EIGHT-PLAYER DIVISION I FOOTBALL STATE QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW
EAST
SYLVAN-LUCAS (9-1) AT LITTLE RIVER (9-1)
Little River knocked off the last unbeaten team in the eastern half of the bracket, going on the road to take a 52-20 win over Lyndon. The Redskins led just 8-6 at the end of the first quarter, but exploded for 22 second-quarter points to take control of the contest.
Jaxson Konen led the way with 193 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground while Jaren Garrison and Jhet Ewertt also added rushing TDs.
The Redskins’ offense has been balanced all season with four different backs having between 446 and 628 yards rushing, each with double-digit touchdowns. Garrison leads the way with 628 yards and 13 TDs, followed by Konen (613 yards, 12 TDs), Ewertt (446 yards, 13 TDs) and Logan Schubert (461 yards, 10 TDs). Konen and Garrison have combined for 1,079 yards and 19 TDs passing as well.
Sylvan-Lucas opened the postseason with a 34-22 win over Central Plains that avenged an overtime loss to the Oilers a year ago in the opening round. The Mustangs followed with a 62-14 win over Flinthills last week as Zayne Maupin turned in his fourth 200-yard rushing game of the season and now has 1,465 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
The quarterfinal appearance is the first for the Mustangs since 2006.
LINCOLN (9-1) AT ELL-SALINE (9-1)
Lincoln looks to continue its best season since the start of KSHSAA’s district playoff era with a stern test against Ell-Saline, which is trying to return to the state semifinals for the second time in three years.
Lincoln posted its ninth victory in a season for the first time since 1981, defeating Oswego 62-34 last week. Junior quarterback Jeremiah Miller had a huge game, running for 200 yards and five touchdowns while completing 9 of 12 passes for 192 yards and three scores. Junior Ben Bell added 134 yards on just five carries and caught one of Miller’s touchdown passes, while junior Xavier Miller hauled in two.
The Leopards hit the road for the first time since a 48-44 loss to Clifton-Clyde in their regular-season finale. Meanwhile, Ell-Saline continues a run of home playoff games, and the first two haven’t been close. The Cardinals avenged a 2024 season-ending loss to Madison last week with a 58-6 victory, as senior Reese Krone threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, while classmate Kas Kramer added two TD runs and tossed one to Collin Dent.
Krone, who took over at quarterback last year, has passed for 1,074 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, while Kramer has run for 914 yards and 19 scores. Kramer also leads the Cardinal defense with 67 tackles and has six interceptions, one behind team leader Dent.
Lincoln has averaged 58.7 points, scoring at least 44 in each game. The Leopards will be challenged by an Ell-Saline defense that has posted five shutouts and allowed a single score in three other games.
WEST
WICHITA COUNTY (8-2) AT SOUTH CENTRAL (9-0)
South Central kept its bid for a perfect season alive by outlasting Oberlin-Decatur in a 60-48 shootout last week.
Easton Huck had a hand in six touchdowns (three rushing, three passing). Huck ran for 173 yards on 18 carries and Coda Lindsay rushed for 132 yards on 12 attempts. Jack Herd caught six passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns.
It was by far the season’s closest result for the Timberwolves, who have outscored opponents 524-106. South Central reached the semifinals last year before taking its lone loss to eventual champion Hoxie. The Timberwolves were the 2023 state runners-up in Eight-Player Division II.
Wichita County has been a perennial power in Eight-Player Division I over the last several seasons. The Indians were state champs in 2022 and had runner-up showings in 2020 and 2023. They opened the season with an out-of-state loss to Haxtun, Colo., then fell to WaKeeney-Trego 56-46 in Week 4 to drop to 2-2. The Indians have since won six straight, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 54-6 win over Meade.
Cashton Young ran for 210 yards and five touchdowns on 20 carries in the Meade win. Ernesto Zermeno logged five sacks for the Indians’ defense. Young has been the Indians’ main source of offense. He has rushed for 1,948 yards and 35 touchdowns on the season and passed for 973 yards and 15 scores. Beau Porter (30 catches, 478 yards, 7 TDs) and Dylan Luna (28 catches, 429 yards, 6 TDs) are Young’s top targets. Zermeno has notched 13 sacks on the season.
The Timberwolves rely on a balanced offensive attack. Huck has passed for 642 yards and 20 TDs and rushed for 916 yards and 16 TDs. Lindsay has compiled 742 yards rushing with 12 scores. The Timberwolves’ top receivers are Jack Herd (406 yards, 10 TDs) and Tyler Pauly (388 yards, 5 TDs) Herd leads the South Central defense with 98 tackles and 10 sacks.
WAKEENEY-TREGO (10-0) AT HILL CITY (9-1)
WaKeeney-Trego proved it was legit right out of the gate, beating Hill City for the first time since 2015 and snapping a 12-game losing streak to the Ringnecks in the process.
The Golden Eagles have since proved the win was no fluke. They’ll take a 10-0 record into the rematch. Meanwhile, the Ringnecks adjusted to the early setback just fine, riding a nine-game streak to set up another shot at Trego.
Hill City blanked Oxford 50-0 last week, holding the Wildcats to just 60 yards of offense. Quarterback Tate Balthazor had a hand in five touchdowns (two passing, one rushing, one receiving) to lead a typical balanced offensive attack for the Ringnecks. Tyler Ashbaugh ran for two touchdowns and threw a TD, and Jaxson Smith made seven catches for 133 yards with two TDs. Ryan Budig ran for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Balthazor has passed for 1,140 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 962 yards and 16 scores. Ashbaugh has 989 yards on the ground with 21 TDs. Jaxon Smith is Hill City’s top receiver with 21 catches for 493 yards and 10 TDs. Aiden Hall has a team-high 9 sacks for the Ringnecks while Slade Rohr leads the team in tackles with 112.
WaKeeney-Trego continued to roll as well, breaking away from Kiowa County for a 64-18 win in the regional round. Jack Conness ran for 229 yards and five touchdowns on 20 carries. Quarterback Ashton Wynn passed for two touchdowns and ran for two scores.
Conness has rushed for 1,262 yards and 24 touchdowns on the year, and Wynn has passed for 966 yards while adding 629 yards and 17 TDs on the ground. Cass Smith leads Trego with 141 tackles while Aaron Samson and Jared Aschenbrenner have recorded 9.5 and 9 sacks, respectively.
Trego’s 10 wins are the program’s most since 2002 when it finished 10-2. Hill City made back-to-back state semifinal appearances in 2021 and 2022.