Week eight of the high school football season and some big games loom for many teams as they try to earn a playoff spot while for a few teams their playoff hopes might be gone but they are looking to play spoiler and finish the season strong. A preview of all week eight area showdowns is below and listen to 103.9 KNZA and 92.1 KMZA at 6:00pm for Friday Night Fever preview on the radio of the games with coaches comments and more before the game action tonight. Wrap up the night with the Community National Bank Scoreboard show after the games on 103.9 KNZA and 92.1 KMZA.

Week Eight Games to be Broadcasted:
103.9 KNZA & Holton Channel – Holton at Hayden (click here to listen & click here to watch)
92.1 KMZA – Centralia at Valley Heights (click here to listen)
KAIR 93.7 FM – ACCHS at Pleasant Ridge (click here to listen)
Sabetha Channel – Hiawatha at Sabetha (click here to watch)

Jefferson County North (7-0) at Troy (3-4)
Plenty is on the line for both the Chargers and Trojans Friday night as JCN looks to move closer to a district title and keep an undefeated season alive, while troy looks to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Last week the Chargers moved to 7-0 with a dominating 54-8 win over Doniphan West rushing for over 335 yards and forcing four turnovers on defense. Ridge Robertson delivered a huge game rushing for 193 yards and four touchdowns while Boston Lane added 145 yards on the ground and three more scores. On the season Robertson is at 1,075 yards rushing which puts him in the top 15 in the state throughout all classes, while JCN as a team is averaging 46 points per game and only giving up just over eight points a contest.

Troy is also coming off a huge win last week taking down Washington County on the road 34-6. The Trojans were led by Kipp Jasper who completed 11 of 13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns while Tysen Williams ran for 90 yards and a score. Reid Jasper caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for one as well. Kipp Jasper is currently in the top 25 in passing in the state with 1,246 yards while Reid Jasper joins him in the tops in the state receiving with 517 yards on the year.

Troy took last season’s meeting 38-12 and has won the last three meetings between the two teams.

Doniphan West (4-3) at Mclouth (0-7)
Despite a 54-8 setback at JCN last week, Doniphan West tries to secure their first playoff appearance since 2014 with a win at McLouth in District One. Levi Watts has thrown for more than 1,000 again this season while fellow seniors Luke Blevins (569 yards) and Zeb Speer (507 yards) have been his primary targets helping D-West already double their win total from a season ago. 

McLouth is still looking for their first win of the season following a 46-12 loss against Horton last week. The Bulldogs are allowing 38 points per game and only had one game closer than 10 points this season. D-West won a 36-34 shootout against McLouth a year ago. 

Horton (3-4) at Jackson Heights (7-0)
This is a non-district game, but important for Jackson Heights to secure the Northeast Kansas League title for the second straight year and stay undefeated. The Cobras are coming off a thrilling 44-40 shootout district victory against Valley Heights as Sebastian Butto (169), Garrett Hartman (127) and Brady Holliday (96) all had big rushing nights. With another huge district game against Centralia looming next week, Jackson Heights hopes to avoid a trap game and keep an offense moving that is posting nearly 42 points per outing and refocus a defense that had surrendered only 20 points all season before last week. 

Horton notched their third win of the year in impressive fashion 46-14 at McLouth as Marshall Randall posted his second rushing game of more than 160 yards this season and scored on three of his four carries. The Chargers have lost a few key players for the season battling injuries and also lost two straight against Jackson Heights including a 42-7 loss last season.   

Centralia (5-2) at Valley Heights (6-1)
Big implications surround this contest with playoff hopes on the line and the Twin Valley League 11-Man title also on the line. Last year’s 51-36 win by Valley Heights marked the first Mustang victory over Centralia since 1988. Both teams in that contest found success running the ball and it was a tight game at the half but a strong second half by Valley Heights gave them the win. Valley Heights enters this showdown after their first loss of the season falling 44-40 to Jackson Heights in a battle. The Mustangs are running the ball at a high success rate averaging 401.3 yards rushing and have been strong and discipline on the offense; Cole Coggins leads the way with 1,218 yards rushing and Jordan Yungeberg has 845 yards both with 18 touchdowns. A trio of guys average over eight yards per carry, while every Mustang ball carrier with 10+ carries averages four-plus yards per carry. Defensive will be key for the Mustangs this week to stop a potent Centralia rushing attack; the Mustangs defense is surrendering only 237 yards per game but give up 20.4 points per game.

