2023 Pick Records

Brandon

Last week: 19-2
Overall: 138-21
2022 Record: 172-29

Justin

Last week: 16-5
Overall: 139-20
2022 Record: 174-27

Jared

Last week: 18-3
Overall: 135-24
2022 Record: 154-47

BROADCAST SCHEDULE

THURSDAY – ACCHS at Sabetha – Sabetha Channel

FRIDAY - Mission Valley at Jackson Heights – Cobra Channel
Wichita Trinity at Hiawatha – Hiawatha Channel
Bishop Ward at Holton – Holton Channel
Troy at Jefferson County North – KAIR 93.7 FM

Week 9 Games

**THURSDAY 10/26**

8M-I PLAYOFFS

(5-3) Hill City at (6-2) Clifton-Clyde

The Ringnecks are led by senior Aiden Amrein, who has missed four games this season due to an injury he suffered in Week 1. He has played in the last three games, though, and he’s played well. He’s averaging over 100 yards per game over the air with eight touchdowns and two interceptions with a completion percentage of 58.5%. Hill City’s three losses came against very good teams in 8M-DII #5 Osborne, 8M-DI #5 Hoxie and Rawlins County, who is among others considered in K-Preps’ latest poll and was #4 in the poll last week.

The Eagles are hoping this postseason brings more success than last year when they were bounced in the first round at home against Quinter. Clifton-Clyde is coming off a 58-18 win at Bennington and a runner-up finish in their district. Their offense has been clicking on all cylinders this season with 45+ points in each of their six wins. Now, they will hope for a deep postseason run with multiple playoff victories for the first time since 2013. The winner of this one will likely take on Wichita County on the road.

These two teams have met five times all-time with Clifton-Clyde holding a slight 3-2 edge. Their first ever meeting is their lone meeting in the playoffs which was in 2009 and resulted in a 56-24 win for the Eagles. Their last meeting was in 2019 where Clifton-Clyde won 50-22.

Brandon’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Justin’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Jared’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde

8M-II PLAYOFFS

(4-4) Hanover at (6-2) Lakeside-Downs

Hanover finds themselves being the victims of a tough district. After losses to Frankfort and Hanvoer, they finished third and are on the road against a tough Knights. However, these two teams have played some similar foes with Hanover looking more impressive in said matchups. Lakeside-Downs lost 64-14 at home to Osborne, and Hanover beat them on the road 28-26. Lakeside-Downs barely scraped by at home against Linn 70-56 in Week 1 and Hanover beat them handily on the road 60-12 two weeks ago. We’ll see if the transitive property has any effect on this opening round playoff game.

There has been just one meeting all-time between these two teams and it was last year in the opening round of the playoffs in which Hanover won 62-14.

Brandon’s Pick: Lakeside-Downs
Justin’s Pick: Hanover
Jared’s Pick: Hanover

(2-6) Beloit-St. Johns Tipton at (6-2) Frankfort

The Blujays snuck into the playoffs thanks to a weaker district with their lone wins on the season being the two teams being below them in the district (Wakefield, Pike Valley). The Blujays’ defense has been rough this year allowing 55 or more points in four of their losses.

After the Wildcats were bested by Axtell in Week 7, they took out their frustrations on Hanover last week in a 62-14 road thwarting. Wes Anderson threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns in the win with Lane Loiseau getting 148 yards and two of those touchdowns. Carter Olson also had 95 yards and two touchdowns. Frankfort will hope to continue their streak of consecutive season with a postseason win which they could make it to five in a row with a win.

After having never played against each other until 2018, they have now played in five of the last six seasons including this upcoming matchup. Frankfort has won all four previous games including last year in the opening round of the playoffs by a final of 48-28.

Brandon’s Pick: Frankfort
Justin’s Pick: Frankfort
Jared’s Pick: Frankfort

(1-7) Wakefield at (8-0) Axtell

The Bombers make the playoffs despite just one win in the regular season which was a 44-42 win at winless Pike Valley. All seven losses Wakefield suffered this season came by 24 or more points and they average just 18 points per game.

