2024 FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW
 

 
CLASS 6A
 
2023 State champion: Gardner Edgerton
 
2023 State runner-up: Derby
 
2023 Review: Gardner Edgerton was inches away from capturing the program’s first-ever state championship in 2022, stopped on a potential game-winning two-point conversion in double overtime by Manhattan. The stop secured a 21-20 win for the Indians and left the Trailblazers heartbroken after a somewhat surprising run to the title game following a 5-3 regular season. Expectations for Gardner were much higher going into the 2023 season and for the most part, the Trailblazers lived up to them. Gardner dominated a Week 4 clash with eventual Class 5A champion Mill Valley, 49-10, and the only hiccup in the regular season was a 21-7 loss to Olathe East in Week 7. Once the postseason hit, Gardner was dominant, outscoring its first four playoff foes by a combined 157-16. That set up a showdown with perennial 6A power Derby, which came into the title game 11-1 and was seeking its seventh state title since 2013, but first since 2020. On a snowy day in Emporia, Derby jumped out to a 13-0 lead and seemed poised to added to its championship collection. But a 5-yard touchdown run by Bravin Powell got the Trailblazers on the board before halftime and a 65-yard touchdown pass from Powell to Colton Hawkins and ensuing PAT by Ashton Adrian put Gardner ahead for good. Powell added a 27-yard TD run and the Gardner defense held Derby to just a fourth-quarter touchdown as the Trailblazers turned their 2022 devastation into 2023 jubilation with a 22-19 win to cap a 12-1 season. Powell was the workhorse for the Trailblazers in the title game, accounting for 209 of Gardner’s 269 yards of total offense. Derby finished 11-2 and runner-up for the third time since 2013 as the Panthers have played in every title game since that season except for the 2022 game.
 
2024 Contenders: After playing for the Class 6A state championship a year ago, it’s hard not to envision a rematch in store for Gardner Edgerton and Derby this fall. Derby, meanwhile, is simply as close to a given to making the state championship game as there has been in the state for more than a decade. The Panthers have reached the title game nine of the last 11 years, capturing six state titles in that span. Even with the graduation of several key starters on offense, including the bulk of the backfield and receiving corps, Derby always has someone waiting in the wings to fill those voids. Tight end Da’Saahn Brame is one of the top recruits in the nation at the position and will ease the transition for the new quarterback, which has been a battle between seniors Drew Kemp and Aiden Heckathorn. Junior Max Robinson is Derby’s next great offensive lineman, having started since his freshman year, and defense could be the Panthers’ calling card this season with seven starters back on that side of the ball, including a secondary trio led by Easton Splane, James Middlebrook and Martel Jackson. Transfers Elijah Dixon from Wichita Southeast and Milan Colvin from Rose Hill will only bolster an already solid defense. Gardner, meanwhile, has played in the last two title games, making a somewhat surprising appearance in 2022 when it fell in double-overtime to Manhattan in the finals before meeting last year’s high expectations and delivering the first state championship in program history. The bar has been set and this year’s team will have some big holes to fill to make a third straight title game. The bulk of them are on defense where nine starters graduated off last year’s title team, including All-State Top 11 defensive end Mark Debiak. The Trailblazers do return leading tackler Kaleb Dewey (90 tackles), but nose guard Isaiah Williams is the only other starter back. Offensively, Bravin Powell is a three-year starter at quarterback and came up big in last year’s championship game, finishing the season with more than 2,200 yards of total offense. He lost almost all of his complementary skill pieces but three starters are back on the offensive line in seniors Mason Matlock, Remington Carpenter and Kaleb Moore. … Perhaps no team in the state is better up front than Blue Valley Northwest, which captured the 6A state title in 2021 and went 6-5 last year, falling to Gardner in the quarterfinals. The Huskies return all five starters to the offensive line led by first-team All-Class 6A selection Brock Heath and five-star recruit Andrew Babalola. Heath also is one of five starters returning on the defensive side of the ball as a rare two-way player at the 6A level. The biggest question mark facing the Huskies is in the backfield where every starter will be new. Whoever wins the quarterback job will have a big threat in receiver Trevor Garlington. Northwest has put together four straight winning seasons for the first time since the 1990s and look like the biggest threat to Gardner in the east bracket. … Undefeated state champion in 2022, Manhattan couldn’t quite get back to the title game a year ago after having to replace a stellar senior class from the title team, including Top 11 quarterback Keenan Schartz. But the Indians didn’t fall off that far, going 9-2 and reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Derby in a 23-21 nail-biter. The key to success this year will be rebuilding both lines as senior guard Trey Hoover is the lone returning starter up front on offense and none return on defense. Senior quarterback Carter Aslin did a pretty good impression of Schartz in taking over at quarterback, accounting for more than 2,300 yards of total offense. He’s got plenty of playmakers around him. The defense returns just three starters overall and how quickly that unit comes together will be as big a key as line play. … Lawrence was 7-3 last year but has its sights set on a much deeper playoff run this year after getting thumped by Derby in last year’s second round. The Lions return seven starters on offense and head coach Clint Bowen is plenty familiar with his quarterback with son Banks, a Tulsa commit, directing the offense. He made the transition from receiver to quarterback last year and finished with 2,776 yards of total offense and 28 touchdowns. His top two receivers are back in Gabe Wingerd and Jaxon Becker and the Lions line is huge with three starters weighing 285 or more. Defensively, junior linebacker Josh Galbreath is a Power 5 recruit who had 62 tackles last year, and safety Jaylen Parks is also getting serious looks despite missing six games last year. … Even though Blue Valley West was just 4-6 last year, the losses the Jaguars suffered all came to teams that reached the state quarterfinals in the ultra-tough Eastern Kansas League. The Jaguars will have a somewhat different identity this year on offense. After leaning heavily on running back Sage Huffman for the past three seasons, West will hinge its success to senior quarterback Tate Nagy, son of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. He accounted for 2,200 total yards and 19 touchdowns last year and has committed to Kansas. West also returns nine starters on defense, including leading tackler Jack Sells. … With only three seniors on the roster a year ago, Dodge City also battled injuries and off-field issues in struggling to a 3-6 mark and going winless in the Western Athletic Conference. But the Red Demons showed enough improvement throughout the season that they pushed Lawrence in a 23-20 playoff opening loss. The dividends should pay off this year as nine starters return each way. That includes all five starters on the offensive line, led by senior Nery Quinones, and standout linebacker Dylan Sonday. … After getting out to a 6-0 start, Free State dropped three of its final four games to finish 7-3. The Firebirds will have to replace the bulk of last year’s offensive production, namely at quarterback where Wesley Edison was a two-year starter and led the team in rushing and passing. Even with four starters back on the offensive line, the loss of Division I signee Hank Fuchs leaves a big hole. Six starters return on defense led by defensive tackle Hyrum Vaeono. … Junction City was 6-4 last year and returns six starters on defense, though the unit will miss Oklahoma signee Michael Boganowski. The strength on offense will be up front with Petren Bartolome one of three starters back on the line. The Blue Jays graduated all of last year’s top offensive playmakers, so filling those holes will be the biggest key to this year’s success. … Coming off a 5-6 season, Maize moves up to Class 6A this season after being a title contender in recent years in 5A, finishing runner-up in 2021 and 2022. The Eagles return nine starters on offense and eight on defense. The receiving corps is loaded with the return of speedster Bryson Hayes and 7-foot high jumper Alan Hanna and four starters are back on the offensive line. Finding a quarterback to run the show is the biggest void on offense going into the season. The defense will also be strong in the trenches with four starters back up front. … Olathe East showed its potential a year ago when it handed eventual champion Gardner Edgerton its only loss of the season with a 21-7 win in Week 7. The Hawks finished 7-3 overall and return plenty of talent from that squad, though the defense lost some key players with the graduation of All-6A lineman Brett Carroll and linebacker Ray Smith III as well as two other first-team All-Sunflower League picks. Jack Cornell is one of the top punters in the state and doubles as the Hawks quarterback. He is one of five starters back on offense. Despite the star-power losses, the defense returns six starters. … Few years go by without Olathe North being a factor in the Sunflower League and 6A playoffs and this year shouldn’t be any different. The Eagles were 9-2 last year, upset by Blue Valley in the quarterfinals. North will be in a bit of a reload mode this year with just three starters back on offense and four on defense. Jamo Sarver returns at quarterback after throwing for 1,689 yards last year. The defense’s strength will be in the secondary where four starters are back led by senior Jalaan Watson. … After a 6-4 season last year, Olathe South will have to replace its motor with the graduation of quarterback Bryce Noernberg. But the Falcons do return tailback Max Armstrong, who also starts at linebacker, and the defense got a huge addition with the transfer in of Division I recruit Juju Marks from St. Thomas Aquinas. … One play away from playing for the Class 6A state championship a year ago, Washburn Rural will have to reload on both sides of the ball to get back into that position again this year. The Junior Blues saw Derby kick a field goal on the final play of last year’s state semifinals to escape with a 29-28 win in a game Rural led 28-13 in the fourth quarter. The loss was the only one in an 11-1 season for Rural. The Junior Blues do return six starters on each side of the ball, but lost Top 11 linebaker JC Heim and twin brother Jaren Heim, three-year starting quarterback Branton DeWeese and key members to both front lines. Seniors Caden Estrada and Jacob Hawks were both first-team All-Centennial League picks on the offensive line, giving Rural some great experience up front as a new quarterback settles in to go with returning playmakers TJ Minikwu and Lafayette Thompson. The secondary also returns in tact with Kingston Leonard coming off a season where he picked off 9 passes. … The firepower that Wichita East lost from one of the best offenses in the state a year ago will be tough to replace for eight-year head coach Ene Akpan. DaeOnte’ Mitchell was a four-year starter at quarterback and directed a prolific offense that averaged better than 55 points per game last year. Also gone are 1,000-yard rusher Rayvelle Leak and the bulk of Mitchell’s receiving corps. The Blue Aces do welcome transfer back Aaron Bohannon Jr. from Wichita Northwest where he was a 1,000-yard rusher and also return standout receiver Karlon Ranson and leading tackler Pharrell Adams from last year’s 7-3 squad. … A perennial contender under veteran coach Steve Martin, Wichita Northwest once again will trot out a squad loaded with next-level talent. The Grizzlies were 7-3 a year ago, marking one of the few times they haven’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs in recent seasons. Nine starters are back on offense though the loss of Bohannon to rival East is a big blow, particularly with leading rusher Cencere Thompson also gone after graduating. No fewer than six returners are drawing Division I interest from Big 12 programs with quarterback Jaylen Mason, linebacker Johnmichael Fountain and lineman Maddox McGinness all holding offers as underclassmen. Martin said Mason has a chance to be the best quarterback he’s had, which is saying something given the players that have manned that position for him in the past. Two of last year’s three losses in an injury-plagued season came to East – the first by Northwest to a USD 259 rival since 2016.
 
 

 
CLASS 5A
 
2023 State champion: Mill Valley
 
2023 State runner-up: Kapaun Mt. Carmel
 
2023 Review: Arguments can be made about which program is the state’s premier powerhouse going into the 2024 season. But few can deny the fact that Mill Valley has the best argument of anyone. Since 2015, the Jaguars have the most state championships of any program in the state with seven, one ahead of 6A power Derby. That includes a current five-year title streak that has the Jaguars one shy of tying the state record for consecutive titles of six, set by Hutchinson from 2004-09 and tied by Bishop Miege from 2014-19. Last year’s run to its fifth straight title didn’t come without some bumps and a big-time postseason scare. Mill Valley dropped a pair of games during the regular season, getting thumped by eventual 6A champion Gardner Edgerton 49-10 in Week 4 and then falling 28-14 to Olathe North in Week 7. After cruising through their first two playoff games, the Jaguars won a wild 72-42 shootout with Seaman and then survived a 48-47 thriller with Blue Valley Southwest when they rallied from down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, getting a 7-yard touchdown run from Daniel Blaine on the final play of the game. The challenge in the title game was a great one in Kapaun Mt. Carmel. The Crusaders were making their first championship game appearance since 1987, but boasted one of the state’s all-time great tailbacks in Omari Elias and entered the title game with its lone blemish on the record a 42-35 loss to Wichita Northwest. Sure enough, Elias was a load. The All-State back ran for 280 yards and three touchdowns, including runs of 67 and 58 yards that came in a stretch of 23 straight points by the Crusaders that staked them to a 23-13 lead midway through the second quarter. But Mill Valley answered with two touchdowns and after Elias got his third TD to make it 30-27, the Jaguars got a touchdown just before halftime that started a string of 28 unanswered points that put Mill Valley in control on its way to a 62-37 victory. Both teams finished with 11-2 marks and the Jaguars now stand on the brink of making history in 2024.
 
