SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS WEEK 7 PICK SIX
 
ANDOVER (4-2) AT SALINA CENTRAL (6-0)
 
Sole possession of the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II lead will be at stake when Salina Central – 6-0 for the first time since its 2005 state championship season – hosts an Andover team riding a four-game winning streak into Thursday night’s contest at Salina Stadium.
 
The host Mustangs were held to their lowest point total of the season last week, but still rolled up 345 rushing yards in a 23-13 victory over Andover Central. Senior Cooper Reves ran for 203 yards and a touchdown, raising his season yardage total to 1,261 yards. Junior quarterback Griffin Hall has completed nearly 74% of his passes this season for 1,090 yards and 15 touchdowns.
 
Andover opened its season with losses to Class 4A No. 1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel and 6A No. 1 Maize. But the Trojans have gained their footing in league play with a solid rushing attack led by junior Pete Vega, who ran for 213 yards and two TDs in the Trojans’ 42-27 victory over Newton last Friday. Andover’s winning streak began with a 19-16 overtime victory over Goddard.
 
The last five meetings in the series have been decided by 10 points or less, with Salina Central winning three. Andover won on its home field last year, racking up 354 rushing yards in a 21-14 victory.
 
 
DERBY (4-2) AT MAIZE SOUTH (4-2)
 
Shut out last week for the first time in six seasons by 6A No. 1 Maize, Maize South faces another tough Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I test as it looks for its first victory in six meetings with Derby.
 
Derby, which dropped from the 6A rankings three weeks ago after a 42-21 loss to Maize, has rebounded with convincing victories over Hutchinson and Valley Center. Last week, quarterback Blade Clark connected with fellow junior Michael Castillo on a trio of touchdown passes in a 48-19 victory at Valley Center. Clark passed for 256 yards and four scores, and running back Arieus Finley added 202 rushing yards and three TDs.
 
A week after Maize South quarterback Reign Illian threw six touchdown passes and ran for two in a win over Arkansas City, the Mavericks struggled to get anything going against Maize. Maize South produced just 98 yards of total offense and failed to score in a game for the first time since a 28-0 loss to Maize in the 2019 5A playoffs.
 
Maize South, which shut out Newton in its opener, could benefit from a lower scoring game against the Panthers. Derby has averaged 52.8 points in its victories and 21 in its losses.
 
 
ROSE HILL (3-3) AT WELLINGTON (5-1)
 
There’s no catching Andale in the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail IV race, but Rose Hill and Wellington bring momentum and an occasional history of nailbiters into their chase for a league runner-up finish.
 
Rose Hill bounced back from a tough loss at McPherson to defeat Circle 42-12 last week. Seniors KJ Jones and Kai Kirchhoff-Jones combined for more than 300 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The Rockets have won two of their last three.
 
Wellington has won four straight, including a 49-48 thriller over Augusta two weeks ago in its last home game. The Crusaders are coming off a 46-28 victory at Winfield in which senior Jalik Armstrong ran for 203 yards and four touchdowns. Armstrong leads Wellington with 831 rushing yards and 11 TDs, while sophomore quarterback Colton Elmore has passed for 1,216 yards and 14 scores.
 
While Wellington dominated last year’s contest 54-13, each team has won a one-point game in the series in the last decade. Two years ago, the Crusaders held off Rose Hill 54-50 in a game that featured more than 900 yards of combined total offense.
 
 
CHAPARRAL (4-2) AT HAVEN (5-1)
 
The non-league, non-district matchup offers Chaparral a chance to get a good season back on track, while Haven looks to continue a run that so far has matched its strong 2024 campaign.
 
Chaparral has dropped two of its last three games since a 3-0 start, falling 34-7 to Cheney last week in its regular-season home finale. Still, the Roadrunners have improved on last year’s 1-8 season, winning three of their four games against Central Plains League opponents. Junior quarterback Daniel Schmidt has passed for 489 yards and six touchdowns, while sophomore Vohn Williams leads a group of ball carriers who have generated 128.2 yards per game on the ground.
 
Haven, which has won the last two meetings against Chaparral by scores of 42-7 and 47-7, is a one-point loss to Garden Plain away from an unbeaten record this fall. The Wildcats sit in second place behind Garden Plain in Class 2A District 5 after a 45-6 victory over Belle Plaine last week. Haven scored 36 first-quarter points in that win.
 
The host Wildcats are 5-1 for the second straight season. Junior Brogan Wray, who took over as quarterback this season after the graduation of his older brother Nash, scored a touchdown in last year’s win over Chaparral.
 
 
MEDICINE LODGE (3-3) AT HUTCHINSON TRINITY (5-1)
 
Medicine Lodge ended Trinity’s last two seasons in the Class 1A playoffs in games decided by 3 and 2 points. To maintain their recent upper hand, the Indians will have find a way to end Trinity’s five-game winning streak.
 
Trinity shares the Class 1A District 7 lead with Sterling after victories over South Sumner County, Conway Springs and Ellinwood. The latter was a 26-0 victory last week, the Celtics’ first shutout in three seasons. Senior quarterback Drew Dechant threw two touchdown passes and Luke Kerns ran for two for the Celtics, who have allowed just 11 points per game.
 
Medicine Lodge is coming off a season-high point total in a 47-21 victory over South Sumner. Junior quarterback Mavrik Inslee passed for 249 yards and three touchdowns, two to senior Zayne Keller. Inslee has thrown for 559 yards and six touchdowns this season, while seniors Jack Schreiner and Braxx Farr have combined for 770 rushing yards and nine TDs. Schreiner scored the winning two-point conversion in overtime of Medicine Lodge’s 22-20 playoff victory over Trinity last November.
 
If Trinity wins and Sterling tops South Sumner this week, next week’s regular-season finale between the teams will decide the district title.
 
 
OSWEGO (5-1) AT CEDAR VALE-DEXTER (5-1)
 
Off to its best start since 2019, Cedar Vale-Dexter will look for its first victory over Oswego since that season, when it won 56-8. But the annual matchups between the Eight-Player I District 1 co-leaders have been one-sided the other way the last five seasons.

Oswego has been dominant since a season-opening loss to Marmaton Valley, averaging 57 points during a five-game winning streak. The Indians rolled up 549 yards of total offense and eight rushing touchdowns last week in a 74-28 victory over Northeast-Arma. Sophomore Demitri Williamson, who ran for 164 yards and a pair of TDs against the Vikings, leads a potent rushing attack with 894 yards and 16 scores this season.
 
Cedar Vale-Dexter has divided its production more evenly, with junior quarterback Cooper Criss passing for 1,056 yards and 19 touchdowns. Senior Royce Potter leads the Spartans with 317 rushing yards and 7 TDs, and has also caught a team-high 7 scoring passes.
 
Cedar Vale-Dexter has scored 50 or more points in four of its victories this season.  But the Spartans have only tallied a combined 48 points in their five-game skid against Oswego, losing by an average of 46.8 points.