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It’s playoff time across the state of Kansas thanks to the new classification changes, and although it is just week nine it is win or go home with all classes getting underway this week. While most 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A games will take place on Friday, some will be played Thursday so note each game while all 8-man games take place Thursday. Jonny Kane and Justin Fluke also continue to give their picks for all games in week nine.
Jonny’s Pick Record
Last week: 19-3
Overall record: 138-25 (85%)
Justin’s Pick Record
Last week: 20-2
Overall record: 139-24 (85%)
Games to Be Broadcast
JCN at Valley Heights (Thursday at 6 p.m.) - KAIR 93. 7 FM
Axtell vs. Lakeside (Thursday at 7 p.m.) – 92.1 KMZA
Jackson Heights vs. Wabaunsee (Thursday at 7 p.m.) – 103.9 KNZA
Nemaha Central vs. St. Mary’s (Friday at 7 p.m.) – 92.1 KMZA
*Sabetha at Hayden (Friday at 7 p.m.) – 103.9 KNZA & Sabetha Channel
Holton vs. Santa Fe Trail (Friday at 7 p.m.) – Holton Channel
*Note: This will be bonus coverage from 7 p.m. to around 8:15 p.m. on 103.9 KNZA before final Holton volleyball state match. Entire game on Sabetha Channel.
Class 4A Playoffs:
Atchison (3-5) at Louisburg (5-3)
After dropping two straight the Redmen put an end to the losing streak last week with a 35-7 win over Sumner. Atchison scored 29 unanswered points in the second half to comeback from a 7-6 halftime deficit and scored all four touchdowns on the ground while Eric Hill added a field goal. Garyeon Simpson recorded two rushing touchdowns while Elijah Haley and Xavier Cushinberry each added a score.
The Redmen will open the playoffs this week against Louisburg who has already beat Atchison this season 41-12 which came back in week six. The Wildcats ran all over the Redmen in that game jumping out to a 21-6 halftime lead and scoring all six touchdowns in the game on the ground.
Louisburg has dominated the last two meetings winning by a combined score of 83-19.
Jonny’s Pick: Louisburg
Justin’s Pick: Louisburg
Class 3A Playoffs:
Sabetha (6-2) at Hayden (7-1)
It’s pretty crazy to think that these two traditional powerhouse teams have not played against each other or met in the playoffs. It’s even crazier to think they now have to meet in week nine to open the brutal and deep Class 3A post-season bracket. Sabetha begins their two-time state title defense on the road after suffering losses to Marysville and Wamego in district play. Both losses were within 13 points. Hayden won the district title, with a lone setback 21-20 against Perry Lecompton in overtime two weeks ago. The Wildcats bounced back last week posting a 50-6 victory against Wellsville.
Sabetha is led by Gabe Garber, a true gamer, who will need to be brilliant to give Sabetha a shot. Garber has more than 1,000 yards passing and 681 rushing to lead the Bluejays while Andrew Frazee has 611 yards on the ground. Braden Argabright caught his third touchdown of the season last week in a 56-21 win against Royal Valley and paces the Jays with 308 yards receiving. Sabetha only has four turnovers all year and looks to win the turnover battle to win this game. The Bluejays also must be able to run the football and stabilize the line of scrimmage. Hayden will also run the ball with Jake Konrade 531 and Desmond Purnell 328 yards rushing plus four other backs with at least 193 yards on the ground. Johnny Holloway has thrown for 529 yards as well.
Jonny’s Pick: Hayden
Justin’s Pick: Hayden
Jeff West (7-1) at Marysville (7-1)
Not your typical week nine playoff opener, huh? Jeff West has lost just once by a 13-6 score at Hayden, yet is on the road at Marysville, who has a lone loss to Holton but also didn’t win their district. The Bulldogs bounced back from their loss with a 68-20 win at Hiawatha as Atreyau Hornbeak returned from injury and had 173 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He now has 990 yards rushing on the year. Storm Slupianek also returned as one of the Bulldogs top tacklers for a unit that allows 24 points per game. The Dawgs offense is posting 34.5 points per game, but will face the toughest defense they seen all year in Jeff West.
