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2025 Pick Records (*denotes district game)
Brandon
Last week: 19-1
Overall: 45-11
2024 Record: 153-32
Justin
Last week: 17-2
Overall: 45-10
2024 Record: 158-26
Kryndon
Last week: 17-2
Overall: 37-18
2024 Record: 145-40
Jake
Last week: 17-3
Overall: 30-9
Boz
Last week: 18-2
Overall: 33-6
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Hanover at Frankfort – 92.1 KMZA
Hiawatha at Jefferson West – 103.9 KNZA & Hiawatha Channel
Oskaloosa at ACCHS – KAIR 93.7
Holton at Perry-Lecompton – Holton Channel
Sabetha at Royal Valley – Sabetha Channel
St. Marys at Silver Lake – Silver Lake Channel
Jackson Heights at McLouth – Cobra Channel
Week 4 Games
Twin Valley League
(3-0) Axtell at (1-2) Blue Valley*
After Chase County scored 70 points in week 2, they were shut out in week three in the 54-0 loss to Axtell. It was the 55th consecutive win for the Axtell Eagles, and it was earned dominantly. The Eagles led 24-0 after the first quarter, ending the game at half with thirty points scored in the second. Wyatt Detweiler has continued to lead the Axtell offense, posting 100 yards rushing on ten carries for three touchdowns in the big win over the Bulldogs. Detweiler also passed for 77 yards with a touchdown caught by Landon Schmitz. Axtell rushed for nearly 200 yards as they finished the game with 271 yards of offense. The Axtell defense also forced five turnovers on downs.
The Blue Valley Randolph Rams pulled out their first win of the season last Friday against KC East Christian in a shootout, 48-42. The Rams met the Lions last season for the first time and won 30-0, now having an all-time lead against KC East Christian 2-0.
Axtell leads the all-time series versus the Rams 28-7, having an ongoing 13-game winning streak against Blue Valley Randolph. Axtell won the match-up last season 64-8.
Brandon’s Pick: Axtell
Justin’s Pick: Axtell
Kryndon’s Pick: Axtell
Jake’s Pick: Axtell
Boz’s Pick: Axtell
(2-1) Centralia at (0-3) Doniphan West*
Centralia bounced back after their week two loss with a 44-8 victory over the Onaga Buffaloes. Centralia led 15-0, exiting the first half, even going up 44-0 before allowing the first touchdown of the game for Onaga with a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Quinton Alderfer lit up the ground with 241 yards rushing off 25 carries, adding three touchdowns with his legs. Alderfer threw for another 61 yards and a touchdown, while only throwing one interception at the end of the first half. Right behind Alderfer, having his best game of the season was Xavier Boeckman, who carried the ball just six times but rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers have won 23 straight now versus Onaga.
The Doniphan West Mustangs dropped their first home game of the season against Valley Heights 33-14, allowing Valley Heights to rush for 138 yards and averaging eight yards a touch. Doniphan West last season was outscored in their first three games 101-28, however this season they are only being outscored through their first three games 68-34, despite last year being 1-2 through their first three instead of 0-3.
Centralia leads the all-time series versus Doniphan West 16-1, with the sole win from the Mustangs dating back to 2006. Last season, Doniphan West lost 58-14 to Centralia.
Brandon’s Pick: Centralia
Justin’s Pick: Centralia
Kryndon’s Pick: Centralia
Jake’s Pick: Centralia
Boz’s Pick: Centralia
(3-0) Hanover at (1-2) Frankfort* (92.1 KMZA)
Frankfort finally found their first win of the season over Solomon, which ended in the third quarter. Frankfort scored 30 points in the opening quarter and would spread across the final 16 points in quarters two and three. The Wildcat defense allowed only 60 total yards of offense to Solomon, including just four first downs. The Frankfort offense continued to spark under the legs and arm of Wes Anderson as the senior quarterback threw for 136 yards and three touchdowns, going 8 of 13. Anderson also had five carries for 75 yards, adding one more score. Henry Ketter rushed for nearly 70 yards and added another rushing score for Frankfort as well. Porter Colvin was the primary targeted receiver from Anderson, catching three passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
Last Friday, the Hanover Wildcats destroyed the Washington County Tigers 60-0. The Wildcats, through their first three games this year, have only given up 14 total points. Hanover gave up only 16 points total in their first three games last season. The previous time Hanover had back-to-back seasons winning their first three games were 2020 and 2021. 2020 was also the year that Hanover last won the 8M-ll state championship.
