The only drawbacks to Pratt’s Arley Morrell getting 23 carries and scoring two touchdowns in the Greenbacks’ 24-7 victory over Cheney on Friday were teammates’ injuries that contributed in part to the senior standout’s workload.
 
Tailback Cade Liggett and quarterback Creston Pore were sidelined during Pratt’s rain-soaked, regular-season finale, which clinched the Class 3A District 7 title.
 
The rest made for a festive senior night for the Greenbacks, who cleared a challenging Cheney hurdle after losing to the Cardinals each of the previous five seasons.
 
“It felt great,” said the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Morrell, who scored on direct-snap runs of 1 and 13 yards. “It was a great team win. We had a lot of pieces that came together. Our defense was a big factor in the game, and we had some great blocking that set us up to get some touchdowns.”
 
Pratt held Cheney to 137 yards of total offense – 49 on a flea-flicker touchdown pass – and won its seventh consecutive game. The victory gave the Greenbacks their first district title since 2018 when Morrell’s cousin, all-state running back Travis Theis, led Pratt to the Class 4A championship game before playing collegiately at South Dakota.
 
The Greenbacks (7-1), who earned the No. 4 seed in the western half of the Class 3A bracket, will open the postseason at home Friday against Chaparral (5-3).
 
“This has been a great group to coach,” said Pratt coach Brent Hoelting, who is 35-28 in seven seasons with the Greenbacks. “These seniors are really hard workers. We only had a few starters back and came in pretty young and inexperienced with a lot of guys playing a new position.”
 
It led to an ominous start for Pratt, which fell 34-8 on the road to Class 2A No. 3 Hoisington in its season opener. While Hoisington remains one of 22 unbeaten teams in all classes entering the playoffs, that early September meeting provided a jolt for the Greenbacks.
 
“Hoisington is a good team, but I would definitely say that was a game we needed to get our season going,” Morrell said. “A lot of our guys needed to know what it felt like to lose. We took it to heart and got better every day. All of the guys knew their positions better the next week.”
 
And Pratt hasn’t missed a beat. With Morrell, a two-way player, anchoring the line at defensive end, the Greenbacks posted shutouts over Halstead, Chaparral and Wichita Collegiate. Pratt scored three defensive touchdowns in a 42-13 victory over Clearwater, and intercepted two passes and held Cheney to 1 of 11 on third down in Friday’s victory.
 
Morrell has been aided up front by seniors Madden Wilson, who leads the Greenbacks in sacks, Josiah Schmidt and Leon Ramos, junior Sabastian Beach and sophomore August Deeds. Junior linebacker Kyler Barker, who leads Pratt with 96 tackles, and Hudson Titus each had 10 against Cheney. Juniors Levi Thibault and Caleb Strong had interceptions, while Strong added a 33-yard pass reception from Pore that gave the Greenbacks the lead for good.
 
“We’re a group that’s going to put a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and then we’ve got a lot of athletes on the back end who allow us to play more man-to-man than average,” Hoelting said. “The linebackers flow to the football really well. It all allows us to play some games on defense.”
 
Offensively, Pore has passed for 647 yards and nine touchdowns, while Liggett has run for 830 yards and seven scores. Then there’s Morrell, an All-Class 3A tight end last season, who leads the Greenbacks in receiving with 26 receptions for 300 yards and five TDs.
 
Hoelting has used Morrell, who holds multiple Division I offers and is committed to Colorado State, as a plug-and-play option, much like he did with Dexton Swinehart, an all-state player he coached at Lyndon.
 
“We move Arley all around,” Hoelting said. “We’ll use him as a goal line back sometimes. He’ll play tailback, fullback, tight end, x-back. Arley’s a versatile kid who’s really smart and knows the whole offense. We know the defense is going to have to account for him, and it’s opened up things for everybody on offense.”

