Midway point of the season has come and gone and District play is heating up in Class 2-1A and 8-Man, while area 3A & 4A teams open Districts next week. Six area teams are in rankings across the State, while seven area squads remain unbeaten on the season.  A full preview of all the week six matchups involving area teams is below to get you ready for another week of football. 

Week Six Games to be Broadcasted:
103.9 KNZA – Doniphan West at Horton (click here to listen)
92.1 KMZA – Wetmore at Axtell (click here to listen)
KAIR 93.7 FM – Atchison at KC Harmon (click here to listen)
Holton Channel – Holton at Hiawatha (click here to watch)
Sabetha Channel – ACCHS at Sabetha (click here to watch)
KAIR Sports Channel – Oskaloosa at Pleasant Ridge (click here to listen)

Perry Lecompton (2-3) at Nemaha Central (5-0)
With a big League and District matchup with rival Sabetha looming next week the Nemaha Central Thunder to remain focused on the task at hand in Perry Lecompton this week. The Thunder continued to roll last week with a 53-19 win over Centralia, a game in which seven different guys were involved in a touchdown scoring play as the team continues to be balanced with playmakers in all aspects of the game. Nemaha Central is averaging 51.8 points per game and only giving up 12.2 with three shutouts. 

Perry Lecompton for the third straight week will be facing an unbeaten team and while falling to Troy and Sabetha the last two weeks manage to make both of those games interesting. The Kaws are averaging 252.8 yards per game rushing led by Cole and Michael Kellum who have 1,014 yards and 11 touchdowns combined and each are averaging over seven yards per carry. The Kaws defense has been solid too giving up just 14.4 points per game this season. 

The last matchup between the two was 2013 when then Nemaha Valley won 24-9 but that game featured eight turnovers between the two; the Kaws last win over Nemaha was 2011 a 47-6 victory. 

ACCHS (0-5) at Sabetha (5-0) 
Sabetha looks to remain perfect heading into their clash against unbeaten rival Nemaha Central next week. The Bluejays committed their first two turnovers of the season last Friday before pulling away from a 7-7 halftime tie to win at Perry Lecompton 28-7. Blake Plattner, reigning MSC Sports Athlete of the Week, ran for 201 yards and scored twice, as did Zach Edelman and the Bluejays defense adjusted on the fly during the game as the Kaws came out throwing 24 passes in the contest. Christian Meyer completed both pass attempts and ran for a season high 50 yards. Sabetha, who beat ACCHS 55-6 last year is averaging 363 yards rushing per game, with Plattner and Trae Snyder both over 630 yards this season.

ACCHS lost their homecoming game 24-6 against Riverside last week and is still searching for their first win.  It was the best effort for the Atchison County defense this season and the Tigers scored their third offensive touchdown as Levi Navinsky tossed a second half 26-yard TD pass to Ryder McAlexander. The Tigers, after battling through major injuries all season, may have fewer than 15 health players suited up tonight.     

Holton (2-3) at Hiawatha (3-2)
After three tight losses against three teams that are now 15-0, Holton has reeled off two impressive wins themselves, including a 47-7 triumph against rival Royal Valley last week. Holton jumped to a 34-0 halftime lead and intercepted their first three passes of the season. The Cats ran 59 times for 430 yards, led by Miles McClintock Stozier who had 142 yards and scored 4 touchdowns on his 10 rushing attempts. Stozier is averaging more than 15 yards per carry this season with more than 800 yards.  

Hiawatha is coming off a tough 16-14 loss at Jeff West. A game in which that doubled the offensive output of the Tigers, but had two costly turnovers and nine penalties for 95 yards. Joseph Kunkel posted his best rushing game with 159 yards and scored both Redhawk touchdowns. Hiawatha, hosting homecoming tonight, has lost 14-straight to Holton, dating back to the 2001 playoffs, and fell to the Cats 34-6 a year ago.    