2024 Contenders: The path to the Class 5A championship game arguably has never been tougher on the east side than it will be in 2024. The infusion of top-notch programs to the east came in both directions with 2023 6A semifinalist Blue Valley and Gene Wier-led Blue Valley North dropping down from Class 6A and 203 state champion St. Thomas Aquinas, St. James Academy and Basehor-Linwood all moving up from Class 4A. Surviving that to play for its sixth straight state championship will be a tall task for Mill Valley, but one the Jaguars eagerly are looking forward to. Mill Valley’s streak got a big-time scare from Blue Valley Southwest in the state semifinals a year ago when David Blaine scored on the game’s final play to pull out a 48-47 victory. Blaine has graduated, as have six other starters on offense, leaving Mill Valley with some big-time holes on that side of the ball. Senior Connor Bohon saw time at quarterback a year ago, throwing for 816 yards and 14 touchdowns, so he’s got enough experience to lead the group while his complements develop. But it’s on defense where the Jaguars will be among the state’s best. Senior Jayden Woods is a two-time Top 11 selection and is one of seven starters back. Five of those are in the front seven. Mill Valley has seven titles in the last nine seasons overall, but getting an eighth will be arguably the toughest assignment yet for the program. … Blue Valley is no stranger to the Class 5A scene, though it’s been a few years since the Tigers weren’t at the 6A level. But the last time the Tigers were in 5A, they won it all, in 2013. Blue Valley reached the 6A semifinals a year ago, falling to eventual champion Gardner Edgerton 35-3 in that round to end a 7-5 campaign. The Tigers return some big-time talent on the defensive side of the ball at each level with lineman Lincoln Stueve, linebacker Dawson Merritt and defensive back Maguire Richman all elite-level players. Nine starters also return on offense, giving Blue Valley the experience and talent to try and supplant Mill Valley as the kings of Class 5A. ... After capping its two-year stint in Class 4A with Randy Dreiling’s record-tying ninth state championship as a head coach, St. Thomas Aquinas returns to its familiar territory in Class 5A. The Saints were 10-3 a year ago and have a reload situation on their hands after graduation hit hard. Only four starters return on offense and just three are back on defense. Junior Stephen Carroll is the lone returning offensive line starter and senior Elzie Slaughter is back after playing multiple positions in the backfield a year ago which was racked by injury throughout the season. The defense lost Top 11 lineman Kian Payna to graduation and Division I prospect Juju Marks to transfer, but returns standouts Joey Goodenow and K’lyn Curtis. Even with the glaring holes, the Saints will fill them capably and be a factor in 5A before it’s all said and done. … The best season in program history saw Eisenhower reach the state semifinals for the first time and nearly qualify for the state championship game. The Tigers trailed top-seeded Kapaun Mt. Carmel 42-17 early in the fourth quarter before putting together a furious finish that resulted in a 42-39 loss with the Crusaders recovering a late onside kick to hold off the Tigers. Eisenhower finished 10-2 overall, its only other loss coming to district rival Goddard late in the regular season. Graduation claimed leading rusher Lucas Dickman, an All-5A pick who ran for 1,847 yards. But the Tigers return a potent passing attack with senior quarterback Derek Morgan throwing for 1,980 yards and 30 touchdowns last year and Carter Pabst hauling in 51 passes for 893 yards and 19 touchdowns. Both have already committed to the next level. The line will need rebuilt and the defense returns just five starters from a unit that ranked as one of the best in school history. … Maize South also lost a shootout game with Kapaun Mt. Carmel to end its 2023 season with an 8-3 mark, falling 57-47 in the state quarterfinals. The Mavericks return one of the top quarterbacks in the state in senior Tate McNew, who is a three-year starter who threw for 2,876 yards and 31 touchdowns last year. He’ll miss All-5A receiver Sammy Dresie (1,370 yards, 10 TDs), but Landon Gatto is back (735 yards, 12 TDs) and so are three offensive linemen. Finding a running game to complement his passing skills will be a key. … A perennial contender in Class 4A during Rod Stallbaumer’s 10-year tenure, Basehor-Linwood makes its first venture up to Class 5A this season. The Bobcats were 7-4 last year, falling to eventual champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the quarterfinals. Basehor will have to completely revamp its skill positions with the graduation of starting quarterback Brady VanDonge, leading rusher Sam Boettcher and do-everything All-5A receiver Kaleb Scott. The strength of the team will be defensively where six starters return led by leading tackler Garrett Pierce. … To say last year was an anomaly for Bishop Carroll is a bit of an understatement. In going 3-6, the Golden Eagles suffered through their first losing season in 27 years. Carroll will look to get back to normalcy this season though will still be a young team overall. Seven starters are back on defense and five return on offense. The bulk of the team’s experience is in the secondary where four starters return. Senior linebacker Brendan Stonestreet is the lone returner who garnered All-Greater Wichita Athletic League honors a year ago. … The best season in Blue Valley Southwest history nearly ended with a historic upset as the Timberwolves pushed five-time reigning state champion Mill Valley to the limit before falling 48-47 on the last play of the state semifinal clash. Southwest’s only other loss in a 10-2 season came to Bishop Miege and the program advanced the deepest it had ever been in the playoffs. To get back there again in a loaded east field, the Timberwolves will have to find someone who can at least partially fill the void left by three-year starting quarterback Dylan Dunn, who completely re-wrote the Southwest passing record book on his way to Top 11 honors. All of his top receivers also are gone, as is All-Class 5A lineman Jason Strickland. Seven players who started at some point do return on offense and five starters are back on defense. A loaded schedule will put the newcomers to the ultimate test, however. … Back-to-back United Kansas Conference champions, De Soto was 8-2 a year ago, upset by Seaman in the second round of the playoffs after losing only to 6A semifinalist Washburn Rural during the regular season. The Wildcats return a strong offensive line led by massive Seth Goins (6-7, 365) and are just as strong on the defensive front led by Iowa State commit Charlie Woleben. Drew Parks takes over at quarterback after starting the final three games when starter Carson Miller went down, and Jayden Lang could be poised for breakout season at tailback with the graduation of leading rusher Bennett Hutchison. … A talented sophomore class helped Great Bend to a 6-4 mark last year and as juniors this year could be poised for even greater success. The headliner of the class is Division I recruit Ian Premer, who led the team with 538 yards and 9 touchdowns receiving and also had 64 tackles and 4 interceptions on defense. But lurking in his shadow were other key performers who return, notably linebacker Trenton Kern, who led the team in tackles with 111 and quarterback Daxton Minton, who threw for nearly 1,500 yards and 17 TDs and ran for another 663 yards and 7 scores. Sophomore Cooper Ohnmacht was a dazzling returner as a freshman a year ago and will complement his older teammates with a bigger role this year. In all, the Panther return eight starters on defense and seven on offense. … Western Athletic Conference rival Hays was the king of overtime games a year ago, playing in three and going 2-1 in those contests, including a double-overtime win over Liberal that clinched a share of the league title. The Indians went 7-3 overall and returns enough experience both ways to make another deep postseason run. The offense will miss workhorse back Malik Bah, but nearly everyone else is back. The defense could be the strength with eight starters back led by linebacker Dalton Meyers, who was the WAC defensive MVP last fall. … Hutchinson underachieved in the eyes of head coach Mike Vernon a year ago, but still finished 7-3 – one win shy of its 8-3 season of 2022. The Salthawks have one of the best and most versatile players in Class 5A in senior Terrell King, who was an All-5A pick last year and can play just about anywhere on the field. He is one of five starters returning to Hutchinson’s back 7 of its defense. The transfer door swung both ways in the offseason at quarterback as last year’s starter, Robert Hunter, transferred to Wichita East but this year’s expected starter, Levi Kepler, moved back from Inman. … Liberal shared the WAC title with Hays a year ago and went 8-2 overall, falling in the postseason to Maize. The Redskins will have to replace standout quarterback J. Brooks Kappelmann and his top receivers but return just about everyone else offensively, including four linemen led by senior Hudson Rice. Seven starters are back on defense as well with the front line anchored by Tyren Holmes. … Salina Central had to adjust on the fly a bit last year when returning starting quarterback Gunnar Gross went down with an injury in the first week of the season. But Jack Gordon stepped in and flourished, throwing for 2,251 yards and 25 touchdowns to lead the Mustangs to a 6-3 record. Gordon will be the starter from Day 1 this season and is one of six returning starters on offense, though he lost his top receivers and the complements in the running game. All-5A lineman Gage Gibson is one of three returning starters up front and five starters are back on defense led by defensive end James McKinney and linebacker Ty Young. … Seaman endured a mid-season stretch where the Vikings lost four of five games, three of those by one score. But the Vikings pulled out of the tailspin to reach the 5A quarterfinals, upsetting United Kansas Conference champion De Soto before falling 72-42 to eventual champion Mill Valley. Senior quarterback Max Huston is coming off a monstrous junior season that saw him throw for 3,257 yards and 39 touchdowns. He won’t have Callen Barta back as his top target, but Bryer Finley and Noah Kobuszewski do return to haul in passes after combining for more than 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. All five starting linemen are also back. The defense returns just four starters, but Kaden Jordan is an anchor to the front line and linebacker Hayden Cummings was the team’s leading tackler a year ago. … Spring Hill went 7-3 a year ago but must replace do-everything back Colton McKanna, an All-5A selection. The Broncos return six starters on offense and eight on defense with linebacker Beau Gardner headlining that unit after making 106 tackles last year.
 
 

 
CLASS 4A
 
2023 State champion: St. Thomas Aquinas
 
2023 State runner-up: Andover Central
 
2023 Review: Neither St. Thomas Aquinas nor Andover Central carried a whole lot of momentum into last year’s Class 4A playoffs. Aquinas dropped three of its final four regular-season games while Andover Central endured a three-game losing streak in Weeks 4-6 before pulling out of its funk with a dominating 43-7 win over district rival Andover. But once the postseason hit, each team hit its stride to earn a showdown for the state title. The Jaguars pulled out a pair of tight wins over Abilene and McPherson in the second round and quarterfinals, each by 28-21 scores, before handling 2022 4A runner-up Wamego 26-7 in the state semifinals. Aquinas, meanwhile, avenged a 19-7 loss to Bishop Miege a month earlier with a 14-7 win in the second round of the playoffs and then rolled past Basehor-Linwood and Tonganoxie to earn its spot in the title game. The Saints got out fast in the title game, taking a 13-0 lead before Andover Central got its lone touchdown of the game. Aquinas immediately answered with two straight touchdown runs by Gianni Rizzi, who had missed much of the season with an injury but returned to be a spark in the postseason and took a commanding 28-7 halftime lead on its way to a 35-7 victory. Aquinas’ ground game was the difference as the Saints navigated the snowy conditions to the tune of 367 rushing yards in the game, 171 from Rizzi. The state title was the first for the Saints since winning the Class 5A crown in 2018, but the ninth overall for head coach Randy Dreiling, tying him with former Kapaun Mt. Carmel coach Ed Kriwiel for the most by any football coach in state history. Aquinas finished 10-3 while Andover Central finished 9-4 and as state runner-up for the fourth time.
 