Centralia just like Valley Heights will need to buckle in for a battle in the trenches and need their defense to play strong to stop a highly successful Mustang rushing attack. The Panthers on defense have been stout giving up 149.7 yards per game and only 8.7 points per game with only week one seeing a team score more than two touchdowns against them. The Panthers have run the ball on offense pretty successfully also this season with 316.6 yards rushing per game and have multiple guys capable of big plays and toting the rock. Five guys have 250+ yards rushing on the season and have four guys with 10+ carries that average six yards per game, which doesn’t include Isaac Gore who returned last week after missing the first part of the season.

Washington County (0-7) at Wabaunsee (0-7)
Washington County Tigers have fought throughout the season and played with only 11 guys last week against Troy falling 34-6. The Tigers got their third touchdown of the season in the contest as Riley Moore had a six-yard touchdown run, but the struggles with limited numbers have proved to be too much for the Tigers to stay in contests. Looking to battle through the rest of the season and get some experience for the years to come the Tigers are looking to take every opportunity to learn and look towards the future.

The Tigers get another team looking for their first win of the season and a team that also has had their fair share of struggles this season as they take on Wabaunsee. The Chargers have dealt with some number issues also this year but not necessarily to the degree Washington has. Wabaunsee on the season has scored 46 points and are looking to finish the season strong to build for the future also with a young team. Washington County won this contest last year 28-15.

Axtell (5-2) at Blue Valley-Randolph (1-6)
After one of the biggest wins in Northeast Kansas in week seven the Axtell Eagles are still in control of their destiny for the postseason as they beat Wakefield 28-22 to remain unbeaten in District play. The Eagles with a win over Blue Valley can almost assure themselves a bid to the 8-Man DII playoffs. Axtell’s offense has been balanced all season with 202 yards passing and 161 yards rushing per game leading to 47.4 points per game. Quinn Buessing has thrown for 1,300 yards with 23 touchdowns to only five interceptions, while Hunter Koch is averaging 15.4 yards per touch and has 18 touchdowns on the season and Michael Swanson has over 1,100 yards from scrimmage on the year with 15 touchdowns. Defensively the team is giving up 36 points per game but surrendered only 22 to Wakefield and are building a lot of confidence as they continue to improve on that side of the ball.

Blue Valley has played musical chairs at quarterback this season and battled injuries throughout the year leading to plenty of struggles. While the Rams had some solid plays against Wetmore it came in a 42-8 loss and there was some miscues also. The Rams are averaging just over 14 points per game, while giving up around 48 per game. Playmakers like Lane Peter and Dylan Krause will be key for the Rams to challenge Axtell and play spoiler against the Eagles and also help the Rams finish the season strong.

Frankfort (2-5) at Wetmore (3-4)
Both Frankfort and Wetmore have had ups and downs during the season and enter this contest against each on drastically different notes. For Frankfort they enter the matchup coming off a 60-0 throttling by Hanover that they look to put in the rear view mirror and focus on finishing the season strong looking to gain experience for a young team that features only two seniors. Finishing this year strong will give the team plenty to build upon for next year as the Wildcats look to continue to fine tune their offense with all the pieces and develop on an individual level and team level.

Wetmore comes into this contest off their third win of the season beating Blue Valley 42-8 a game in which the Cardinal defense flew high with multiple turnovers and strong play all around. The Cardinals have taken plenty of strides under Coach Rick Schnacker this season after their 0-9 2016 campaign that had some close ballgames. This year the duo of Joel Huftles and Kyler Vance have spear headed the Cardinals offense and helped pave the way. Frankfort won this matchup last year 61-16 and Wetmore is looking to make it a tighter ballgame this time around.

Wakefield (5-2) at Hanover (7-0)
To stay the Hanover Wildcats have been dominating opponents would be an pretty obvious statement as they have ended all but one game early this season by point-rule and won that other game by 40. The Wildcats matter of fact have won 10-straight dating back to last year by 40+ points and 17 of the 18 by that margin, while overall riding a 19-game winning streak. Last week Hanover pitched their fifth straight shutout have and have given up just 12 points all year on one other 8-Man team in the State of Kansas has given up under 50 points this season out of the 98 8-Man teams (Burlingame – 20 points). On offense the Wildcats are averaging 53.7 points per game and a cast of characters are finding the endzone.