Jeff West (1-4) at Royal Valley (1-4)
Both the Tigers and Panthers are looking for their second win of the season and some momentum before District play. Both clubs have struggled mightily on offense this year with Royal Valley averaging eight points per game and Jeff West only seven points an outing. Jeff West got their first win last week, scoring twice in the second quarter and adding a pair of conversions to hold off Hiawatha 16-14 on homecoming. It was the first game without a turnovers for Jeff West this season. Hunter Dean ran for 90 yards and a touchdown while adding a defensive interception. Last year in a district game, Jeff West beat Royal Valley 35-21 as Dean ran wild for 300 yards. The Tigers have beaten the Panthers four straight years. Royal Valley got a third rushing touchdown from quarterback Kyle Stithem last week in the loss to Holton but was plagued by five turnovers.  

MH-MA (3-2) at Riverside (3-2)
Riverside steps outside Big 7 League play for the first and only time this season hosting Maur Hill/Mount Academy in a homecoming matchup. The beat up Cyclones got back on track last week with a 24-6 road win against ACCHS as sophomore Dawson Dick ran for 203 yards and fellow sophomore Antonio Jones took over at quarterback. Scott Resler added an offensive touchdown and led the Cyclones with 11 tackles, including three for a loss.

MH-MA went to the Show-Me State and beat Missouri Military Academy 48-6 last week and Jack Caudle tossed a trio of touchdowns and Ronald Faulk-Tindal ran for three more.  The Ravens are now averaging 33 points per game, while the Cyclones have a mean of just 18 points per game, albeit against tougher competition.  Riverside has won all three meetings between these schools, including a 40-14 most recent victory in 2013.       

Oskaloosa (3-2) at Pleasant Ridge (1-4) 
The Bears ended a two-game losing streak last week dominating Immaculata at home 60-20. Oskaloosa put together their best offensive output of the season rushing for 342 yards with Jared Miller compiling 202 of those yards and a touchdown. Jaxson Webb also completed 4-6 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, both coming to Hunter Reed.  Despite dropping two of their last three the Bears currently sit alone in third in the Northeast Kansas League behind JCN and Jackson Heights with this week’s matchup with Pleasant Ridge marking the last league game of the year. 

After a season opening 36-0 win over Horton, the Rams have dropped four straight by average margin of just 12 points. The latest setback came against Jayhawk-Linn last week in a game where the Rams were outscored 12-0 in the third quarter. The Rams were forced to use a two quarterback split between Breydon Bargary and Colton Comer because of an injury to Eli Schwinn in week four, and the two combined to complete just 35 percent of passes last week. Pleasant Ridge has scored just 36 total points in the past four losses which equaled the total scored in week one. 

Pleasant Ridge has won the five meetings between the two teams, including a 38-6 win last year in week six. 

Wabaunsee (1-4) at Jackson Heights (4-1)
Both teams are desperate for a district win to keep playoff hopes alive after falling in tight games last week.  Wabaunsee led most of the game before falling to Valley Heights 34-28, while Jackson Heights fell at Washington County 22-14. Wabaunsee’s four losses have been to teams with a combined 17-3 record. Senior QB Kameron Wurtz had thrown for more than 300 yards and Kolby Droegemeier leads the Chargers with 600 yards rushing. Jackson Heights tries to bounce back from their first loss of the season, after beating their first four foes all by at least 30 points. The Cobras have kept their rushing offense very balanced and beat Wabaunsee in District games 42-7 and 41-8 the past two seasons.  

Immaculata (0-5) at Uniontown (2-3) 
Immaculata is still in search of their first win of the season after falling to Oskaloosa last week 60-20. The Raiders had their best offensive output of the season with Micah Webb and Anthony Brigg each rushing for touchdowns, while Nate Burdette hit Brock West for a 34-yard score. The Raiders enter this week averaging just eight points per game, while giving up 51 a contest. Uniontown is coming off a 48-6 loss to Olpe and enter Friday night averaging 16 points per game. 

