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Two 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.
Below you can find previews for each week three matchups along with predictions from Jonny Kane, Justin Fluke and Jake Spalding of each contest.
Week Three Games to be Broadcast
103.9 KNZA and Holton Channel – Perry Lecompton at Holton
92.1 KMZA – Centralia at Jackson Heights
KAIR 93.7 FM – Atchison vs. Bonner Springs
Sabetha Channel – Sabetha at Nemaha Central
2020 Pick Record
Jonny: 29-8 (78%)
Justin: 29-8 (78%)
Jake: 27-10 (73%)
ACCHS (1-1) at McLouth (0-2)
The ACCHS Tigers ran into a buzz saw that is Jackson Heights on Monday night falling 41-6 and now get set to play their second game this week. The Tigers gave up over 330 yards of total offense to the Cobras including over 300 yards on the ground. ACCHS got their lone score on a Ty Crossland 6-yard touchdown while Kieran Courter ran for 41 yards on nine carries.
McLouth is looking to forget about what was a disappointing week two in which the Bulldogs fell to Bishop Ward 39-6 snapping the Cyclones 57-game losing streak. The Bulldogs lost their starting quarterback, running back and all-league lineman early in the game and were never able to recover. Luckily for the Bulldogs two of the three have a chance to play tonight so McLouth should be near full-go come kickoff.
It is the first meeting since the 2015 season when the Tigers sneaked out a 24-20 victory.
Jonny’s Pick: ACCHS
Justin’s Pick: ACCHS
Jake’s Pick: ACCHS
Oskaloosa (0-2) at Jeff County North (1-1)
Oskaloosa heads into Friday night looking to complete erase what was a miserable week all the way around last week which ended with a 61-6 loss to Maur Hill-Mount Academy. The Bears head coach Matthew Johnson was forced to be in quarantine for the game along with a few players so Oskaloosa was down from the jump. Chord Perry ran for the Bears’ only score and Oskaloosa now heads into tonight with Coach Johnson and the rest of those guys back so it will be all hands on deck.
The Chargers meanwhile are looking to bounce back after a 44-18 loss last week to Valley Heights who is ranked in Class 1A. JCN trailed just 22-12 at the half but were outscored 14-0 in the third quarter and 8-6 in the fourth. Blake Fowler did throw for three touchdowns for the Chargers including two to Landon Gutschenritter.
JCN has dominated the last four meetings with the Bears winning all four games by at least 38 points.
Jonny’s Pick: JCN
Justin’s Pick: JCN
Jake’s Pick: JCN
Valley Heights (2-0) at Horton (0-2)
Horton scored their first points of the season last week in a 46-8 loss at St. Mary's. Quarterback Trey Lockwood had 85 rushing yards for the Chargers who have lost 22 straight games and not scored more than a touchdown in the last 11 contests.
The Mustangs are riding high after another impressive victory last week in a 44-18 win over Jeff County North where Valley Heights was in control throughout. The Mustangs ran for 487 yards overall in the victory led by Trenton L’Ecuyer who ran for 160 yards and four touchdowns and Jake Yungeberg who added 185 yards and a score. With the 2-0 start Valley Heights has vaulted up the Class 2A rankings and now hold the second spot just ahead of Twin Valley League foe Centralia heading into tonight.
Valley Heights has dominated this meeting the past two seasons winning both games by a combined score of 98-0.
Jonny’s Pick: Valley Heights
Justin’s Pick: Valley Heights
Jake’s Pick: Valley Heights
Centralia (1-1) at Jackson Heights (1-0) on 92.1 KMZA
Speaking of Centralia, the Panthers have another big test tonight after bouncing back last week with a 46-0 shutout of Troy following their week one blowout loss to Rossville. The Panthers ran for 353 yards in the win last week led by Devon Feldkamp who ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns while Ian Haverkamp added 102 yards rushing with three more scores. Centralia held Troy to negative 14 yards rushing last week and received an Ethan McNally interception while allowing just 101 total yards.
Jackson Heights started their season with a convincing 41-6 win against ACCHS on Monday earlier this week. The Cobras had new junior QB Jason Bosley run for 167 yards and four touchdowns on just 11 carries while tossing a 15-yard TD to Grant Amon as well. Jullian Butto had 10 tackles including a sack and a 35-yard pick six for the JH defense that forced three turnovers.
Jackson Heights has not farred well against Centralia with just one win against the Panthers dating back to 2003. They won by a 22-14 score in 2016 but lost last year in a sub state playoff game 44-6.