Wakefield enters this game with their playoff hopes dangling in front of them after a 28-22 loss at Axtell last week making this week against Hanover a must win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bombers are a run heavy team with 222 yards per game rushing and they will need to control the game with their rushing attack to give Hanover a run for their money. Hanover took this contest 54-8 last year.

Linn (3-4) at Tescott (0-7)
Linn hasn’t had a close game all year whether it be a win or loss putting together a season that mirrors the few years. The Bulldogs four losses are to teams with 5-2 records or better on the season. While the season has been a tale of lopsided affairs the Bulldogs on offense are balanced with multiple playmakers as four guys have three or more rushing touchdowns and three of the four have 300+ yards rushing on the season, while in the passing game Dillon Cooper has been a strong target catching six touchdowns. Defensively the team is surrendering 32.7 points per game but in their losses they are giving up over 50 points.

Tescott is still looking for their first win of the season and have struggled throughout the year on both sides of the ball. The Trojans are averaging just 16.2 points per game and have scored more than two touchdowns only twice this season with their closest loss coming to Blue Valley 38-36 in week three. On defense the Trojans are surrendering 52 points per game.

Linn won this game last year 34-6.

Onaga (0-7) at Clifton-Clyde (6-1)
Each team enters this contest at different points as Onaga is looking to cap the season strong and build for the next year and Clifton-Clyde is looking to solidify a playoff spot as this contest marks the Eagles final regular season game of the year. The Buffaloes can play spoiler against Clifton-Clyde but it won’t be easy as Onaga has continually struggled to stay in ballgames falling behind and the team just doesn’t have quick scoring capabilities to get back into contests. Tanner Marten has had a strong season to lead Onaga and sits 105 yards away from 1,000 yards rushing on the year. But headed into the final two games of the season one big key for Onaga is to continue to get their younger guys more experience.

Clifton-Clyde won this matchup last year 70-22 and have won all but one contest this year that being a loss to Burlingame. The Eagles did bounce back from that loss with a 46-26 win over Centre last week and are in position to earn a spot in the 8-Man DI playoffs. The Eagles defense is giving up just 12.3 points per game more than half of the points they’ve given up were scored by Burlingame (48 – given up 86 points), while the offense is scoring 47.6 points per game and averaging 216 yards rushing per contest. Five different guys have two more rushing touchdowns and four guys have 130+ yards rushing on the season led by Drake Steinbrock who has 584 yards with 15 touchdowns.  

Centre (3-3) at Valley Falls (0-7)
The Valley Falls Dragons entered the season looking to build upon from season one of 8-Man football for school and while the team and Coach Nick Cummings have learned and gained plenty of experience the outcomes on the field have been rough. Offensively the Dragons have moved the ball but been unable to finish drives with points averaging just 11.7 points per game but on defense the Dragons have struggled to rein in teams as they have surrendered 438 points in seven games this season. The Dragons are looking to finish the season with more to build on for the years to come as the roster is full of underclassmen with 11 sophomores and freshman.

Centre won this showdown last year in a high scoring contest 80-41. While Centre is just .500 on the season their three losses this year are to pretty strong teams in Little River (5-2), Clifton-Clyde (6-1) and Burlingame (7-0) and in the Cougars wins they have notched 60+ points this season. Last week Centre gave Clifton-Clyde a push falling 46-26 in that battle.

Atchison (4-3) at Basehor-Linwood (6-1)
The Redmen had their three-game win streak snapped last week falling to Tonganoxie 49-0 in the opening game of district play. The Atchison defense struggled against the run as the Chieftains ran for 364 yards, while the Tonganoxie defense recorded seven sacks in the contest. Taye Helms was the lone bright spot for the Redmen rushing for 84 yards and leads the team on the ground with 656 yards on the season.

Basehor-Linwood is off a 33-0 win over Piper and off to a 6-1 start with the only loss coming to Bonner Springs 33-21. The Bobcats feature a potent offense that is averaging over 42 points per game and over 331 yards of total offense per contest. Basehor-Linwood is led by a balanced rushing attack averaging 222 yards per game and have three guys over 250 yards rushing on the season led by Nolan Ford’s 461 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Bobcats took last season’s meeting 42-12 rushing for 342 yards, while holding the Redmen to just 54 rushing yards.