 
OTHER WEEK 8 STANDOUTS

• Bishop Carroll’s Cooper Herrman ran 17 times for 134 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown run, as the Golden Eagles earned their first victory in 10 games against Derby, winning 24-20. Landon Steven led Carroll’s defensive effort with 8.5 tackles and Mitchell Frank had a sack and forced a fumble.
• Wichita Southeast won six games in a season for the first time in 18 years, as Kedrick Harrison ran for 176 yards and a touchdown in the Golden Buffaloes’ 64-0 victory over Wichita North. Five other Buffs scored rushing touchdowns, and Jeno Jones threw a 21-yard TD pass to Tyzhiere Williams for Southeast, which posted its second consecutive shutout to improve to 6-2.
• Wichita Northwest rolled up 46 first-half points in a 59-27 victory over Eisenhower, as Jaylen Mason passed for 130 yards and three touchdowns and Augie Fast ran for 219 yards and three scores. Fast caught one of Mason’s TD passes as the Grizzlies, No. 2 in Class 6A, finished with 500 yards of total offense.
• Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Class 4A’s top-ranked team, rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 56-14 victory over Wichita Heights that clinched the Greater Wichita Athletic League crown. Ken Huff ran 17 times for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and Cole Rapp threw for 107 yards and two scores as the Crusaders improved to 7-1.
• Wichita South won for the third time in four games, getting three rushing touchdowns from Jay’den Kirk-McGowan in a 41-8 victory over Wichita West. Rashawn Johnson ran seven times for 130 yards and a score, and Jaden Logue completed 11 of 12 passes for 140 yards and a TD for the Titans, who moved to 3-5.
• Maize punctuated its unbeaten regular season with a 50-0 victory over Salina South. Shannon Jones ran 11 times for 101 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Brayden Myovela completed 11 of 16 passes for 130 yards and two scores – both to Malachi Leichner – for the Eagles, 8-0 and No. 1 in 6A.
• Hutchinson’s Robert Hunter accounted for 279 total yards and three touchdowns as the Salthawks defeated Maize South 47-28 for their third consecutive victory. Hunter completed 6 of 16 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 15 times for 158 yards and a score. Karmelo Green added 121 rushing yards and two TDs for Hutch, which had 463 yards of total offense.
• Valley Center’s Rylan Bailey ran 24 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns as the Hornets defeated Campus 19-7 to end a two-game losing skid.
• Andover clinched its first outright league title in 12 years, getting 141 rushing yards and a touchdown from junior Pete Vega in a 28-14 victory at Andover Central. Quarterback Will Quinn ran for 135 yards and three scores, including the clinching 19-yard run in the fourth quarter to seal the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II crown for the Trojans, who are 6-2.
• Salina Central rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 35-28 victory over Goddard, as Cooper Reves ran 31 times for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The Mustangs relied heavily on their ground game on a rainy night, rushing for 333 yards to improve to 7-1.
• McPherson’s Ashton Malm hauled in one of quarterback Carter Bengston’s two touchdown passes and went over 1,000 receiving yards for the season in the Bullpups’ 21-15 victory over visiting Buhler. Bengston hit Brody Hoffman for an 80-yard score in the third quarter and connected with Malm on a 45-yard TD in the fourth as McPherson snapped a two-game losing streak.
• Augusta’s Brody Haskell completed 11 of 16 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns to Brecken Albert in the Orioles’ 47-6 victory over visiting Circle. Owen Roberts paced Augusta’s ground game with 18 carries for 128 yards and a score.
• Mulvane’s Manny Myers ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns, threw a TD pass, and returned an interception 71 yards for a score in the Wildcats’ 56-7 victory over Winfield. Grady Myers led Mulvane’s rushing attack with 21 carries for 231 yards and three TDs, scoring on runs of 4, 51 and 48 yards as the Wildcats improved to 7-1.
• Andale won its 21^st consecutive game and clinched the Class 3A District 6 title with a 57-0 victory over visiting Hesston. Andale’s Lane Parthemer ran for 147 yards and Sam Harp accounted for 216 total yards and three scores as 3A’s top-ranked Indians posted their third shutout of the season and improved to 8-0.
