Just 16 teams remain across each classification after the opening round of the high school football playoffs took place in the state of Kansas last week. All regional games are set to take place Friday night, with the winner of each matchup moving into the final eight next week.

Games to be Broadcast

Perry Lecompton at Sabetha - 103.9 KNZA & Sabetha Channel
Valley Heights at Jackson Heights – Holton Channel
Troy at Centralia – 92.1 KMZA
Maur Hill-Mount Academy vs. Rossville – KAIR 93.7 FM

Class 3A

Perry Lecompton (7-2) at Sabetha (9-0) on 103.9 KNZA

Four the fourth time in a span of just over 13 months, Big 7 foes Sabetha and Perry Lecompton will play a football game on the Bluejays home field.  Sabetha has won all four meetings, but only by an average of 13 points.  The matchup of ranked teams in week three earlier this season (35-33) was the only game that Sabetha has played closer than 24 points all year.  The defending 3A Champion Bluejays have now won 16 straight games.

Sabetha beat Jeff West last week 32-7 after leading 18-7 at halftime and getting a pair of third quarter touchdowns from Joe Gruber before going on an 11:30 drive that consumed nearly all the fourth quarter.  Gruber had 100 yards rushing and 26 receiving while Gabe Garber was 3-5 passing and ran the ball 30 times for 182 yards and the first touchdown of the game to give Sabetha a 7-0 lead after one quarter.  The Jays ran 75 total plays and out-gained the Tigers 403 to 238 total yards while the vaunted Sabetha defense held their third opponent to just seven points on top of posting four shutouts this fall. 

Garber has 809 yards rushing and is 35-53 passing for another 633 yards while accounting for 13 touchdowns on the ground and nine via the air.  Gruber leads Sabetha with 880 yards rushing while Joel Hackney and Tristan Edelman are both over 200 yards, helping replace injured senior, Mason Engelken, who had 464 yards before being injured in week four.  Eight different athletes have a caught a pass and five have scored touchdowns, led by Ryan Stapleton with 218 yards on 11 receptions and Braedon Cox with 147 yards on 8 catches.  Both have hauled in a trio of touchdowns.  Linebackers Garber and Cauy Rokey each have 78 tackles to pace the defense that is giving up a mere 7.3 points an outing.     

Besides, Sabetha, Perry Lecompton has only lost to Hayden this year (20-0) in week seven.  The Kaws have pitched three shutouts on a defense allowing 12.4 points per game with sophomore Hayden Robb having 95 tackles and Grant Roush right behind with 83.  Perry has forced 24 turnovers and posted 23 sacks this season, including three last week in a 34-20 win against Wamego. 

The Kaws have a mean of 120 passing yards per game and double that (240) average on the ground scoring over 40 points per contest.  Dalton Kellum runs the show and has 1,335 yards rushing with 19 trips to the endzone and another 551 passing with six scores.  His fourth highest rushing game total for this season came last week with 193 yards and three rushing touchdowns against Wamego.  His season high as 236 rush yards against Sabetha in week three. 

Kellum did not throw a pass last week as Billy Welch has taken quarterback snaps since week three and thrown for 526 yards and seven touchdowns.  Colton Mallonee has 25 receptions for 525 yards while Drew Ledbetter has 15 grabs for 119.  Thirteen players have a varsity catch while Shane Quinlan and Blaine Pattin each have at least eight receptions and more than 200 yards rushing, too.  

The winner of this matchup faces the winner of Parsons (7-2) and Prairie View (8-1) in Sectionals next week. 

Marysville (7-2) at Hayden (7-2)

The other side of the East 3A Bracket has Marysville playing at Topeka Hayden, with that winner to get Galena (9-0) or Frontenac (6-3).  In a battle of 7-2 teams, Hayden and Marysville clash for the first time since 2004, when the Wildcats prevailed 29-0.  Since losing 7-6 against Sabetha in the State Championship game last season, this year, the Bulldogs have only loss to Chapman and the Bluejays, but have won five straight, including a 40-17 thumping of Santa Fe Trail last week.  Hayden lost to Wasburn Rural and Seaman in weeks two and three, but during their current six-game win streak, the Wildcats have pitched three shutouts and not allowed more than one score in the other three victories. 