Holton (5-2) at Hayden (3-4)
It’s a huge rivalry and clash of the Wildcats in the Capital City as both teams are 1-0 in District One. Holton seems to be hitting their stride with four consecutive wins including their second shutout in the last three weeks 27-0 against Jeff West last week. Jayger Carson returned to an injury plagued carrousel backfield and had 137 yards and two scores last week to take back team high rushing honors with 537 on the year. AJ Haussler (419), Dylan Aeschliman (392) and Jackson Martin (363) help Holton post 350 yards rushing per game. Coach Brooks Barta is still 6-6 against Hayden, despite losing twice to them last year: 47-32 in the regular season and 20-6 in sub state which snapped Holton’s 13-game home playoff win streak dating back to 2007. 

Similar to last year, Hayden started this year 2-4 in the tough Centennial League but opened district play with a 35-6 win versus Santa Fe Trail. Hayden likes to run the football but the senior duo of Sampson Huston to DeShawn Hanika has been a big hit the last few weeks as the two hooked up for eight receptions with 175 yards and three touchdowns last week. The 6’6 Hanika, has 43 catches for 689 yards this season and Huston has thrown for 1,223 while Brent Peavler has a team high 372 yards rushing. Hayden is minus nine in the turnover department but hasn’t lost a District game since 2013.      

Jeff West (2-5) at Santa Fe Trail (5-2)
Jeff West has lost five straight games and struggled on offense with turnovers while averaging just 11 points per game. The Tigers were only able to run 11 total plays in the second half of a 27-0 loss against Holton last week. Jeff West has lost three straight games against Santa Fe Trail including a 39-14 final last year.   

Santa Fe Trail started the season 4-0 again this year before a 28-12 loss against Wellsville that denied the Chargers another Pioneer League Title. Junior runningback, Will Herron leads SFT with 930 yards rushing and Trail is throwing for 86 yards per game.        

Sabetha (6-1) at Hiawatha (2-5)
The Bluejays are looking to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season to undefeated Nemaha Central in a thriller last week 21-7. Sabetha trailed just 13-7 at halftime, but a couple of crucial turnovers in the second half kept the Bluejays from remaining unbeaten. Sabetha compiled just 196 yards of total offense as Gabe Garber had the lone score rushing for 54 yards on nine carries, while Joe Gruber added 40 yards on eight carries. The Bluejays are in a must-win situation needing to win the final two games to reach the playoffs for the ninth straight season.

The Redhawks are also in a must-win situation after a tough 18-13 loss to Riverside last week giving up the game-winning score with less than two minutes remaining. Alan Simpson and Andrew Woods recorded the two touchdowns for Hiawatha as Simpson scored on an 83-yard run, while Woods’ touchdown came from five yards out. On the season the Redhawks are averaging 21 points per game led by one of the top passing offenses around as Tyler Brockhoff sits 17th in the state in all classes with 1,328 yard and 16 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Michael Moreno is Brockhoff’s top target on the season and also sits high in the state with 603 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns.

Sabetha dominated last season’s meeting 68-18 and have outscored Hiawatha 194-18 in the last three meetings.

Nemaha Central (7-0) at Riverside (2-5)
A winning streak of a few games is hard enough but 21-straight Big Seven League wins is impressive as Nemaha Central opened Districts last week beating rival Sabetha 21-7 to remain unbeaten on the season. The Thunder continues to roll and are playing strong and with great discipline. The offense is averaging 35.7 points per game and moving the ball on the ground and through the air and most importantly not turning the ball over. While on defense the Thunder continue to stymie their opponents forcing turnovers getting two against Sabetha and are giving up just 10.3 points per game and have only given up 20+ points to three teams in the last 31 games.

Riverside has a tall order in front of them as Nemaha Central won 53-0 last year and on top of their Big Seven win streak they have won 27-straight regular season games and are looking with two more wins to finish their third straight regular season undefeated. The Cyclones are coming off their best win of the season in a solid 18-13 performance at Hiawatha. Riverside trailed most of the game but scored with 1:20 remaining for their second victory of the year and this will be their final home game of the year. Luke Horn has filled in nicely for the injured Dawson Dick at runningback and Andrew Miller has helped balance the offense despite some turnovers.  It was the physical play of the Riverside defense that stood out last week and frustrated the Redhawk receivers. 