Hanover has taken sixteen out of the last twenty matchups against Frankfort, including a close match-up in 2024, where Hanover beat Frankfort 28-24.
Brandon’s Pick: Hanover
Justin’s Pick: Hanover
Kryndon’s Pick:
Jake’s Pick: Hanover
Boz’s Pick: Hanover
Big East
(1-2) Hiawatha at (2-1) Jefferson West* (103.9 KNZA & Hiawatha Channel)
Hiawatha dropped their week three tilt on the road at Sabetha 15-0. Bluejays led the Redhawks 12-0 at halftime and that was more than enough as Hiawatha couldn’t convert on multiple opportunities throughout the game. The Redhawks are 0-2 in league play with their lone victory in week two against Marysville.
Jefferson West was on the cusp of a 3-0 start last week but the Bears of St. Marys rallied with a 22-6 run in the final 12 minutes to take the win over the Tigers 30-27. The Tigers led 7-2 after one, 14-8 at halftime, and 21-8 going into the fourth quarter but it was not enough to get the win.
Hiawatha shut out Jefferson West last season 21-0 and have won three of the last four in the series. The Tigers’ last win against Hiawatha was 16-14 back in 2023. Dating back to 2004, Jefferson West holds the 14-7 advantage in that span.
Brandon’s Pick:
Justin’s Pick: Jefferson West
Kryndon’s Pick: Hiawatha
Jake’s Pick: Jefferson West
Boz’s Pick: Jefferson West
(2-1) Holton at (0-3) Perry-Lecompton* (Holton Channel)
Holton won their second straight home game and scored touchdowns on six consecutive possessions to build a 37-0 lead against Royal Valley. The Wildcats ran for 352 yards, led by Korban Wilson with 99 yards and 3 touchdowns and Andrew Shupe with 98 yards and a score. The Frazier brothers (Alex-QB, Cael-FB) combined for another 135 yards on the ground as Holton had four plays over more than 40 yards in beating the Panthers for the 30th time in a row. Holton seems to be hitting their stride, and the defense was good as well allowing only three first downs and less than 60 yards to RV in the first half, with all the Panthers scoring coming in the final 8 minutes of the game.
Holton struggled to defend the pass against Riley County and will be facing another spread attack in week four in the district opening at Perry-Lecompton. The Kaws are 0-3, albeit against some very good Big East League opponents, but look to get the offense going having scored just 13 total points in their first three outings and turned the football over seven times. Senior QB Garrett Metcalfe has thrown for 217 yards on 37 attempted passes. Fellow senior Amos Brakenhoff has 284 yards rushing, but the rest of the Perry team has combined for negative 50 yards on the ground.
Holton has won five straight against Perry Lecompton, all by 19 points or more.
Brandon’s Pick: Holton
Justin’s Pick:
Kryndon’s Pick: Holton
Jake’s Pick: Holton
Boz’s Pick: Holton
(3-0) Sabetha at (1-2) Royal Valley* (Sabetha Channel)
Sabetha improved to 3-0 last Friday night with a 15-0 win against Hiawatha. The Bluejays would lead 12-0 at halftime and then would add a field goal late in the game. The reasoning has to do with the rules regarding points and how the playoff seeding is structured. The Bluejays’ defense has been very good in the first few weeks giving up just 7.6 points per game through the first three games.