Jefferson County North (5-0) at Christ Prep (2-3)
The Chargers are at the top of the Northeast Kansas League following a 42-6 victory over Horton last week at home and enter Saturday’s matchup with Christ Prep outscoring opponents 202-32. Ridge Robertson delivered a monster game against Horton last week accounting for four total touchdowns, three on the ground, while rushing for 153 yards. Through five games Robertson has surpassed the 500 yard rushing mark currently sitting at 573 with 12 touchdowns on the ground. Christ Prep enters Friday night off a 19-15 loss to McLouth last week and is averaging 19 points per game. 

The Chargers took last year’s meeting between the two teams 22-20, as JCN scored with 12 seconds left and connected on a two-point conversion for the win.

Troy (5-0) at McLouth (3-2)  
Thanks to a 35-point second quarter, Troy remained undefeated and a top Class 2-1A with a 62-28 District win at Doniphan West. Reid Greaser threw for another 356 yards and 6 touchdowns, although the Trojan defense gave up some big runs and is surrendering 21 points per game.  

McLouth has won three straight games against teams with a 3-12 combined record, and the latest two wins were by just 4 and 5 points. The Bulldogs rallied to beat Christ Prep last Thursday as Zach McCowan scored on both offense and defense and Jeremy Carlton threw another TD pass to Dimitri Tullis.  

This is the District opener for McLouth and these teams haven’t played since 2013 when Troy beat McLouth 26-14 in a first-round playoff game.  

Doniphan West (0-5) at Horton (1-4) 
Despite some progress, it’s been a struggle of a season for Doniphan West and Horton who meet in a district game and basically face a must-win to keep any post-season hopes alive. It could be a high scoring affair if the teams take care of the football as the Mustangs are surrendering 46 points per game and Horton is allowing 30.  

D-West fell to Troy last week, but did score 28 points with four touchdowns runs of more than 35 yards. Two each for Clayton Rideout and Carson Lackey, but the Mustangs remain winless, including four toss losses in the tough Twin Valley League. Horton loss their district opener to NEKL foe JCN 42-6, with Conner Dean scoring on a 60 yard run and finishing with 141 yards for the injury-riddled Chargers.       

The series is tied 4-4 between these two teams with four games decided by single digits and Horton winning 28-0 their latest tussle in 2013.   

Washington County (4-1) at Centralia (1-4)
Washington County beat Centralia 32-6 last year earning a win over the Panthers for the first time since 2006 and in the process snapped Centralia’s streak of 16-straight Twin Valley 11-Man football League titles. The Tigers bounced back from their first loss of the season with a tough 22-14 district opening win over Jackson Heights last week, using a 16-0 second quarter to push themselves to the win. Led by the senior backfield of Hunter Keir and Jae Eaton the Tigers will need contributions from other places as both guys are banged up coming into the contest. 

Centralia fell to Nemaha Central 53-19 but didn’t turn over the ball in the game, something they have struggled with all season. The Panthers continue to run the ball with some success with around 280 yards per game rushing, but have only scored over 20 points once this season. The Panthers have played plenty of tough competition this season as their four losses are to teams with a combined 18-3 record, including three unbeaten teams. 

Valley Heights (4-1) at Oswego (1-4) on Saturday
Four-straight wins for the Mustangs of Valley Heights and they opened District play with a 34-28 win over Wabaunsee, avenging last year’s tough loss to the Chargers. The rushing attack of the Mustangs triple option offense has been potent all year and last week was no different with a trio of guys breaking 100 yards rushing each as Logan Woodyard, Hunter Stevenson and Jordan Yungeberg each surpassed the century mark on the ground. Stevenson is only 50 yards away from 1,000 for the season, while the Mustangs are seeing quarterback, Logan Woodyard read the option well in their offense. The key for Valley Heights is their defense who is giving up 27.8 points per game and looking to get better with some tough offensive teams looming ahead in District play. 