Since the loss to Hayden and an 8-3 win versus Perry, Jeff West has went back to the basics and ran for more than 400 yards in each of the last two games. They beat Wellsville then topped Santa Fe Trail 45-6 last week as Bryce Clements went for 222 on the ground and Quinn Neuenswander added 176. They are both close to 900 yards rushing this season. The Tiger defense has allowed less than six points per game. Jeff West must avoid mistakes to notch the road win, which would be their first playoff win since 2009.
Jonny’s Pick: Marysville
Justin’s Pick: Marysville
Santa Fe Trail (4-4) at Holton (6-2)
Holton knew they were headed to the playoffs for a 22nd consecutive year under Coach Brooks Barta, but not many gave the Wildcats a chance to be district champs before two very impressive wins at Marysville (30-8) and against Wamego (41-14) last week. Holton gets to start the post season at home against a Santa Fe Trail team that have beaten six straight times, including a 21-6 final two years ago. Konnor Tannahill led another balanced Wildcat rushing attack with 114 yards last week while Ian Watkins caught three passes, including two touchdowns as the team scored on six straight drives to get their sixth win of the season and double their win total from a year ago. The Cats have surrendered less than 100 total points this season.
Santa Fe Trail lost to Jeff West 45-6 last week, falling behind 26-0 at halftime and allowed over 400 rushing yards to the Tigers. The Chargers have only had one game decided by fewer than 17 points this season but are balanced on offense with 202 yards rushing and 134 passing per game. They have thrown for more than 1,200 yards but have 11 interceptions with a trio of athletes over 400 yards rushing, including quarterback, Andrew Berckefeldt.
Jonny’s Pick: Holton
Justin’s Pick: Holton
Wamego (6-2) at Perry Lecompton (5-3)
Perry Lecompton secured a second place District finish by whipping Bishop Ward 57-6. The only points Perry allowed were on a fumble returned for a score late with JV players in the game. The Kaw defense has been spectacular lately, not allowing any offensive points to Jeff West then topping Hayden in overtime two weeks ago. The Kaws have used that momentum to win four of their last five games heading into the post season. Billy Welch passed for 213 yards and six touchdowns last week while Thad Metcalfe ran for 157 and a score. The Perry offense has averaged 156 yards rushing and 182 passing per game. Welch has over 1,400 yards passing and Metcalfe is just shy of 1,000 on the ground. Six different players have more than 100 yards receiving and at least two touchdowns each.
Wamego started football without star senior runningback Isaiah Childs last week and fell at Holton 41-14. The Red Raiders has three turnovers and allowed a pair of sacks on fourth down plays in the fourth quarter after quarterback Brad Sackrider had to leave the game following a hard hit. Taybor Vetter had 74 yards rushing to lead the team last week, but Wamego only mustered 184 total yards and allowed 351. Wamego is looking for their first playoff win since 2015 when they were in Class 4A, and will be returning to 4A next season.
Perry beat Wamego 34-20 a year ago in this week nine matchup.
Jonny’s Pick: Perry
Justin’s Pick: Perry
Non-Playoff Games:
Hiawatha (0-8) at Bishop Ward (0-8)
These two teams met in this same game a year ago with Hiawatha winning 57-0. The Redhawks have struggled this season in given up 49 points per game. Meanwhile, Bishop Ward remains mired in a 55-game losing streak that dates back to the 2013 season.
Jonny’s Pick: Hiawatha
Justin’s Pick: Hiawatha
Royal Valley (1-7) at Wellsville (3-5) on Thursday
Royal Valley has a lone win against Hiawatha this year (53-20), but has been scoring the ball better lately averaging 34 points per game the last three weeks. They put up 21 despite a 55-21 loss last week at Sabetha which kept the Panthers home for the playoffs for the fifth season in a row. Chance Lyming had two rushing touchdowns last week.