ACCHS (0-7) at Pleasant Ridge (2-5)
The Rams and Tigers have each had disappointing seasons and are both coming off rough losses a week ago. Pleasant Ridge fell to Maur Hill-Mount Academy last week 56-0 turning the football over three times in the first half, while ACCHS fell to Maranatha 40-28 letting a 22-18 lead slip away in the fourth quarter. The Rams average just 10 points per game and 200 total yards a contest, led by Breydon Baragary who has compiled 430 yards rushing to go along with 704 passing yards on the season. ACCHS on the other hand is averaging just over 16 points per game and is led on the ground by Tucker Smith who has put together just under 600 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on the year.

The Rams took last year’s week eight contest 52-14 and have won the last five meetings dating back to the 2012 season.

Maur Hill-Mount Academy (5-2) at Maranatha (2-5)
The Eagles and Ravens are each coming off huge wins last week as MH-MA blew out Pleasant Ridge 56-0 while Maranatha outscored ACCHS 22-8 in the fourth quarter to take down the Tigers 40-28.

Maur Hill-Mount Academy took a 42-0 lead into halftime last week against Pleasant Ridge as sophomore quarterback Jack Caudle threw three touchdowns in the first half. Caudle is on an unbelievable tear of late tossing 10 touchdown passes in the past three games, while on the season throwing for 1,097 yards and 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Ronald Faulk-Tindal leads the way for the Ravens on the ground with 344 yards on the season and five scores, while MH-MA averages over 31 points per game.

Maranatha struggled early against ACCHS Friday night, but Nate Burdette finished with 238 yards passing and three touchdowns while Brock West caught all three scores and amassed 219 yards receiving. Burdette also ran for 110 yards and a score while Andrew Fortin added a touchdown run as well. On the season Burdette has thrown for 1,323 yards and 17 touchdowns as the Eagles average just over 20 points per game.

Silver Lake (7-0) at Perry Lecompton (5-2)
Silver Lake remains state ranked and unbeaten and pitched their second shutout of the year 68-0 against Oskaloosa last week. Wins by 7 and 14 points against St. Mary’s and Rossville helped the Eagles reclaim the Mid-East League Title.  Lake has a balance offense with 140 yards passing and 189 running per contest and only three turnovers all year.  Quarterback Mason Griffin throws the pigskin and Mason Jones is the lead back with 508 yards rushing.

Perry Lecompton started the year 4-0 before losses to Nemaha Central and Sabetha, but bounced back in a big way to start District Three with a 56-0 thumping of Royal Valley.  The Kaws had 556 yards in the contest with Dalton Kellum registering 298 passing and 184 rushing with seven total touchdowns.  Kellum has nearly 1,800 yards offense this season but Perry does has 11 turnovers this season.  Perry Lecompton lost to Silver Lake 21-19 last year despite leading most of the game and fell 39-38 against the Eagles the year before.   

Royal Valley (3-4) at Oskaloosa (3-4)
The other two 3A teams in District Three are looking to bounce back from embarrassing shutout losses.  Meeting last year for the first time in forever, Royal Valley won 51-7.  The Panthers have allowed at least 36 points in all four losses.  Oskie started the year 2-0, but hadn’t played a team outside the NEKL until last week and has allowed more than 50 points now twice this year.  Gavin Cumpton had nearly half the Royal Valley yards last week (88), but the Panthers couldn’t find the endzone.  Like Royal Valley, Oskaloosa’s rushing attack accounts for about 90 percent of their offense led by Jerad Miller with 703 and Hunter Reed with 388 yards.  Royal Valley is trying to surpass their win total from a year ago while Oskie is trying to win a district game for the first time since 2014.    

Minneapolis (2-5) at Marysville (6-1)
After a strong 56-28 win over Beloit to open District play Marysville can put themselves in a great spot for a third straight trip to the playoffs with a win over Minneapolis in week eight. Last year Marysville dominated Minneapolis 57-6 and head into this year’s showdown playing well averaging 45.6 points per game and 345 yards per game. The Bulldogs have ran for 100+ yards in all seven games and thrown for 140+ yards in every contest with three 300+ yard passing contests. The offense has been spread out with five guys that have at 300+ yards of total offense on the year and the Bulldogs have taken care of the ball too having only four turnovers in seven games.

Minneapolis has lost four in a row since a 2-1 start to the year falling to Riley County 45-0 last week in their District opener. The Lions are averaging just over 21 points per game and giving up 27.7 points per game. Two of the last three weeks their opponents have outscored them by 40 or more points.