11-PLAYER STATE SEMIFINALS PREVIEW
CLASS 6A
EAST
OLATHE NORTHWWEST (8-3) AT GARDNER EDGERTON (9-2)
The matchup between Olathe Northwest and Gardner-Edgerton is anything but unfamiliar.
The two Sunflower League foes have crossed paths often, including a 2022 semifinal meeting where Gardner rolled to a 56-7 victory. The Blazers have controlled the series historically with an 8-0 record all-time, but Friday offers the Ravens a chance to change that narrative.
Olathe Northwest enters the semifinal riding momentum after a 34-21 quarterfinal win over top-seeded Olathe West. Facing one of the highest-scoring offenses in Kansas, the Ravens delivered defensively, forcing four turnovers—including three interceptions—to help counter the 422 yards they surrendered. Those takeaways swung the game and pushed Northwest back into the semifinal round for the first time since 2022.
Offensively, the Ravens leaned on their productive 1-2 punch of quarterback Brody Comfort and running back Bryce Randall. Comfort threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns, striking early with an 80-yard bomb to Cole Spriggs, and later adding a 65-yard strike to Landen Hays. Randall provided the ground balance, carrying 31 times for 175 yards and a score as the Ravens controlled tempo when they needed to.
Gardner-Edgerton arrives aiming for its fourth straight Class 6A title game appearance and chasing a third consecutive state championship. The Blazers survived a shootout in their quarterfinal, topping Shawnee Mission Northwest 49-42. Trailing 35-28 after three quarters, Gardner erupted for 21 points in the fourth behind the unstoppable running of Syre Padilla.
Padilla, one of the state’s most dynamic playmakers, finished with 256 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the win, pushing his season totals to 2,600 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns. Dual-threat quarterback Carson McCall added 112 yards on the ground and a score, providing the balance that has made the Blazers difficult to contain.
WEST
DERBY (8-3) AT MANHATTAN (9-2)
It’s not often either Derby or Manhattan get to play the role of spoiler in the Class 6A playoffs with one of the two programs having played in the state championship game for the past 10 seasons – Derby making eight of those appearances with six state titles in that span and Manhattan the other two with one championship.
However, that’s exactly where both programs were going into last week, going on the road to face a higher-seeded opponent with Manhattan taking on undefeated and No. 1 Maize and Derby going across town to face No. 2 seed and one-loss Wichita Northwest.
Whatever adversity each program had faced during the regular season that led to their combined five losses sure seemed like a distant memory as both put on impressive and dominating performances in knocking off the top two teams in the final Class 6A rankings.
Manhattan rode a 21-0 third quarter to turn a four-point halftime lead into a 55-31 victory over the Eagles, who hadn’t had a game closer than a 21-point win over Derby in Week 4 that vaulted them to No. 1 in the rankings. Manhattan ran for 332 yards as a team with four different Indians accounting for five rushing touchdowns, while the defense held Maize to just 218 yards of total offense.
As impressive as Manhattan was, Derby might have been even more so. The Panthers blitzed Northwest with a 28-7 second quarter after already taking a 14-0 lead into the period to go up 42-7 at halftime on their way to a 63-21 victory. All four second-quarter TDs covered 34 yards or more with Davon Morrison returning a kickoff 84 yards for a score after Northwest’s lone touchdown and Krystian Dorsey capping the quarter with a 76-yard interception return for a TD.
Derby racked up 566 yards of total offense, including 401 on the ground led by 194 yards and 2 TDs from Arieus Finley. On the season, Finley has run for 1,497 yards and 16 touchdowns while quarterback Blade Clark has thrown for 1,310 yards and 16 touchdowns and run for 599 yards and 12 scores.
Manhattan’s offense has been balanced with injuries and other setbacks limiting games for several key performers. Quarterback Finn Watson has been the constant, throwing for 1,259 yards and 9 touchdowns and rushing for 451 yards and eight scores – one of five backs with at least 5 TD runs this season. The return of All-State receiver/defensive back/returner JJ Dunnigan has been key as well.
Manhattan and Derby have played in the state semifinals each of the past three seasons with Manhattan winning two of those, including a 31-21 victory last year and 28-23 victory in 2022 when the Indians won the state title. Derby edged the Indians 23-21 in the 2023 semifinals and also beat the Indians in the playoffs three straight years from 2017-19, winning the state title two of those seasons.
