Headed into week four of the high school football season and the action continues to roll along with several intriguing matchups. Nine area teams enter week four with perfect records, while nine area teams area still searching for their first win of the season. A full preview of all the week four matchups involving area teams is below to get you ready for another week of football. 

Week Four Games to be Broadcasted:
103.9 KNZA – Troy at Perry Lecompton (click here to listen)
92.1 KMZA – Jeff West at Nemaha Central (click here to listen)
KAIR 93.7 FM – Jackson Heights at Maur Hill-Mount Academy (click here to listen)
Holton Channel – Holton at Riverside (click here to watch)
Sabetha Channel – Royal Valley at Sabetha (click here to watch)
KAIR Sports Channel – Frankfort at Valley Falls (click here to listen)

Jeff West (0-3) at Nemaha Central (3-0)
Five of the last seven games have been decided by seven points or less and eight of the last nine have been decided by 13 points or less, needlessly to say it’s been some entertaining games between Nemaha Central and Jeff West over the years, last year Nemaha won 25-18. This year both teams are off to drastically different starts to the season the Thunder are off to a booming start scoring a plenty and coming off an electric 43-42 last minute win at Holton last week to be 3-0. Filled with playmakers the Thunder offense is averaging over 400 yards of total offense per game and have seven different guys with a rush touchdown, while the team carries a seven yards per carry average. Senior quarterback, Ryan Hasenkamp is helping lead the way for Nemaha accounting for nearly 600 yards of offense with eight touchdowns. 

After tight loses by two and seven points the first two weeks, the Tigers were blown out last week 46-0 against Sabetha.  Jeff West could not match the physical play and emotional effort to keep pace with the Bluejays and now has six starters injured, including four players that start on both sides of the ball.  One bright spot was completing 13 of 20 passes last week, but the Tigers are getting even more youngsters on the field as they face another undefeated team from Nemaha County.  

Holton (0-3) at Riverside (2-1)
Following a 43-42 heartbreaking home opener defeat to Nemaha Central, Holton has now lost all three games by a combined total of 14 points, and all three teams they’ve faced are unbeaten.  The Wildcats ran for 540 yards last week including 235 for Miles McClintock Stozier and another 197 from Spencer Baum behind a revamped offensive line in all new positions.  Yet, Holton had 10 penalties for 100 yards and coughed up a late fumble, while also failing to execute on their first three two-point tries in the last second loss.  

Holton is healthy and now meets a banged up Riverside for the first time since the Cyclones joined the Big Seven League.  Gaige Olivero, who has accounted for nearly half the team’s offense (401 yards), was injured in the second quarter during Riverside’s 33-21 setback at Royal Valley last week. The Cyclones were outscored 19-7 in the second half before suffering their first loss of the season.    

Royal Valley (1-2) at Sabetha (3-0)
Royal Valley got on the scoreboard and in the win column for the first time last week in a 33-21 homecoming win against Riverside.  Kyle Stithem ran for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns while passing for another to Noah Ensley. Jacob Box continues to lead the Panther defense and they will have their hands full trying to get Sabetha’s offense off the field.  Royal Valley surprised the Bluejays in a 20-12 victory in Hoyt last season.  

This year, Sabetha enters the game with a 3-0 record and has not turned the ball over all season.  Their defense is flying high after a shutout of Jeff West, and the senior duo of Trae Snyder and Blake Plattner have accounted for nearly 900 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns this season.  It’s homecoming for Sabetha, who continues to stay healthy and dominate in the trenches.      

ACCHS (0-3) at Hiawatha (2-1)   
Hiawatha got back in the win column with a 34-26 win at Doniphan West in a non-league game last Friday.  Colin Sample ran for 139 yards and a score while Tyrese Cook and Alan Simpson caught touchdown passes from Joseph Kunkel.  Last year, Sample had 199 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries against ACCHS, but Hiawatha dropped that season opener 30-22.  The Hawks, who have surpassed their win total from the past couple years combined, look to avenge the loss against ACCHS this year and hope to put the game away better than they did last week against the Mustangs.

