The 2018 high school football season got underway on Friday for all area teams, and with that the first set of regular season rankings have been released.

Just two area teams find themselves in the top five of their respective classes after week one, with the Sabetha Bluejays checking in at No. 2 in Class 3A and Hanover Wildcats No. 1 in 8-man DII.  

Sabetha opened up their 3A state title defense Friday night with a 33-7 win over Nemaha Central leading 26-0 at halftime and ended a nine-game regular season losing streak versus the Thunder. The Bluejays ran up and down the field on their Nemaha County rival rushing for 395 yards, while Gabe Garber, Mason Engelken and Joe Gruber combined for four rushing scores. Engelken led the way with 131 rushing yards, while Garber added 112 in his first varsity start at quarterback.

Hanover, the two-time defending 8-man DII state champions, opened up their season with an impressive 46-0 win a Pike Valley. The Wildcats led 20-0 after the first quarter, while Daiken Stallbaumer rushed for two touchdowns and passed for one in the contest. The Wildcats also picked up two defensive scores in the game and this week will have another road test at Doniphan West.

In the others to be considered category, eight area teams were named.

In Class 3A Perry Lecompton put the Big 7 league and teams around Northeast Kansas on notice, as the Kaws blewout Royal Valley Friday night 68-0.

The 2A rankings have two area teams in the others to be considered in Maur Hill-Mount Academy and Nemaha Central. The Ravens opened up the season with a 48-24 win over McLouth, while the Thunder fell to Sabetha 33-7.

1A features three area teams in the receiving votes category in Centralia, Troy and Jackson Heights. The Panthers are looking to bounce back after a 26-14 loss to Rossville after being the No.2-ranked team in 1A heading into the year. The Trojans and Cobras each picked up wins in week one, as Troy took down Valley Heights 27-12 while Jackson Heights had no problems with Horton winning 42-0.

The 8-man DI rankings have just one area team to key an eye on, and that’s Clifton-Clyde who opened up the season Friday with a 48-0 beat down of Wetmore.

The rankings wrap up in 8-man DII with Axtell, as the Eagles had a strong week one showing against St. Johns/Tipton winning 58-12 to place them in the others to be considered category.