2024 Contenders: With defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas moving back up to Class 5A, the throne is open in 2024. Class 4A also lost perennial contenders St. James Academy and Basehor-Linwood, leaving the eastern half of the bracket somewhat depleted. That makes the path back to a state championship game a little easier for Bishop Miege, which captured the 2022 state championship and has won seven state titles in the past 10 years. The Stags were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs last year by Aquinas after beating the Saints during the regular season on their way to an undefeated Eastern Kansas League championship, the first league title since 2017. The playoff exit was their earliest since 2008, which should light a fire under a talented returning squad. Marco Rodriguez took his place as Miege’s next great quarterback, throwing for 1,850 yards and 18 touchdowns. He’ll have back his top receiver in Teryn Jackson (472 yards, 4 TDs), who missed the last four games of the season. The Stags have holes in the offensive line with just one starter back there, but the defensive line is arguably the strongest unit on the team with four starters back led by seniors Finn Cusick, Neil Carman and Nikki Rattan. The loss of All-4A linebacker Justyce Betts, a three-year starter and leading tackler the past two seasons, is a tough blow and the secondary needs rebuilt. But tradition and history is on Miege’s side to be there at the end. … State runner-up twice in the past three years, Andover Central is best positioned to end the public school title drought in 4A with the last one to do it being Buhler in 2013. The Jaguars fell 35-7 to Aquinas in last year’s title game and also finished runner-up to St. James in 2021. Central went 9-4 last year, bouncing back from a three-game losing streak at midseason to win six straight to reach the title game, taking out 2022 runner-up Wamego in the state semifinals. The Jaguars might have the most experienced team in Class 4A, returning nine starters on offense and seven on defense. Senior quarterback Jace Jefferson threw for 2,214 yards and 24 touchdowns last year and has two receivers back – Jace Adler and Brandt Stupka – who had more than 800 yards receiving. Maddox Archibald ran for nearly 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns and in all the Jaguars return 44 of last year’s 47 offensive touchdowns. Throw in four returning starters on the offensive line, led by two-way standout Dawson Rodd and the Jaguars are flat-out loaded on that side of the ball. The other side isn’t too shabby either with Adler picking off 7 passes and Landon Preston leading the team in tackles last year with 118. Seeking the program’s first state championship, this could be the year the Jaguars finally break through. … Runner-up to five-time champion Mill Valley in Class 5A last season, Kapaun Mt. Carmel drops down to Class 4A for the first time since there were only five classifications in the state. The Crusaders will have a vastly different look than last year’s 11-2 team that reached the state championship game for the first time since 1987, particularly in the backfield where all-time leading rusher and Top 11 tailback Omari Elias has graduated. Two starters return on offense with Peyton Gosch a first-team All-Greater Wichita Athletic League pick at tight end. The defense has five starters back with senior linebacker Kyle Keya already committed to Oklahoma State. Senior Jackson Daniel plays both ways at receiver and defensive back and can do a little bit of everything for Kapaun. After setting numerous school records offensively a year ago, the Crusaders return just 8% of that production. How quickly the new faces step up will determine if Kapaun can contend in its new classification this season. … Expectations haven’t been this high at Wellington since the early 2000s when the program made three straight Class 4A championship game appearances and captured back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. The Crusaders are coming off an 8-3 season that ended with a shutout loss to Wamego in the state quarterfinals. But Wellington can rival Andover Central when it comes to experience coming back. All 11 starters from last year’s defense return led by leading tacklers Colton Bannister (111) and Carter Burnett (96) as well as lineman standout Brody Weir. Burnett also was an All-4A pick at receiver with 842 yards and 11 TDs and has his quarterback back in Dusty Bannister, who threw for 2,6061 yards and 25 touchdowns. Weir also doubles as a top-notch tight end and three linemen also return. Tailback Nick Giefer complemented the prolific passing game with 862 yards and 9 TDs on the ground. Wellington gave up more points than it scored a year ago, so that veteran defense will need to stiffen up considerably for the Crusaders to have a shot at getting back to the state championship game for the first time in two decades. … The list of teams capable of stopping in Miege in the east very well could begin with Chanute. The Blue Comets were 8-2 last season with their only two losses coming to Tonganoxie, including a 28-21 loss in the second round of the playoffs. A load of experience is back, however, starting with Southeast Kansas Conference defensive player of the year Quinton Harding, who had 82 tackles at his linebacker position. He also ran for 1,413 yards and 17 touchdowns and teams with brother, Kris, in the backfield with Kris throwing for 1,669 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. Cade Small and Garrett Love anchor a strong defensive line. … Atchison saw its bid for an undefeated season come to an end with a 57-50 shootout loss to Tonganoxie in the state quarterfinals. The Redmen graduated a stellar senior class that included Meadowlark Conference offensive player of the year Trey Carter, defensive player of the year Lavonte’ McGowan and special teams player of the year Xiomar Hernandez as well as All-4A two-way standout Jeter Purdy. The cupboard isn’t bare, however, with six starters back each way. Jaden Carter is a bruising back capable of being a workhorse as new quarterback Yogi Purdy or Kolton Bonnel settles in. Eric Smith III will lead the defense. … Suffering two of its three losses to McPherson and another to runner-up Andover Central, Buhler went 7-3 last year. The Crusaders’ defense will be a major strength with 11 players back that started at some point led by first-team All-Ark Valley Chisholm Trail III selections Wll Hanen and Mitchel McDaniel. Hanen is a three-year starter at linebacker and had 106 tackles last year while McDaniel is a lock-down corner and also doubles as a versatile threat on offense. Junior Bodey Redenbaugh is a three-year starter on both lines.. The Crusaders return six starters on offense and though quarterback Jeffrey Neill has graduated, junior Ben Clouse returns after rushing for just over 1,000 yards last year with 19 touchdowns. … Coffeyville will not only challenge Chanute for the SEK title, but could challenge for a state title. The Golden Tornado return the league’s offensive player of the year in senior tailback Aaron Tunstall, an All-Class 4A pick after rushing for 1,784 yards and 22 touchdowns. Clearing the way for him is Missouri commit Keiton Jones. Coffeyville will miss All-4A lineman Kainen White, a four-year starter both ways, but 20-plus players return that were starters or key reserves a year ago with Tunstall and leading returning receiver Ke’Shawn Hayes both four-year starters in the secondary. … Eudora was 5-5 last year in a down season for the Cardinals after going 8-2 in 2022. The Cardinals lost standout receiver/defensive back Adrion Seals and their starting quarterback, but return leading rusher Errol Siemon. He will need to up his numbers from 525 yards and 5 TDs a year ago. … Cole Orrick takes over at Piper, which went just 4-5 a year ago. The Pirates graduated United Kansas Conference defensive player of the year Aaron Henson, but return second-leading tackler Tannar McDaniel among eight starters back on defense. Eight also return on offense including all five linemen. That unit will be key as it looks like a sophomore will line up under center, either Cooper Canada or Jayden Correa. The Pirates will have new schemes on both sides of the ball and the UKC looks to be particularly deep this season. … The only loss Louisburg suffered in a 9-1 season last year came by two points to Basehor-Linwood in the second round of the playoffs. The Wildcats have a major hole at quarterback where Declan Battle was a big-time dual threat. But the Wildcats return nearly everybody else on offense, including All-4A running back Ashton Moore, who stars on the defensive side of the ball as well. Conlee Hovey also shines both ways and Braden Yoder is an anchor on both lines. The defense only returns four starters, but that trio will be easy to build around and keep the Wildcats among the top teams in the east. … McPherson has won at least seven games in eight of Jace Pavlovich’s nine years as head coach with five of those seasons ending with at least 10 wins. The Bullpups were 7-4 last year, but reached the state quarterfinals before falling to Andover Central. Offensive line will be a strength for the Bullpups this season with three starters back led by all-leaguer Shawn Nutt. That will help new quarterback Carter Allen, who’s been biding his time for the starting job at the position. The defense returns five starters, but will miss All-4A linebacker Teegan Haines. … After reaching the state semifinals a year ago, Tonganoxie will look to reload to make another deep postseason run. The Chieftains finished 9-3 overall, two of the losses by a touchdown or less and the other to eventual state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. Graduation hit hard, claiming All-4A back Colton Brusven (2,047 yards rushing, 28 TDs), quarterback Trevor McGraw (2,104 yards passing, 21 TDs) and leading receiver Isaiah Holthaus (907 yards, 14 TDs). That’s a ton of production to replace but returning receiver Todd Brown had 669 yards and 4 TDs and back Tanner Hand could take over as the workhorse after rushing for 434 yards on 79 carries last year. TJ Leeper is the top returning tackler from a year ago. … Coming off the best season in program history in 2022 when it finished as state runner-up to Bishop Miege, Wamego didn’t fall off too much last year despite having to replace a talented senior class. The Red Raider defense remained one of the best in the state, allowing just 135 points in 12 games with only Andover Central scoring more than 20 points on it, that coming in a 26-7 semifinal loss that denied Wamego a second straight championship game appearance. The Red Raiders have bigger holes to fill on the defense this year with graduation hitting that side of the ball hard, claiming linebacker Gannon Couture and All-4A defensive back Drew Pettay. 
 
 

 
CLASS 3A
 
2023 State champion: Cheney
 
2023 State runner-up: Hayden
 
2023 Review: For years, Class 3A has been ruled by Andale. The Indians came into the 2023 season riding a four-year championship streak in Class 3A, not to mention a 51-game winning streak overall. Outscoring its first six foes by a combined 399-55 to run its win streak to 57 games, Andale looked every bit capable of keeping both streaks alive into 2024. Only Cheney had different ideas. The Cardinals snapped Andale’s nation’s-best winning streak with a 36-30 overtime win in Week 7, rallying from 22 down in the first half. Five weeks later in the Class 3A state semifinals, the Cardinals – who needed a last-second field goal to escape Clay Center 23-21 in the quarterfinals -- had to prove that upset wasn’t a fluke. Once again, Andale seemed in control, building a 24-0 lead in the first half. But just at it did in the first meeting, Cheney wouldn’t be denied. The Cardinals stormed back and claimed a 28-24 win on Josh Burdick’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Maass with 2:18 left in the game. Coming off the emotional high, Cheney had a stern test awaiting it in the championship game with Hayden rolling into Hutchinson with an undefeated record as well and hadn’t had a game closer than 17 points despite several key injuries throughout the season. A snowy setting and stout Hayden defense threatened to slow Cheney’s vaunted passing game. But the Cardinals stayed true to themselves and aired it out with Burdick throwing for 227 yards and 4 touchdowns to lead Cheney to a convincing 34-7 victory, capping an undefeated season with the program’s first state championship. Hayden finished 12-1.
 