The Tigers have not been able to overcome injuries and youth as the offense did not score a point for the third straight game last week against Perry Lecompton, 56-0.     

Troy (3-0) at Perry Lecompton (2-1) 
After taking care of business in another Twin Valley League games, the #1 ranked Troy Trojans take a step up in competition as they face their second Big 7 League and Class 3A opponent tonight in Perry Lecompton.  Troy pulled away from Centralia 33-16 last week, but struggled at times stopping the run.  Meanwhile the Trojan offense has been unstoppable, as Reid Greaser has already completed 33 of 46 passes for 726 yards.  Troy is averaging 53 points per game and scored on all but three possessions this season.  Yet, this should be the toughest test to date for Troy before district play starts next week.  

Perry Lecompton has plenty of fire-power of their own coming off a 56-0 rout of ACCHS, which was the second straight shutout.  The Kaws turned to the Kellum show as Cole ran for 134 yards and Michael had 176.  Those two have combined for 684 yards rushing and will look for another big game to play keep away from Troy in the first matchup between these two schools.       

Centralia (0-3) at Doniphan West (0-3)
Last year the Centralia Panthers ran wild over Doniphan West for a 44-15 win and posted 409 yards rushing in the contest. This year both teams enter this matchup still looking for their first win of the season and still looking to figure some things out with certain pieces, while find some level of consistency to push them forward. The Panthers despite a 33-16 week three loss to #1 Troy improved in the contest and have been able to run the ball for 217 yards per game as a team with a the trio of Bryson Johnson, Nathan Rempe and Trenton Flentie each amassing over 150 rushing each and sophomore, Isaac Gore showed flashes of strong running against Troy. Stopping big plays and turnovers continue to be big keys for Centralia getting hit by big plays each week, while having nine turnovers in three games. 

Doniphan West played their tightest game of the year last week in a 34-26 loss to Hiawatha that they battled back from a 20-7 halftime deficit. Levi Watts hit Luke Blevins for pair touchdown passes and Carson Lackey and Clayton Ridout had a touchdown run. The Mustangs look to build upon their best offensive output of the season when they take on the Panthers. 

Ellis (3-0) at Valley Heights (2-1)
Its back-to-back wins for Valley Heights after a season opening loss to Troy as the Mustangs beat Christ Prep 55-21 last Saturday. The Mustangs haven’t had trouble moving the ball on offense rushing for 495 yards in the win over Christ Prep and notching basically 400-plus yards of offense in all three games this season with tailback, Hunter Stevenson leading the way with 549 yards rushing and six touchdowns. The defense did give up some big plays against Christ Prep and Coach Tony Trimble knows that can’t happen against a strong and speedy Ellis team who has score 40 or more points in all three wins to start the year. Ellis carries a balanced offense into the contest with the Mustangs with 268 yards per game rushing and 150 yards per game passing with three year-starter Easton Smith back at quarterback to lead the way, along with senior, Clay Fiek who amassed 1,000-plus all-purpose yards last year. 

Washington County (3-0) at Hoisington (3-0)
The Tigers finished with only one loss last year and that was in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs against their opponent this week, Hoisington. Hoisington dominated that playoff game winning 50-6 holding Washington County to just 179 total yards of offense. The Tigers are off to another strong start this season but have had to use strong second halves the last two weeks to earn wins beating LaCrosse 36-14 last week. Hunter Kier continues to carry the load with Jae Eaton mixing into the develop the one-two punch for the Tigers in the backfield with Jerrod Hoover at quarterback, while the Washington County defense has not allowed more than two scores in a single game this season so far. Hoisington is off to just as good of a start to the year scoring 31-plus points each week with three wins, while picking up a solid win over Wichita-Collegiate week two and have only given up 25pts all year (22 of the 25 to Collegiate). It will be a heavy dose of the run that the Tigers will see from Hoisington as they average 269 yards per game rushing this season with senior duo Cameron Davis and Hunter Hanzlick leading the way. 

