Week one of the high school football season didn't disappoint in Northeast Kansas as there were some dominate victories, close game down to the wire and some surprises.  A full preview of all the week two matchups involving area teams is below to get you ready for another week of football. 

Games to Be Broadcast:

Holton at Perry Lecompton on Holton Channel
Royal Valley at Jeff West on KNZA 103.9 FM
Sabetha at Riverside on Sabetha Channel
Onaga at Frankfort on 92.1 KMZA

Troy (1-0) at Pleasant Ridge (1-0)

Pleasant Ridge opened up its season last week in a big way, as the Rams went on the road and took down defending NEKL champion Jefferson County North 30-12. Pleasant Ridge got off to a great start jumping out to a 14-0 lead, but midway through the third quarter the Chargers pulled within two. The Rams put the game out of reach with two long touchdowns late, as quarterback Colten Komer finished with two rushing touchdowns and a passing score as well.

With 10 returning starters, Troy was able to use the experience factor and home field advantage to outscore Valley Heights 15-0 in the fourth quarter and post a TVL win 27-12 last Friday.  The Trojans spread attack only passed the bal eight times, but had Tysen Williams (79 yards) and quarterback Kipp Jasper (73 yards) led a balanced rushing attack that also got 53 yards from Jacob Moore and 41 for Reid Jasper who caught a trio of passes for another 41 yards.  Kendrick Jeschke and Dillon Wells each recorded 11 tackles as Troy gave up just six points in each half to the Mustangs.  Troy and Pleasant Ridge use to have a rivalry and were two of the top teams in the Delaware Valley League in the late 90s, but haven’t played since 2009.  

ACCHS (1-0) at Jackson Heights (1-0)

The ACCHS Tigers couldn’t have gotten off to a better start to the 2018 season then what they did last week, snapping a 19-game losing streak in a 46-0 win over Oskaloosa. The Tigers jumped out to a 38-0 lead at halftime, and rushed for 355 yards in the contest as a team. Tucker Smith led the way with 173 yards and touchdown to go along with a 68-yard pick-six, while Shawn Boos added 96 yards rushing and a score. Trystin Myers also recorded two touchdowns on the ground, and led the team in tackles with 10 ½.

Jackson Heights controlled the ball and the game in a 42-0 victory against Horton in week one.  The Cobras had 500 team rushing yards and got big games from Cooper Williams (20-158, 2 TD) and Kolby Rethman (20-144) while not allowing Horton any scoring opportunities.  Jackson Heights hasn’t played ACCHS since the Tigers posted 42-0 and 65-0 wins over the Cobras back in 2010 and 2011.   

Jeff County North (0-1) at McLouth (0-1)

The Chargers and Bulldogs are each looking to bounce back after tough week one losses, as JCN fell to Pleasant Ridge 30-12 and McLouth to Maur Hill-Mount Academy 48-24. The Chargers played the Rams tough and pulled within two points in the third quarter, but allowed two long touchdowns in the fourth that they had no answer for.

McLouth meanwhile is coming off a 48-24 loss to Maur Hill-Mount Academy, as the secondary struggled allowing the Ravens to throw for 246 yards and four touchdowns. The Bulldogs got off to a great start forcing a fumble and returning it for a touchdown on the Ravens’ opening possession, but from there were outscored 20-0 in the half.

The Chargers took last season’s week nine meeting 58-12, as the Bulldogs committed three turnovers.

Maur Hill-Mount Academy (1-0) at Oskaloosa (0-1)

Maur Hill-Mount Academy opened up the season Friday night with a 48-24 win over McLouth, jumping out to a 20-6 lead at halftime. Junior quarterback Jack Caudle played well throwing for 246 yards and four touchdowns, while senior receivers Parker Mispagel and Tate Vowels each had 115 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Oskaloosa struggled in week one falling to ACCHS on the road 46-0, which allowed the Tigers to snap a 19-game losing streak. The Bears got down 38-0 at halftime, and gave up over 350 yards of rushing to the Tigers.

Friday night marks the first meeting between the two schools since 2013, which the Bears won in comeback fashion 30-26.

Horton (0-1) at Valley Heights (0-1)

With a 16-player roster, Horton kept pace with Jackson Heights for awhile in week one but allowed 20 points in the second quarter and 16 more in the third before losing 42-0.  They only ran three plays to 53 snaps for Jackson Heights in the first half due to a turnover and failure to recover a squib kick.  The Chargers look to get the offense going this week after quarterback Matthew Lobdell led the team in rushing in week one with just over 30 yards. 

The Mustangs had a tough task in week one going on the road to Troy who was returning nearly their entire squad from a year ago, and Valley Heights fell late to the Trojans 27-12. The game was tied midway through the third quarter, but the Mustangs gave up two touchdown runs in the fourth quarter that they had no answer for. Valley Heights struggled offensively compiling just 199 total yards as Troy out-gained the Mustangs by 97 yards.