Axtell is coming off a historic victory last week with the final score of 78-8 at home against Doniphan West. They scored 10 touchdowns on just 20 plays from scrimmage. It’s also their largest margin of victory since they defeated Lewiston (Neb.) 92-20 in 2014. The lone touchdown they surrendered is the first one they have given up in the second half of the season. They have given up multiple touchdowns to just one opponent this season (Week 1 vs. Cair Paravel).

Wakefield and Axtell have played each other just twice all-time with the teams splitting the meetings. In 2016, Wakefield won 54-6, and in 2017, Axtell won 28-22.

Brandon’s Pick: Axtell
Justin’s Pick: Axtell
Jared’s Pick: Axtell

(4-4) Blue Valley-Randolph at (7-1) Osborne

The Rams were able to make the playoffs by winning back-to-back games against Doniphan West and Linn. They got a combined 124 points in those two wins. In their previous three games, they combined for just 14 points including being shut out twice. The Rams will shoot for their first playoff win since 1996.

The Bulldogs have won five games in a row since their loss to Hanover. In that stretch, they have averaged 67.2 points per game. In each of the last three postseasons since their 2019 state title, Osborne has been outed by a Twin Valley League team. However, Osborne and Blue Valley-Randolph have never played each other before.

Brandon’s Pick: Osborne
Justin’s Pick: Osborne
Jared’s Pick: Osborne

1A PLAYOFFS

(2-6) Remington at (6-2) Valley Heights

The Broncos clinched third place in their district last week with a 49-25 win at Belle Plaine. Their only other win was at Leon-Bluestem in Week 5. In all their losses, they have been held to under 15 points. This game marks their third consecutive road game.

The Mustangs fell just short of a district title with a 34-22 loss against Smith Center. In the loss, they were held to just 106 total rushing yards a week after the team ran for nearly 500. They also surrendered 303 rushing yards to the Redmen. Quarterback Carson Spoonts had a solid regular season with 552 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He also added 828 yards with his legs and 13 rushing touchdowns. Jayden DeWalt finished the regular season with 735 yards on the ground with ten touchdowns.

This will be the first ever meeting between Remington and Valley Heights.

Brandon’s Pick: Valley Heights
Justin’s Pick: Valley Heights
Jared’s Pick: Valley Heights

(3-5) Oskaloosa at (7-1) Centralia

The Bears snuck into the playoffs with back-to-back wins at home vs. McLouth 22-6 and last week at Valley Falls 37-6. Last week’s game was arguably Oskaloosa’s best overall effort with a season-high 37 points and tied for a season-low six points allowed. Coy Perry and Trenton VanHouten have hit their stride on offense and head coach Eddie Minor has this team humming at the right time.

Centralia had no issues putting away Pleasant Ridge last week with a 46-7 road victory in a non-league, non-district bout. The Panthers had their district locked up after Week 7 and will hope for another deep postseason run after falling in the sub-state round at St. Mary’s in 2022. The last time Centralia dropped an opening round playoff game was in 2015 versus Sabetha.

The last time Centralia and Oskaloosa met was in 2013 with the Panthers winning that game 56-8 and going on to win the state title.

Brandon’s Pick: Centralia
Justin’s Pick: Centralia
Jared’s Pick: Centralia

2A PLAYOFFS

(4-4) ACCHS at (7-1) Sabetha – Sabetha Channel

The Tigers finished as the 3-seed in district #3 after going 2-2 in the four district games. The Tigers will enter their playoff matchup at Sabetha on a two-game skid with losses at Jackson Heights in week seven and at Silver Lake 72-0 in the finale last week. The Tigers averaged 37 points per game in their four wins but scored a total of 26 points in the four losses and were shut out three times.