Marysville has again been very balanced in 2018 with 182 yards rushing per game and 158 passing.  Brandon Schroedl has thrown for over 1,400 yards with 15 touchdowns, with Jacob Backus his favorite target posting 645 yards receiving on 47 catches.  Atreyau Hornbeak paces the ground game with 115 carries for 691 yards and 11 touchdowns while Derek Roever has 440 total offensive yards and nine TD’s as well.  Garron Champoux has more than 100 tackles to lead the Bulldog defense.

Will Devader and Diego Carr both have more than 90 tackles for the salty Hayden defense and on offense, Brady Bohannon has thrown for more than 1,000 yards while Devader has more than 500 rushing and seven scores, three of which came last week in the Wildcats 28-7 win versus Holton.  Desmond Purnell has added more than 400 yards rushing and made more thaan 20 catches for over 200 yards receiving.  Trey Pivarnik leads Hayden wideouts with 25 catches for nearly 400 yards.

Class 2A

Rossville (7-2) at Maur Hill-Mount Academy (8-1) on KAIR 93.7 FM

For the first time in 25 years the Ravens won a playoff game as last week Maur Hill-Mount Academy took down Mission Valley 27-18 needing a comeback in the second half. The Ravens trailed 18-7 at halftime, but scored the final 20 points to advance in the 2A playoffs. Andrew Schwinn ran for 101 yards and a touchdown in the win, while Jack Caudle threw for 118 yards and two scores. Caudle has now thrown for over 1500 yards this season and 20 touchdowns to go along with just six interceptions, while Schwinn leads the Ravens in rushing with 329 yards and six scores. The Ravens are averaging over 35 points per game and feature a balanced offense averaging 178 yards through the air and 156 on the ground per game.

Rossville has emerged as one of the top teams in 2A with a 7-2 record, with their only two losses coming to Riley who is 7-2 and Silver Lake who is currently ranked second in 2A. The Bulldawgs have wins over 1A power Centralia and Southeast of Saline who is still alive in 2A after beating Nemaha Central last week. The Bulldawgs rely heavily on their run game averaging nearly 240 yards per game on the ground, led by senior quarterback Garrett Carver who has ran for nearly 1000 yards on the season with 16 touchdowns. Carver has also thrown for 1160 yards on the season with nine touchdowns to just three interceptions, while Bulldawgs have four guys over 140 yards receiving on the year.

The Ravens and Bulldawgs haven’t played since the first round of the 2015 playoffs, when Rossville shutout Maur Hill-Mount Academy 49-0. The winner of tonight’s matchup with get either Humboldt (9-0) or Osage City (8-1) in the next round.

McLouth (5-4) at Silver Lake (9-0)

The Bulldogs picked up a first round playoff win over Jayhawk-Linn last week 48-26 scoring 24 points in the third quarter to take control while holding Jayhawk-Linn scoreless in the second half. Jeremy Carlton recorded another big game with three touchdowns rushing and one through the air, while Garrison Pope also recovered a fumble in the end zone on defense. Despite a 1-3 start to the year the Bulldogs have rattled off wins in four of their last five games, averaging over 45 points per game in those four wins.

Silver Lake enters tonight as the current No. 2-ranked team in the state according to the latest kpreps rankings, coming off a dominant first round win last week shutting out Riverton 66-0. The Eagles started slow leading just 6-0 after the first quarter, but put up 30 points in the second quarter to lead 36-0 at halftime and 58-0 after three quarters. Silver Lake is an offensive juggernaut averaging 46 points and nearly 400 yards of offense per game, led by senior Mason Griffin who has thrown for 1446 yards and 16 touchdowns to just one pick. The Eagles are led on the ground by senior running back Christian Stoner who is over 1000 yards rushing this season with 15 touchdowns, while freshman Gannon Remer has added 256 yards and four touchdowns.