Hiawatha (1-0) at Nemaha Central (0-1)

Hiawatha is coming off a 27-13 win against Riverside.  After changing positions, Kaiser Isaac made his first start at quarterback a success leading the Redhawks with 103 yards rushing, including a 71-yard touchdown and was 3-6 passing with a couple completions to Michael Moreno.  Andrew Woods added 45 yards and a pair of scores in a balanced offensive attack that churned out 239 rushing yards.

With a host of new starters, Nemaha Central struggled to get much going on offense in a 33-7 setback at Sabetha, which snapped the Thunder 23 game Big 7 win streak.  Gavin Duryea led Nemaha with 77 yards rushing and new signal caller Dalton Schmelzle was 10-23 passing for 97 yards as seven different players caught a pass. 

Coming off their first regular season loss in four years, Nemaha Central hopes to get back on track and has won seven straight in this matchup, including a 56-0 thumping in week nine a year ago.  The Thunder have outscored Hiawatha 228-8 the last four years combined.      

Royal Valley  (0-1) at Jeff West (1-0) on KNZA 103.9 FM

Excitement is at an all-time high for Jeff West football, at least in the 13 years under Coach Steve Johnson.  The Tigers are coming off a 14-12 win at Holton, which was their first time in 23 years to beat the Wildcats.  Furthermore, Jeff West plays their first home game on their new turf field in Meriden tonight.  The Tiger defense did not allow a play more than 10 yards, led by Joel Scott, who moved into the starting lineup and registered 17 tackles behind a really good defensive line.  JW only ran for 37 yards, but sophomore Cade Ross picked up his aerial assault where he left on last year and was 11 of 26 for 177 yards and a pair of scores.  Zeth Unruh was the top target with five grabs for 79 yards and a touchdown. 

Royal Valley is looking to hit the reset button after a week when everything that could go wrong, did.  The result was a 68-0 loss against Perry Lecompton as the Panthers turned the ball over six times last Friday.  The Panthers did break away from a 14-14 halftime tie a year ago to defeat Jeff West 40-21 in week six, which was the second straight win for the Panthers in the series after they had lost four in a row to the Tigers.     

Sabetha (1-0) vs. Riverside (0-1) at Highland CC

Due to the rains and wet field, plus the opportunity to play on new turf, this game has been moved to Highland Community College.  Sabetha proved in week one that they are deserving of the number one ranking in Class 3A after winning the title a season ago and returning more than half their starters and key players.  The Jays whipped rival Nemaha Central 33-7 by taking an early lead and 26-0 halftime advantage to beat their league and county foe for just the second time in the last 12 meetings.  In typical Sabetha fashion, a balanced ground attack led the way with Mason Engelken topping 130 yards and new quarterback Gabe Garber running for 112 and a pair of scores.  Joe Gruber and Joel Hackney each had more than 75 yards as well as the Jays defense forced a three-and-out on four of the first five Nemaha drives. 

Riverside gave up a couple big plays, but was competitive on offense in their two score loss at Hiawatha in week one.  The Cyclones had some big runs of their own when Dawson Dick joined the backfield.  Riverside lost 58-6 in week nine to Sabetha last season.    

Holton (0-1) at Perry Lecompton (1-0)

Perry Lecompton is coming off their best season in seven years and informed the rest of the Big 7 and Class 3A that they will be a force to reckon with after a 68-0 victory at Royal Valley last week.  Senior stud quarterback Dalton Kellum, who accounted for 2,800 yards a year ago, ran for 166 on just 12 carries and made four trips to the endzone as Perry had 363 yards and pitched a shutout on defense while also scoring twice on special teams in week one.  They scored 41 points in the second quarter alone.

Holton meanwhile has started slow the past few years, but hadn't lost a game to Jeff West since 1995.  The Wildcats had chances in a 14-12 home defeat but didn’t get any big plays and failed to finish drives while also missing a tying two-point conversion in the final minute.  Holton did have 80 offensive plays and passed the ball 12 times in week one, which hadn’t happened since facing ACCHS in week four of 2009.   

Although the two teams have not played the past two years, Holton has won seven straight in the series, dating back to a playoff win for the Kaws in 2008.     

Centralia (0-1) at Riley County (1-0)

The Panthers dropped out of the 1A rankings this week after opening up the season with a hard-fought 26-14 loss to perennial power Rossville last Friday. Centralia seemed to have an answer for every Bulldawg score early on, but the Panthers gave up a touchdown to end the third quarter and Rossville put the game away with a 76-yard score midway through the fourth. Junior quarterback Kamble Haverkamp shined for the Panthers despite the loss, as he rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

Riley County opened up their season with a 46-16 win over Rock Creek last week, and took the last meeting between the two schools back in 2011 by a final of 33-8.