Jonny’s Pick: Centralia
Justin’s Pick: Centralia
Jake’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Wabaunsee (1-1) at Troy (0-2)
Despite starting 0-2 and taking a big loss at Centralia last week, there is excitement and optimism in Troy. The Trojans have all their team out of quarantine now and will play their first home game of the season this week against Wabaunsee. Cam Anderson threw for more than 120 yards for the second straight week, but the Trojans still do not have positive rushing yards this season.
Wabaunsee is 1-1 coming off a 20-14 victory against Uniontown. They lost by seven points to Mission Valley in week one and have played two close games at home following back-to-back 1-8 campaigns that included a 54-21 loss to end the season against Troy two years ago. The Chargers have also struggled to run the ball this year, but junior QB Cade Oliver has completed 30 of 48 passes for 468 yards already this year.
Jonny’s Pick: Wabaunsee
Justin’s Pick: Wabaunsee
Jake’s Pick: Wabaunsee
Nickerson (0-2) at Maur Hill-Mount Academy (2-0)
Following a 2-0 start to the year Maur Hill-Mount Academy will step out of the Northeast Kansas League and play host to Nickerson in place of Pleasant Ridge who is currently in a team quarantine. The Ravens scored early and often last week in a 61-6 beat down of Oskaloosa led once again by Andrew Schwinn who ran for 236 yards and three touchdowns while recording 12 tackles defensively. Schwinn has 451 rushing yards and six touchdowns through the first two weeks while averaging over 20 yards per rush to go along with the six total touchdowns of junior quarterback Drew Caudle.
The Ravens now host 3A Nickerson who has had a tough start to the year with a 40-12 loss to Hillboro and a 36-0 loss to Halstead. The Panthers went 4-5 a year ago and have not finished above .500 since the 2017 season.
Jonny’s Pick: MH-MA
Justin’s Pick: MH-MA
Jake’s Pick: MH-MA
Riverside (1-1) at Hiawatha (1-1)
These two Big 7 teams opened the season last year in a tightly contested 14-13 game. Riverside won and it propelled them to a 6-3 season while the loss was the first of eight straight defeats for the Redhawks before they won their season finale. Both teams enter this season 1-1 but are coming off tough Big 7 losses. Hiawatha fell to Perry Lecompton 47-4 with a running clock through the second half while Riverside hoped to compete at Sabetha but fell down 14-0 in the first few minutes of the game and allowed three big plays before dropping a 39-6 decision.
The Redhawks scored on a 40-yard pass from Alex Rockey to Trent Kolb, two of just four seniors of the Hiawatha team while Riverside used a long pass from Kobe Davis to Bray Davies to set up a Davis short TD run in Sabetha. Both teams have had their fair share of mistakes the first couple weeks, but the Cyclones have a few more seasoned varsity players in their starting lineup.
The series between these teams is now tied up at four wins each and the last four games have all been decided by 14 points or less.
Jonny’s Pick: Riverside
Justin’s Pick: Riverside
Jake’s Pick: Riverside
Sabetha (1-1) at Nemaha Central (1-1) on Sabetha Channel
Nemaha Central bounced back in a big way last week after the season opening loss to Holton by going on the road and taking down Class 4A Eudora 36-6. The Thunder got down early as the Cardinals scored a touchdown early in the first quarter but bounced back with five consecutive touchdowns. Zac Kramer was a stud for the Thunder as he ran for 118 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries while nearing double-digit tackles defensively as well.
Sabetha bounced back from a loss to Chapman and looked good in a 39-6 win against Riverside. The Jays scored on three rushing plays of more than 55 yards, including Ross Duncan going for 55 on the second play of the night and Drew Schmelzle busting a 57-yarder to make it a 20-6 halftime lead. Quarterback Kaden Dillon scored twice during a rainy second half.
Like most 3A teams, this is the final non-district contest of the year, but it is always a huge game when these Nemaha County Big 7 rivals collide. Nemaha had won 10 of the last 11 against Sabetha, but the Bluejays have been victorious now the last two years including a 13-6 season opening thriller a year ago.
Jonny’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Justin’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Jake’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Perry Lecompton (2-0) at Holton (2-0) on 103.9 KNZA and Holton Channel
It is a battle of 2-0 state ranked teams in 3A that will likely decide the Big 7 champion as Perry Lecompton plays at Holton tonight. This is in fact the last league game of the season for Perry, who like most other 3A schools, moves to district play next week. Perry has picked up where they left off from their state runner-up team that returned at least eight starters on both sides of the football and whipped Jeff West and Hiawatha.
The Kaws only played their starters a few series last week before while building a big early lead and taking a 47-7 victory with a running clock in the second half. #2 ranked Perry will likely have to play all four quarters for the first time in 2020 this week with #3 Holton coming off an impressive 54-13 beat down at Chapman. Like Perry, Holton had a 26-0 after just one quarter and cruised from there with Canon Karn rushing for 108 yards and a score and now leading the Wildcats with 224 yards this season. Konnor Tannahill is not far behind with 154 in a balanced wishbone attack.