• Wellington’s Jalik Armstrong ran 17 times for 283 yards and four touchdowns in the Crusaders’ 62-0 victory over El Dorado. Junior Cole Zeka passed for 126 yards and two touchdowns for Wellington, which improved to 6-2.
• Wichita Collegiate sophomore Jacobi Salyers completed 23 of 35 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans’ 28-14 victory over Chaparral. Salyers added a pair of touchdown runs for Collegiate, which improved to 3-5.
• Haven’s Cole Brawner ran 32 times for 225 yards and three touchdowns, and added an interception in the Wildcats’ 34-6 victory over Kingman. Quarterback Brogan Wray completed 17 of 33 passes for 219 yards and a score for Haven, which moved to 6-2.
• Garden Plain’s Emrick Hays ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and Carter Baker added a fumble return for a score in the Owls’ 23-6 victory over Clearwater.
• Conway Springs’ Logan Osner ran 36 times for 384 yards and six touchdowns in the host Cardinals’ 48-35 victory over South Sumner County. Osner scored on runs of 34, 60, 44, 3, 59 and 3 yards, and completed a 35-yard touchdown to Joseph Beck.
• Wichita Trinity’s Zac Zimmerman passed for 265 yards and five touchdowns, and ran for 49 yards and two scores as the Knights set a school record for points in a 64-20 victory over Nickerson. Bryton Baty pulled in three of Zimmerman’s TD passes and finished with five receptions for 164 yards as Trinity improved to 4-4.
• Caney Valley’s Jacob McVey converted one of six Riverton turnovers into an interception return for a touchdown as the Bullpups secured the Class 2A District 1 title with a 48-7 victory.
• Sterling completed an unbeaten regular season with the Class 1A District 7 crown, outdueling visiting Hutchinson Trinity 34-12. Logan Isaac and Wyatt Newberry each ran for two touchdowns, and Zane Farney ran 18 times for 119 yards and a score for the Black Bears, No. 3 in 1A.
• Ell-Saline quarterback Reese Krone helped the Cardinals wrap up the Eight-Player I District 3 crown, passing for three touchdowns and running for two in a 36-6 victory over Central Plains. Krone completed 9 of 18 passes for 139 yards with a pair of touchdowns to Collin Dent. Kas Kramer ran 15 times for 139 yards for Ell-Saline, No. 4 in Eight-Player I.
• Argonia-Attica quarterback Maddex Hemberger passed for 194 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for 80 yards and two scores in the Titans’ 56-6 victory at Pretty Prairie. Hemberger connected with Carson Vineyard on TD passes of 60 and 20 yards in the first quarter, and also hit Jack Alexander and Mason Mans for scores.
• Cedar Vale-Dexter’s Royce Potter ran for 185 yards and three touchdowns, and added a fourth score on a kickoff return in the Spartans’ 74-50 victory over Northeast of Arma. Cooper Criss added 155 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and Wyatt Martin had 100 yards and two scores as Cedar Vale-Dexter ran for 440 yards and finished with 560 yards of total offense.
• Flinthills junior Beau Hall ran 19 times for 279 yards and six touchdowns in the host Mustangs’ 71-42 victory over Yates Center. Junior Tripp Carney added a pair of touchdown runs for Flinthills, which improved to 4-4.
• West Elk’s Jaxson Bogdahn helped the Patriors snap a four-game losing skid, completing 8 of 9 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-26 victory over Central-Burden. Freshman Ryatt Griesel added 22 carries for 117 yards and a score for West Elk, now 2-6.
• Hutchinson Central Christian completed an unbeaten regular season with a 56-0 victory over Norwich as senior Piercen Huff scored five touchdowns. Huff returned a punt for a touchdowns, and ran 14 times for 161 yards and four other scores for the Cougars, 8-0 and No. 4 in Eight-Player II.
• Fairfield’s Brodie Snodgrass ran 24 times for 182 yards and five touchdowns, and added a scoring pass in the Falcons’ 64-14 victory over Stafford. Gage Brown added 110 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries for Fairfield, which won its third straight to improve to 4-4.
• South Barber capped a 7-1 regular season with a 79-0 victory over Rolla. Senior Brayden Duvall ran five times for 55 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Austin Swonger passed for three TDs and ran for one for the Chieftains.