2024 Contenders: Hayden fell one win shy of capturing its first state championship since 2008, falling 34-7 to fellow unbeaten Cheney in the 3A championship game. A snowy field somewhat neutralized Hayden’s speed but the Wildcats ultimately couldn’t stop Cheney’s vaunted passing attack, finishing 12-1. Hayden overcame numerous serious injuries throughout the season, losing All-3A tailback Finn Dunshee for a big stretch of the season before he returned to key the postseason run. His return came about the same time starting quarterback Jett Wahlmeier was lost for the season in the playoff opener to an arm injury. Dunshee has now graduated, but his absence allowed Kade Mitchell and others to take on a big role that will serve Hayden well this season. The Wildcats also have Wahlmeier back for a fourth year starting as well as versatile playmaker Jensen Schrickel. A total of eight starters are back on offense and nine are back on defense. Filling holes up front will be veteran coach Bill Arnold’s biggest task as that’s where graduation hit the hardest, including All-3A lineman Carter Charvat and Jude Konrade, the latter the team’s leading tackler as well. If that unit comes together, Hayden will be a tough out in the postseason. … It’s been several years since Andale entered a season without the target in Class 3A square on its back. That’s what happens when you go on the kind of streak the Indians have been on as the premier program in 3A, winning four straight state titles and taking a 51-game winning streak into the 2023 season. But after having both streaks snapped by Cheney – the win streak ending at 57 straight game with an overtime loss in the regular season and the title run ending with a loss in the state semifinals – Andale can’t fully escape the bull’s-eye. More than enough returns from last year’s 10-2 squad to keep the Indians firmly entrenched in the role of favorites and now those returners – eight starters on defense, six on offense – also have some extra fire after being a part of the team that let those streaks end. Replacing standouts Owen Eck (leading rusher) and Karson Butts (leading tackler) – both All-3A picks – won’t be easy, but Andale has the depth and talent to absorb those losses and keep rolling. Junior quarterback Sam Harp stepped in as a sophomore last year and threw for 568 yards and 13 touchdowns and ran for 11 more scores and has a senior duo of Landon Harp and Cooper Marx in the backfield and leading receiver Bo Kaiser back to complement him. Both lines need some plugging, but that unit has long been a strength for the Indians. … To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best and that’s exactly what Cheney did a year ago, knocking off 3A king Andale not once, but twice in 2023. Both times, Cheney rallied from big second-half deficits to first end Andale’s 57-game winning streak and then the Indians’ string of four straight 3A titles. The Cardinals capped the storybook season with a dominating 34-7 win over fellow unbeaten Hayden in the championship game to finish 13-0 and with the first football state championship in school history. Now it’s the Cardinals going into the season expecting to get everyone’s best shot as they try to emulate Andale and go on a title run of their own. Cheney’s 2023 senior class was a special one, headlined by Top 11 pick Jackson Voth and Central Plains defensive MVP Kason Messenger. But the return of three starting offensive linemen in seniors AJ Quick, Kolton Rohloff and Garren Campbell is a good place to build around. So to is returning All-3A quarterback Josh Burdick, who threw for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns last year. No other skill starter is back, so Burdick will have all new weapons around him. The defense returns three starting linebackers led by senior Hunter McKinley (86 tackles). … If not for Andale, Wichita Collegiate very well could be on some kind of historical run of its own. The Spartans’ only two losses last season came to the Indians in a 9-2 season and over the past four years, six of the Spartans’ eight losses have come to Andale. Collegiate enters this year with eight starters back each way, but a big hole at quarterback where Hudson Ferralez threw for more than 2,500 yards and 32 touchdowns in his one year after transferring in from Hesston. Harrison Simon, the team’s leader in interceptions on defense last year, will replace him but is surrounding by plenty of talent, including leading rusher Julian Johnson, who ran for 892 yards and 17 TDs. All-3A linebacker Jacob Chappell also graduated, but senior Tristan Sprole was also an All-3A pick and will anchor both lines. … The graduation losses experienced by Scott City were minimal in numbers – nine starters are back on offense and eight return on defense – but major in terms of where they came. The Beavers lost all three of last year’s running backs, including 1,000-yard rusher Collin McDaniel, and All-3A lineman Tanner Gooden. But what returns is pretty major as well. Senior quarterback Camden Vulgamore threw for more than 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns and end Jackson Rumford is a playmaker on both sides of the ball and in the special teams as well. The Beavers’ only loss to a Kansas team in the regular season last year was to Andale in the second round of the playoffs, ending an 8-2 season in which the other loss was 6-0 to Millwood (Okla.). … Despite a rash of injuries that saw eight starters go down in the first two weeks of the season, Burlington managed to go 6-4 in Cody Carlson’s first season as head coach. That led to a lot of underclassmen seeing immediate action and that should pay dividends in year two. The Wildcats lost quarterback Hunter Reiling and leading rusher Zane Hoback, but receiver Brody Anderson was a big-play machine and had three return touchdowns. Burlington returns six full-time starters each way. … The past two seasons have been the best back-to-back seasons in school history for Clay Center, which advanced to the state semifinals in 2022 and then followed it up with a 9-2 season. The Tigers were a last-second field goal by Cheney away from their second straight semifinal appearance, falling 23-21 in the quarterfinals to the eventual champions. Clay Center said farewell to a stellar senior class that has keyed the success, but welcomes back a strong cast of returners led by three-year starters Cole Pladson, Owen Craig and Weston Hammond. Pladson had a breakout year at quarterback, throwing for 1,207 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushing for 468 yards and 11 scores. He’s also the leading returning tackler for a defense that will greatly miss two-time All-3A pick Brody Hayes. … With Mark Smith moving on, Leon Miller returns to the helm at Frontenac after helping building the program into a small-school power. The Raiders were consistently in the hunt for the 3A title during Smith’s tenure and went 9-2 last year, falling to Holton in the quarterfinals. A total of nine starters return, several of whom are two-way players including receiver/defensive back Wyatt Frazier and running back/linebacker Gavin Witthuhn. … One man does not make a football team, but in Goodland’s case, one man could make the difference in the Cowboys experiencing a big turnaround after going 2-7 last year. Senior end Linkon Cure is a five-star recruit and Kansas State commit who is a big-time difference maker. Putting things together around him will be the key for Goodland, but this is the year to do it with 10 starters back each way, many of those two and three-year starters. … Hesston not only has quantity when it comes to returning starters, seven each way, but also quality in those numbers. Senior quarterback Reed Friesen took over as starting quarterback after Hudson Ferralez transferred to Wichita Collegiate and threw for 1,507 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for 567 yards and 4 TDs. Karter Gonzalez added another 562 yards and 9 TDs on the ground and was the anchor for the defense with 116 tackles. The Swathers were just 5-5 last year, but gained some late-season momentum that should carry over into 2024. … Holcomb was 7-3 last season and though just five starters return each way, the ones that do should have the Longhorns in contention for the Great West Activities Conference title and more. Senior lineman Drayton Knoll has multiple Division I offers and starts both ways, clearing the way for the Johnson & Johnson backfield. Senior Keegan Johnson runs the offense from his quarterback spot and threw for 1,191 yards and 16 touchdowns last year while junior Korbin Johnson will move from wide receiver to running back to replace Damon Mesa. Korbin also is the leading returning tackler. … Replacing its entire starting backfield and top seven ground gainers overall from its 2022 3A state runner-up team, Holton got off to a somewhat slow start last year, going 0-2 and sitting 3-4 late in the season. But the Wildcats found their rhythm in the postseason and surged all the way to the state semifinals, knocking off undefeated Wellsville in the second round before having its run end with a 42-14 loss to Hayden. The Wildcats won’t have to completely revamp the backfield this year with Kyler Jackson and Cael Frazier back and Bodie Dillon taking over at quarterback after being a utility back last year. Instead, Holton will have to rebuild both the offensive and defensive lines if it wants to make another deep postseason run. … Hugoton graduated 11 seniors off a 6-3 team, three of whom were three or four-year starters, including All-3A pick Griffin Heger. But seven starters do return on defense and five on offense and the upcoming classes were undefeated during their junior high campaigns. Miguel Hernandez will take over at quarterback after filling in there last year and leading the Eagles to three wins when an injury claimed the Eagles’ starter. … Starting the season 6-0, Parsons put together its best season in recent years, finishing 9-2 with the season ending the quarterfinals against Hayden. The Vikings lost All-3A pick Cade Brown and most of its offensive playmakers, but return eight starters on defense and three offensive line starters. Jason Smart, Makai Baugh and Demonta Kendrick are three-year starters who were among the team’s top defensive players last year. The biggest blow in the offseason was the tragic death of returning standout JahMarcus Washington and his memory will be a rallying point for the Vikings this season. … After putting up video game-like numbers for several straight years under quarterback Dalton Whitworth and his talented receiving corps, Rock Creek looked a bit more pedestrian last year. Which isn’t to say Mack Lee wasn’t impressive in his first year as starting quarterback. He still threw for well over 1,000 yards and led the Mustangs to a 6-4 record. Those numbers could soar back up to the his successor’s territory as he returns for his senior year and has four starting linemen back to protect him, including two-time All-Mid-East League pick Mason Faith. The bulk of his receiving corps will be new, so they’ll have to find their rhythm and the Mustangs also get a new league landscape moving to the North Central Kansas League this season. … Wellsville had one of the most prolific passing attacks in Class 3A last year, and maybe the state. Senior quarterback Willie Dorsey threw for 2,648 yards and 39 touchdowns, completing 73.4% of his passes. Receiver Dez Winton was an All-3A pick with 945 yards and 15 TDs. Both, however, have graduated along with second-leading receiver Brody Lee (768 yards, 11 TDs), leaving Wellsville with perhaps a new identity on that side of the ball. Willie’s younger brother, Pete, a sophomore, very well could step in to fill the void at QB and whoever starts there will have returning receivers Matt Newhouse and Kenyon Gillins back as dependable targets. The Eagles should be very good up front with four starters back led by Carter Wilmarth, who also was the team’s leading tackler last year and is one of eight starters back on that side of the ball. The Eagles are 28-3 the past three seasons and last year’s undefeated season ended with an upset loss to Holton in the second round of the playoffs.
 
 

 
CLASS 2A
 
2023 State champion: Nemaha Central
 
2023 State runner-up: Hoisington
 
2023 Review: Having to reload at the skill positions after graduating All-State Top 11 back Cooper Hajek and others off its 2022 Class 2A state championship team, Nemaha Central turned to a familiar face, well, name. Sophomore Carter Hajek not only filled the void left by his older brother, but arguably one-upped him. Led by a hulking offensive line led by All-State Top 11 pick Holden Bass, Hajek put the Thunder on his back and carried them back to the title game undefeated for the second straight year. But after taking a convincing win over Kingman in the 2022 title contest, Nemaha Central found itself in an unusual position in the 2023 game, trailing fellow unbeaten Hoisington, which had fought past Southeast of Saline 49-42 and Norton 30-21 in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The Cardinals scored just before halftime to take a 7-6 lead – the Thunder’s first halftime deficit of the season. But instead of letting Hoisington’s momentum snowball, Nemaha Central iced the game with 22 straight points to start the second half on its way to a 28-14 victory. It marked the second straight undefeated 13-0 season for the Thunder, who posted eight straight shutouts and finished the season outscoring their opponents 517-67. The championship was the third in five years for Nemaha Central while Hoisington was relegated to a 12-1 record and its second runner-up finish in four years.
 
