WESTERN KANSAS WEEK 8 PICK SIX
ELLSWORTH (5-2) AT SOUTHEAST OF SALINE (7-0)
After a 4-0 start, Ellsworth has dropped two of its last three.
Things won’t get any easier for the Bearcats as they meet reigning Class 2A state champion Southeast of Saline on the road.
Ellsworth took its first loss against Hillsboro in Week 5 but rebounded with a 42-14 win over Halstead the next week. The Bearcats lost a 16-6 defensive struggle to Beloit last week.
Southeast of Saline stayed unbeaten with a 55-14 win over Halstead. Tiernan Ptacek, filling in for injured quarterback Gannon Jacobson, threw for 266 yards and four touchdowns while Grady Gebhardt had 143 yards and two TDs receiving and also ran for 87 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Gebhardt has rushed for 902 yards and 18 touchdowns on the season.
Tucker Goss has enjoyed a monster season for Ellsworth, rushing for 1,424 yards and 18 touchdowns.
HAYS (5-2) AT LIBERAL (6-1)
Hays will look to bounce back after a 43-19 loss to Great Bend in a battle of 5A powers.
Liberal took a 55-6 loss to Great Bend in Week 6 but responded with a 38-8 win against Ulysses last week to move to 6-1.
Overshadowed by the five touchdowns from Great Bend’s Ian Premer, Hays running back Holden Lind turned in another huge game last week. Lind rushed for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
Lind is up to 1,279 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.
Liberal had a pair of 100-yard rushers against Ulysses with Xavier Tafoya and Blayden Betts. Tafoya ran for 240 yards and two TDs while Betts went for 100 and two TDs.
Liberal sophomore quarter Tevin Cotter enters Week 8 with 1,237 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. James Fieser has hauled in 36 passes for 612 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Redskins.
Landy Fitzgerald leads Liberal with 55 tackles on the season. Betts has a team-high five sacks.
Hays quarterback Zane Viegra has thrown for 631 yards. Jonny Rigler leads the Indians in tackles with 61. Defensive lineman Tanner Geist has recorded 59 tackles – 13 for loss – with four sacks.
LINCOLN (7-0) AT CLIFTON-CLYDE (5-2)
Lincoln’s breakthrough season continued with a 62-36 win in a battle of unbeatens over Sylvan-Lucas last week to put the Leopards in the driver’s seat for a district title.
Xavier Miller caught eight passes for 176 yards and a touchdown for Lincoln.
The Leopards have three of the state’s best skill players in the eight-man ranks in Jeremiah Miller, Xavier Miller and Ben Bell.
Clifton-Clyde took a 44-8 district loss to Sylvan-Lucas but bounced back with a 54-6 win over Rock Hills last week. Joseph Fahey ran for three touchdowns and threw for another in the Rock Hills win.
Lincoln is looking for its first win over Clifton-Clyde since 2015. The Eagles won a tight one against the Leopards last year, 36-28.
OBERLIN-DECATUR (6-1) AT HILL CITY (6-1)
The Red Devils and Ringnecks will meet with the Eight-Player Division I District 8 title on the line.
Hill City dropped its season opener to WaKeeney-Trego, now ranked No. 2, before reeling off six straight wins in blowout fashion. The Ringnecks are coming off a 78-0 victory over Stockton. Ryan Budig ran for two touchdowns and also had a pick-six in the win.
Oberlin-Decatur beat Rawlins County 52-28 last week to move to 6-1.
Josiah Pattangall is the Red Devils’ top playmaker.
Hill City quarterback Tate Balthazor has passed for 844 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he’s rushed for 655 yards and 10 scores. Tyler Ashbaugh has a team-high 766 rushing yards and 10 TDs.
Hill City has won the last four matchups with Oberlin, including a 56-20 win last year.
OXFORD (6-0) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (7-0)
South Central has been widely considered to be a favorite in Eight-Player Division I throughout the season.
The Timberwolves have yet to be threatened, outscoring their six opponents 378-32. They’re coming off a 68-14 win over Pratt Skyline. Easton Huck threw for three touchdowns and ran for two in the win.
South Central went 11-1 last season, reaching the state semifinals before falling to eventual champion Hoxie.
They returned several key pieces from that team. The Timberwolves had a balanced offensive attack. Huck has thrown for 516 yards and 15 touchdowns and Colt Yoder had also seen significant snaps at quarterback, throwing for 495 yards and five touchdowns.
Oxford has secured a third straight winning season, building off last year’s 7-3 campaign.
The Wildcats rolled to a 65-6 win over Udall last week. Logan Gaither ran for 149 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Gaither leads Oxford’s offensive attack with 876 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.
TESCOTT (6-1) AT CUNNINGHAM (6-1)
Cunningham is undefeated against Six-Player competition this year. The Wildcats’ lone loss came when they played an eight-man game against Minneola, falling 42-40.
Cunningham is coming off a 62-14 win over Argonia. Stephen Kerschen ran for 306 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
The matchup with Tescott will decide the district championship.
Tescott dropped a 30-25 decision in a non-district contest against Ingalls in Week 4. The Trojans won by forfeit to Chase last week.
Tescott is led by Joey Stirn and Charlie Phelps.
Kerschen has rushed for 810 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Wildcats
Cunningham has played in the Six-Player championship game in each of the last three years. The Wildcats won the state title in the first year the six-man game was KSHSAA sanctioned in 2022 then were runners-up in 2023 and 2024. Cunningham is headed back to the Eight-Players ranks next year.
Cunningham beat Tescott 54-8 in the state semifinals last season.
NOTE: Check out coverage of the KSHSAA Covered Game of the Week: Hodgeman County at Victoria.