Royal Valley is 1-2 as they followed their late collapse against Jeff West by losing to Holton 37-21. The Panthers gambled early on four down in their own territory and could not convert, giving Holton a couple short fields and a 30-0 halftime lead. The Panthers did play better in the second half and scored 21 points in the final eight minutes with touchdown runs by Alex Johnson (32 yards) and Manny Olivera (31 yards) as well as a Grif Cumpton to Landon Gilbert 28-yard TD pass.
RV gained 169 of their 212 rushing yards in the second half against Holton and did not turn the football over. They look to build on that and bounce back at home to open district play against a team they lost twice to last season by a combined three points.
Brandon’s Pick: Sabetha
Justin’s Pick: Sabetha
Kryndon’s Pick: Sabetha
Jake’s Pick: Sabetha
Boz’s Pick: Sabetha
(2-1) St. Marys at (1-2) Silver Lake* (Silver Lake Channel)
After trailing 21-8 going into the fourth quarter last Friday at Jefferson West, the Bears rallied with a 22-6 advantage in the final 12 minutes to steal that game against the Tigers 30-27. Bears quarterback Lane Smith completed 15-of-30 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Ben DeVader led the Bears pass catchers with five receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown.
Silver Lake got their first win of the season last Friday night against Perry-Lecompton 19-6. Freshman quarterback Kip Kruger was effective completing 30-of-36 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown. That score went to Dayne Johnson who went ham with 16 receptions for 164 yards.
Silver Lake won the matchup last season against the Bears 26-20 which was the Eagles 22nd straight win in the series. St. Marys is looking for their first win against the Eagles since 2004 which was a 17-7 final.
Brandon’s Pick: St. Marys
Justin’s Pick: St. Marys
Kryndon’s Pick: Silver Lake
Jake’s Pick: St. Marys
Boz’s Pick: Silver Lake
Northeast Kansas League
(3-0) Jackson Heights at (0-3) McLouth* (Cobra Channel)
Jackson Heights continued their dominance last Friday with a 54-0 win over the Horton Chargers. Drake Mellies once again did it all with his legs and arms, totaling 221 yards of offense and three touchdowns. Brody Browning was strong in carries right behind Mellies with four rushes for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Tatum Eisenbarth caught just one pass for 31 yards, while Ian Allen had one reception that was a 23-yard touchdown pass. Jackson Heights had a day on special teams with a 60-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kolby Bowhay and a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown by Drake Mellies.
McLouth has now started the season 0-3 for the first time since 2022 after taking a 35-8 loss to Riverside, a team that was beaten by Jackson Heights 21-0 at the start of the year. The Bulldogs have now allowed over 35 points in each of their first three games. Riverside now leads the all-time series over McLouth 3-0.
Last season was the first meeting for Jackson Heights and McLouth since 2015, when the Cobras won 46-8. Jackson Heights won 57-0 last year against the Bulldogs.
Brandon’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Justin’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Kryndon’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Jake’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Boz’s Pick: Jackson Heights
(1-2) Maur Hill-Mount Academy at (2-1) Riverside*
Maur Hill-Mount Academy got their first tally in the win column in week three with a home victory against Maranatha 54-6. That was after being outscored 109-6 in their first two games against Jackson Heights and Jefferson County North. Through three games, freshman quarterback Zaedyn Harper has completed 57% of his passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns.
Riverside won their second straight game last Friday beating McLouth on the road 35-8. It was only the third all-time meeting between the Cyclones and Bulldogs with Riverside winning all three meetings. MH-MA and Riverside have played 10 times since 2011 with both teams winning five times. Riverside won the meeting last season 21-14 with the Ravens’ last win against Riverside coming in 2021 by a 24-21 final.