2024 Contenders: Whatever question marks Nemaha Central had in its backfield going into last season after graduating every starter there off its 2022 state championship team, Carter Hajek didn’t take long to answer them. And in a big way. Hajek put the offense on his shoulders and took advantage of arguably the best offensive line in the state in any classification to have a monster year and lead the Thunder to a second straight undefeated 2A state championship. Logging 352 of Nemaha Central’s 495 carries last year, Hajek ran for a school-record 2,431 yards and 43 touchdowns, including a 266-yard, 4-touchdown performance on a snow-covered field in the Thunder’s 28-14 win over Hoisington in the state championship game. He also finished the season just shy of 1,000 yards passing, completing 62.7% of his passes for 962 yards and 10 touchdowns. His return instantly makes Nemaha Central the favorite to get the three-peat but there are some major holes for the Thunder to fill. Namely up front where not only is Top 11 lineman Holden Bass gone, but so are fellow standouts Abe Hilbert and Josh Gonzalez. That trio also shined defensively, making things easier for the back half of the defense. That group will be a strength this year with leading tacklers Abram Keim and Sam Nordhus returning at linebacker and Hajek and Caleb Strathman back in the secondary. Strathman is also a playmaker on offense and Keim will team with Reese Gerety to lead the offensive line. The Thunder have won 26 straight games and three state championships in the past five seasons. … Norton nearly found its way into last year’s title game, reeling off 11 straight wins to start the season before falling 30-21 to Hoisington in the state semifinals. Even with the loss of All-2A defensive end Roman Hauser and a handful of other starters, veteran coach Lucas Melvin may have his most experienced team yet. Nine starters are back on defense and eight return on offense. Eli Jones was outstanding at quarterback, leading the Bluejays in passing and rushing with a combined 3,100 yards, and All-2A receiver Tyce Melvin returns as his top target. Linemen Corbin Puga and Colton Stover have multiple years starting. Leading tackler Brennen Pfannenstiel also returns to lead a defense that allowed just 11 points per game last year. … For the second time in four years, Hoisington reached the 2A state championship game. But the Cardinals came away still looking for the first state championship in program history, falling 28-14 to defending champion Nemaha Central in a battle of unbeatens. Zach Baird has the Cardinal program at heights never seen before in program history and has gone 99-19 in his first 10 seasons. The Cardinals will definitely miss All-2A lineman Caiden Hoffman and quarterback Tony Moore. But plenty of talent returns, including All-2A defensive back Jason Robinson, who had 9 interceptions last year, as well as bruising fullback/linebacker Teron Kraft. Four starters return on the offensive line as well to help absorb the loss of Hoffman with younger brother Layton one of them. … For the fourth straight year, Southeast of Saline posted an undefeated regular season. But for the fourth straight year, the Trojans couldn’t turn that success into a berth in the state championship game. In going 10-1, the Trojans fell in another playoff heartbreaker, losing 49-42 to Hoisington in the state quarterfinals. The Trojans are 41-4 over the past four seasons and despite suffering some key graduation losses could be in position to experience similar success this season. Daniel Kejr moved into the quarterback job a year ago and flourished and this year will be someone else’s turn in a position that’s been key to the Trojans’ offensive success. Whoever takes over will have standout receiver Tucker Thaxton (825 yards, 8 TDs), starting running back Gray Gebhardt (452 yards, 8 TDs) and standout lineman Brody Chambers to complement him. The Trojans return seven starters defensively with Gebhardt last year’s leading tackler with 104. … An early playoff exit for the second straight year should have Silver Lake hungry to make a deeper run in 2024. The Eagles must replace the bulk of last year’s offensive production with the offense leaning heavily on departed quarterback Tanner Martin. Multiple candidates have been battling to fill those shoes this year and whoever wins the job will have a veteran group of receivers to throw to in the spread attack. Braden Strasbaugh will anchor both the offensive and defensive lines and the secondary will also be a strength for the Eagles. Silver Lake finished 8-2 last season with its losses to 3A runner-up Hayden and 2A semifinalist Sabetha. … State runner-up in 2021, Beloit is coming off a 5-5 season last season – a year in which the Trojans started 0-2, won three straight, lost two straight and then won two straight before falling to eventual runner-up Hoisington in the second round of the playoffs. The Trojans will be strong up front this season with four starters back on the offensive line led by senior Eli Johnson, who was first-team All-North Central Activities Association both ways last year, and fellow senior Brodie Boudreaux, who was all-league defensively. Ashton Bletcher and JJ Sloan return in the backfield, but will have to be more productive this year after the Trojans graduated their leading ground gainers from a year ago. … Now in his sixth season at Council Grove, Butch Hayes feels like he’s got his most talented team top to bottom this season. The Braves were 6-4 last year, but return nine starters each way, several of whom have started since their freshman seasons. Holden Ziegler is one of the top two-way linemen in 2A and one of those four-year starters, as is senior quarterback Ace Monihen, who played in just six games last year because of injury. He had more than 1,100 total yards in his limited action and replacement Luke Stewart threw for 1,035 yards and 10 TDs after taking over. Four of last year’s top-five tacklers return led by linebacker Landon Dody (81 tackles). … Replacing last year’s senior class will be a huge challenge for Ellsworth with that group leading the program to one of the most successful back-to-back stretches in program history. The Bearcats followed up an 8-2 season in 2022 with a 9-2 campaign last year with the lone losses coming to Southeast of Saline and Norton, the latter in the state quarterfinals. Among the graduation losses were two-time All-2A linebacker Loden West and quarterback Will Cravens. The Bearcats only return three starters on offense – all three up front in linemen Micah Galvan and Tyler Conley and tight end Cooper McGowan. McGowan is also one of four defensive starters back. … With more than half of its 2024 roster made up of freshmen, Garden Plain will be a young team this season. But there’s also plenty of experience back for the Owls to duplicate last year’s 8-2 record. The Owls opened last season going 1-1 against teams that ended up winning state titles last fall, beating 1A champ Conway Springs and falling to 3A champ Cheney. Graduation claimed All-2A tailback Gage Lee, who ran for more than 1,700 yards, but Seth Dugan returns as the All-2A kicker and a first-team all-district pick on both offense and defense. Lineman Kaeden Kasselman also was first-team All-Central Plains both ways and is one of four returning starters on the line. Brady Brack also returns at quarterback. … Humboldt went into the 2023 season with a huge hole to fill with the loss of All-2A back Trey Sommer, the team’s leading rusher and tackler from 2022. The Cubs reloaded just fine, going 9-2 with its only losses coming to Osage City and Sabetha. A complement to Sommer in 2022, Blake Ellis became the focal point of the offense last year at quarterback and threw for 1,631 yards and 19 touchdowns and ran for 1,045 yards and 12 touchdowns in just six games. His loss was a major blow, but allowed returning back Cole Mathes to step up and show his skills, rushing for 783 yards. Both are back this season as Humboldt returns nine starters on offense and seven on defense with the biggest holes at receiver where All-2A pick Sam Hull graduated, and the line where only two starters are back. … After playing in the 2022 state championship game, Kingman had to reload last year with the bulk of its key players from that runner-up team having graduated. The Eagles did that quite well, going 7-3 to keep the momentum going. Sixth-year coach Tanner Hageman thinks this year’s offensive line will be the best he’s had, returning all five starters led by first-team All-Central Plains pick Collin Schreiner -- and two key reserves. Though there are holes in the skill spots, senior quarterback Ben Bradshaw returns after throwing for more than 1,000 yards last year. … Lakin was oh so close to having a really good season last year, finishing 5-4 with three of the four losses by a combined 14 points to 3A schools. The Broncos have one of the best two-way players in 2A in senior Colter Oldham, who ran for over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns last year and also was the leading tackler (81). Lakin will have a new quarterback in Dru Peterson but also return three of five starting offensive linemen and eight starters overall on that side of the ball as well as seven on defense. … The loss of Landon Boss – a four-year starter and record-setting quarterback – seemed to be a hole that would be awfully tough for Osage City to fill in 2023. But sophomore Kasen Parsons stepped into the position and ran it like a Boss, enjoying a huge breakout season to lead the Indians to a 9-2 campaign and keep them among the best teams in 2A. Parsons threw for 2,401 yards and 26 touchdowns and ran for 864 yards and 12 scores. He’s one of six returning starters on offense and the Indians also return seven on defense, including leading tackler Austin Lamb. The 2023 senior class graduated as the winningest class in school history with 34 in four years and those 10 players will be tough to replace. … Riley County went 5-5 last year with two of those losses coming to eventual champion Nemaha Central. Eli Harmison and Sam Allen were a potent combo in last year’s backfield and both are back this season with both now three-year starters. The biggest holes are up front where Trent Webber is the lone returning starter on the offensive line. The linebacker corps will be a defensive strength with all four starters there back led by Harmison and Brett Hopper. … After going 6-4 in 2022, Russell slipped back to a 4-5 mark last year. The Broncos have a new coach with Cole Greenwood replacing Christien Ozores, who is now at Salina South. Greenwood inherits a team that returns eight starters on offense and seven on defense. Returning quarterback Mason Rohr threw for more than 1,400 yards last year and has back three of his top targets led by Walker Middleton and Max Evens, who combined for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 TDs. … Things may look a little different at Sabetha this year where not only did 21 seniors graduate off last year’s 10-2 team that suffered both of its losses to state champion and rival Nemaha Central, but veteran coach Garrett Michael, who led the program to 3A state titles in 2017 and 2018, has retired. Kaleb Moeller takes over the program after serving as an assistant for the past 10 years. Even in keeping with Sabetha’s “Faith, Family, Football” theme, he’ll be able to put his own stamp on the program with just two starters back on offense and three on defense. Mitchell Kramer got plenty of time at quarterback with an injury to last year’s starter and fellow senior Luke Renyer is the lone returner up front either way. … After a two-year stint in Class 1A where it captured a state title in 2022, St. Marys returns to 2A this season. CJ Marple takes over as head coach for the departed Kyle Schenk and inherits a talented team capable of challenging for a state title this season. The Bears capably replaced 2022 Top 11 quarterback Keller Hurla with younger brother Brady taking over the job a year ago and throwing for 1,280 yards and 14 touchdowns. Leading rushers Korleone Holz and Brenden Griffin also return and the defense will be led by linebackers Howie Rezac and Mehki Ketter, who were the leading tacklers a year ago when the Bears went 7-4 but saw a bid for a repeat title end with a quarterfinal loss to St. Mary’s Colgan.
 
 

 
CLASS 1A
 
2023 State champion: Conway Springs
 
2023 State runner-up: Jefferson County North
 
2023 Review: Conway Springs didn’t necessarily have “It’s not how you start, but how you finish,” as its mantra in 2023, but the Cardinals certainly made it a fitting theme for the season. After falling in the 2022 state semifinals to Inman, Conway Springs opened the 2023 season with consecutive losses to Garden Plain and Kingman. But after getting thumped 40-19 by Kingman, the Cardinals got things going. They survived a 40-34 win over Medicine Lodge in Week 4 and then won a rematch with the Indians in the state semifinals 34-19 to return to the title game for the first time since winning the Class 3A state title in 2011. On the other side of the bracket, Jefferson County North was enjoying the best season in school history. A 34-18 loss to St. Marys was the Chargers’ only hiccup during the regular season and a senior-dominated team got hot in the playoffs, knocking off traditional 1A powers Centralia, Olpe and St. Mary’s Colgan in back-to-back-to-back weeks to reach the state championship game for the first time in program history. North’s date with destiny, however, was denied by Conway Springs’ powerful ground game. Led by All-State Top 11 back Brayden Kunz, the Cardinals rolled up 454 yards on the ground while holding the Chargers to just 127 total yards in a 35-6 victory. Kunz finished with 313 yards and 3 touchdowns and Conway Springs captured the eighth state title in program history. Both teams finished with 11-2 records with North’s showing the best in program history.
 