Linn (2-1) at Hanover (2-0)
The Hanover Wildcats have dominated the Twin Valley League for a while as they haven’t loss a TVL game since 2013 against B&B and haven’t loss a TVL game to current league members since 2011 (Frankfort). Hanover cruised past Linn 48-0 last time these two teams meet up which was back in 2013 and thus far this year in two games the Wildcats have cruised to wins outscoring their two opponents 72-0 too. The defense has been stout and despite graduation of key playmakers Hanover is full of playmakers again with Will Bruna at quarterback and guys like Kevin Diederich and Carter Bruna making plays around him, along with others. Linn after a tough loss to Clifton-Clyde to open the year has won easily the last two weeks including a 50-6 rout of Wetmore last week; a game in which they totaled 422 yards of total offense with Evan Bott rushing for 233 yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns.  Hanover looks to continue their regular season game win streak of 19, while Linn looks to continue their play from the past two weeks. 

Axtell (2-1) at St. Paul (3-0)
It’s been 11 days since Axtell as played a varsity football game last playing on Monday, September in a 68-30 road win over Southern Cloud. The Eagles with last Friday off were able to scout this week’s opponent in St. Paul who beat Frankfort 58-8 last week. While Frankfort kept the game close into the second quarter big plays and the speed of St. Paul proved too much for Frankfort as St. Paul ran for 422 yards. Axtell Eagles Head Coach, Eric Detweiler knows for the Eagles to contend against the unbeaten St. Paul team they will have to find an answer to their team speed and limit the big plays, while getting the offense working for themselves as they continue to look for overall consistency. Playmakers like Hunter Koch, Michael Swanson, Burke Deters and Quinn Buessing will need to help guide the team in limiting mistakes as the young Ealges look to continue to build on wins in the past two weeks. 

Herington (3-0) at Onaga (1-2) *District #3 8-Man DI
Both teams are making the transition to 8-Man football this year but it’s been different starts to that transition for Onaga and Herington. The Buffaloes for the second straight week get a District game at home but are coming off a District loss 48-0 to Rural Vista, managing just 98 total yards of offense in the game while losing two fumbles. Despite the Buffaloes struggles last week the team is averaging 200 yards total offense per game with 187 coming on the ground as three guys have 120 or more yards rushing this season for Onaga. Coach Travis Callaway believes his team is right there they just have to shore up the little things and that will be key this week if they want to compete against Herington who is averaging 53.3 points per game through the first three weeks and have forced 12 turnovers on defense. Herington also likes to run the ball posting 373 yards per game thus far this year with a trio of guys with 240-plus yards rushing each. Sets up to be a game heavy on the run and a physical contest with Coach Callaway facing off against an old college teammate in Herington Head Coach, Tom Flax. 

Clifton-Clyde (3-0) at Rural Vista (3-0) *District #3 8-Man DI
Clifton-Clyde Eagles are off to one their best starts in a few years and have been getting it done in many different ways cruising past Valley Falls 48-0 last week to move to 3-0. The Eagles have been stingy on defense giving up just 16 points in three games and only giving up 331 total yards of offense combined from the three games. While the defense has been strong for Clifton-Clyde the offense has been led by the run with 282 yards per game rushing and 14 touchdowns on the ground, as quarterback, Caleb Charbonneau is leading the way with 465 yards rushing with eight touchdowns and three passing scores. The Eagles will face their toughest opponent of the season to date this week as they travel to Rural Vista who cruised past TVL team Onaga last week (48-0). Rural Vista led by quarterback, Trace Hostetter has outscored their opponents 148-8 this year in three games. 