Wellsville lost two district games by six points each to Santa Fe Trail and Jeff West to miss the playoffs for the second straight year. The Eagles also suffered a two-point loss early in the season under new Coach Mike Berg. Wellsville lost 50-6 against Hayden last week and has dropped five of the last six games. Anthony Signs has 867 rushing yards in his senior campaign for the Eagles.
Wellsville beat Royal Valley a year ago 54-12 in Hoyt to finish the season.
Jonny’s Pick: Wellsville
Justin’s Pick: Wellsville
Class 2A Playoffs:
St. Mary’s (2-6) at Nemaha Central (6-2) on 92.1 KMZA
The Thunder have won five straight and wrapped up a district three championship last week with a 26-20 win on the road at Maur Hill-Mount Academy. Nemaha Central was never fazed after getting down 7-0 and responded with 14 unanswered points to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter on a touchdown pass from Dylan Schultejans to Andrew Leonard and an 11-yard run from Gavin Duryea. After the Ravens tied the game late in the second quarter the Thunder took momentum into halftime on a 56-yard pass from Schultejans to Tyler Gerety and did just enough in the second half. The Thunder forced three turnovers in the second half and four total while Gerety racked up 111 receiving yards and two scores.
Nemaha Central will open the playoffs Friday night against St. Mary’s who earned a spot in the playoffs by finishing fourth in district four with a 2-3 record with wins over Mission Valley and Council Grove. The Bears fell to Riley County last week 40-12 and gave up 259 yards on the ground and 137 more through the air. St. Mary’s is led offensively by Caden Hurla who has thrown for 1,033 yards and 12 touchdowns while Isiah Holz and Charles King have each ran for over 250 yards and two scores.
Nemaha Central and St. Mary’s haven’t played each other since 2015 when the Thunder won 53-6 rushing for six touchdowns.
Jonny’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Justin’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Maur Hill-Mount Academy (6-2) at Rossville (6-2)
After winning the district championship a year ago the Ravens struggled in district play this season finishing third after a 26-20 loss to Nemaha Central last week and a one-point loss to Riverside in week four. The Ravens turned the ball over four times last week including three times in the second half and gave up two long passing touchdowns which proved to be the difference. Jack Caudle threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns while adding 78 yards on the ground. Caudle has now thrown for 1,721 yards and 26 touchdowns while Andrew Schwinn paces the Ravens on the ground with 645 yards and 11 scores.
Because of the loss last week the Ravens will start the playoffs on the road at a very good Rossville team that is 6-2 with quality wins over 1A No. 5 Centralia and a blowout victory over Riley County. The Bulldogs also played Silver Lake tough falling 14-13 in week two and last week won big over Mission Valley 61-18. Torrey Horack has been great all year and leads the offense with 950 rushing yards and 800 more passing with 28 total touchdowns.
This is a rematch of last season’s second round of the 2A playoffs which Rossville won in Atchison in a thriller 21-14.
Jonny’s Pick: Rossville
Justin’s Pick: Rossville
Oskaloosa (3-5) at Riverton (5-3) on Thursday
After going winless a season ago and being forced to forfeit their final three games of the season the Oskaloosa Bears went 3-2 in district this year to make it to postseason play. The Bears won a five-overtime game over Central Heights in week four and won two of their final three games over McLouth and West Franklin to sneak into the playoffs. Oskaloosa fell 61-8 last week to Silver Lake who is the current No. 1-ranked team in Class 2A. Junior Eli King leads the offense with 367 yards and four touchdowns while sophomore Nick Henry has added 330 yards and two scores. Sophomore quarterback Chord Perry has also thrown for 500 yards and eight touchdowns while he has added seven more scores on the ground.
The Bears will open the playoffs traveling to Riverton who has been great all season long with their only losses coming at Galena and Humbolt who are both state ranked and a Christian school out of Missouri. The Rams have won their last two games including a 49-16 win over Jayhawk-Linn last week which was the fourth time Riverton has scored over 40 points in a game this season.