2024 Contenders: After capturing the seventh state championship in program history – but the first since 2011 – Conway Springs has more than enough pieces to repeat as it did when it won four straight 3A titles from 2001-04. Of course, one very big piece from last year’s team will be missing as Top 11 pick Brayden Kunz has graduated. Kunz etched his name right alongside some of the program greats, rushing for 2,806 yards and 24 touchdowns and also leading the team in tackles. It will be more of a committee approach in the backfield this year with Isaac Winter and Cade Howell leading a solid group of returners. Eight starters return in all on offense and seven return on defense. The Cardinals started last year 0-2 before winning 11 straight and rolling past Jefferson County North in the state championship game. … After capturing five state championships from 2014-2021 in Class 2A, Rossville moves down to 1A this season, essentially switching spots with district rival St. Marys, which goes back up to 2A after a two-year stint in 1A. The Bears flourished in 1A, winning the 2022 state championship and reaching the quarterfinals last season. Rossville hopes to do the same after going 5-4 and falling in the first round of the playoffs last year. The Bulldawgs graduated All-2A lineman Barrett Lietz and two-year starting quarterback Camden Horak, but return six starters each way. While one Horak leaves the quarterback position another is ready to step in. Tayson Horak was a first-team All-Mid-East League receiver last year, but has the family pedigree to play quarterback with older brothers Tucker and Torrey both Top 11 selections who led the Bulldawgs to state championships. He’s battling junior Canann Mitchell, who missed his first season with an injury but is coming on strong. There are plenty of playmakers on the perimeter for whoever wins the job with Rossville’s biggest question marks up front after losing Lietz and others to graduation. … A second-round playoff exit was far too early for Smith Center, which routinely plays deep into November and regularly is on the short list of teams capable of winning it all. The Redmen were in a bit of transition with Mike Rogers taking over as head coach last year after 31 years as an assistant. Year two should go well even with graduation claiming seven starters on offense and six on defense. A strong junior class will lead the Redmen this year with Parker Hutchinson returning at quarterback looking to improve on his performance of a year ago when he had just over 700 combined rushing and passing yards. Kharson Montgomery was first-team All-Mid-Continent League on the line and anchors the defensive front as well. Smith Center’s only regular-season loss was by four points to 2A semifinalist Norton, but the Redmen were bounced from the playoffs by Marion 38-14. … As successful as Sedgwick has been during Jeff Werner’s 17-year tenure, going 131-46, the Cardinals are still looking for that breakthrough to get to a championship game. This could be the year with 18 seniors on the roster, including eight returning starters on defense and six on offense. Sedgwick’s passing game has always been deadly and Corey Crumrine returns after throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns last year. Top receiver Dallas Legree, who also was the All-1A kicker, is also back and a full season from tailback Brandon Ferguson will help matters after he had two 100-yard games early before a season-ending injury. Sedgwick was 8-2 a year ago, falling in the playoffs to Valley Heights in a 52-40 shootout. … Even after losing starting quarterback Dexton Hoelting in the second game of the season, Olpe hung tough to go 8-3 last year with two of its losses to teams that finished as state runners-up – 3A Hayden and 1A Jefferson North. Hoelting is back for his senior season and if he can stay healthy this time around, the Eagles may soar back into the conversation as one of the favorites in the east with some of last year’s top teams on that side of the state either suffering huge graduation losses (Jeff North, Colgan) or moving classes (St. Marys up to 2A). Seven starters return on defense for the Eagles, a side of the ball that’s long been a major strength under veteran coach Chris Schmidt. … Suffering one of its losses to 2A Garden Plain and the other to eventual state runner-up Jefferson County North, Centralia fashioned an 8-2 record that saw the Panthers win another Twin Valley League title. The Panthrs lost a key playmaker in the form of two-year All-1A pick Maveryk Becker as well as standout linebackers Brody Grossnickle and Colton Slater, but only six graduated overall leaving Centralie with plenty of experience this season. Jacob Flentie returns at quarterback after tearing his ACL in mid-season a year ago. The line has experience, but not much depth so staying healthy is a key, as it is with most 1A programs. … Following a down season in 2022, Jackson Heights bounced back to go 8-2 a year ago, getting some infusion into the program when neighboring Wetmore closed its doors. Expectations are much higher for the Cobras this year with nine starters back on offense and eight on defense. Junior quarterback Drake Mellies is in his third year as a starter, coming in as an impact freshman in 2021 and then account for nearly 2,000 yards of total offense and 27 touchdowns last year. Second-leading rusher Kade Holliday also is back and the backfield will get a boost with the return of senior Titus Eisenbarth, who missed the bulk of last season with a broken ankle. Four starting linemen also return led by seniors JW Moore and and Max Watkins. … Jayhawk-Linn dominated in all eight of its wins a year ago, but couldn’t quite hang with Olpe and St. Mary’s Colgan, the latter a 63-6 playoff loss that ended the Jayhawks’ 8-2 season. By that time, the team had lost starting quarterback Nate Johnson and All-1A receiver Gus Grote to season-ending injuries. Grote has graduated, but Johnson is back and has All-1A tight end Braeden Nation back as his leading receiver. Standout lineman Jacen Taylor also returns as the Jayhawks look to take the next step this season. … Jefferson County North put together the best season in school history last year, going 11-2 and reaching the state championship game for the first time in program history. The Chargers knocked off perennial playoff powers Centralia, Olpe and St. Mary’s Colgan in consecutive weeks to reach the title game before falling to Conway Springs. The task this year is to replace an 11-member senior class that keyed the historic season, including All-1A picks RB Tweed and Grady Noll, among others. Seniors Abraham Noll and Andrew Baker have started since their sophomore years but will take on leading roles this year. Will Elias will replace Noll at quarterback and Eli Weishaar will take over as the feature back after seeing plenty of time the past two seasons. North will be hard-pressed to duplicate last year’s run, but will still be a tough out come postseason time. … The 1-2 punch of Jack Lanning and Trevor Schafers, both All-1A picks, will be tough for Marion to replace after the duo led the Warriors to a 9-2 season and state quarterfinals. Junior Jameson Looper is the lone returner to the backfield and ran for nearly 500 yards last year. He’ll benefit from an offensive line that returns three starters led by Brian Nguyen, a first-team All-Heart of America League selection. Nguyen and Looper also return at linebacker to lead seven returning starters on that side of the ball. … Arguably the surprise team in Class 1A a year ago, Medicine Lodge went 9-3 to enjoy one of the best seasons in program history. Two of the Indians’ three losses came to eventual champion Conway Springs, including a 40-34 defeat in the regular season and 34-19 loss in the playoffs. Though a strong senior class that included All-1A lineman Harlem Miller and leading tackler Carter Cunningham graduated, the Indians return one of the best players in 1A in quarterback Keveon Ruiz, who accounted for more than 2,500 yards of total offense and 31 touchdowns. If Medicine Lodge can complement and protect Ruiz, the Indians won’t catch anyone by surprise this season. … Moundridge returns to 11-player football this season after enjoying one of its best seasons last year in Eight-Player Division I. The Wildcats finished with a 9-1 record, the lone loss coming to Chase County in the second round of the playoffs. To that point, Moundridge had been dominant, outscoring its first nine foes by a 496-58 count. How quickly they can make adjustments to the new landscape will be the key because there’s plenty of talent back to make the transition a successful one. Senior Henry Hecox enters his third year as starting quarterback and threw for 822 yards and 16 TDs and ran for 807 yards and 21 scores. He’s also the leading returning tackler. Bear Moddelmog was an All-8M-I receiver with 10 TD grabs and junior Kaizer Kanitz had 9 interceptions on defense and 5 punt return touchdowns. Only one starter returns on the line and the Wildcats now must find two additional starters there as well. … Sterling didn’t quite have the huge breakthrough season it was looking for last year, but the Black Bears had a loaded schedule that included five teams that won at least one playoff game. The 6-4 season included a pair of losses to state champion Conway Springs and a one-point loss to semifinalist Medicine Lodge. Numbers continue to grow for the program and that will help Sterling absorb some key graduation losses with only six starters back total. Among the losses were All-1A lineman Gabe Riffel and the bulk of his mates up front. Junior tailback-linebacker Zane Farney is one of the top players in 1A and has started both ways since his freshman year, rushing for 1,506 yards and 16 touchdowns last year while also leading the team in tackler with 74. … A standout senior class helped St. Mary’s Colgan to a 20-3 record over the past two seasons, including last year’s 11-1 mark. Colgan was denied its first trip to the championship game since 2017 by a senior-dominated Jefferson County North team, falling 20-13 in the state semifinals. Graduation claimed All-1A picks Cooper Simmons, Tristan Voss, Tucker Harrell and Jade Tenry, among others leaving the Panthers with just four players back who started a year ago. The entire line will be replaced as will the entire backfield with just receiver’s Klayton Adamson and Anthony Schremmer back on offense. The entire front seven on defense also needs replaced. Colgan’s tradition will have to come up big to keep the Panthers in the hunt this season but a junior-dominated roster can lay the groundwork for future success. … Injuries decimated Troy early last season and the Trojans struggled to a 1-3 start before winning three of its final four in the regular season. The Trojans’ growth showed in the playoffs as they got out to a 19-0 lead on eventual state runner-up Jefferson North before the Chargers stormed back for the 48-22 win. Five starters return each way from the 4-5 team, including quarterback Gannon Bowe, who threw for 2,033 yards and 17 touchdowns last year. Leading receiver Logan Blevins was a first-team All-Twin Valley League pick and is recovering from ACL surgery, but should be ready to go from the get-go. Troy moves to the Northeast Kansas League this season. … The addition of transfer Carson Spoonts proved to be an X-factor for Valley Heights last season as he led the Mustangs to an 8-3 record and the state quarterfinals. Unfortunately for Heights, he was a one and done and the reins for the Mustangs’ triple option offense will be turned over to sophomore Everson Parker. He can lean on returning back Jayden DeWalt, a first-team All-Twin Valley League pick who ran for more than 1,000 yards in a complementary role to Spoonts. Four offensive linemen also return among six starters back on that side of the ball and eight starters return defensively, led by leading tackler Gavin Crowder at linebacker.
 
 

 
EIGHT-PLAYER DIVISION I
 
2023 State champion: Lyndon
 
2023 State runner-up: Wichita County
 
2023 Review: Returning the bulk of its 2022 state quarterfinal team, Lyndon already had the look of a team capable of contending for a state championship in 2023. Then the Tigers got the X-factor. When Lyndon hired Megan Heckel as its girls basketball coach, it landed one of the top overall athletes in the state in Tanner Heckel – a three-sport standout who had helped Inman to consecutive state runner-up finishes in Class 1A in 2021 and 2022. And what a difference maker he was. Heckel turned in an all-world season to earn All-State Top 11 honors – accounting for nearly 3,400 yards and 72 touchdowns – and lead Lyndon to the first title game in program history. The task to complete the storybook undefeated season was no small one as awaiting the Tigers in the finals was defending state champion Wichita County, which was not only riding a 25-game winning streak but had been the most dominant team in Eight-Player Division I all season. The Indians hadn’t had a game closer than 32 points all season and had outscored their first 12 foes leading up to the title game by a combined 742-120. But a snowy Fischer Field in Newton was the perfect backdrop for Lyndon’s dream season to come to fruition. The Tiger defense was more than up to the task of slowing down the Indians. Averaging 61.8 points per game, Wichita County was held to a single first-half touchdown and less than 200 yards of total offense, including just 2 passing yards. Heckel, meanwhile, ran for 254 yards and 4 touchdowns as Lyndon completed the 13-0 season with a 34-6 trouncing of the defending champions.
 
2024 Contenders: Everything pointed to a successful title defense for Wichita County a year ago as the Indians followed up their 2022 championship season by steamrolling its way back to the title game last fall. They didn’t have a game closer than 32 points in reaching the title game and scored at least 54 points in every game, averaging 61.8 points per game. But Lyndon had other ideas in the title game and the Tiger defense did the unthinkable, holding Wichita County to just one score in a 34-6 championship game win. The sour ending will serve as plenty of motivation this year and though Wichita County suffered some big graduation losses, the program is rolling and those holes will be filled. The biggest losses were quarterback Wyatt Gardner and lineman Christopher Michel, both All-8M-I picks. So was running back/defensive end Khris Hermosillo, who does return after battling injuries a year ago. He’s one of four starters on offense and Max Whitham takes over as the Indians’ dominant lineman this year as the only returning starter from that group. Five starters are back on defense, one that was perhaps a bit overshadowed by the Indians’ explosive offense last year, but allowed just 154 points in 13 games. … If Wichita County isn’t the favorite in Division I this year, then Hoxie very well could be. The wrestling powerhouse has seen that success carry over to the gridiron as well and the Indians boast star power all over the field. Duncan Bell threw for 1,545 yards and 22 touchdowns last year and has leading receiver Sam Watkins and leading rusher Braydon Scheetz back to complement him. The biggest question mark is up front where every starter graduated. Though six starters return on defense, the loss of linebacker and leading tackler Jonathan Mader leaves a big hole. Watkins was first-team All-8M-I like Mader and gives Hoxie bookends on the defensive line along with senior Trent Fenner who combined for 27 tackles for loss. Hoxie was 9-2 last season, its season ending in the quarterfinals with a two-point loss to Ell-Saline. The only other loss came to Wichita County in district play and the two very well could battle it out for supremacy in the west this season. … A state quarterfinalist for the second straight year, Rawlins County wants to take the next step this season coming off last year’s 9-2 showing. The only losses came to Hoxie and Wichita County, the two teams the Buffaloes will likely have to get past in the west again this season. Senior Ryan Sramek had a monster year rushing the ball last year with with 1,982 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground on his way to All-8M-I honors. He’ll move to quarterback this season, but expect him to still be a dominant runner. Dorian Culwell ran for 597 yards and 6 TDs last year and will keep defenses honest. Rawlins County does have to fill some holes on the line with Daylan Fairchild the lone returning starter there. He’s also the Buffaloes’ only true size. The defense returns five players who had at least 55 tackles last year. … Great regular seasons followed by premature playoff endings became a thing of the past last year for West Elk, which bounced back from a first-round playoff upset in 2022 to reaching the state quarterfinals last year. Both times it was Lyndon doing the honors of thwarting the Patriots with last year’s Tiger team going on to win the state championship. That’s where West Elk would like to be this year and the Patriots certainly have the firepower to do it. An offense that averaged nearly 55 points per game returns its top three weapons. Creyo Koop is a four-year starter at tailback with nearly 4,000 rushing yards and 85 TDs in his career. Last year, he went for 1,563 yards and 37 TDs. Fellow back Maddex Moreno added nearly 400 yards and 6 TDs on the ground and quarterback Trent Haag had more than 1,000 yards of total offense and 21 TDs. … All three seniors also are the leading returners on defense. The biggest question marks for West Elk is up front where no starters return on offense. … After reaching the state semifinals last year, expectations are extremely high for Ell-Saline, which finished 10-2 overall. The Cardinals dropped their season opener to Moundridge before reeling off 10 straight wins until the streak ended with a 64-28 loss to Wichita County in the semifinals. The loss of All-8M-I linebacker Ryder Dent is a big hole to fill, but five starters are back. Reese Krone will move from tight end to quarterback to replace Marshall Johnson and has two linemen returning in Jacob Tillberg and Victor Ruiz-Torres who are three-year starters. Kas Kramer is a playmaker for Krone in the passing game so developing a run game to complement that will be a key. … One of the top eight-player programs in the state over the past several years, Canton-Galva has a whole new look to it. Ted Regehr has replaced Shelby Hoppes as head coach and takes over a team that returns only one starter back, senior Noah Collins. He’s one of just two seniors expected to start this season and the bulk of the Eagle squad will be made up of sophomores getting their first taste of varsity experience. Canton-Galva was 8-2 in Division II last year after reaching the semifinals in 2022 but move back up to Division I where the program won a state title in 2019. … Central-Burden also has a new coach with Tyler Lampert replacing Jeff Savage at the helm of the Raiders. Central-Burden went 9-1 a year ago with the lone loss coming to Cair Paravel in the playoffs. It was the only game the Raiders didn’t score at least 44 points as the boasted an explosive offense with Jace Wunderlich running it. He’s gone as are every starter but one with lineman Ramon Lopez the lone returner. A handful of talented freshmen will occupy key skill roles this season with Treighton Hafenstein taking over at quarterback and running a new-look under Lampert. … Central Plains moves up to Division I coming off a 7-3 season. The Oilers also have a new head coach with JD Johnson replacing JD Klima. Unlike Canton and Central, the Oilers have quarter a bit of experience back with seven returning starters total, five of whom earned second-team All-Central Prairie League honors a year ago led by senior back Eli Hurley and junior lineman Landon Daniels. … When Mitch Budke was around it often appeared like Chase County was a one-man show with the video-game numbers he put up. But last season, the Bulldogs proved that there was plenty of quality around him as with Budke having graduated, Chase County not only maintained its success, but enjoyed one of its deepest postseason runs in reaching the state quarterfinals before falling to a talented Cair Paravel squad. It was the Bulldogs’ second loss to the Lions during the season and in the regular season Chase County gave eventual champion Lyndon by far its toughest game of the season in a 38-34 loss. The Bulldogs were hit hard by graduation from their 7-4 team, including All-8M-I defensive end Micah Cauthers and linebacker Brock Griffin as well as do-everything talent Tucker Groh. Wyatt Griffin returns at quarterback after enjoying a strong debut season at the position, throwing for more than 1,300 yards and 24 touchdowns. … With more than 30 players out, Clifton-Clyde has the numbers to absorb key personnel losses off last year’s 7-3 squad, including quarterback Trent Long and leading receiver Drayden Reed. The line returns two starters who earned second-team All-Twin Valley League honors and Jack Skocny likely will step in to replace Long after lining up all over offensively a year ago. Oliver Nobert and Brodin Koch give the Eagles a pair of standout linebackers. Clifton-Clyde won a wild 84-78 playoff opener with Hill City last year before falling to Wichita County in the second round. … Ellis makes the move down from 11-man this season and though the Railers were just 4-5 a year ago, they return starters at every position except quarterback to make the transition perhaps a relatively smooth one. Ellis boasted a big-time passing game and though All-1A receiver Mason Younger is gone, Caleb Noble is back after having 733 yards and 11 TDs. Toby Honas has been a rock on the offensive and defensive lines entering his third year as a starter. … Following two years of deep playoff runs, Hill City dealt with plenty of adversity a year ago and finished just 5-4. The Ringnecks will miss four-year starter Aiden Amrein, who was in and out of the lineup a year ago as well as leading rusher Jaden Nuss, but Dayton Stephen is back as the team’s leading receiver and is a three-year starter along with lineman/linebacker Sylar Rohr, who was the team’s leading tackler. All starters on the line are back and a pair of talented freshmen in Archer Amrein and Jaxson Smith will contribute immediately. … State champion in 2020 and runner-up in 2021 and 2022, Little River exited the playoffs in the second round last year, finishing with a 7-3 mark. The Redskins will have to replace their top-two rushers from last year in Andrew Smith and Carter Stansbury, with Stansbury also the team’s leading tackler. But they have plenty of experience up front led by senior Ruxton Birdsong and the depth of the program should help fill the voids in the skill positions. Veteran coach Kevin Ayres knows how to reload and expectations remain high this season. … Lyndon captured the first state championship in program history a year ago, going 13-0 and ending Wichita County’s one-year reign with a dominating 34-6 win in the championship game. The Tigers will have to reload in a big way as a stellar senior class has graduated after the undefeated season. Transfer Tanner Heckel pushed an already loaded team over the top last year on his way to Top 11 honors. Replacing him is impossible, and the Tigers also lost All-8M-I picks Jalen Massey, Kaedin Massey and Casten Wirth. Even this year’s returning starters will be in new places. Eli Feltner moves from center to replace Heckel at quarterback (his natural position) while the slot trio of James Marcotte, Lucas Griffin and Landon Walker will now be at running back (Marcotte), receiver (Griffin) and slot (Walker). Marcotte is the lone returning defensive starter at linebacker. … Meade has gone 17-4 in Clint Kuhns’ first two seasons as head coach, including an 8-2 mark last year. The Buffaloes return four starters each way led by seniors Jace Jones and Alek Holguin both of whom are ends. Replacing All-8M-I running back Brock Keith will be a huge challenge after he rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 26 touchdowns as well as being a receiving threat in the passing game. … Just 4-4 in the regular season, South Central got on a heater in the postseason and rode the momentum all the way to the Eight-Player Division II state championship game. The magical run ended there with a blowout loss to Axtell, but the momentum from the finish should carry over as South Central moves up to Division I this year. Five starters return each way and there are playmakers in that bunch. Senior quarterback JT Prusa had a breakout season with 1,776 yards and 34 TDs rushing and another 561 yards and 11 TDs passing. He’s got leading receiver Jamie Sarmiento back, but lost standout tight end/linebacker Gavin Uhl. Sarmiento also was big in catching other team’s passes, picking up 9 interceptions on defense. Jack Herd and Jase Rutherford return on the offensive line and both had over 80 tackles defensively last year. The landscape in Division I west is tough, but South Central has the talent to challenge. … WaKeeney-Trego is coming off a 7-3 season and though the Golden Eagles don’t have a ton of seniors, they do have a ton of experience. Seven starters return each way, several of whom were sophomore starters a year ago. That includes quarterback Ashton Wynn, who had more than 1,700 yards of total offense, and leading tackler Cass Smith (105 tackles). The entire offensive line is made up of returning senior starters and is deep enough that junior Traxton Malley can move to an end position this season.
 