CLASS 5A
EAST
ST. JAMES ACADEMY (10-1) AT BASEHOR-LINWOOD (11-0)
Basehor-Linwood and St. James Academy meet once again with a trip to the Class 5A state championship on the line—an all-too-familiar stage for two programs whose playoff paths seem destined to cross.
For Basehor, St. James has been the postseason roadblock, ending the Bobcats’ season in four of the last five years, including a 37-19 defeat in last year’s regional round. In that matchup, Basehor actually held a 19-17 lead in the third quarter before the Thunder surged ahead.
This fall, however, brings a new opportunity. The Bobcats enter the semifinal at 11-0, still chasing the program’s first-ever state championship game appearance. St. James, meanwhile, is one win from returning to the state final for the first time since capturing the Class 4A crown in 2021.
Basehor showed no signs of slowing down last week, rolling past Leavenworth 31-7 in the quarterfinals. The Bobcat defense dominated, piling up three interceptions and 10 pass break-ups in one of its most disruptive outings of the year. Offensively, Gavin Mitchell powered the ground game with 114 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Carson Dixon added 150 total yards and a score. Wideout Nash Morrison continued his steady season, hauling in eight receptions for 87 yards.
St. James arrives at the semifinal after one of the most dramatic wins of the postseason—a 45-41 thriller over perennial contender Mill Valley. Quarterback John Hornback sealed the victory with a late rushing touchdown in the final seconds, completing a night in which he accounted for 409 total yards. The junior standout threw for 308 yards, rushed for 101 more, and finished with two touchdowns.
Running back Jake House was a force near the goal line, punching in four touchdowns and totaling 81 yards on the ground. Senior receiver Alec Jett stretched the field all night, finishing with five catches for 160 yards and a score.
Hornback has been the story for the Thunder since taking over the starting job in Week 1 due to injury—and he hasn’t let it go. He enters Friday with 1,860 passing yards and 19 touchdowns, plus another 713 yards and eight scores on the ground.
WEST
SALINA CENTRAL (10-1) AT GREAT BEND (11-0)
Last week’s quarterfinal matchups were rivalry showdowns for both the Panthers and Mustangs.
Great Bend avenged last year’s playoff loss to Hays by using a late goal-line stand to secure a 29-22 win over the Indians.
Salina Central faced crosstown rival Salina South in the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. The Mustangs broke away for a 49-24 win to end three-win South’s Cinderella run.
Great Bend’s 7-point win against Hays was the undefeated Panthers’ only single-digit game on the season. Notre Dame commit Ian Premer caught a touchdown and ran for a score. Speedster Cooper Ohnmacht also caught two touchdown passes, including a 51-yarder from Daxton Minton with four minutes left.
Premer, the top tight end prospect in the country according to Rivals, has dominated with 30 total touchdowns this season (14 rushing, 14 receiving, two pick-sixes).
Cooper Reves exploded for 309 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the Mustangs’ quarterfinal win. Reves has put up 2,410 yards and 26 TDs on the season.
It will be the third playoff meeting between the Panthers and Mustangs in the last four years. Great Bend won 38-24 in 2023 and Central took a 40-35 victory in 2022. Central leads the all-time series 25-11.
Great Bend last made the semifinals in 2016, losing 50-21 to Goddard. The Panthers made the state title game in 2006 before losing to Blue Valley, 34-3.
Central has six state championships (1993, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005) and will be looking for its 10th title game appearance and first since the 2005 title.
CLASS 4A
EAST
BISHOP MIEGE (6-5) AT LABETTE COUNTY (10-1)
For the fifth time in school history, Labette County is preparing for a postseason matchup with Bishop Miege — but this one is different. The Grizzlies, enjoying the best season in program history, will host the tradition-rich Stags on Friday night in their first-ever state semifinal appearance.
History, however, sits firmly on Miege’s side. The Stags have ended Labette County’s playoff run four times since 2017, including last season’s 34-6 regional-round win. Miege is 4-0 all-time against the Grizzlies and is once again knocking on the door of a state championship berth. The Stags reached the 4A title game a year ago and are searching for their first championship since 2022.
But this year’s Labette County team is having a season to remember. Under head coach Bradley Argabright, the Grizzlies have rolled to a landmark season and punched their ticket to the semifinals with a 28-14 win over Ottawa in the sectional round.
Labette County surged to a 28-7 lead and controlled the game throughout, powered by a breakout performance from running back Deontae Fields, who erupted for 175 yards and three touchdowns on just three carries. Quarterback Aaron Wyrick added a 37-yard scoring strike to Kegan Bates, rounding out a balanced offensive night. Fields has been big for the Grizzlies, stepping up in place of all-state running back Jamaal Jackson, who suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the year.