Jonny’s Pick: Riverton
Justin’s Pick: Riverton
Pleasant Ridge (3-5) at Riley County (6-2)
Despite losing their final two games of the regular season the Pleasant Ridge Rams did just enough to make it into the playoffs by picking up key district wins over Horton and ACCHS. The Rams are coming off a 42-7 loss to Riverside in a game where they trailed 28-0 at halftime and struggled defensively to slow down a potent Cyclone offense. Jake Heckman was the only bright spot rushing for 143 yards and a touchdown, but three Pleasant Ridge turnovers proved to be the difference. Heckman is now over 600 yards rushing with four touchdowns while Conner Gibson has added three scores and 269 yards.
Riley County enters the first-round matchup as one of the top teams in the state currently ranked fourth after a 40-12 win over St. Mary’s last week. The Falcons only two losses have come to state-ranked teams as they fell to Centralia on the road in week two and Silver Lake at home the following week. Riley County’s best win came over Rossville in week four and they are led on the season by senior Deon Barnes who has ran for 256 yards and 14 touchdowns. Garrett Harmison has also thrown for 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns while Avery Brocknicky and Trey Harmison have combined for over 1,000 yards receiving and 13 scores.
Jonny’s Pick: Riley County
Justin’s Pick: Riley County
Southeast of Saline (6-2) at Riverside (6-2)
Riverside earned the second seed in their district and a home game for a battle of 6-2 teams as Southeast of Saline will make the three-plus hour trip to Wathena. The Cyclones have had a breakout year under first-year Coach Bryce Paden following a couple two-win seasons. Their only losses are against Sabetha and Nemaha Central with a pair of one-point victories against Hiawatha to start the season and a 28-27 last second thriller at MH-MA in week four. Quenton Barron has posted a pair of impressive rushing games and had 137 yards and two scores last week in a 42-7 win against Pleasant Ridge. Barron is now averaging more than 100 yards rushing per game and Kobe Davis has thrown for 1,379 and 19 touchdowns.
The Cyclones are now looking for their first playoff win since their first year as a program in 2011, when they beat Lyndon 26-21. Riverside has never played SE of Saline in their nine years.
The Trojans lost to Rossville in week five then fell to Riley County 33-29 two weeks ago. SE Saline beat Nemaha Central in a first round playoff game a year ago in Seneca and is looking for a seven-plus win season for the sixth time in the past seven years. The Trojans average 210 yards rushing, and junior quarterback Jaxson Gebhardt has thrown for 955 yards. Gebhardt has also ran for 724 yards behind fellow junior running back Bryant Banks with 809. The SE of Saline defense has 21 takeaways and 15 sacks.
Jonny’s Pick: Southeast of Saline
Justin’s Pick: Southeast of Saline
Non-Playoff Games:
McLouth (0-8) at Northeast-Arma (1-7)
McLouth is looking to find any type of positivity to end what has been a disappointing year and so far, a winless record. The Bulldogs have lost every game by at least two touchdowns and have scored over six points just once this season with their closest game being a 38-14 loss to Oskaloosa. McLouth will have a chance to end the year on a night note in week nine facing Northeast-Arma who has just a 36-0 win over Yates Center to their credit. Like the Bulldogs, Arma has lost each game by at least two scores.
Jonny’s Pick: NE-Arma
Justin’s Pick: NE-Arma
Council Grove (2-6) at ACCHS (2-6)
ACCHS snapped a six-game losing streak last week in a 52-6 win over Horton leading 16-0 after the first quarter and 38-0 at the half. Tucker Smith scored four rushing touchdowns on three 50-plus yard runs while Trystin Myers added three rushing scores. The Tigers will have another winnable game this week facing off against Council Grove who has lost four straight since a 22-21 overtime win over Mission Valley and another win over Central Heights.
Jonny’s Pick: ACCHS
Justin’s Pick: ACCHS
Mission Valley (2-6) at Horton (0-8)
Horton only had 12 players at practice this week and may barely have enough suited up to field a team Friday night as they end a winless season at home against Mission Valley. The Chargers fell 54-6 at ACCHS a week ago and have lost all their games at least 30 points this season and dropped 19 straight contests overall.