 

 
EIGHT-PLAYER DIVISION II
 
2023 State champion: Axtell
 
2023 State runner-up: South Central
 
2023 Review: Axtell is starting to make this look easy. After running past Wheatland-Grinnell 44-18 for the 2021 Eight-Player Division II state championship, the Eagles have left no doubt in extending their title streak to three straight championships. Axtell used a quick flurry of scores to break open the 2022 championship game against Thunder Ridge, ending the contest in the second half with a 76-28 blowout. In securing the three-peat last fall, the Eagles didn’t let it get that far. After going three-and-out on its first offensive series, Axtell buried South Central with an avalanche of touchdowns, scoring 50 straight points to end the game at halftime, 50-0. The Eagles got four touchdown runs from standout Brandon Schmelzle and added a defensive and special teams score to clinch its third straight undefeated state championship. The Eagles have now won 39 straight games – the longest active winning streak in the state – and last season turned in their most dominant fall yet, despite the graduation of All-State Top 11 quarterback Isaac Detweiler from their first two title teams. Axtell outscored its opponents 734-88 and allowed just one team to score more than one touchdown, that a 60-44 win over Cair Paravel in the season opener. South Central was somewhat of a surprise finalist, starting the season 0-2 and sitting 2-3 before ripping off seven straight wins, including playoff upsets of undefeated Minneola and perennial power Victoria in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The Timberwolves were making their first championship game appearance since the consolidation for Coldwater and Protection, each of those programs capturing state titles during their existence.
 
2024 Contenders: Axtell has been on some kind of roll the past three seasons, posting three straight undefeated Eight-Player Division II state championships. Last year’s edition may very well have been the best of those title teams. After giving up 44 points to Division I semifinalist Cair Paravel in the season opener, the Eagles allowed just 44 points in their next 12 games combined, pitching five shutouts including a 50-0 trouncing of South Central in the championship game with the contest ending at halftime. The championship run coincided with the arrival of this year’s senior class, which may not be big in numbers with only six, but has been huge in terms of talent and impact. Brandon Schmelzle moved from a hybrid back/receiver role on the 2021 and 2022 title teams to quarterback last year and set the state record for completion percentage in a season at 82.6% of his passes. He threw for 1,571 yards and 29 touchdowns and also ran for 790 yards and 21 TDs, directing an offense that never scored less than 46 points in a game and finished with 734 on the season. He also had 9 interception on defense. The weapons around Schmelzle are numerous with fellow senior Eli Broxterman accounting for 1,128 rushing and receiving yards and 23 touchdowns and junior Landon Schmitz adding 299 yards and 8 TDs on just 12 carries. The receiving corps lost leader Grady Buessing, but the combo of junior Colin Shaughnessy, sophomore Wyatt Detweiler and senior Rilyn Buessing will more than fill that void. Of the three seniors lost off last year’s title team, two were All-8M-II selections on the line, Sawyer Deters and Grant Buessing. Senior Blaise Buessing is the lone returner up front either way so filling the holes around him on both sides of the ball will be the key to the Eagles’ bid for a four-peat this season. … Last year Frankfort posted its most wins since moving to eight-player football, going 9-3. And if it wasn’t for facing Axtell twice, the Wildcats may have not only had more but been a state champion. They lost twice to the now-three-time reigning champions, 46-0 in the regular season and 52-6 in the state semifinals. The only other loss came to Division I state champion Lyndon. In order to get to that title game, Frankfort will likely have to get past Axtell again but the Wildcats do have the firepower to do it, returning six starters each way and boasting a big and talented senior class led by four-year starters Lane Loiseau and Ty Smith. Loiseau is a utility-type on offense and had nearly 1,200 combined rushing and receiving yards and 23 touchdowns. He’s also a standout defender. Junior quarterback Wes Anderson has started since his freshman season and has thrown for 3,551 yards and 55 touchdowns in his first two years, including 2,184 yards and 34 TDs last year. His top target in the passing game is senior Carter Olson, who had 40 catches for 768 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. The line lost All-8M-II pick Wyatt Keller and Smith will anchor both side of the front despite being undersized at just 150 pounds. Frankfort will also miss weapon Ole Martin Save, last year’s All-8M-II kicker. Frankfort won a playoff game for the sixth straight year last fall, a program record. … After opening the season with a tough loss to Kinsley, Victoria reeled off nine straight wins before getting upset by South Central in the state semifinals with a 42-20 loss. The Knights were plagued by turnovers in that contest, slowing an offense that had scored 44 or more points in all nine victories. Junior lineman Kyle Huser will be a big piece to build around as a two-year starter already, but the Knights lost All-8M-II pick Seth Schwien. Cale Braun and Matt Pfeifer return after being first-team All-Central Prairie League picks at linebacker and running back, respectively. The Knights always are a factor in the postseason and the west appears to be wide open this year. … A perennial contender in Division I during Jeff Slater’s 11-year tenure, Burlingame moves down to Division II this year and adds to an already deep field in the east bracket. The Bearcats are coming off a 5-4 season last year, with all four losses to teams that reached the state quarterfinals, including state champion Lyndon and semifinalist Cair Paravel. A big and talented senior class will have the Bearcats in the hunt, many of whom are three and four-year starters. JD Tyson took over the quarterback position last year and ran with it, literally, rushing for 552 yards and 10 touchdowns while also passing for 1,336 yards and 21 TDs. He’s got his three leading receivers back in Dane Winters, Timmy Roberts and Drake Skirvin, though Roberts will likely move from tight end to running back to fill a void there. Winters holds school single season and career records for receptions, yards and touchdowns and also shines defensively where he had 5 interceptions a year ago. Parker Haid is a four-year starter on the offensive and defensive line and Burlingame will start three seniors up front. Tyson and Roberts were the leading tacklers last year. … Dighton rebounded from a 1-3 start to advance to the state quarterfinals before falling to Victoria. The Hornets should hit the ground running this season, returning all but two seniors off last year’s team, one of those – Carson Shimer – only playing in two games because of injury. Senior quarterback Daniel Cramer threw for 1,024 yards and 18 touchdowns last year and ran for 915 yards and 11 TDs while fellow senior Ryland Price added 797 yards on the ground. Senior George von Leonrod added 451 yards rushing and was the leading receiver and leading tackler for the Hornets last year with 149 stops and 15 tackles for loss. The Hornets will find out plenty about itself, opening the season with Division I quarterfinalist Rawlins County. … Argonia-Attica drops down from Division I this season coming off back-to-back 5-4 seasons after going 8-2 in 2021 and 9-2 in 2020. The Titans return seven players who started at some point last year on offense and five on defense. Junior Carson Vineyard earned postseason honors at running back, linebacker and returner while seniors Andrew Bennett and Carter Swingle did the same on offense and defense. Vineyard was the leading tackler and will take on an even bigger role offensively this year after serving as a complement to departed standout Dalton Morrison. … State runner-up in six-player football in 2022, Ashland returns to eight-player football this season. The Bluejays only have 12 players to start the season so staying healthy will be a must if they are to continue to experience the success they enjoyed at the six-player level which saw them finish top four each of the last six seasons. Lathan McPhail and Peyton Betschart are the lone returning starters from last year’s 9-2 team and the Bluejays will have to count on several freshmen to play big roles this season. … It wasn’t long ago that it was Hanover that was the dominant force in eight-player football, authoring a eight-player state record winning streak of 43 straight games during a stretch where it won three straight state championships from 2016-2018. The Wildcats also were state champions in 2020 before Axtell began its current title streak. After a down 2022 season, Hanover bounced back with a 6-5 season that included four losses to teams that reached the state semifinals. Hanover returns five starters this year, led by senior quarterback Reiken Stallbaumer, who threw for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran for 504 yards and 11 scores. Alec Jueneman led the Wildcats in rushing last year as a sophomore with 752 yards and Stallbaumer’s top three receivers also return with Camron Jueneman the yardage and TD leader (578 yards, 7 TDs) and also a first-team All-Twin Valley League pick on the defensive line. Hanover’s biggest holes are up front with just one starter back each way. Sledding in the Twin Valley League is tough with Axtell and Frankfort among the state favorites, but Hanover has tradition and talent to be right there. … Having to rely on a lot of underclassmen a year ago, Hodgeman County went 5-4. The dividends should show up this year with the bulk of that team returning. Departed quarterback Owen Reece will be missed after accounting for nearly 2,500 yards of total offense and 44 touchdowns, but younger brother Ian, a sophomore, will take his place after being the second-leading receiver last year as a freshman. He’ll have one of the top ends in the state to throw to in Hazen Rydquist, who had 90 catches for 874 yards and 9 TDs last year. … Hutchinson Central Christian returns seven starters each way from last year’s 6-4 team. The Cougars have eight seniors on their 17-player roster, so experience is great. Senior Nate Reed threw for 923 yards and 12 TDs last year and junior Justus Huff had 692 yards rushing and was the leading tackler with 95 as well as picking off 7 passes from his secondary position. Ry Kooiman and Jayden Linscheid were also key players both ways. … Lebo lost just two seniors off last year’s team, but that duo combined to lead the Wolves in rushing, receiving, interceptions and tackles. The Wolves finished 6-4, their fourth straight year of going at least two rounds in the playoffs. With eight starters back total, that streak should continue. Line play will be a strength with four guys back who started at some point led by senior Zach Oswald. Senior quarterback Drew Konrade battled nagging injuries a year ago that limited him in the run game, but he still threw for over 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 379 yards and 5 scores. He’ll miss all-purpose back Corey Reese, but seniors Taegan Kelley and Eli Hauff do return to complement him in the backfield. … Winning its first Three Rivers League title since 2012 a year ago, Marmaton Valley has sights not only on that crown but bigger ones as well this year. The Wildcats finished 6-3 overall, and the early playoff exit is a source of motivation. Fourth-year coach Max Mickunas has his most experienced and deepest team of his tenure, returning six starters. Senior quarterback Brayden Lawson is a three-year starter who threw for 1,474 yards and 30 touchdowns and ran for 645 yards and 8 TDs a year ago. Both his top receivers return in senior Jaedon Granere (578 yards, 14 TDs) and Tyler Lord (9 TDs). Junior Brevyn Campbell was the team’s leading tackler last year as a sophomore. The line will be young with two sophomores expected to start, but the skill and speed the Wildcats put on the field will help them grow. … The only loss Minneola suffered a year ago came to South Central in the state quarterfinals as the Wildcats got caught up in the Timberwolves’ postseason run, falling 58-12. Minneola will have a different look this year with the graduation of do-everything quarterback Eli Lang, a two-time All-8M-II pick who racked up more than 2,700 yards of total offense and 46 touchdowns last year. Second-leading rusher James Littlewood and second-leading receiver Caden Miller also graduated but leading receiver Jesse Smith does return and will lead the offense this season. Cole Norton also returns on the line after being a first-team All-SPIAA pick. … With depth an issue, staying healthy will be a key for Osborne, which went 9-2 a year ago with its losses coming to Hanover and Axtell. The Bulldogs battled the injury bug a big last year, but return five starters each way. Dalton Garman split time at quarterback last year with Doak Guttery but will man the position the whole way this year. He had a combined 1,244 yards and 22 touchdowns rushing and receiving last year and returning back Dawson Lantz added 827 yards and 14 TDs on the ground, giving the Bulldogs a strong 1-2 backfield punch going into the 2024 season. Gage Seifried is the lone returning lineman, however. … After winning just four games in Brian Henry’s first three years at Rural Vista, the Heat took a big step forward with last year’s 5-5 showing – the most wins ever for the program since the consolidation of Hope and White City’s programs. The signature win was a 66-50 shootout playoff victory of Marmaton Valley, its first-ever playoff victory. Only one senior graduated, lineman Cody Brown, Rural Vista returns seven starters on offense, five of whom started last year as sophomores. Five returners earned All-Wheat State League honors of some kind with seniors Gavin Carson and Logan Tate and junior Kole Riedy getting honors both ways. Carson was the leading tackler last year and third-leading rusher behind Riedy (819 yards, 11 TDs) and Tate (702 yards, 11 TDs). Koden Sanford added 951 yards and 15 TDs passing as a sophomore starter at QB. … Sylvan-Lucas was 7-2 last year with losses to Victoria and Minneola. It was the third seven-win season in the past for years for the Mustangs, who must replace standouts Brody Batchman and Lane Homewood. … Thunder Ridge has put together seven straight years of winning seasons and playoff berths, not to mention seven straight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. Who will be the latter guy to keep the other streaks going is to be determined. Mason Baker was the workhorse a year ago, rushing for 1,925 yards and 30 touchdowns and also throwing for 986 yards and 11 TDs. Junior Evan Slavik will replace him at quarterback after being the leading receiver a year ago and senior Jimmy Escobar is the leading returning rusher, but only had 122 yards a year ago. Two starters return on the line, and leading tackler Josh Ferguson will need to be replaced at linebacker. … Waverly returns to eight-player football after a brief two-year stint in six-player. The Bulldogs were one of the top six-player teams during that short run, going 9-1 last year with the lone loss coming to Tescott in a 5-overtime shootout. The loss of three-year starting quarterback Ben Meehan is a big blow and sophomore Jayden Wilcox will be tasked with filling those shoes. But playmakers return around him with junior Ty Glissman back at receiver after being an All-6-Man pick with 497 yards and 10 TDs and running backs Carter Ohl and Dustin Foster also back after combining for nearly 1,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. Two linemen also return and six starters are back on defense.
 