This week it’s a non-district game for Valley Heights as they travel over five hours to Oswego who is coming off their first win of the season 12-0 over Northeast (Arma) last week. While six starters are back on each side of the ball this year including senior tailbacks, Bryan Sui and Devin Wilkerson Oswego has been able to only score 11.4 points per game and has given up 39 per game. 

Wetmore (0-5) at Axtell (2-3) 
Both teams enter their second district game of the season after rough outings in the first last week. The Wetmore Cardinals took on the #1 Hanover Wildcats last week falling 50-0 and did so without their main signal caller, Joel Hutfles who returns this week against Axtell. The Cardinals have struggle this year moving the ball consistently averaging just 110.8 yards of total offense, while having 10 turnovers on the year. Garrett Evans and Kyler Vance have led the Wetmore offense as Evans as 225 yards on 85 carries with two touchdowns and Vance has caught eight passes for 148 yards with three touchdowns. 

Axtell is coming off a 70-20 loss to Frankfort a game in which they had three turnovers and struggle to finish plays. The Eagles enter homecoming a bit nicked up and many have to move some pieces around to compensate. Hunter Koch has lead the way for Axtell on the season with nearly 700 yards of total offense and 14 touchdowns, while Michael Swanson had 450 yards total offense with six scores and Quinn Buessing has passed for nearly 500 yards with seven touchdowns. 

Last year the Axtell junior varsity took on Wetmore and the Cardinals won easily 46-8. 

Hanover (4-0) at Blue Valley-Randolph (1-4) 
The dominance has been their all season for the Hanover Wildcats ending their last three games early, while holding all four of their opponents to under 100 yards of total offense and outscoring them 170-0. Hanover’s offense continues to get multiple players involved regularly but the team has struggled with penalties and some turnovers this season a bit. Wildcats haven’t lost a TVL contest since 2013 (B&B) and haven’t lost to a current TVL member since 2011 (Frankfort), that stretch includes a 58-0 win over Blue Valley last year. 

The Rams opened districts with a 52-6 lost at Wakefield last week and outside of their win against Southern Cloud in which they scored 72 points, they have only notched 36 points in the other four games this season. Blue Valley has struggled to stop teams giving up 49.6 points per game. 

Wakefield (4-1) at Frankfort (3-2) 
Frankfort Wildcats are in search of their first playoff appearance since 2011 and last week started districts strong with a 70-20 rout of Axtell but face off this week against another team that has playoff aspirations after 7-2 and 6-3 records the last years and no playoff appearances that being Wakefield. The Wildcats enter the big District game a bit banged up with a couple of players potentially game time decisions. But Adam Kenworthy will be ready to go has he has gone wild the last two weeks helping Frankfort score 132 points in last two games. Kenworthy on the year has 635 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns and has thrown for 337 yards with six touchdowns, while the emergence of freshman, Garrett Dalinghaus has also helped Frankfort in a big way. Dalinghaus in two starts the past two weeks has 221 yards rushing with four touchdowns, while recording 17 tackles on defense and three interceptions including a pick-six. 

Wakefield routed Blue Valley, 54-6 last week and has won four in a row cruising the last two weeks after 10 and12-point wins in week two and three. Skyler Merritt and Justin Carver have combined for 908 yards rushing with 16 touchdowns, while Merritt has added 382 yards in the air with nine touchdowns. 

Southern Cloud (0-5) at Linn (2-3) 
Last two weeks have been rough for the Linn Bulldogs getting point ruled in each game but this week the Bulldogs take on Southern Cloud a team they beat 66-34 last year. Evan Bott and Kalen Richardson ran for 388 yards and seven touchdowns together in the win last year. This season Linn is only averaging just under 200 yards total offense per game with Bott leading the way with 495 yards on 68 carries with three touchdowns. But the Bulldogs are looking to get quarterback, Chase McGatlin and the passing game rolling more as he threw for 1,000-plus yards two years ago, his top target Dillon Cooper is looking to get involved more. 

