdown run by Gabe Probst to take a 36-31 lead. Andale’s defense would shutout the Crusaders the final nine minutes for the win.
Jefferson West made 13 second-quarter points stand up as the Tigers topped Basehor-Linwood 13-8. Quarterback Ian Mullins connected with Bret Rickelfs on a 45-yard touchdown pass, and Mullins added a short touchdown run for the Tigers. The Bobcats could only muster a short touchdown run by Drew Potter and a safety.
Class 3A
Connor Dayton rushed for more than 200 yards and two scores as St. Mary’s Colgan shutout Galena 21-0. Colgan’s defense limited the Bulldogs to just 104 yards rushing on 37 carries on the night. The Panthers improved to 5-2 with the win, while Galena lost its third straight game.
Caney Valley improved to 6-1 with a 38-0 shutout of Tri-Valley League rival Cherryvale. Brian Dixon rushed for 154 yards and a pair of long touchdowns for the Bullpups. Anthony Camper added two touchdown runs for Caney Valley. The Bullpup defense held the Chargers to just 23 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers.
With starting quarterback Brylie Ware out for the remainder of the season with an injury, Sedgwick turned to its running game with converted quarterback Logan Thompson and running back Dalton Brandt. The duo each rushed for more than 200 yards on Friday as the Cardinals blasted Wichita Independent, 46-0. Brandt led the way with 240 yards and four scores on 21 carries, while Thompson added 219 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Hutchinson Trinity rallied from a 20-5 halftime deficit against Kingman by scoring 20 points in the second half. Elias Jasso-Cardenas led the Celtics with 167 yards on the ground in addition to two touchdowns. The sophomore has now topped the 100-yard mark in each of the Celtics’ last three games, and has rushed for 569 yards and five touchdowns this season. Jeremy Andersen led Kingman with 127 yards rushing and a score.
Junior quarterback Nick Wuthnow rushed for 132 yards and a score as Sacred Heart topped Southeast of Saline, 33-12. Drew Diederich also added a pair of touchdowns and 121 yards on the ground for the Knights. The Trojans were led by Cody Smith who rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
Class 2-1A
Smith Center improved to 3-0 in district play with a narrow 23-22 win over Plainville. The Redmen built a 16-8 halftime lead behind a safety and a pair of Grant Lambert touchdown runs. The Cardinals tied the game on a Harrison Gilliland touchdown run in the third quarter, and went ahead when Trevor Axelson scored from 17 yards out in the fourth quarter. Plainville did not convert the two-point conversion and held a six-point lead. Kyler Atwood would score from four yards out and Zach Linn’s extra point was good to give Smith Center the one-point win.
St. Francis got a key district win 38-22 over visiting Ellis. The Indians led 12-0 at halftime thanks to touchdown runs by Mikey Liebbrandt and Thomas Douthit. St. Francis extended their lead to 20-6 in the third quarter on another short scoring run from Douthit. Liebbrandt they provided separation by stepping in front of an Ellis pass and returning it 30 yards for a touchdown and a 20-point lead. The Railers would pull within 26-22 on touchdowns from Harley Wright and Eli Lohrmeyer. The Indians would ice the game on touchdown runs from Cade Bracelin and Liebbrandt.
Oakley scored touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters to top Oberlin-Decatur County 16-6. Darius Herl hit Stephen Llewellyn on a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Plainsmen the lead after trailing early 6-0. In the fourth quarter, Oscar Macias put the game away with a short touchdown run as Oakley improved to 5-2.
Onaga rolled by Chase County 45-0 in a game that was postponed until Sunday due to bad weather. The Buffaloes jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead and picked up their first shutout of the season. Onaga took advantage of three Bulldogs turnovers to register their second district win. Chase County’s Troy Higgs threw for 165 yards in the game, but the Bulldogs were held to just 15 rush yards on 20 carries. Chase County linebacker Thomas Kirk recorded 16 tackles, giving him 126 through seven games.
Inman won for the fifth time this season with a 54-24 non-district romp over Herington. The Teutons scored 34 points in the first quarter and got another big night from Josh Miller rushed for 285 yards and five touchdowns. Inman hosts Sterling in a key district game this week.
Class 8M-I
St. Paul struggled through a weather delay in the first half and only led winless Yates Center 8-6 at the intermission. The Indians quickly took control in the second half pulling away for a 46-6 win to remain unbeaten. Alex McCracken rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown for St. Paul. Caleb DeNoon scored the Wildcats’ lone touchdown with a 55-yard run.
Flinthills stayed alive in District 3 win with a 50-36 road victory over Peabody-Burns. The Mustangs exploded for 44 points in the first half in grabbing a 30-point lead. Flinthills then had to hold on in the second half as the Warriors made a run. The Mustangs have won two straight, and have averaged 55 points per game over the past three weeks.
Kyle Methvin threw four touchdown passes as Centre-Lost Springs shutout Hartford 46-0 in district play. The Cougar quarterback threw two touchdown passes to Justin Deines. Houston Svoboda caught a touchdown pass and added a 30-yard score on the ground.
Clay Cosand rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns as Mankato-Rock Hills blasted Lakeside-Downs 50-6. The Grizzlies improved to 6-1 with the win and remain in contention for a playoff spot in District 4. Lakeside-Downs, however, will not make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
Hodgeman County scored 14 points in each of the final three quarters to knock Minneola from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 48-30 victory. Minneola’s Matt McClaren rushed 41 times for 170 yards and a touchdown in the loss. McClaren now has 1,760 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns this season.
Class 8M-II
Mark Zarybnicky rushed for 134 yards and four touchdowns as Hanover blasted Blue Valley Randolph 58-8. The Wildcats improved to 6-1 on the season with the win, and set up a Week 8 showdown against their Twin Valley League rival, top-ranked Baileyville B&B.
Rolla trailed Ingalls 36-34 with just one second remaining on Friday night. The Pirates’ last play resulted in a 34-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Telford to Jake Smith to propel Rolla past the Bulldogs 40-36, and to 5-2 on the season. Telford rushed for 111 yards and two scores, caught a 37-yard touchdown pass, and passed for 213 yards and three scores on 8 of 9 attempts. Smith caught two balls for 99 yards and two scores. Ingalls got a pair of touchdowns from Jordan and Josh Irsik.
The Hope Lions won their third straight game and kept pace in District 2 with a 50-0 shutout of Burrton. Austin Pierce rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions. Hope jumped out to a 30-0 lead after one quarter. Hope, Goessel, and Chase now each have one loss in district play with two weeks to go.
Cole Brady had a huge night as Chase took command of District 2 with a 60-14 pasting of Goessel. Brady rushed for 262 yards and five touchdowns on 34 carries. He also caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Zach Kizzar as the Kats improved to 5-2, but more importantly 4-1 in district play.
Trailing 16-10 at the end of the first quarter, Colony-Crest outscored Chetopa 38-0 in the second quarter on their way to a 78-36 win. Lancer superstar Kyle Hammond rushed for 220 yards and five touchdowns in the win. He also caught three passes for 81 yards and two scores, and completed six of nine passes for an additional 58 yards. Sophomore Derrick Cassell led the Green Hornets with 153 yards and three touchdowns rushing. Cassell also had 86 receiving yards and a touchdown.
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