Brandon’s Pick: Riverside
Justin’s Pick: Riverside
Kryndon’s Pick: Riverside
Jake’s Pick: Riverside
Boz’s Pick: Riverside
(2-1) Oskaloosa at (2-1) ACCHS* (KAIR 93.7)
After a 2-0 start, Oskaloosa suffered their first loss of the season last Friday against Jefferson County North 38-0. The Bears trailed 8-0 at halftime and 16-0 going into the fourth quarter, but the Chargers put the game away in the final 12 minutes, scoring 22 more points. The Bears’ defense surrendered nearly 300 rushing yards to JCN.
Atchison County bounced back in week three after a loss to Riverside to defeat Valley Falls at home 26-0. The Tigers defense was the story of that game against the Dragons holding Valley Falls to just 29 total yards. Tigers quarterback Cody Falk completed eight passes for 113 yards while Max Bottorff led the Tigers in rushing with 13 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Dating back to 2018, ACCHS is 5-0 against the Bears with last year’s final being 60-0.
Brandon’s Pick: Oskaloosa
Justin’s Pick: ACCHS
Kryndon’s Pick: ACCHS
Jake’s Pick: Oskaloosa
Boz’s Pick: ACCHS
(1-2) Pleasant Ridge at (3-0) Jefferson County North*
Pleasant Ridge had all sorts of struggles last Friday as they lost at home against Troy 52-6. The Rams’ lone score in the game was in the second quarter on a 34-yard touchdown pass. Troy totaled roughly 400 yards of offense including over 300 yards passing. Pleasant Ridge ran the ball 13 times against the Trojans and totaled one yard while also being able to throw for 68 yards.
JCN continued their strong start last Friday with another shutout victory, this time against Oskaloosa on the road 38-0. The Chargers have outscored their first three opponents 126-0. Quarterback Will Elias was named MSC Athlete of the Week rushing for 192 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for 116 yards and two more scores. Christopher Noll had two receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
Pleasant Ridge is 13-8 against JCN dating back to 2004 but the Chargers have won the last three meetings including last season 26-6. The Rams’ last win over JCN was 24-22 back in 2021.
Brandon’s Pick: Jefferson County North
Justin’s Pick: Jefferson County North
Kryndon’s Pick: Jefferson County North
Jake’s Pick: Jefferson County North
Boz’s Pick: Jefferson County North
(0-3) Horton at (2-1) Troy*
Horton is still in search of their first points of 2025 as they were shutout last Friday by defending NEKL champs Jackson Heights 54-0. The Chargers have been outscored 108-0 in the first three games of the season. The Horton defense gave up 257 rushing yards on 17.1 yards per carry against the Cobras.
Since an overtime loss at Republic County in week one, Troy has bounced back with back-to-back wins including last Friday over Pleasant Ridge 52-6. Trojans quarterback Kaston Jasper completed 20-of-30 passes for 314 yards and six touchdowns. Caden Rosenberger finished with 11 receptions for 167 yards and a touchdown. Colt Jensen had four receptions for 68 yards and three touchdowns while Hunter Engemann had four receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
Troy is 14-2 against Horton dating back to 2004 with the Trojans winning last season 44-16. Troy has won seven straight in the series with Horton’s last win coming back in 2013 by a 36-6 final.
Brandon’s Pick: Troy
Justin’s Pick: Troy
Kryndon’s Pick: Troy
Jake’s Pick: Troy
Boz’s Pick: Troy
Meadowlark Conference
(2-1) Atchison at (1-2) KC Schlagle **ATCHISON WINS GAME BY FORFEIT**
Non-League
(2-1) Lakeside at (2-1) Clifton-Clyde*
The Lakeside-Down Knights were handed their first loss of the season last week by Logan/Palco 38-16. The Knights quarterback Eli Schmitt completed 5 of 11 passes for 70 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Schmitt also recorded a rushing touchdown. The game was tied 16-16 going into halftime, but the Knights let the contest slip away in the second half by allowing 14 points in the third quarter and eight in the fourth.
Clifton-Clyde bounced back after their loss to Hanover by winning a low-scoring game against Linn 8-0 Last Friday. The last time the Clifton-Clyde Eagles scored only 8 points and won a football game was back in 1995 under coach Eric Steele. The Eagles had beaten Ell-Saline 8-7 that season.