The Bluejays suffered their lone loss in the regular season last week in the finale with a 28-0 loss at home to #1 Nemaha Central. Sabetha trailed 7-0 at halftime but were outscored 21-0 in the second half. The Bluejays running game was averaging roughly 270 yards per game, but the Thunder defense held Sabetha to under 70 yards and under three yards per carry.

The Tigers and Bluejays will square off in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season with Sabetha winning the matchup last season 35-6. Sabetha is 9-3 against ACCHS dating back to 2005 with Sabetha winning the last five meetings. The Tigers last beat Sabetha in 2011.

Brandon’s Pick: Sabetha
Justin’s Pick: Sabetha
Jared’s Pick: Sabetha

(2-6) Pleasant Ridge at (8-0) Nemaha Central

Pleasant Ridge’s schedule was among one of the toughest in the state with the Rams entering the playoffs with a four-game losing streak. However, those losses were against ACCHS, Silver Lake, Rossville, and Centralia. In that stretch, P-Ridge was only able to get 29 total points and gave up 48.5 points per game. Now, they play their toughest opponent of the season.

The Thunder continued one of the most improbable streaks in Kansas high school football with their seventh consecutive shutout. They did so against the #2 team in the state in Sabetha with a 28-0 victory to win the Big 7 and the district title. Carter Hajek had another busy day with 30 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Caleb Strathman also stepped up in a big way with 74 rushing yards and a touchdown, as well as all four of the team’s receptions and a receiving touchdown.

Brandon’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Justin’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Jared’s Pick: Nemaha Central

NON-PLAYOFF GAME

(0-8) Horton at (0-8) Maur Hill-Mount Academy

The Chargers finished up their season last week with a 36-0 loss against Wabaunsee. They have now lost 15 games in a row coming into this one. Horton has scored six points combined in the last four weeks, and they only have one game where they scored more than six points.

Similarly, it’s been tough sledding for MHMA’s offense with multiple scores in only three games this season. They are coming off a 64-0 blowout loss at Rossville. Their season ended with a tough stretch of games against Troy, ACCHS, Silver Lake and Rossville.

These two teams met up last year in their consolation game with the Ravens winning 50-21. The two teams had a run of meeting each other every season from 2006-2019. MHMA won nine of those 14 matchups.

Brandon’s Pick: Maur Hill-Mount Academy
Justin’s Pick: Maur Hill-Mount Academy
Jared’s Pick: Maur Hill-Mount Academy

(1-7) Jefferson West vs. (0-8) Osawatomie **Game played at Paola**

The Tigers won their week two matchup against Hiawatha but failed to get another win the rest of the season. They closed out the regular season last week with a 61-7 loss at Holton which gave them their sixth straight defeat. Jefferson West has not won more than two games in a season since they went 8-2 back in the 2019 season.

The Trojans have had a tough 2023 season failing to get in the win column and they closed it out last week with a 60-0 loss against Bishop Ward. The offense scored 32 points all season and the defense surrendered over 52 points per game. They have lost 18 straight games with their last win coming against Baldwin in their regular season finale two seasons ago.

These two played in the week nine matchup last season with Jefferson West picking up the 35-20 win. They also played in 2021 with the Tigers winning 8-6.

Brandon’s Pick: Jefferson West
Justin’s Pick: Jefferson West
Jared’s Pick: Jefferson West

(0-8) Doniphan West at (0-8) Marais Des Cygnes Valley

The Trojans have lost 18 straight games dating back to the end of the 2021 season. That was a season in which they finished 5-4. They lost 64-50 in the finale last week to Hartford but scored a total of 20 points in the other seven games this season. The MD-CV defense has surrendered nearly 56 points per game.

Doniphan West has had their struggles this season and it continued last week with a 78-8 loss to #1 Axtell. The Mustangs have lost 13 of their last 14 games dating back to last season. These two teams played each other last season in a week nine tilt and it was Doniphan West picking up the win 70-32.