Bishop Miege, meanwhile, arrives in Altamont with its own momentum — and a now-healthy quarterback who is changing the complexion of the 4A bracket. Senior Landon Cole, who missed most of the season after a Week 1 injury, returned to deliver a stunning six-touchdown performance in last week’s 52-21 win over top-seeded Eudora. Cole spread the ball all over the field, connecting twice with Jeremiah Johnson and also finding Michael Blount, Wesley Walsh, Vinny George, and Jayden McDaniel for scores. On defense, Pierce Butler put the exclamation point on the victory with a 60-yard pick-six.
WEST
WAMEGO (9-2) AT KAPAUN MT. CARMEL (10-1)
Kapaun Mt. Carmel is headed back to Class 5A in football next season, but the Crusaders aren’t going silently as they’ve put together a dominant 4A postseason run.
Without a home field of its own, Kapaun has set up shop at Wichita Heights for the playoffs, and the Crusaders have turned it into a house of horrors for opponents. Kapaun has outscored its three postseason foes 189-0. Last week, the Crusaders avenged a 2024 playoff loss to Wellington with a 64-0 romp.
Wamego is no stranger to November football as well, and will try to return to the 4A title game for the second time in four years under coach Weston Moody. The Red Raiders bring a seven-game winning streak into their first-ever meeting with Kapaun. This will be Wamego’s first road test of the playoffs after defeating the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail trio of Winfield, Buhler and Augusta at home.
Kapaun, looking to advance to a state championship game for the second time in three years after falling to Mill Valley in the 2023 5A finale, hasn’t changed its stripes from that team of two years ago. The Crusaders lean heavily on a running attack paced by junior Ken Huff, who has compiled 1,376 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. Senior Wyatt Sullenger has 879 yards and 14 TDs.
As a team, Kapaun has run for 3,791 yards (344.6 per game) and 62 touchdowns.
Wamego reached its third semifinal in four years by rallying past Augusta 21-14. Junior quarterback Logan Fulton fueled the comeback with two touchdown passes to classmate Reed McDiffett, and finished with 170 passing yards and 100 on the ground.
Both of Wamego’s losses came in September to Class 3A semifinalists Rock Creek (21-13) and Hayden (42-6). Kapaun has won four straight since its lone setback, a 38-35 classic on the road against 5A semifinalist St. James Academy.
CLASS 3A
EAST
SANTA FE TRAIL (11-0) AT HAYDEN (11-0)
For Hayden, a trip to the state semifinals has become a regular occurrence. This year’s appearance is the third consecutive for the Wildcats and fifth since 2017.
For Santa Fe Trail, however, this is entirely new territory. The Chargers’ last trip to the state semifinals came in 2014 when they were in Class 4A Division II. Trail’s 11 wins this year are the most for the program since the 1994 team that also made the 4A state semifinals.
Santa Fe Trail nearly saw its breakout season derailed in the postseason opener, pulling out a 20-14 overtime win over Perry-Lecompton. Last week, the Chargers stopped Holton inches short of the goal line on a potential game-tying two-point conversion to preserve a 28-26 win over the Wildcats – Trail’s first over Holton since 1975 and just second overall since 1969.
The Chargers’ history with Hayden isn’t nearly that lopsided, but it’s been a rivalry dominated by Hayden, which has won 14 straight in the series with Trail’s last win a 33-14 victory in 1996. At that point, the Chargers had won seven of their 10 meetings with the Wildcats between 1981 and 1996 before the Wildcats began their current streak.
Hayden returned to the semifinals for the third straight year after downing Jefferson West for the second time this season. After blowing out the Tigers 42-0 in the regular season, Hayden got a sterner test in last week’s rematch, winning 43-29 after getting out to an early 22-0 lead.
The win was a costly one as leading rusher/receiver Kade Mitchell went down with an injury and did not return. Mitchell had racked up just over 1,400 combined rushing and receiving yards this season with 18 total touchdowns.
His absence could put even more on the shoulders of quarterback Connor Hanika, who’s thrown for 1,614 yards and 22 touchdowns while getting picked off just once. Jude Krentz and Jackson McGivern combined for three rushing touchdowns and will have to carry more of the load in the ground game if Mitchell is out.