Tonight marks the second meeting this season between the Bulldogs and Eagles as Silver Lake flew by McLouth in week four 56-6. Tonight’s winner will get either Riley County (7-2) or Southeast of Saline (8-1).

Class 1A

Valley Heights (6-3) at Jackson Heights (8-1)on Holton Channel

In a rematch of a week five thriller which Jackson Heights won on a late touchdown 22-14 the Mustangs and Cobras face off once again with a spot in the sectional round of the 1A playoffs on the line.

Jackson Heights led that game at the half 8-0 and by a score of 14-0 midway through the 3rd quarter before Valley Heights stormed back. The Mustangs squared the score at 14-14 with just under 8 minutes to go in the contest thanks to a big second half by Junior running back Cole Coggins who now has back to back 1,000 yard rushing seasons. The Cobras would end up edging the Mustangs back in September with a late touchdown in the final minute by Kolby Rethman to ice the game for Jackson Heights 22-14. Fast forward 5 weeks later and we have a rematch between two school with a lot of experience between them. Jackson Heights has won 5 of the last 7 meetings with the Mustangs, but coach Tony Trimble and his guys have revenge on their mind. Senior Kolby Rethman's touchdown in Blue Rapids back in September proved to be the difference in the game and due to injury this will be Rethman's first game in a month. This game will be won in the trenches as it's power versus power.

The Mustangs are coming off a dog fight in the opening round of the playoffs against Lyndon last week, as Valley Heights got pushed to the edge before pulling out a 30-22 win. The Mustangs scored 14 points in the second quarter and just 16 in the second half to pull out the victory, led by Trey Martin who scored three times on a 16-yard run, a 14-yard reception and 59-yard reception. Martin didn’t play in the first meeting between the two teams, and could be a difference maker.

The Cobras struggled in their opening round win last week, needing to score 20 points in the second half to comeback and beat Northern Heights 36-28. Jackson Heights gave up over 300 yards through the air last week but found a way to pull out a win with Cooper Williams rushing for two touchdowns in the victory. The Cobras ran for over 280 yards in the first meeting with Valley Heights, as Williams and Conlan Bruggeman each went for over 100 yards. Williams is the lead back for Jackson Heights, leading the way with 1,414 yards and 15 touchdowns. 

Troy (6-3) at Centralia (7-2) on 92.1 KMZA

It’s another rematch of a week five thriller which Centralia won 36-22 in a game that was much closer than the score indicated with Troy actually holding a one-point lead which a little over four minutes left.

That week five win got Centralia over the .500 mark on the season which continued the Panthers run which has now reached seven straight victories after a dominant 36-14 win over Jeff County North last week. Centralia led 36-0 at halftime last week, as Kamble Haverkamp continued his strong year with 155 passing yards on just five completions for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Haverkamp is now over 625 yards passing on the season with 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions, while he leads the team in rushing with over 1,270 yards on the ground with 17 scores. Isaac Gore has also rushed for over 900 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Devon Feldkamp has come on strong with 544 yards rushing and five scores. The Panthers are averaging over 430 yards off offense per game, to go along with giving up just 16 points per contest.

The Trojans enter Friday night with a 6-3 record, but it may be one of the most impressive 6-3 records as two losses for Troy are to the No. 4 and No. 5 ranked teams in 1A while the other is a 20-19 lost to a very good Christ Prep team. Troy had no problem with their opening round game last week blowing out Wabaunsee 54-21, as junior quarterback Kipp Jasper combined for six total touchdowns with four through the air and two on the ground. Jasper has thrown for 1,394 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season, while he also leads the Trojans in rushing with 542 yards and seven more scores. Troy also has Jacob Moore and Tysen Williams over 300 yards rushing, but due to a broken nose suffered last week Williams will be limited to just defense.

Whoever wins the matchup will have a tough test next week, facing Olpe (9-0) or Pleasanton (8-1).