Mission Valley has lost six consecutive themselves since opening the season with wins against West Franklin and Wabaunsee. Senior Colby Stowe and sophomore Carter Phillips are the Vikings top play-makers on offense and both see snaps at quarterback.
Jonny’s Pick: Mission Valley
Justin’s Pick: Mission Valley
Class 1A Playoffs:
Wabaunsee (1-7) at Jackson Heights (6-2) on Thursday on 103.9 KNZA
Jackson Heights has won four games in a row and clinched another District title by knocking off undefeated Lyndon last week 33-14 on the road. Jason Bosley ran for 160 yards on 20 carries and Cooper Williams went over the century mark rushing again while leading the team with double-digit tackles. The Cobras ran for 364 yards and held Lyndon to just 44, despite losing freshman linebacker Jullian Butto to injury.
The balanced Cobra wishbone attack behind a big offensive line is led by Williams with 990 yards rushing, Bosley with 603, and Dylan Thompson with 579. Cable Wareham and Grant Amon have combined for another 350 yards as Jackson Heights averages 360 yards per game and has completed just five passes on the season.
Wabaunsee has lost five straight and has just one win this season against Central Heights (31-6) in week three. They lost to common opponents JCN and Valley Heights by a total of 94 points, two teams that the Cobras beat by at least two touchdowns. Sophomore QB Cade Oliver leads the Chargers on offense and has passed for 668 yards.
Jackson Heights has won four straight against Wabaunsee including a 52-0 route in their last meeting in 2017.
Jonny’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Justin’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Jeff County North (5-3) at Valley Heights (6-2) on Thursday at 6 p.m. on KAIR 93.7 FM
After starting the season 4-0 Jeff County North went through a rough patch losing three straight games, but that ended last week as the Chargers used a strong second half to take down Troy 20-8. JCN trailed 8-6 at halftime but scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to escape with the victory. Boyd Tweed ran for a score and threw a touchdown to Landon Gutchenritter, while Logan Budy capped off the win with a long touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers will now have to face Valley Heights for the first time who finished second in district four and second in the Twin Valley League after falling at home to Centralia last week 38-20. The Mustangs got down 16-6 early and could never recover turning the ball over twice while allowing Centralia to run for 300 yards. The Mustangs got three rushing touchdowns, one each from Cole Coggins, Cameron Beardsley and Bryson Kenworthy.
Jonny’s Pick: Valley Heights
Justin’s Pick: Valley Heights
Troy (2-6) at Centralia (7-1)
This is a rematch from week five when Centralia used a 28-6 second half to pull away for a 46-12 win at Troy. The Trojans did have more than 400 yards of offense but Kamble Haverkamp ran wild for 315 yards and three scores for the Panthers. Troy has lost five games in a row, despite having an 8-6 lead at JCN last week in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Kipp Jasper tore his ACL on a quarterback sneak and JCN scored twice in the final three minutes of the game to take a 20-8 victory. Besides having the team leader Jasper out, the backup QB is also injured and the freshman signal caller had went home sick, leaving Cale Hamilton to finish the game at quarterback wearing jersey number 58. Hamilton will likely see more time at QB on Friday night as the Trojans finish their most difficult season since 2011 and 2012, before Coach Derek Jasper took the reigns.
Centralia has beaten Troy four straight times and six of the last seven, including twice last year and last week rushed for 300 yards to claim the district four title and the 11-man TVL Championship with a 38-20 win over Valley Heights. The Panthers jumped out to a 16-6 lead after the first quarter and received 191 yards and four touchdowns from Kamble Haverkamp while Devon Feldkamp added 105 yards and a score. Haverkamp has now run for over 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns this season while Feldkamp has added 862 yards and nine more scores.