Perry quarterback Billy Welch has completed 15 of 20 passes for 399 yards and Thad Metcalfe has already ran for 272 in limited action. Nine Perry starters are varsity seasoned seniors that split two games with Holton a year ago. The Wildcats won 14-7 in week two, but Perry won the second-round playoff game (also at Holton) 34-21.
Jonny’s Pick: Perry Lecompton
Justin’s Pick: Perry Lecompton
Jake’s Pick: Perry Lecompton
Christ Prep (1-1) at Royal Valley (1-0)
Royal Valley will play their first game of this season after starting the fall season in a two-week quarantine. The Panthers are hungry to compete after combining for a 3-15 record the past couple years. Christ Prep has won the home school championship the past two years going 21-3 the last two seasons.
Christ Prep started 2020 with a tight loss to KC Center but beat Pleasanton 45-0 two weeks ago while also having a bye last Friday. Sway Jenkins is a 1,000-yard returning rusher, but the Patriots have a lot of new starters this year. Royal Valley lost 11 seniors themselves and are replacing more than half their starters with only 10 lettermen back.
Jonny’s Pick: Christ Prep
Justin’s Pick: Christ Prep
Jake’s Pick: Christ Prep
Jeff West (0-2) at Sedgwick (2-0)
It has been a wild couple days for Jeff West, really the 2020 season for that matter. The Tigers have had numerous injuries to key starters and then in their game Friday against Clay Center, they lost starting quarterback Kaden Stones. Senior Josh Broxterman moved to receiver and fill in nicely with a 60-yard touchdown run and a 25-yard TD strike to Carson Brading, but JW still lost 41-13.
Jeff West was scrambling to find a week three opponent after the new state districts were released last fall and ended up booking a series with Chanute, where the Tigers were set to make the 126-mile drive to play the Blue Comets this week. However, Thursday Chanute had positive covid test and players put in quarantine, so they had to cancel. Thinking they did not have an opponent until later Thursday night, Jeff West got hooked up with Sedgwick. Sedgwick is a 1A school that received a forfeit win against Wichita Independent last week and was still open this Friday. Game on - Jeff West at Sedgwick for week three with less than 24 hours before kickoff.
Sedgwick Coach Jeff Werner picked up his 100th win in week one this year with a 45-0 victory against Sterling, a game in which quarterback Lance Hoffsommer was 14-19 passing for 249 yards and 69 rushing yards with four total touchdowns.
Jonny’s Pick: Sedgwick
Justin’s Pick: Jeff West
Jake’s Pick: Sedgwick
Blue Valley (0-0) at Hanover (2-0)
It what was supposed to be Blue Valley’s opening game of the season has been cancelled as the Rams continue to be in team quarantine. Hanover has been dominant through two weeks including a 58-0 win over Onaga last week and will take the bye with the cancellation of the contest.
Jonny’s Pick: Hanover
Justin’s Pick: Hanover
Jake’s Pick: Hanover
Frankfort (1-1) at Onaga (0-2)
Frankfort bounced back after a tough week one loss in the final seconds with a convincing 52-0 win over Wetmore. Ethan Armstrong had 14 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble while he also ran for 92 yards and a score. Gavin Cornelison added four touchdowns through the air in the win while also rushing for 70 yards and two more scores.
Onaga meanwhile is looking to forget about last week after running into the buzz saw that is Hanover in a 58-0 loss. The Buffaloes had no answer for the big plays of the Wildcats and trailed 44-0 after the first quarter. Onaga has played one of the toughest schedules in the state through the first two weeks against two state-ranked teams and it does not get any easier this week.
Frankfort has won the last two games of this series by at least 46 points and have won four straight over Onaga.
Jonny’s Pick: Frankfort
Justin’s Pick: Frankfort
Jake’s Pick: Frankfort
Rock Hills (1-1) at Axtell (2-0)
Axtell has picked up right where they left off last season through the first two weeks and last week won again in dominating fashion beating Cornerstone 48-0 in a game that was ended at halftime. Isaac Detweiler threw four touchdown passes and Dakota Barber ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns in the win while George Volle continues to be a defensive force.
The Eagles have another favorable matchup this week against a young Rock Hills team that has a win over a homeschool team out of Wichita and a 44-12 loss last week to Lakeside-Downs. The Grizzlies ran for over 250 yards in week one led by senior quarterback Jerrod Gillett.
Axtell last played Rock Hills back in the 2018 playoffs and won big by a final of 80-30.