Frankfort (1-2) at Valley Falls (1-2)
After a season opening 42-34 win over Onaga, the Frankfort Wildcats have dropped two straight by an average margin of 48 points. The most recent setback for the Wildcats came in a 58-8 loss to St. Paul last Friday in a game in which Frankfort gave up 422 rushing yards and are looking to put a full game together and execute the little things throughout the contest, as they have left opportunities on the table the past few weeks especially with their passing game. The Wildcats did receive a touchdown pass from Adam Kenworthy who enters Friday night with just that one score through the air and five touchdowns on the ground. The Dragons also enter Friday night 1-2 on the season dropping two straight following a season opening 24-14 win over Wetmore. The most recent loss for the Dragons came at the hands of Clifton-Clyde 48-0 last week, where Valley Falls compiled just 79 total yards of offense. Finding an answer to stopping big plays is key for Valley Falls moving forward as they continue to adjust to the speed of 8-Man football and look to scrap their offense and start over this week. Both teams enter the game looking to find the right equation on the field before Districts getting rolling in full swing.

Madison (1-2) at Wetmore (0-3) 
Wetmore Cardinals have struggled to start the season starting 0-3 with three lopsided losses, falling 50-6 to Linn last week, but Head Coach Rick Schnacker believes the team is taking plenty of positive strides forward. Senior, Garrett Evans and sophomore, Joel Hutfles each have ran for a little over 120 yards on the year, while Joel has tossed a pair of touchdown passes to junior, Kyler Vance. The Cardinals in all three losses have allowed their opponents to get off to fast starts creating too much of a hole for themselves to climb out of and they will try and avoid that again this week when hosting Madison. After a week one win Madison has given up big numbers the last two weeks giving up 46 and 52 points in losses to Lebo and Hartford, but is scoring 32.7 points per game. A new Head Coach this year for Madison inherited plenty of playmakers back as Alex McMillian came over from Victoria as an assistant to take the heading coaching job at Madison.
 
Southern Cloud (0-3) at Blue Valley-Randolph (0-3) 
One of the two Blue Valley wins last year came against their opponent this week as the Rams beat Southern Cloud 66-20 with Trevor Schwerdt posting 100 yards rushing with 3 touchdowns on 19 carries in the win. Both teams enter this year’s matchup looking for their first win of the season. The Rams fell to Tescott 36-14 last week and have been outscored by their opponents 126-30 thus far this season, but do have Schwerdt back who had a strong game against Southern Cloud last year and Bradley Young looks to get going in the backfield also for the Rams. Southern Cloud will be facing their second TVL team of the season falling to Axtell earlier in the season and falling 46-0 to Wilson last week. With only 11 players Southern Cloud has struggled this season giving up 56 points per game and only managing 91 total yards of offense per game and enters the game riding a 14-game losing streak. 

Jackson Heights (3-0) at Maur Hill-Mount Academy (2-1)
Jackson Heights has been dominating in three convincing wins, including a 46-7 triumph that handed Oskaloosa their first loss last week.  The Cobras were up 46-0 at halftime and allowed only 114 total yards last week as their defense has only been scored on twice late in games this season.  Mason Hamilton had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown to lead the Cobra’s balanced three-headed wishbone backfield attack.  Wyatt Olberding added a trio of touchdowns from the quarterback spot where he has led Jackson Heights to 116 points already this season.   

The Ravens looked good in a 44-8 win at Horton last week with a balanced offensive attack.  Ronald Faulk-Tindal had 177 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries while also racking up 102 yards and scoring a TD on two of his three catches.  Freshman, Jack Caudle meanwhile threw for 184 yards and four touchdowns and has performed well completing 37 of 57 passes for 564 yards in the first three games this year.  The Ravens have won two straight and celebrate homecoming tonight against the Cobras, who they beat 21-2 last year and 42-0 the previous season.    