Jonny’s Pick: Centralia
Justin’s Pick: Centralia
8-man DI Playoffs:
Hoxie (4-4) at Clifton-Clyde (8-0) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
It’s a rematch of last season’s week 10 game which Hoxie won 22-20 ending Clifton-Clyde’s bid at a perfect season. The Eagles have once again posted a perfect season and moved to 17-1 the last two seasons after beating Lincoln last week 70-0, meaning Thursday night’s playoff game is the exact same scenario Clifton-Clyde faced last season.
Hoxie had a two-game win streak snapped last week in a 44-20 loss to Trego-WaKeeney which gave the Indians a 4-1 record in the Northwest Kansas League. Hoxie features a spread attack led by sophomore quarterback Ashton Dowell who has thrown for 1,164 yards and seven touchdowns while Dylan Weimer has run for 489 yards and 13 scores.
Jonny’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Justin’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Washington County (4-4) at St. Francis (8-0) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Since starting the season 4-1 Washington County has suffered three straight losses by a combined score of 164-20. Those three opponents have a combined record of 19-5, so it’s safe to say the Tigers went up against one of the tougher schedules in 2019. It doesn’t get any easier this week to open the playoffs as Washington County will take on St. Francis who is ranked second in the state after a 46-0 win over Rawlins County last week. The Indians have posted five shutouts this year, along with one other game where they allowed only a safety.
Jonny’s Pick: St. Francis
Justin’s Pick: St. Francis
Non-Playoff Games:
Herington (0-8) at Valley Falls (1-7) on Thursday
Valley Falls has just one win on the season and is playing for pride tonight at home against winless Herington. All the Dragons losses were by at least 26 points, including a 58-32 setback at Maranatha a week ago. Yet, their lone victory looks super impressive against a 6-2 Lebo team that finished second in their District. Herrington meanwhile has allowed 57 points per game this season and their last win was a year ago in this matchup, beating Valley Falls 52-26.
Jonny’s Pick: Valley Falls
Justin’s Pick: Valley Falls
8-man DII Playoffs:
Pike Valley (3-5) at Hanover (7-1) on Thursday
Since having their 43-game win streak snapped two week ago the Hanover Wildcats have been dominant with a 54-7 win over Wetmore and a 52-34 win over Frankfort last week to win the district three title. Last week Hanover overcame a 28-22 halftime deficit and scored 30 points in the second half to earn the comeback win. The Wildcats forced three turnovers in the win and got 46 receiving yards and 140 kick return yards from Colin Jueneman who scored twice while Jacob Jueneman threw three touchdowns.
Pike Valley just snuck into the playoffs thanks to a forfeit win over Linn last week giving the Panthers a 3-3 record and the fourth and final spot in district four. The Panthers had lost four straight before picking up the forfeit win and are allowing nearly 45 points per game. Pike Valley is led on the ground by sophomore Keaton Reaves who has ran for 619 yards and nine touchdowns while the Panthers have five guys with over 150 yards rushing on the year.
This first round meeting will be the second of the year between these two schools as Hanover smoked Pike Valley 58-14 in the opening game of the 2019 season.
Jonny’s Pick: Hanover
Justin’s Pick: Hanover
Frankfort (7-1) at Rock Hills (6-2) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
For the first time this season Frankfort is trying to figure out how to bounce back from a loss after suffering their first of the season last week to Hanover 52-34. The Wildcats held a 28-22 at the half and had chances to take firm control, but Hanover forced three turnovers in the second half and outscored Frankfort 30-6 in the final two quarters. Garret Dalinghaus had a big night with 110 yards and four touchdowns while Gavin Cornelison threw for 125 yards a score but two big interceptions. Dalinghaus has now run for 931 yards and 20 touchdowns while Cornelison and Branden Bussman have each rushed for 10 scores.
The Wildcats will have a tough week nine opponent whom they’ve never faced in Rock Hills who had a four-game win streak snapped last week in a 42-20 loss to Beloit- St. John/Tipton. The Grizzlies have just two losses this season with the other coming to Hanover 66-16 back in week three while they finished the Northern Plains League schedule 4-1. They’re led on the ground by senior Rylee Welchel who has ran for over 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns this season averaging over 150 yards per game while as a team the Grizzlies average over 50 points per contest.