Jonny’s Pick: Axtell
Justin’s Pick: Axtell
Jake’s Pick: Axtell
Clifton-Clyde (2-0) at Wakefield (0-2)
In an overtime thriller, Clifton-Clyde remained unbeaten with a 42-36 win over Little River in a ranked matchup. Aiden Rudolph scored the game-winning touchdown on the game’s final play and threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 161 yards and three scores. Douglas Koch added 17 tackles and Kameron Knox recorded two touchdown receptions.
The Eagles will have a bit of a break this week against winless Wakefield, but for the Bombers the positive is that those two losses have only been by four points each. Wakefield is looking to repeat their last meeting against Clifton-Clyde which came in 2015 and resulted in a 60-14 win for the Bombers.
Jonny’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Justin’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Jake’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Doniphan West (1-1) at Johnson-Brock (1-2)
Doniphan West has finished their tour of Missouri with a 1-1 mark. After a 30-6 halftime lead disappeared in a 52-38 loss to Worth County in the first game, Doniphan West turned a 32-0 intermission advantage into a 70-32 rout of Bishop Leblond last Friday. The entire Mustangs offense was basically on the ground with 500 rush yards. Trent Spiker racked up 163 yards and four touchdowns and Hunter Smith ran for 166 and two scores. Kole Franken and Braden Simmons also combined for 146 yards and a trio of trips to the endzone.
Before starting district play and finally facing a Kansas opponent next week, Doniphan West will travel to play Johnson Brock in Nebraska. JB is 1-2 but did win a state title two years ago. The Eagles are very balanced on offense, albeit young, led by quarterback Caleb Fossenbarger who has thrown for 315 yards and ran for 121 as a dual threat.
Jonny’s Pick: D-West
Justin’s Pick: D-West
Jake’s Pick: Johnson-Brock
Canton-Galva (2-0) at Washington County (2-0)
In one of the better 8-man games in the state tonight Washington County looks to pull the upset over top-ranked Canton-Galva. The Tigers have a big week one win over Frankfort to their credit and moved to 2-0 last week with a 36-18 win over Bennington. The Eagles meanwhile have won 15-straight following a 62-6 victory over Moundridge last week. It is the first meeting between the two sides in what is Washington County’s third season at the 8-man level.
Jonny’s Pick: Canton-Galva
Justin’s Pick: Canton-Galva
Jake’s Pick: Canton-Galva
Valley Falls (2-0) at Chase County (1-1)
Valley Falls has started their football season 2-0 for the first time since 2003. It has not been easy with an opening night win against Wetmore and last week's thrilling 54-48 home win against Pretty Prairie as Cade Norris caught a 45-yard touchdown with one second remaining to win the game. Norris had 101 yards and two rushing touchdowns as well and led the defense with 10 tackles and two sacks for a terrific all-around game.
This will be the toughest test and first road game of the year for the Dragons traveling to face a 1-1 Chase County team that lost 52-6 against Lebo last week after beating Moundridge to start the season. The Bulldogs won only one game in 2018 and that was against Valley Falls and beat the Dragons 60-14 last year to finish 4-5.
Jonny’s Pick: Chase County
Justin’s Pick: Chase County
Jake’s Pick: Valley Falls
Bonner Springs (0-2) at Atchison (0-2) on KAIR 93.7 FM
Atchison will look to cut down on turnovers and pick up win No. 1 of the season after playing Emporia close last week but falling 32-21. Just like the past couple seasons the Redmen have had plenty of chances to win through the first two weeks but turnovers and penalties continue to haunt Atchison.
Just like Atchison, Bonner Springs is looking for their first win following a 29-22 heart-breaking loss to Shawnee Heights last week. The Braves are averaging just 220 yards of total offense through the first two weeks and lean heavily on the pass led by junior Jayce Smith who has thrown for 284 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Jonny’s Pick: Bonner Springs
Justin’s Pick: Bonner Springs
Jake’s Pick: Atchison
Marysville (0-2) at Rock Creek (0-1)
Marysville is still searching for answers after a second straight loss to begin 2020 as last week the Bulldogs fell to Wamego 28-14. The schedule has been tough so far for Marysville with state-ranked Valley Heights beating the Bulldogs as well back in week one. Offense has been tough to come by for Marysville who is averaging just 189 total yards per game and four turnovers.
Rock Creek meanwhile is coming off what was nearly the state’s biggest upset last week as the Mustangs fell just short to top-ranked Rossville 58-57 on the game’s final play. Rock Creek is looking for a repeat of their last meeting with Marysville which came back in 2013 in a 35-6 win.
Jonny’s Pick: Rock Creek
Justin’s Pick: Rock Creek
Jake’s Pick: Rock Creek
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