The 2012 Kansas high school football season is winding down as we have reached the state semifinals in the 11-man classes, and we will crown state champions in each of the 8-Man divisions this weekend. We will continue to release the Kpreps Top 5 Rankings each Monday throughout the season before our final poll after all the state champions are crowned.
In the 11-man ranks, five of the ten substate semifinal match-ups on tap for this Friday are rematches of regular season games. Both semifinal games in Class 6A are rematches as top-ranked Hutchinson will travel to No. 2 Derby to try and defeat the Panthers for a second time. The Salthawks won the earlier meeting with a dramatic 31-28 win. On the east side of the bracket, No. 3 Lawrence Free State will travel to No. 4 Shawnee Mission West to determine which of the Sunflower League members will advance to the state title game. Free State handed the Vikings their only loss of the season 28-14 back in Week 2.
In Class 5A, top-ranked Bishop Carroll appears to finally have a test on its schedule as second-ranked Salina South will come calling this week. Carroll rolled to a 49-14 win over Andover, while Salina South knocked out No. 4 Emporia 35-20. St. Thomas Aquinas moves up to No. 3 in our poll as the Saints edged Blue Valley 23-22, avenging their only loss of the season. Aquinas will now host Bishop Miege which checks in at No. 5 this week after stopping a two-point conversion attempt in double overtime to top Blue Valley West 38-37. Aquinas stopped Miege on the 1-yard line as time expired to preserve a 27-24 win back on October 26th.
In Class 4A, a Week 1 rematch will occur on the eastern side of the bracket as No. 4 Eudora hosts No. 5 KC Piper. The Cardinals defeated the Pirates 25-7 to open the season, but Piper is playing good football of late in advancing to the school’s first ever state semifinal. Elsewhere, top-ranked Holton and No. 3 McPherson traded touchdowns in the final 1:30 in a wild game that many believe will have ultimately decided the 4A state title. Holton scored last on a 65-yard touchdown pass to propel the Wildcats into a semifinal game with newly second-ranked Mulvane. Mulvane’s 15-0 shutout of Buhler propelled the Wildcats into the state semifinals for the first time in school history.
No result from last Friday night was more surprising than No. 2 Scott City’s 49-0 pasting of Garden Plain. The Beavers forced seven Owl turnovers and advanced to the state semifinals where they will meet No. 3 Beloit. Beloit cruised to a 52-24 road win at Sedgwick. The Trojans switch places with Garden Plain in this week’s poll followed by No. 5 Conway Springs. Top-ranked Silver Lake earned an impressive road win at Caney Valley 40-0. The Eagles will face Mid East League rival Rossville in the substate semifinal game on Friday. Silver Lake won the earlier meeting this season 32-12.
In Class 2-1A, top-ranked La Crosse will travel to No. 2 Meade for the second consecutive season in the playoffs; only this time a round deeper. The Leopards knocked out Meade 21-12 in last year’s quarterfinals. On the eastern side, No. 3 Lyndon will travel north to take on defending champion and fourth-ranked Centralia to decide who makes the trip to Hays next week. Centralia advanced with a 28-0 shutout of Olpe, while Lyndon beat McLouth 39-6. Oakley remains at No. 5 in the poll after losing 20-8 to top-ranked La Crosse.
The state championship games are set in both 8-Man divisions. Top-ranked Ness City will battle No. 2 Makato-Rock Hills at 3pm on Saturday at Fischer Field in Newton. The Eagles blasted No. 5 Solomon 48-0 to earn their spot in the title game, while Rock Hills knocked out two-time defending champion Madison 36-20. Madison falls to No. 3 in our poll, while Marmaton Valley checks in at No. 4.
The Division II title game will be a rematch of last season’s championship game in Newton. Top-ranked Baileyville B&B will be looking for revenge as they take on defending champion Thunder Ridge. The Longhorns, now ranked No. 2 in our poll, defeated B&B 46-14 in last year’s title game. B&B advanced to Saturday’s game with a 50-20 win over No. 3 Hanover, while Thunder Ridge eliminated No. 5 Sharon Springs-Wallace County for the third consecutive season.
Click the Rankings tab on the main page to view the Top 5 for each class.
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