CLASS 5A FOOTBALL STATE QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW
EAST
LEAVENWORTH (9-1) AT BASEHOR-LINWOOD (10-0)
Basehor-Linwood and Leavenworth met up in the season opener as the Bobcats cruised to a 42-21 victory over the Pioneers. Since that time, however, neither team has picked up a loss as the two United Kansas Conference foes have put together seasons to remember.
Leavenworth is off to its best start in program history as the Pioneers knocked off Blue Valley North, 35-21, to record a regional championship last Friday. That victory gave them the most wins in school history as they reeled off their ninth straight victory. The Pioneers did a lot of it through the air and with their defense. Quarterback Brayden Bridger had 259 yards passing in the win and three scores. The defense also forced three turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown by Julian Simon. On the season, the Pioneers have also relied on running back Trey Brockington, who has rushed for 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns, while the team’s top wide receiver, Dy’Vair McCray has 700 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.
As for the Bobcats, Basehor-Linwood faced several tests along the way to an undefeated season and UKC title. The Bobcats are coming off a 35-28 win over De Soto in the regional round as they used a big third quarter to secure the win and did so with their running attack. Running back Gavin Mitchell had 166 yards rushing and two scores in the win. Quarterback Carson Dixon has led Basehor-Linwood all season. Dixon has thrown for nearly 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns and has rushed for 570 yards and eight more scores. Senior wide receiver Nash Morrison has also been big with nearly 800 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.
MILL VALLEY (8-2) AT ST. JAMES ACADEMY (9-1)
Mill Valley and St. James Academy have consistently been in the top five rankings all season and now the two teams will square off at Marian Stadium this Friday at St. James. Both squads are coming off hard-fought victories as they try to survive the gauntlet that has been the 5A East bracket.
Mill Valley is coming off a 28-27 victory over No. 1 ranked St. Thomas Aquinas last Friday as the Jaguars held Aquinas out of the endzone on a 2-point conversion attempt that gave them the victory. Quarterback Blake Jay has been the Jaguars’ leader on offense all season. After starting at receiver a year ago, Jay has taken command of the offense and that was true against Aquinas with 133 yards through the air and a touchdown, along with 109 yards rushing and another score. Running back Max Piva, who has replaced all-state back Reggie Reece, out for the season with an injury, has also been a big part of the offense with more than 1,600 yards on the ground. He has found a lot of success running behind a Jaguar line led by Lamarcus Barber.
St. James Academy has picked up its fair share of big wins this season and the latest came last week in a 26-14 win over Spring Hill. The Thunder got big performances from their 1-2 punch of quarterback John Hornback and running back Jake House. On the season, Hornback has led the Thunder to several big wins, including one over No. 1-ranked Kapaun Mt. Carmel (4A), earlier this year. Hornback has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also has more than 600 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on the ground. House leads the Thunder with 1,111 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns.
WEST
HAYS (8-2) AT GREAT BEND (10-0)
Following Great Bend’s 43-19 win at Hays on Oct. 17, both teams were already acknowledging the likelihood of a playoff rematch.
Round 2 will occur in Friday’s 5A quarterfinal at Great Bend.
Already one of the top rivalries in western Kansas, the matchup has caught the attention of the entire state over the last two seasons.
Great Bend wrapped up the Western Athletic Conference title last season with a 21-0 win over Hays, but the Indians ended the Panthers’ bid for a perfect season by dealing them a 19-14 loss in the second round of the playoffs on the way to a state runner-up showing.
In Week 7 of this season’s matchup at the new Hays High stadium, the game was tight until the Panthers broke away in the final frame. Notre Dame commit Ian Premer dominated with five touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving, one interception return).
Quarterback Daxton Minton and Premer led the Panthers to a 49-7 win over Bishop Carroll last week. Minton ran for 193 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries while Premer finished with 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns on nine attempts.
Hays stymied Hutchinson 29-7 in the regional round. The Indians held the Salthawks to 190 yards of offense.
Holden Lind ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns against Hutchinson, becoming Hays’ all-time leading rusher in the process. Lind has 3,662 career rushing yards, surpassing Malik Bah’s previous record.
Lind is on the brink of a 2,000-yard season, entering Friday with 1,984 yards and 21 touchdowns in his senior campaign.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Premer has rushed for 13 touchdowns, averaging nearly 14 yards per carry on his 35 attempts for the season. He also has 13 touchdown receptions on the season, catching 35 passes for 484 yards. At safety, Premer has six interceptions and two pick-sixes.
Minton has thrown for 1,505 yards and 23 touchdowns with just three interceptions and also leads the team in rushing with 770 yards, scoring 10 TDs. Conner Holladay has added 725 yards and nine TDs on the ground.
The Panther defense is led by Trenton and Kale Kern at the linebacker spots. Kale has a team-high 106 tackles while Trenton has logged 93. Cooper Ohnmacht is another key weapon for the Panthers. He’s caught 40 passes for 538 yards and four TDs. On defense, he’s picked off five passes, returning two for touchdowns. He also has a pair of touchdowns on special teams.
Tanner Geist has starred on the Hays defensive line, recording 83 tackles, seven sacks and 18 tackles for loss. The Indians also have one of the state’s best offensive linemen in Gus Corsair.
SALINA SOUTH (3-7) AT SALINA CENTRAL (9-1)
A most improbable sequel to the annual Mayor’s Cup showdown will happen, in large part to Salina South’s late-season resurgence after an 0-6 start. The Cougars fell 31-21 to Salina Central in their opener, but that seems like a distant memory for 5A West’s No. 14 seed after postseason road victories over Andover and Liberal.
Salina South has established offensive balance the last two weeks, passing for 331 yards and running for 282. Sophomore quarterback Izrael Telles bounced back from a rough outing in the regular-season finale against Maize to throw a pair of touchdown passes in each of the Cougars’ last two victories. Junior Armane Redmond ran for 113 yards in the win over Andover and 134 against Liberal.
Winners of the last five meetings with South, Salina Central has ramped up its offense in the postseason, scoring 68 in a win over Topeka West and 62 last week for its second victory in three weeks against Goddard. The Mustangs rolled up 535 total yards in last week’s victory, as senior Cooper Reves ran for 278 yards and four touchdowns, while quarterback Griffin Hall passed for 147 yards and four scores, three to Keaton Smith.
Reves surpassed 2,000 rushing yards for the season last week, and enters the South contest with 2,101 yards and 21 touchdowns.
This will be the first playoff meeting between the rivals since they met six consecutive years in the postseason from 1999-2004, with each team winning three times. South won the most recent postseason duel 21-14 in overtime in 2004, spoiling an unbeaten season for Central.