 

 
SIX-PLAYER
 
2023 State champion: Cheylin
 
2023 State runner-up: Cunninghame
 
2023 Review: This one is official. When Cheylin captured the Six-Player state championship in 2020, the classification was still in its formative stages. The championship hadn’t yet been sanctioned by the KSHSAA and the title game was dubbed the Wild West Bowl. That title team was led by Colton McCarty. The 2023 version was led by younger brother, Logan, who led a talented senior class to an undefeated season. The Cougars’ toughest tests along the way were a pair of victories over 2022 state runner-up Ashland, a 62-32 win in Week 2 and a 66-27 win in the state semifinals. To get the first state title in any sport in Cheylin history, the Cougars had to knock off defending champion Cunningham, which had reeled off 11 straight wins after dropping a 32-22 decision to Ashland in the season opener. The Wildcats had allowed just 12 points during that winning streak, but in the title game McCarty and Co. were simply too much. McCarty threw for 292 yards and 5 touchdowns and ran for 98 yards and 3 touchdowns as Cheylin rolled to a 57-8 win with the game ending in the third quarter via mercy rule. Cunningham finished 11-2 and has appeared in both KSHSAA-sanctioned six-player championship games.
 
2024 Contenders: State champion in 2022, Cunningham was denied the repeat by Cheylin a year ago, falling 57-8 in the championship game. The only other loss in an 11-2 season came to Ashland in the season opener, a rematch of the 2022 championship game. No team in six-player returns as much as Cunningham does, even with the likes of All-Six-Player picks Luke McGuire and Jack Ruckle having graduated. Luke Albers was a first-team All-Six-Player receiver with 509 yards and 9 TDs and teamed with Will Wegerer to make a dynamic duo in leading Cunningham to the 1A Division II state basketball championship last March. The two could be just as dynamic on the gridiron this fall with Wegerer moving into the full-time quarterback role after throwing for a team-best 839 yards and 20 touchdowns while splitting time with McGuire. Three of the top-four tacklers on defense return led by junior Dylan Halderson, and senior Dagim Reed is a serious weapon in the kicking game. … A perennial contender in eight-player Division II, South Barber comes down to the six-player division this year. The Chieftains will be young with just one senior expected to start and not very deep with just 13 players out. But the lone senior is a good one as Oakley Duvall was the leading receiver for departed quarterback Briggs Jewell and also was the leading tackler with 129 stops. Younger brother Brayden is the only other returning starter, but veteran coach Matt Cantrell thinks the six-player game fits his personnel so expect South Barber to hit the ground running in its new landscape. … A wild five-overtime playoff win over undefeated Waverly was the highlight for Tescott in a 7-3 season a year ago. The Trojans also took out an offensively explosive Peabody team in the first round of the playoffs before getting ousted by Cunningham. Tescott will miss the services of All-Six-Player selection Carter Peters and Justin Pasley, but return almost everyone else after only losing three seniors from a year ago. Austin Miller threw for 717 yards and is the leading returning tackler and James Dickerman was a threat rushing or receiving. Charlie Phelps will take on a bigger role as well on both sides of the ball. There are only five seniors and juniors combined, so the Trojans will be young. … Even without getting a second straight monster year from tailback Langston Nothern, Ingalls posted a 7-3 mark and reached the second round of the playoffs before falling to eventual champion Cheylin. Nothern ran for 803 yards and 20 touchdowns a year ago, pedestrian numbers compared to his sophomore season when he ran for 1,638 yards and 30 touchdowns. He’ll key an offense that also returns All-Six-Player center Breck Averhoff and is one of five returning starters overall for the Bulldogs. … Last year’s state champion Cheylin will have an entirely new look to it this season as it tries to stay among the best in six-player. The Cougars were 13-0 last year, rolling past 2022 champion Cunningham in the state championship game. But gone from that team are seven seniors who did the bulk of the heavy lifting a year ago, including All-Six-Player picks Logan McCarty and Pablo Bermudez, who combined for more than 3,600 yards of total offense and 78 touchdowns. Also gone is All-Six-Player linebacker Brady Ketzner and and standout lineman Connor McPherson. Furthermore, head coach Chris Walden retired, turning the program over to David Blochlinger. John Paul Sabatka is the top returner for the Cougars. … Chetopa was 6-3 last year but must replace the bulk of last year’s offensive production with only Tagg Bond (196 yards receiving, 82 rushing) returning with significant stats. He’ll try to replace standout back Blake Carter, who ran for 1,712 yards and 24 touchdowns. Bond also is the leading returning tackler with 65 a year ago. … Just 3-7 a year ago, Golden Plains is ready to flip that script and perhaps contend this year. The Bulldogs return six starters led by first-team All-Western Kansas Liberty defensive end Diego Perez and senior quarterback Jason Rath and lineman Wyatt Amlong, who were honorable mention. With 20 players out, the Bulldogs have the numbers to add up to a successful season. … Graduation hit hard at Northern Valley, which went 9-2 a year ago. The Huskies lost the bulk of their top offensive producers, including All-Six-Player picks Jeremiah Hansen and Kenton Thalheim. Northern Valley will have only one senior this year, Caden Lowry, and half the team will be freshmen. But junior Gavin Thalheim was the team’s leading tackler last year as a sophomore with 136 and also added 426 rushing yards as the top returning offensive player. … Pawnee Heights has a new coach in Ryan Klenke, who was an assistant a year ago when the Tigers went 6-5 and reached the state quarterfinals and is a Pawnee Heights alum. He played on the Tigers’ 2016 Wild West Bowl runner-up team. Standouts Jimmy Gardner and Davin Hamby have graduated, but after ending last year with just nine players, Klenke has nearly 20 on the roster this year with a large freshman class coming in. Seniors Brady Carlson and Clayton Hammeke are two of five returning starters. … Peabody had the offense to match up with almost anyone last year as freshmen Aiden Hurst and Jameson Miles came in and had a huge impact. Hurst threw for 1,717 yards and 29 touchdowns with Miles his top target with 844 yards and 18 touchdowns. Hurst also ran for 734 yards and 7 TDs. Cade Gossen was the leading tackler by two over Colin Groff, who was another impact freshman a year ago. Peabody had no seniors on last year’s 5-4 team and will look to take the next step and challenge some of six-player’s established programs. … Back as a full-fledged KSHSAA member this season for football, Weskan will be able to compete in the playoffs. Had the Coyotes been able to last year, who knows where they would have finished. They went 8-1 overall with the lone loss coming to champion Cheylin. Senior Trey Allen was a first-team All-Western Kansas Liberty League pick at utility and is the Coyotes’ top playmaker on both sides of the ball, also first-team at linebacker. No other all-league pick returns so finding complements to Allen will key Weskan’s success this season.