Last year was the first time matching up for Lakeside-Downs and Clifton-Clyde since 2015, with the Eagles taking the contest 56-6. Clifton-Clyde leads the all-time series 9-2.
Brandon’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Justin’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Kryndon’s Pick: Lakeside
Jake’s Pick: Lakeside
Boz’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
(1-2) Linn at (1-2) Thunder Ridge*
Linn, after coming off their massive 64-14 win over Blue Valley-Randolph, took a massive drop off last Friday in points, scoring zero in an 8-0 loss to Clifton-Clyde. The last time Linn lost to Clifton-Clyde after only giving up eight points was back in 1987, when Linn lost 8-6 in week eight against the Eagles. It was also the last time the Bulldogs would lose a game after only giving up one touchdown.
After finding their first win of the season against Rock Hills 38-0, Thunder Ridge took their second loss last Friday against Hill City 58-12. Despite the loss, Longhorn’s quarterback Tate Foreman put up 281 yards in the air for one touchdown but also threw two interceptions. Thunder Ridge only ran the ball for 68 yards off 13 total carries in the loss, passing the ball 26 total times. Tristan Taylor had 138 yards receiving with the sole passing touchdown from Foreman.
Last season was the first meeting ever for Linn and Thunder Ridge. Linn won 39-16, which was the spark of a three-game winning streak for the Bulldogs.
Brandon’s Pick: Thunder Ridge
Justin’s Pick: Linn
Kryndon’s Pick: Linn
Jake’s Pick: Thunder Ridge
Boz’s Pick: Thunder Ridge
(3-0) Lincoln at (1-2) Washington County*
Lincoln is on a confident three-game winning streak, beating all three of their opponents this season by at least 62 points. The Leopards destroyed St. John’s Tipton 62-14, with the star junior quarterback in Jeremiah Miller leading the way. Miller had 266 total yards of offense, with five total touchdowns, and turned the ball over just once. Four Leopards rushed for at least 67 yards and scored one touchdown, while the team had 402 yards on the ground.
After the first game of the season, in which Washington won 52-28 over Blue Valley, winning their regular-season game in two years, the Tigers have been shut out in back-to-back contests. Last Friday, Washington County took on their second straight 8M-ll ranked opponent in Hanover, who ended the game at halftime 60-0. Hanover will now look to face a top 10 team now in 8M-ll this week in Lincoln.
Lincoln has won three straight games against Washington County, including last year’s 50-0 victory. The all-time series is now 3-3.
Brandon’s Pick: Lincoln
Justin’s Pick: Lincoln
Kryndon’s Pick: Lincoln
Jake’s Pick: Lincoln
Boz’s Pick: Lincoln
(2-1) Valley Heights at (1-2) Sacred Heart*
Valley Heights played a decently competitive game between the battles of Mustangs in the TVL last week, beating Doniphan West 33-14. Valley Heights had a total of 138 yards on the ground and averaged almost eight yards per carry. Everson Parker alone rushed for 63 yards while Brady DeWalt rushed for 71 yards on just five carries with one touchdown.
The Sacred Heart Knights earned their first win of the season, 29-7 over the Pleasanton Bluejays. Junior quarterback Maddox Wells for the Knights went 3 of 8 in the air for 57 yards and a touchdown, throwing just one interception. The ground game was dispersed among five different runners, combining for 292 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, and scoring three total touchdowns. Senior running back Ellias Gordon rushed for 194 yards on 27 carries for two scores.
This is the fifth all-time meeting between Valley Heights and Sacred Heart. Valley Heights won last year’s match-up 32-16. Mustangs have won two straight against Sacred Heart.