Brandon’s Pick: MD-CV
Justin’s Pick: MD-CV
Jared’s Pick: MD-CV

(0-8) Pike Valley at (2-6) Linn

Pike Valley, unfortunately, was not able to get a win this season. They have lost 12 straight games going back to Week 5 of last year. They did play in some competitive games this year, though, with three one-score losses including a 70-68 defeat against Reno County Homeschool in Week 1, a 36-32 loss at Rock Hills in Week 3 and a 44-42 loss at home against Wakefield in Week 5.

The Bulldogs were just barely on the outside looking in after a win and you’re in game last week at Blue Valley-Randolph that resulted in a 70-44 loss. Their defense continued to ail them with last week being the fifth time Linn has given up 55 or more points this season.

These two teams played each other every year from 2012-2019 with Pike Valley winning seven of those matchups. That lone win for Linn came in 2013.

Brandon’s Pick: Linn
Justin’s Pick: Linn
Jared’s Pick: Linn

(0-8) Stockton at (2-6) Washington County

The Stockton Tigers have not won a game since their final game of the 2020 season. The losing streak reached 25 games with their 50-0 loss last week at Quinter. The Tigers scored 18 points in their first game of the season against Logan-Palco but scored a total of 12 points in the last seven games and were shut out in five of those games.

Washington County closed out the regular season with a 40-0 loss at Rock Hills which gave the Tigers their fifth straight loss after they started the season 2-1. Washington County has been outscored 208-14 during their five-game losing streak.

These two teams split a pair of matchups in 2018 and 2019. Washington County won the matchup 24-20 in 2019 and Stockton won the matchup 56-8 in 2018.

Brandon’s Pick: Washington County
Justin’s Pick: Washington County
Jared’s Pick: Washington County

**FRIDAY 10/27**

NON-PLAYOFF GAMES

(3-5) Ellinwood at (5-3) McLouth

Ellinwood started their season 3-0 with dominant wins over Syracuse, Douglass, and Stanton County but ended their season losing five straight. They lost last week at Sterling 27-22 and finished 0-5 in district play. A win for Ellinwood against McLouth would give them four wins this season which would be the most in a season since they finished with six wins back in 2015.

McLouth posted one of their best seasons in recent memory but failed to miss the playoffs despite finishing with their most wins since 2018 when they went 5-5. They lost 22-6 at Oskaloosa two weeks ago which was a backbreaking loss at the time affecting the district standings. They closed out the season last week with a 53-7 loss to the defending champs St. Marys.

This will be the first ever meeting between McLouth and Ellinwood.

Brandon’s Pick: McLouth
Justin’s Pick: McLouth
Jared’s Pick: Ellinwood

(3-5) Wichita Trinity at (1-7) Hiawatha – Hiawatha Channel

Wichita Trinity closed out their regular season with some momentum as they won at Baxter Springs 49-13 which snapped a five-game losing streak. The Three wins this season for the Knights are the most they’ve posted in a season since they finished 4-5 back in 2017.

The Redhawks closed out their regular season last week with a 56-7 loss to 3A #3 Hayden which gave them their seventh straight loss. Hiawatha won their season opener against Royal Valley and were never able to get back into the win column. It’s now back-to-back seasons where the Redhawks failed to make the postseason.

These two teams played each other last season in the week nine contest and Hiawatha traveled to Wichita Trinity with the Knights getting the win 70-8.

Brandon’s Pick: Wichita Trinity
Justin’s Pick: Wichita Trinity
Jared’s Pick: Wichita Trinity

(1-7) Onaga at (1-7) Valley Falls

The Buffaloes were unable to get in the win column in 2023 with a tough schedule. The combined records for teams they lost to comes out to 39-17. That means their average opponent finished with 5.5 wins. This week, they will play a one-win team for the second time this season with their first time being a 32-6 loss to Riverside.

After zero touches last week, Zac Evans got a decent amount of work in their 37-6 regular season loss to Oskaloosa last week. He was 7-for-14 over the air with 112 yards and a touchdown. He had a team-high six carries for 23 yards on the ground and even had a reception. The Dragons have found a stud in sophomore receiver Collin Kearney, who caught six balls for 116 yards and a touchdown.

