Four weeks of the high school football regular season are in the books and some teams have started the season strong, while others are still in search of their first win. District play got underway last week for Classes 3A, 2A and 8-man DI & DII with each game becoming more meaningful as the season moves on. 

Games to be Broadcast

Hayden at Jeff West - 103.9 KNZA
Sabetha at Hiawatha - Sabetha Channel
Jackson Heights at Valley Heights – 92.1 KMZA
Holton vs. Royal Valley – Holton Channel
Maur Hill-Mount Academy vs. Horton – KAIR 93.7 FM

Topeka Hayden (2-2) at Jeff West (4-0) in 3A District 3 on KNZA 103.9 FM

Hayden is battle tested after losses to Topeka Seaman and Washburn Rural and last week showed that in a 28-6 district opening win versus Santa Fe Trail.  Brady Bohannon threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns in that game and has thrown for 577 on the season while three other guys have more than 146 yards rushing on the year. 

Jeff West has only ran for 334 yards total as a team, but it off to their best start in almost two decades thanks to 1,007 passing yards. Sophomore Cade Ross has been phenomenal and last week set a new state record with eight passing touchdowns before halftime while throwing for 316 yards in a 55-0 beat-down of Bishop Ward.  Ross has 19 TD tosses with just two INT with a 64 percent completion rate in four games.

Both teams have a really strong and solid group of lineman, which will be fun to watch on the new Tiger turf in Meriden.  Hayden has beaten Jeff West in a 4AD2 District game the last two years, albeit a 35-28 final last season.  Hayden also topped Jeff West in 2004 and 2005.          

Perry Lecompton (3-1) at Santa Fe Trail (2-2) in 3A District 3

Perry Lecompton started District play with a 52-18 win against Wellsville and scored on offense, defense and special teams while bouncing back from their only defeat of the year at Sabetha (35-33).  The Kaws are still averaging 50 points per game with star senior Dalton Kellum registering more than 900 yards of offense thus far.  Perry Lecompton is 10-0 against Trail since 2004, but haven’t met since games were decided by eight and five points in 2013 and 2012. 

Will Herron is a senior runningback who has 580 yards and 10 touchdowns already this season for Santa Fe Trail and also leads the Chargers with 33 tackles.   

Sabetha (4-0) at Hiawatha (1-3) in 3A District 4 on Sabetha Channel

It’s a battle of the birdS in the Big 7 League on homecoming night for Hiawatha.  The Redhawks are dealing with a couple devastating tragedies and losses in the community the past couple weeks and have lost three straight on the football field, including last week’s 54-21 setback against Holton.  Michael Moreno continues to impact the game in many ways and scored on special teams last week.   

Sabetha overcome the loss of four key starters in their 36-12 win and title game rematch against Maryville.  While a couple key players may return from injury this week, Mason Engelken will be out after he ran for 129 first half yards on just five carries last week.  Joe Gruber stepped up with 23 carries for 109 yards and a pair of trips to the endzone while Gabe Garber ran and passed for a score.

The Bluejays have now won 11 games in a row and four straight against Hiawatha by an average score of 65-6.      

Royal Valley  (1-3) at Holton (2-2) in 3A District 4 on Holton Channel

It’s a Jackson County and Big 7 League tilt on homecoming for Holton tonight as the Wildcats have won back to back games and scored a season high 54 last week at Hiawatha, while scoring on every drive except the last one of the game.  Trey Wright and Kolby Roush each went over 100 yards rushing and scored for Holton in the game, who also got a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Royal Valley couldn’t build on their first win of the year against Riverside and fell at Wamego 45-6 to start district play.  The Panthers have not beaten Holton since the year before Brooks Barta arrived in 1996.    

Wamego (3-1) at Marysville (2-2) in 3A District 4

 A pivotal game for two teams challenging for a higher finish in a District that includes some tough competition.  Marysville found that out last week and they got within 14-12 of defending state champion Sabetha in the second quarter before the Bluejays rattled off 22 straight points.  Marysville also had four turnovers and seven penalties, but Atreyau Hornbeak went over 100 yards rushing and had five catches. 