Immaculata (0-3) at Horton (0-3) 
Both teams have struggled mightily to begin the year and one will get a huge confidence boost tonight before heading into District play.  Horton has scored just two touchdowns this season while committing 15 turnovers already.  Immaculata got their first points this season last week as Micah Webb ran for a 59 yard score in a 39-6 loss against McLouth.  Conner Dean had 71 yards and a touchdown last week as Horton fell to MH-MA 44-8.  The Chargers played without three starting lineman last week, while Immaculata has battled number issues since the start of the season.  Horton has now lost 13-straight football games, but beat Immaculata 42-14 the last time these two teams played in 2011. 

Pleasant Ridge (1-2) at McLouth (1-2)  
After running the table and going undefeated in the NEKL a season ago, the Pleasant Ridge Rams have started of the 2016 season 1-2. The Rams blanked Horton 36-0 in week one, but since then have fallen to the current top two teams in the league in JCN and Jackson Heights. Sophomore Eli Schwinn rushed for the Rams only score in last week’s 22-6 loss to the Chargers, and enters this week second on the team in rushing behind sophomore Hunter Wagner who has compiled 165 yards on the ground in the first three games. 

The Bulldogs are coming off their first win of the season last Friday over Immaculata 39-6, and enter this week 1-2 on the year. Tanner Zink led the way for McLouth in last week’s win scoring three touchdowns, while Jace Carlton added a score on the ground and through the air. The defense continues to be the strength of the team entering Friday night giving up an average of just 14 points per game. 

The Rams have won the last two meetings between the two teams, including last season’s matchup 48-6. 

Jefferson County North (3-0) at Oskaloosa (2-1)
The Chargers are off to a 3-0 start to the 2016 season which is the best three game start the school has seen in five plus years. The defense has held opponents to just six points per game to start the season while the offense is averaging 35 points per contest. Boston Lane threw for three scores in last Friday’s 22-6 win over Pleasant Ridge, which happened to be his first touchdown passes of the season. Oskaloosa on the other hand is off their first loss of the season last week to Jackson Heights 46-7, who is currently tied with the Chargers atop the league standings. The defense continues to be the strength of the Bears, while the offense has only been able to muster up 12 points per game. 

Last year’s meeting between the two teams came down to the game’s final play, which the Bears came out on top 22-18, holding on for the four-point win as JCN had a touchdown late that went array as the wideouts feet were out of bounds when he made the catch late in the game.

Atchison (3-0) at KC Wyandotte (1-1)
The Redmen have quickly solidified themselves as one of the top teams in Class 4A-I starting off the season 3-0 with wins over Holton and Schlagle. Senior quarterback Adam Smith has flourished in his first season under center throwing for 420 yards and six touchdowns to this point in the season, while also rushing for 199 yards and four more scores. Bryce Enzbrenner continued his breakout senior season against the Stallions last Friday catching two touchdowns, while Dylon LeBlue rushed for 115 yards and a score. The defense has been equally as impressive as the offense forcing seven turnovers while holding opponents to just over 11 points per game. KC Wyandotte had an open week last week but have had two completely different games this season getting routed by Louisburg week one, but winning by four over KC Harmon week two. In two games Wyandotte has been solidly balanced with 225.5 yards rushing and 120.5 yards passing per game.

Atchison dominated this matchup a season ago at home, taking the contest over the Bulldogs by a final of 54-14 and have won eight straight KCAL contests. 

Concordia (1-2) at Marysville (1-2) 
It was 2009 the last time Marysville picked up a win over Concordia (68-8) as six-straight have went to Concordia in the series including a 27-13 win last year. This year both teams enter the contest 1-2 on the year and are each coming off their first win of the season. Marysville topped Wamego 26-10 last week behind the workhorse back, Hunter Warnick who ran for 239 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns and had 476 yards rushing on the year. The Bulldogs defense has been stellar this season giving up just 17 points per game, holding the defending champs Rossville high scoring offense to just 27 points in week one, while only allowing 120 and 116 total yards of offense to Abilene and Wamego the last two weeks. Concordia snagged their first win of the year over Chapman 30-14 last week and entered this season with six starters back on each side of the ball but had to replace most of the offensive production from last year.