8-man DI

Hoxie (8-1) at Clifton-Clyde (9-0)

As one of only four unbeaten teams remaining in the class Clifton-Clyde will face their toughest test to this point of the season playing host to Hoxie whose only loss came to unbeaten St. Francis.

The Eagles remained perfect last week with another blow out win, taking down Trego WaKeeney 60-14 in a game that was over at halftime. Aiden Rudolph and Drake Steinbrock each rushed for a pair of touchdowns, as the Eagles scored over 50 points for the seventh time this season. Clifton-Clyde has yet to truly be test on the year, with their closest win coming by 24 points in a 54-30 win over Victoria in week five.

Hoxie meanwhile has won four straight since that week five 64-30 loss to St. Francis, including a 46-36 win over Hill City in the opening round of the playoffs last week. The Indians are averaging over 260 rushing yards per game, led by junior Wylie Weems who is over 1000 yards on the ground with 14 touchdowns. Hoxie also has two other guys with double-digit rushing touchdowns on the year, as Dylan Weimer has 659 yards and 13 touchdowns while senior quarterback Jared Kennedy has 15 touchdowns with 536 yards. The Indians are averaging just under 50 points per game, while the defense has forced 25 turnovers on the season.

If Clifton-Clyde can pull out a win there’s a strong possibility they could face off against No. 1-ranked and undefeated Central Plains next week, as Claflin faces off against 7-2 Ness City.

8-man DII

Axtell (8-1) at Rock Hills (8-1)

The Eagles continued to roll along last week with another dominant performance in a 58-12 win over Pike Valley and now face Rock Hills with the winner getting either Waverly (8-1) or Southern Coffey County (6-3) next week. Junior quarterback Quinn Buessing threw for 137 yards and three touchdowns last week, with all three coming to senior wideout Hunter Koch. Koch’s three touchdowns allowed him to break two state records, as he now holds the single-season record for touchdown receptions with 30 and the career record for touchdowns with 60. Koch is now over 1,000 yards receiving on the year with those 30 touchdowns and is averaging 120 yards per game. With the 137 yards passing Buessing is now closing in on 2,000 yards passing on the season, as he has compiled 44 touchdowns through the air with just two interceptions. The Eagles are putting up video game-like numbers offensively, averaging nearly 350 yards and 59 points per game.

Axtell is set to face a Rock Hills team that is also 8-1 on the season with pretty similar opponents. The only loss for the Grizzlies came by 68-0 score in week three to Hanover, with the eight wins coming by at least 22 points. Rock Hills is coming off a dominant win last week over Doniphan West 70-20, putting up 50 points in the first half and 20 in the third quarter to end the game via mercy rule. Senior quarterback Zane Colson led the Grizzlies last week with four touchdowns rushing to go along with a kick return score, and on the season has rushed for over 1,300 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Grizzlies are averaging 39 points per game, rushing for 230 yards on the ground per contest.

Frankfort (7-2) at Hanover (9-0)

It’s a rematch from just two weeks ago when Hanover blanked the then one-loss Wildcats 46-0 in the final game of the regular season. Frankfort bounced back after two straight losses to Axtell and Hanover to end the regular season by taking down St. John/Tipton last week in the first round 30-8. The game was scoreless after the first quarter, but the Wildcats scored 24 points in the second quarter to take control. Frankfort rushed for over 300 yards in the win, as Carson Schreiner and Garett Dalinghaus each had over 100 yards on the night. Frankfort is averaging over 44 points per game, but have their biggest test of the season tonight their season on the line.

Hanover continued to roll along in their undefeated season to this point with a 54-0 win last week over Southern Cloud. The Wildcats scored 32 points in the first quarter, as Taegan Schwartz ran for two touchdowns. Daiken Stallbaumer also rushed for a touchdown and tossed one to Thomas Atkins, while Carter Bruna, Cade Cohorst and Tyler Bonser also scored rushing touchdowns. Hanover is currently riding a 34-game win streak, while on the season averaging 48 points per game to go along with five shutout victories on the year.

The winner of the matchup with have a tough test next week, facing either St. Paul (8-1) or Lost Springs-Centre (7-2).