Southern Cloud continues their tour in the Twin Valley League this season having lost to Axtell and Blue Valley already this year. The Warriors have been outscored 308-34 on the year and average only 124.4 yards total offense per game with the trio of Joe Cool, Lane Martin and Carson Bellows leading the way. 

Clifton-Clyde (5-0) at Burlingame (5-0) 
For the third straight week the Clifton-Clyde Eagles face a fellow unbeaten team and after passing the test the last two weeks the Eagles with a win over Burlingame set themselves well to win the District title and make the playoffs in 8-Man Division I. Eagles topped Herington 50-36 last week and are averaging 315.6 rushing yards per game this season with Caleb Charbonneau putting up some big numbers rushing for 910 yards with 17 touchdowns in five games. Last week Charbonneau got some strong help out of the backfield too as Drake Steinbrock ran for 93 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns in the win versus Herington. 

Burlingame took down Onaga last week 48-0 and having outscored their opponents 274-34 this season, not allowing more than 14 points in a single game this year. Dalton Sporing leads an offense that averages 362 yards of total offense per game, while the quarterback has totaled 1,245 yards of offense himself with 27 touchdowns this year. But Burlingame has yet to have played Herington and Rural Vista in district play. 

Onaga (1-4) at Centre (1-3)
After three straight weeks of unbeaten opponents and being outscored 174-30 during that stretch the Onaga Buffaloes get an easier test this week at least on paper. The Buffaloes have struggled finding consistency on offense averaging 23.6 points per game but it’s been hard for the Buffaloes to string long drives together. After missing last week the Buffaloes hope that lineman, Quentin Lara can return this week and help the offense put some things together. 

Centre enters the game having lost their last week after a six-point win against Little River in week one. The Cougars despite their 1-3 record do have plenty of playmaking ability with the likes of senior quarterback, Cole Methvin, junior halfback, Max Svoboda and senior wideout, Dylan Deines. 

Marysville (3-2) at Chapman (1-4) 
Marysville after two losses by a combined nine points to open the season have now won three-straight games and are getting the passing game more involved the last two weeks. Quarterback, Jack Blumer finished last week’s 28-14 win over Clay Center 5-10 for 186 yards with three touchdowns, while throwing for nearly 100 yards and three touchdowns the week before. Hunter Warnick as still be steady out of the backfield for the Bulldogs with 650+ yards rushing this season. 

Chapman has struggled since a season opening 8-6 win over Jeff West they have lost four-straight and are only averaging 7.2 points per game, while giving up 35.8. 

It was low scoring last year with Chapman winning 14-9 getting a fourth quarter touchdown to earn the win.  

Valley Falls (1-4) at Herington (4-1) 
The losing streak reached four games last week for the Dragons after a 56-6 loss to Rural Vista in a game that was stopped in the third quarter. Valley Falls turned the football over three times, while Tyler Lockhart was able to connect on a touchdown with Cole Brosa for the Dragons lone score. The Dragons enter Friday night averaging just 13 points per game, while giving up nearly 47 a contest. Herington is coming off a 50-36 loss to Clifton-Clyde and is averaging nearly 55 points per game scoring over 70 points twice this season. 

Atchison (5-0) at KC Harmon (0-4)
The Redmen are in the midst of a 16-game win streak in the KCAL and now sit one win away from a third straight league title. Atchison is coming off a 58-6 win over Washington last week in which Adam Smith accounted for four total touchdowns with two coming through the air, both to Cole Batemon, and two on the ground. Dylon LeBlue also ran for 110 yards on just 11 carries scoring two touchdowns of his own. The Redmen have outscored opponents 235-52 on the season averaging 47 points per game while winning the last three game by an average margin of 40 points. Atchison took last year’s meeting 73-14 and have won the past five times the two teams have met.