Brandon’s Pick: Valley Heights
Justin’s Pick: Valley Heights
Kryndon’s Pick: Sacred Heart
Jake’s Pick: Valley Heights
Boz’s Pick: Valley Heights
(1-2) Onaga at (1-2) Valley Falls*
The Onaga Buffaloes finished up their league play with a 44-8 loss against the Centralia Panthers. Onaga was down 15-0 at the half after getting an interception in the endzone with time expired to hold the Panthers out from another score. Onaga wouldn’t get their first touchdown of the game however until the final minute down 44-0, with Ryder Kolterman connecting with Cameron Kramer for his first catch of the season on a 45-yard touchdown pass.
Valley Falls has lost back-to-back matchups since their week one 6-0 win over Horton. Last Friday the Dragons lost to ACCHS 26-0, allowing thirteen points in both just the second and fourth quarter. Valley Falls threw two interceptions, but the defense did balance it out with two interceptions themselves. The Dragons rushed for a total of three yards off nineteen carries, while the offense produced only 29 total yards.
Onaga leads the series 13-4 over the Valley Falls Dragons. Onaga beat Valley Falls last year, 38-6. Two years ago, the Dragons were also the lone win of Onaga’s 2023 season, 65-22.
Brandon’s Pick: Onaga
Justin’s Pick: Onaga
Kryndon’s Pick: Onaga
Jake’s Pick: Onaga
Boz’s Pick: Onaga
(3-0) Council Grove at (1-2) Riley County*
The Council Grove Braves improved to 3-0 last Friday defeating Cair Paravel at home 39-7. They have outscored their first three opponents this season 106-14. Through three games, junior quarterback Reid Buttrey has completed 58% of his passes for 433 yards and six touchdowns to just one interception. The Braves rushing attack is also averaging 155 yards per game.
Riley County won their first game of the season last Friday in wild fashion against Chapman 21-0. The Falcons scored a touchdown in the first, second, and third quarters with Chapman scoring all 20 of their points in the fourth quarter. Chapman rushed for 263 yards and averaged nearly five yards per carry.
Council Grove won the matchup last season against Riley County 34-13. Riley County won four straight against the Braves between 2018 and 2021.
Brandon’s Pick: Council Grove
Justin’s Pick: Council Grove
Kryndon’s Pick: Council Grove
Jake’s Pick: Council Grove
Boz’s Pick: Council Grove
(2-1) Rossville at (1-2) Maranatha*
1A #3 Rossville suffered their first loss of the season last Friday against 2A #2 Nemaha Central 56-28. The Dawgs were able to tally 314 yards off offense, but they allowed NC quarterback Carter Hajek to rush for over 360 yards and six touchdowns. Senior quarterback Canaan Mitchell has completed 59% of his passes through three weeks with 476 yards and four touchdowns. Rossville is also averaging 150 rushing yards per game.
After a 6-0 win over KC Harmon in the season opener, Maranatha has lost back-to-back games including last Friday at Maur Hill-Mount Academy 52-6. Week two featured a 14-6 loss at home against Uniontown. Rossville and Maranatha last season was a Rossville win by forfeit.
Brandon’s Pick: Rossville
Justin’s Pick: Rossville
Kryndon’s Pick: Rossville
Jake’s Pick: Rossville
Boz’s Pick: Rossville
(2-1) Chanute at (3-0) Nemaha Central
The Chanute Blue Comets are coming off their first loss of the season last Friday at McPherson 42-12. They beat Augusta at home 22-6 in week one and followed that with a 55-0 win at home against Coffeyville in week two.
2A #2 Nemaha Central improved to 3-0 last Friday as they defeated 1A #3 Rossville 56-28. Quarterback Carter Hajek posted one of the best stat lines in the state, rushing for 368 yards and six touchdowns while completing his only three pass attempts for 84 yards and another score.
Both Chanute and Nemaha Central were ranked in their respective classifications when they met in Chanute last season with Nemaha Central winning a thrilling game 13-7. In that game, Hajek rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown while completing six passes for 51 yards.
Brandon’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Justin’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Kryndon’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Jake’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Boz’s Pick: Nemaha Central
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