Wamego is 3-1 with a week two setback against undefeated Chapman.  Taybor Vetter ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns while also returnuing a punt for a score in Wamego’s 45-6 victory against Royal Valley.  The Red Raiders are allowing just 10 points per game but have lost two straight to their NCKL foe Marysville, including a 50-13 final last season.   

Oskaloosa (0-4) at Osage City (4-0) in 2A District 2

Oskaloosa is still searching for their first win of 2018 after a 30-6 loss to Central Heights last week. The Bears played well early on as the game was tied 6-6 after the first quarter and was only a 12-6 for Central Heights heading into the fourth quarter, but the Vikings put together an 18 point fourth quarter that put the game out of reach. Oskaloosa is still dealing with a lot of youth and inexperience on the roster, but seems to be improving each and every week. The task won’t be easy this week as the Bears travel to unbeaten Osage City, who won 42-27 in their recent league test against West Franklin last week.  

West Franklin (2-2) at McLouth (1-3) in 2A District 2

The Bulldogs had a tough start to district play last week going up against a top five team in the state in 2A in Silver Lake who beat McLouth 56-6. The Bulldogs gave up over 300 yards of total offense to the Eagles, while also turning the football over three times and allowing Silver Lake to score on a kickoff return. McLouth will take on a West Franklin team that is coming off a 42-27 loss to Osage City, and face a Falcons team that averages over 260 yards on the ground with three guys over 200 yards rushing on the season.

ACCHS (1-3) at Riverside (0-4) in 2A District 3

In an old Big 7 league matchup the Tigers and Cyclones face off in a matchup of two teams that are currently struggling as ACCHS is just 1-3 while Riverside is still looking for their first win. The Tigers have played great at times, but seem to have let downs in certain quarters throughout game with the latest coming in a 38-0 loss to Pleasant Ridge. The Tigers have played the last two games without all-state running back Tucker Smith who was big the first two weeks of the season and is a game-time decision, but if Smith can’t go ACCHS needs to find someone to step up.

Riverside is still looking for their first win after starting 2A Distict play with a 39-16 loss against MH-MA on Saturday afternoon.  The Cyclones had seven more turnovers in that game and continue to struggle taking care of the ball and finishing drives on offense.  Yegor Dittemore had another nice receiving game and Dawson Dick now has over 400 rush yards for Riverside on the season.

Riverside has beaten ACCHS six consecutive times in Big 7 matchups in recent history, including 34-16 a year ago.  

Horton (0-4) at Maur Hill-Mount Academy (3-1) in 2A District 3 on KAIR 93.7 FM

After dropping their first game of the season to Jackson Heights in week three the Ravens bounced back last Saturday, taking down Riverside on the road in the opening game of district play 39-16. Tate Vowels had a field day against the Cyclones with four total touchdowns with two each receiving and rushing, while also picking off two passes as well. The Ravens continue to be balanced averaging 167 yards passing and 163 yards rushing per game, as Jack Caudle is now over 640 yards passing on the season with seven touchdowns to just three interceptions.

Horton is still looking for a win, but scored four times in a 62-26 loss at Nemaha Central last week.  The Chargers have scored five total times this season and three of those were on kickoff returns, including a pair last week as the return game was huge despite the loss.  Senior quarterback, Matthew Lobdell also ran and passed for a touchdown for Horton

The Ravens took last season’s meeting 37-12, as junior Dylan Smith recorded 98 yards rushing and a touchdown while Caudle threw for 152 yards and two scores.  

Nemaha Central (2-2) at Pleasant Ridge (3-1) in 2A District 3

The Thunder bounced back last week after their crushing week three loss to Holton by blowing out Horton 62-26. Matt Baumgartner had another big game for Nemaha Central racking up over 100 yards receiving for the second straight week with a couple of touchdowns, while Austin Gerety and Cole Kramer had huge games defensively. The offense has been clicking all season long, as the Thunder are averaging over 41 points per game.

The Rams are coming off a shutout victory over ACCHS, as Pleasant Ridge dominated winning 38-0 holding the Tigers to just 77 total yards of offense. The Rams record two defensive touchdowns in the game, as Keaton Komer had a 70-yard pick-six while Hunter Wagner also returned a fumble 30 yards for a score. Quarterback Colton Comer also accounted for three total touchdowns in the win, while racking up 159 total yards of offense.