This will be the first meeting between these two teams since 2019 in Week 1 when Onaga won 56-20. That game was a year after an overtime thriller in 2018 which resulted in a 54-48 Valley Falls victory.

Brandon’s Pick: Onaga
Justin’s Pick: Onaga
Jared’s Pick: Valley Falls

1A PLAYOFFS

(2-6) Riverside at (5-3) St. Marys

The Cyclones still made the playoffs despite a 26-14 loss last week at Troy. The Trojans controlled the game the whole way with the opening kickoff returned for a touchdown. However, Riverside trailed just 14-0 at half. Troy pulled away in the third quarter and Riverside got a couple of touchdowns to make the score closer. Elijah Moore was solid on the ground for the Clones with 116 yards on just 15 carries. Ultimately, it was penalties and turnovers that did Riverside in last week.

After an 0-3 start, the reigning 1A state champion St. Mary’s rattled off five consecutive wins with all coming in convincing fashion. They were even able to handle Jefferson County North on the road with relative ease. Last week, they finished their season with a district title in a 53-7 win at McLouth.

These two teams have met twice before with St. Mary’s winning 54-7 in 2021 and Riverside winning in 2020 by a final of 20-14.

Brandon’s Pick: St. Marys
Justin’s Pick: St. Marys
Jared’s Pick: St. Marys

(3-5) Mission Valley at (7-1) Jackson Heights – Cobra Channel

The Vikings finished in third place in a tough district that featured St. Marys and Jefferson County North. They went 2-3 in district play but lost their last two games of the season to the Bears and Chargers being outscored 113-13 in those two losses.

Jackson Heights has had a phenomenal season to this point, and they closed out the regular season with a 46-0 win at Onaga. It was the Cobras third straight win since their lone loss of the season against Centralia. The Cobras are led by sophomore quarterback Drake Mellies who’s over 1,000 rushing yards and 500 passing yards with 22 total touchdowns.

This will be the third all-time meeting between Mission Valley and Jackson Heights. Jackson Heights won 42-41 in 2011 and Mission Valley won 48-18 in 2010.

Brandon’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Justin’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Jared’s Pick: Jackson Heights

(4-4) Troy at (7-1) Jefferson County North – KAIR 93.7 FM

Troy finished their regular season with a 26-14 win last week over Riverside which gave them the 3-seed out of the district. The Trojans won back-to-back games to close the season after a stretch where they lost three out of four games in the middle of the season against Valley Heights, Centralia, and Jackson Heights.

Jefferson County North earned a share of the NEKL title this season with Jackson Heights and posted an impressive regular season with a 7-1 record. The Chargers won a big game at Mission Valley last week 68-7. The lone loss this season so far for JCN is against St. Marys back in week six.

Troy is 11-6 against Jefferson County North since 2004 but the Chargers have won four straight and five of the last six meetings. The last meeting was in 2021 with JCN winning 48-8 in the second round of the playoffs.  

Brandon’s Pick: Jefferson County North
Justin’s Pick: Jefferson County North
Jared’s Pick: Jefferson County North

3A PLAYOFFS

(2-6) Perry-Lecompton at (8-0) Wellsville

It was a gauntlet of a schedule this season for the Kaws, and it will continue in the first round of the playoffs against undefeated Wellsville. The Kaws two wins this season were against Riverside in week two and Jefferson West in week six. The six losses for the Kaws have come against teams with a combined record of 38-8.

Wellsville closed out their regular season with a 42-7 win against Baldwin. The Eagle’s defense has been one of the best in the classification as they’ve allowed just 9.5 points per game. The offense has been good as well as they’ve scored at least 35 points in every game. The Kaws have won the last two meetings against Wellsville. 49-6 in 2019 and 52-18 in 2018.