Jonny’s Pick: Frankfort
Justin’s Pick: Frankfort
Onaga (5-3) at St. John/Tipton (6-2) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
After starting the season 2-3 the Buffaloes have turned things around winning their final three games to earn a spot in the playoffs. Onaga picked up a 42-36 triple overtime win over Doniphan West in week four which proved to be the win the Buffaloes needed to get into postseason play. Last week Onaga won 58-13 over Wetmore as they jumped out to a 42-13 lead at halftime and never looked back. Zac Fisher ran for 194 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Buffaloes while Ethan Powell added 159 yards and three scores. Powell is now over 880 yards rushing on the year with 17 touchdowns while Fisher has run for 660 yards and 12 more scores.
The Buffaloes will have a tough first round opponent in St. John/Tipton who is 6-2 on the year after going undefeated in the Northern Plains League with a 5-0 record. The Blujays won district four with a perfect 6-0 record outscoring their opponents by 126 points in district play. St. John won big last week over Rock Hills 42-20 rushing for 319 yards as a team with five touchdowns including three scores from junior Brayden Perez who ran for 148 yards. Perez leads the team with 689 yards and 20 touchdowns while junior Blake Perez has added 547 yards and 12 more scores.
Onaga hasn’t played St. John/Tipton since moving to the 8-man ranks in 2016.
Jonny’s Pick: St. John/Tipton
Justin’s Pick: St. John/Tipton
Lakeside (5-3) at Axtell (7-1) on Thursday on 92.1 KMZA
After suffering their first loss of the season two weeks ago the Eagles bounced back in a big way last week by shutting out Doniphan West 50-0. It was a big return for senior quarterback Quinn Buessing who returned off a concussion and delivered six total touchdowns including four through the air while freshman Isaac Detweiler moved back to receiver and scored three times. Buessing is now up to 1,548 yards passing on the year in just seven games with 29 touchdowns compared to just one interception while rushing for 292 yards and 11 more scores. On the outside the Eagles have three receivers over 400 yards on the year led by Detwiler who has racked up 544 yards and nine touchdowns while Derek Buessing has added 472 yards and 12 more scores.
The Eagles will have a tough week one matchup in Lakeside who has showed this season that they can score with the best. The Knights have scored over 50 points four times and put up 84 points in a win over Pike Valley and two 60-point outings well. Sophomore quarterback Kylan Cunningham leads the offensive throwing for 892 yards and 13 touchdowns with just two interceptions while senior Carter Brown has run for 513 yards and 10 scores. Junior Wyatt Eberle has added 11 touchdowns on the ground this season while Jace Shoen is the leading receiver with 615 yards and eight scores.
This game marks the first meeting between the two schools with the only common opponent being Beloit-St. John who Lakeside was blanked by 54-0 while Axtell beat the Bluejays 58-12.
Jonny’s Pick: Axtell
Justin’s Pick: Axtell
Non-Playoff:
Tescott (2-6) at Doniphan West (3-5) on Thursday
Tescott snapped a 15-game losing streak on the field with last week’s 18-8 win at Southern Cloud after previously getting a forfeit win against Linn.
Doniphan West has losses to three of the best teams in the state in TVL foes Hanover, Axtell and Frankfort. Yet, the Mustangs were competitive in a couple of those games, scoring 52 points against Frankfort, but missed the playoffs after a 50-0 setback last week against Axtell. Ultimetly, a triple overtime loss to Onaga in week four kept the Mustangs and first-year Coach Perry Smith out of the post season. The team comprised mostly of sophomores will look to end their season with a win tonight at home.
Jonny’s Pick: Doniphan West
Justin’s Pick: Doniphan West
Southern Cloud (1-7) at Blue Valley (1-7) on Thursday
Southern Cloud has forfeited this contest.
Jonny’s Pick: No Pick
Justin’s Pick: No Pick
Linn (2-7) at Wetmore (3-7)
Linn has forfeited this contest.
Jonny’s Pick: No Pick
Justin’s Pick: No Pick
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