Axtell (1-0) at Blue Valley Randolph (0-1)

Axtell opened up the season in a big way last week, going on the road and having no problems taking down St. Johns/Tipton 58-12. The Eagles had their way through the air, as junior quarterback Quinn Buessing threw for 299 yards and seven touchdowns with Hunter Koch catching nine passes for 167 yards and five scores. George Volle also had two touchdown receptions to go along with 46 yards rushing and a score.

Blue Valley meanwhile will be playing their first game of the year, after having to forfeit their contest to Rock Hills last week.

The Eagles took the schools week eight meeting last season 62-12, as Buessing accounted for three touchdowns with two of them coming to Koch.

Frankfort (1-0) at Onaga (0-1)

The Wildcats and Buffaloes enter tonight off two completely different starts to the season last week, as Frankfort took down Linn 62-12 while Onaga fell to Valley Falls 54-48 in overtime. The Wildcats had no problems against Linn last week jumping out to a 40-0 lead in the first half, before going on to win big with the game stopped at halftime. Carson Schreiner got the Wildcats off to a good start with two punt return touchdowns in the first quarter, while also recording scores rushing and receiving. Garrett Dalinghaus also had 109 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Brandon Bussman also recorded two rushing scores.

Onaga meanwhile felt heartbreak in week one, as the Buffaloes went on the road and fell to Valley Falls in overtime. The Buffaloes got up early, but allowed the Dragons to tie the game late with a couple of late scores. Onaga is looking to get revenge after a tough toss to the Wildcats last season, as Frankfort took the week one meeting 58-42.

Hanover (1-0) at Doniphan West (0-1)

The Wildcats couldn’t have gotten off to a better start to the 2018 season Friday night, as they went on the road and blew out Pike Valley 46-0. Hanover jumped out to a 20-0 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, piling on 18 points in the second quarter to lead 38-0 at half. The Wildcat defense was by far the star of the game, as the unit held Pike Valley to just 140 total yards of offense.

It was a learning process for Doniphan West in their first 8-man game under new Coach Jeff Savage in week one as 11 of their 16 players are freshman.  The Mustangs only trailed by 12 at halftime but fell to Washington County 38-12 and will face an even bigger challenge this week as the defending champs from Hanover come to town.  Trent Spiker found Hunter Smith (both freshman) for a couple long passes to highlight the offense for D-West in week one.    

Southern Cloud (0-1) at Wetmore (0-1)

The Cardinals had a tough start to the 2018 season last week falling at home to Clifton-Clyde 46-0. Wetmore couldn’t get anything going offensively, totaling just 50 total yards in the contest with 20 on the ground and 30 through the air. Kael McQueen led the Cardinals with 29 yards rushing, while Joel Hutfles was held to negative 10 yards on the ground.

Southern Cloud off to an 0-1 start to the year as well, as the Warriors fell to Wilson 42-8. Tonight marks the first meeting between the two schools, as Wetmore is in just their third varsity season.

Valley Falls (1-0) at Clifton-Clyde (1-0)

The Eagles started fast and never looked back in their week one win over Wetmore, racing out to a 16-0 lead after the first quarter before going on to win 46-0. Clifton-Clyde put the game out of reach with a 30-point second quarter, while holding the Cardinals to just 50 yards total in the contest. The Eagles churned out 241 total yards of offense, rushing for 224 yards on just 15 carries good for nearly a 15 yard per carry average.

Valley Falls ended a 17 game losing streak with an overtime 54-48 win against Onaga in week one.  Quarterback Drew Pickerell hit Tyler Lockhart for four touchdowns and ran in three more. Drew was 7-12 for 160 yards passing and added 131 yards rushing on 16 attempts while Lockhart had 138 yards receiver in his new role shifting from QB to receiver.  It was the first home win in four years for the Dragons who also got 75 yards rushing from freshman Creston Cummings.  The test will be much more difficult this week against #5 ranked Clifton Clyde who beat Valley Falls by a combined 122-0 margin the past two years

KC Schlagle (0-1) at Atchison (1-0)

The Redman were able to overcome a slow start in the first quarter to begin the season 1-0 taking down Washington 26-7 at home. The Redmen finished with 315 yards rushing in the game, led by senior Sercy Duncan’s 118 yards on 21 carries. Atchison also had a strong defensive showing in the first half, as they allowed just 42 total yards in the half, and less than two yards per play.

The Redmen finished second in the Kansas City-Atchison League last season, after the Stallions took their week three meeting 30-0.

Marysville (0-1) at Clay Center (1-0)

With a lot of new starters, defending 3A state runner-up Marysville lost their season opener at Chapman 34-8 last year as the Irish matched their win total from a season ago.  New Bulldog quarterback Brandon Schroedl was 12-19 for 180 yards passing with Jacob Backus having 150 yards on nine receptions.  Marysville was outscored 20-0 in the second and third quarters combined last week and now faces Clay Center and their new Coach Ted Brown, who was at Hiawatha the past two years.  Clay Center lost to Abilene 30-6 in week one and hasn’t beaten Marysville since 2014.