Brandon’s Pick: Wellsville
Justin’s Pick: Wellsville
Jared’s Pick: Wellsville

(3-5) Bishop Ward at (4-4) Holton – Holton Channel

Holton picked up a big-time confidence boosting win heading into their 26th straight playoff campaign. The Wildcats thumped Jeff West 61-7 and had 20 first downs and more than 300 yards rushing while building a 48-0 halftime lead. For the game the rushing total was 514 and 8 different Holton players scored a touchdown while they scored on every drive of the game and the defense forced the Tigers into a three-and-out on 7 of their 9 possessions.

Abbott Hundley has 739 yards rushing this season to pace Holton while Kyler Jackson has 533. Fullback Cael Frazier has 366 while senior Dalton Roush and Jackson Bear led the Holton defense with more than 60 tackles apiece.

Holton will host Bishop Ward for the second consecutive season after shutting out the Cyclones 56-0 last year. After starting 2023 with three straight losses, Ward comes into the playoffs having won 3 of their last four games including convincing wins against Baldwin and Osawatomie the past two weeks. Bishop Ward showcases a spread passing attack with some athletes capable of the big plays and Aiden Milliren at quarterback who has completed 85 of 185 passes for 1,323 yards and 24 touchdowns. JaShaun Holliday is the top receiver with 26 catches for 487 yards and 8 TD receptions.    

Brandon’s Pick: Holton
Justin’s Pick: Holton
Jared’s Pick: Holton

(3-5) Royal Valley at (6-2) Santa Fe Trail

After a 1-5 start to the season, Royal Valley won their last two games to earn their spot in the playoffs. They beat Jefferson West 24-14 in week seven and 23-14 against Perry-Lecompton last week. The Panthers offense is heavy in the run game as they’re averaging nearly 193 yards per game. This is the most wins in a season for the Panthers since they finished 4-5 back in 2017.

Santa Fe Trail earned the #2 spot out of their district behind undefeated Wellsville. The only losses for the Chargers this season were against Wellsville and Burlington. They won at Iola last week 44-34 to get some positive momentum going into the playoffs.

Royal Valley and Santa Fe Trail played eight times between 2006 and 2015 with Royal Valley going 6-2 in those games. Panthers won the last matchup in 2015, 40-14.

Brandon’s Pick: Santa Fe Trail
Justin’s Pick: Royal Valley
Jared’s Pick: Santa Fe Trail

(3-5) Marysville at (4-4) Hesston

Marysville finished 2-2 in district play and finished in third place in district 5 behind Clay Center and Rock Creek. The Bulldogs closed out their regular season last week 55-7 loss to a top five team in Clay Center. The Bulldogs are looking to secure their fourth win of the season which would be the most wins in three years.

Hesston finished the regular season at 4-4 and second place in district 6 behind only Wichita Collegiate. They lost to Collegiate last week 42-13 which snapped a brief two-game winning streak.

Marysville and Hesston met in the first round of the playoffs last season with Hesston getting the win 34-14. The Swathers would go on to lose in the next round against Rock Creek to finish that season 6-4.

Brandon’s Pick: Hesston
Justin’s Pick: Hesston
Jared’s Pick: Hesston

4A PLAYOFFS

(1-7) Bonner Springs at (8-0) Atchison

Bonner Springs won their first game of the season in the finale last week against KC Schlagle 36-6. They were outscored 365-66 during the seven-game losing streak. Bonner Springs hasn’t won more than two games in a season since going 7-3 back in 2019.

The Phoenix closed out another undefeated season and earned their second straight Meadowlark Conference title with a 66-7 win last week over KC Wyandotte. The Phoenix boasts one of the top offenses in the state and earned the Class 4A east number one seed. Trey Carter has thrown for over 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns while Jaden Carter leads a balanced rushing attack with 584 yards and 18 touchdowns.

This will be the 24th all-time meeting between Atchison and Bonner Springs with Atchison winning the last matchup 42-24 in 2020. That meeting in 2020 was the first meeting between the two since 2001.

Brandon’s Pick: Atchison
Justin’s Pick: Atchison
Jared’s Pick: Atchison