The Thunder and Rams met up last season in the opening round of the 3A playoffs, and Nemaha Central won rather easily 59-26 racking up over 530 yards of total offense.

Victoria (3-1) at Clifton-Clyde (4-0) in 8-man DI District 7

Heading into last week several people questioned the legitimacy of Clifton-Clyde’s undefeated start to the year because of the strength of schedule, but the Eagles answered all questions with a 64-14 blowout of Hill City last week. Clifton-Clyde absolutely shut down a Ringneck offense that entering last week was averaging over 59 points per game, holding Hill City to just 44 total yards of offense and only three yards rushing. Drake Steinbrock ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the win, while Christian Seifert had 143 yards rushing and four scores.

Victoria is coming off a big-time victory over Lincoln last week 52-0 to open up district play, with their only loss coming to Central Plains in week two 32-8.

Lincoln (2-2) at Washington County (2-2) in 8-man DI District 7

The Tigers are looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss last week, falling to Stockton on the road 56-8. The Tigers trailed just 8-0 after the first quarter, but Stockton scored 16 points in the second quarter and 26 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. Lincoln, meanwhile, is coming off a loss as well, as the Tigers fell to Victoria in the opening game of district play last week 52-0.

Valley Falls (1-3) at Burlingame (4-0) in 8-man DI District 3

Valley Falls has lost three straight after their week one overtime victory against Onaga.  In fact, the Dragons have been outscored 170-24 in those three contests, but has been practicing with just 13 kids and expects to get one of their top lineman back this week in Cade Norris.  Dragon QB Drew Pickerell tossed a couple touchdowns last week in a 62-12 setback at Lebo.

Burlingame is 4-0 and has won all their contest by 48 points or more this year.  Burlingame shutout Valley Falls last season 70-0 in a game that ended at halftime.   

Blue Valley (1-3) at Frankfort (4-0) in 8-man DII District 3

Is anybody going to stop the Wildcats? Frankfort is off to a 4-0 start with all four wins coming in dominating fashion by over 45 points. Last week the Wildcats picked on Wetmore, taking down the Cardinals 52-0 in game where Carson Schriener picked up his fourth punt return for a score on the season. Offensively Garret Dalinghaus continues to lead the way with 363 yards rushing on the season and eight touchdowns, while quarterback Brandon Bussman isn’t far behind with 230 yards and six scores.

For the second time this season Blue Valley was forced to forfeit last week to Hanover due to low numbers because of an injury, so heading into week five the Rams have played just two contests with the lone win coming over Wetmore in week three.

Frankfort took last season’s meeting 48-0, holding the Rams to just 73 total yards of offense.

Onaga (0-4) at Hanover (4-0) in 8-man DII District 3

The Buffaloes and Wildcats enter tonight off to two completely different starts to the year. Hanover is currently on a 29-game win streak and off to a 4-0 start, but haven’t played in two weeks due to a forfeit by Blue Valley-Randolph last week. Onaga, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back after a 58-20 loss to Doniphan West last week, and still searching for their first win of the season. Tonight marks the first meeting between the two schools, as the Buffaloes enter tonight 0-3 in district play while Hanover is 2-0.

Wetmore (1-3) at Axtell (4-0) in 8-man DII District 3

Score early, score often. That has been the motto of the Axtell Eagles to start the 2018 season, as they are off to a 4-0 start averaging over 50 points per game. The Eagles are also giving up less than eight points per game, as they blew out Pike Valley last week 54-6. Quarterback and reigning athlete of the week at mscsports.net Quinn Buessing continued his monster season, tossing six touchdown passes and 219 yards with three scores going to Hunter Koch. Buessing is up to 891 yards passing through four games with 24 touchdowns and zero interceptions, while Koch has 504 yards receiving and 16 scores on the season.

Wetmore is looking to bounce back after another disappointing loss last week, being shut out by Frankfort 52-0.  The Cardinals gave up 46 points in the first quarter, and turned the football over three times throwing two picks and fumbling once. Wetmore is looking to get the offense jumpstarted after gaining just 83 total yards last week, while averaging just over 14 points per game this season.

Axtell took last season’s meeting 62-26, forcing three Cardinals turnovers while racking up over 470 yards of offense.

Linn (0-4) at Doniphan West (1-3) in 8-man Non-district

Doniphan West is coming off for their win of the season 58-20 at Onaga, despite losing their freshman starting quarterback, Trent Spiker.  Creighton Johnson filled in for the Mustangs, who may move Cooper Jensen to the signal caller spot this week after he and Austin Owen both ran for more than 100 yards in game four.  Spiker was one of the best athletes for D-West and was injured playing defense, while he was also handling the Mustangs kicking and punting chores.  Still, new Coach Jeff Savage has this very young team playing hard in their first 8-man campaign and got defensive leader Tuckey Holzhey back last week, with a couple more winnable games next on the schedule.  This game will be played on the new turf field at Highland CC. 

Linn is 0-4 and has allowed 47 points or more in every game this season while scoring a grand total of 58.  This is one of only two games played against a Twin Valley League opponent this year for the Bulldogs.   

Troy (3-1) at Centralia (2-2) – non-district

After a 0-2 start the Panthers have rattled off two straight big-time victories with the latest coming last week in a 20-0 domination of the previously No. 2-ranked team in 1A Pitt-Colgan. Centralia held Colgan to just 64 total yards of offense in the contest, not allowing a passing yard while corralling two interceptions. Isaac Gore also had a huge game rushing the football as he racked up 235 yards on the ground with a touchdown, while quarterback Kamble Haverkamp added 136 yards rushing and two scores.

Troy is coming off their first loss of the year, albeit a tight 20-19 setback against Christ Prep.  The Trojans missed a pair of point-after-touchdown tries and also had a pair of turnovers.  Kipp Jasper ran for 104 yards on 10 carries and also threw for 95 yards while accounting for a touchdown on the ground and in the air.  The Trojans defense has held every opponent under 20 points and last week got a pick-six from Tysen Williams.  They face their toughest test of the season at TVL foe Centralia, which is basically for the 11-Man TVL title with just a trio of teams competing.

Centralia beat Troy 49-0 a year ago.    

Jackson Heights (3-1) at Valley Heights (3-1) – non-district on 92.1 KMZA

The Mustangs are currently riding a hot streak with three straight wins after a week one loss to Troy. Valley Heights picked up a 60-18 blowout victory over Republic County last week, as Cole Coggins ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Coggins has been stellar so far through four games, as the junior has rushed for 786 yards and 11 touchdowns this season with 455 yards coming in the last two weeks. The Mustangs also have one of the most prolific rushing attacks in the state of Kansas, rushing for 386 yards per game.

Jackson Heights suffered their first loss of the season in a tight 20-18 setback against ranked Olpe.  The Cobras were 0-3 on the conversions after touchdown and also failed to recover an onside kick and had a bad punt snap that gifted the Eagles their initial score of the night.  Cooper Williams accounted for 177 yards and two touchdowns and now has 598 yards rushing on the season. 

Jackson Heights and Valley Heights have played to a pair of four-point games the last two years, with the Cobras winning a shootout 44-40 last fall. 

Atchison (2-2) at KC Wyandotte (0-4) – non-district

The Redmen evened up their record at 2-2 last week with a 48-8 blowout win over Harmon. The Redmen ran for 257 yards in the contest, led by Sercy Duncan who added to his strong season rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Duncan leads the Redmen in rushing with 374 yards and three touchdowns, while senior quarterback Brayden Dame has thrown for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Atchison took last season’s meeting 12-0 and have won the last seven meetings dating back to 2011.

Christ Prep (4-1) at Jeff County North (2-2) – non-district

After starting the season 0-2, the Chargers picked up their second consecutive victory last week taking down Wabaunsee on the road 38-6. Logan Budy ran for 213 yards and two touchdowns, while he also returned kickoff 65 yards for a score. JCN scored just 24 points total the first two games, but in the last two weeks are averaging 41 points per contest. The Chargers are up against a Christ Prep team that has already played five games on the season and averaging 241 rushing yards per contest.

The Chargers took last season’s meeting 12-6 and have won the last three meetings dating back to 2015.