Trail has leaned on its dual-threat quarterback Rigley Sleichter, who has turned in a huge sophomore season. Sleichter ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns and also threw for 160 yards and two scores in the quarterfinal win over Holton and has rushed for 1,121 yards and 18 touchdowns and thrown for 1,010 yards and 15 scores.
WEST
ROCK CREEK (11-0) AT ANDALE (11-0)
With victories by 40 or more points in every game, reigning Class 3A champion Andale presents a monumental challenge for Rock Creek, which travels to face the Indians after falling to them at home in the 2022 state quarterfinals.
Rock Creek is 11-0 for the first time in 25 years, when Frontenac ended its unbeaten run in the 3A semifinals. The Mustangs’ defense took center stage last week in a 14-7 victory over Cheney, as senior Noah Valburg had three of Rock Creek’s five interceptions in the game. Quarterback Tate Smith’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Luke Skinner and Zion Bell’s 9-yard scoring run in the second quarter gave the Mustangs all the offense they needed.
Offense has been in huge supply all season for Andale, which owns the state’s longest current winning streak at 24 games. The Indians opened the season with a 104-0 victory over El Dorado and average 63.9 points while giving up just 6.9 per game.
Quarterback Sam Harp is coming off a strong performance in a 57-7 quarterfinal victory over Pratt, when he ran 19 times for 123 yards and three touchdowns, and passed for 59 yards with a touchdown to Jack Horsch. Harp has run for 1,251 yards – averaging 12.9 yards per carry – and 26 touchdowns. He has accounted or 38 total touchdowns.
Rock Creek’s playoff victories over Hesston and Cheney were slugfests, and the Mustangs have allowed only 80 points this season – four more than Andale. Rock Creek’s offense has been productive as well, helping the Mustangs score 45 points or more in seven of their first nine games.
Rock Creek has established good balance throughout the season with Smith, a sophomore, passing for 1,757 yards and 24 touchdowns while Bell, a senior, leads the ground game with 1,544 yards and 21 touchdowns.
The Mustangs will face an Andale defense that has allowed less than 120 yards per game while forcing 38 turnovers. Andale opponents have punted 52 times this season, while the Indians have punted twice.
This will be the third postseason meeting between the teams. Andale defeated Rock Creek 46-12 in the 2008 state quarters. This is Rock Creek’s first semifinal appearance since 2011, while Andale is making its ninth consecutive semifinal appearance.
CLASS 2A
EAST
OSAGE CITY (10-1) AT NEMAHA CENTRAL (11-0)
Things have become all too familiar in the postseason for Nemaha Central.
Last week’s meeting with Sabetha marked the third straight year the Big East League arch rivals have met in the postseason with Nemaha winning all three. Last week’s was the toughest as the Thunder let an early 14-0 lead disappear before coming up with a late touchdown to take a 21-20 victory.
This week it’s another familiar foe as Nemaha Central and Osage City also meet in the playoffs for the third straight year. The previous two meetings have come in the quarterfinals and after racing past the Indians 53-27 in 2023, the Thunder needed a late touchdown drive and defensive stand to pull out a 33-27 road win over Osage City last year.
The semifinal appearance is the first-ever for Osage City, which matched its program-best 10-1 mark with last week’s convincing 46-14 win at Caney Valley. The Indians have overcome the loss of standout quarterback Kasen Parsons for the season with a knee injury in Week 6, hardly missing a beat as Reed Silver has filled that spot more than adequately.
In his five-plus games quarterbacking the Indians, Silver has thrown for 917 yards and 14 touchdowns and run for 634 yards and 5 touchdowns. He’s got big-time weapons around him in receiver Quenten Stark (960 yards, 16 TDs) and utility back Dylan Theel (1,301 combined rushing/receiving yards, 19 TDs).
There’s no secret to Nemaha Central’s offensive plan. Senior quarterback Carter Hajek has been one of the most productive backs in state history. His 2,124 rushing yards this season mark his third straight 2,000-yard campaign and with 7,388 rushing yards in his career, he ranks among the top 10 all-time in state history.
He can throw it as well and has passed for 797 yards and 11 touchdowns this year, just shy of 3,000 career passing yards.
The Thunder are looking for their fourth straight trip to the Class 2A state championship game, winning state titles in 2022 and 2023 before finishing runner-up to Southeast of Saline last year.
WEST
HOISINGTON (10-0) AT SOUTHEAST OF SALINE (11-0)
Two years ago, Hoisington and Southeast of Saline engaged in a thriller of a 2A state quarterfinal with the Cardinals pulling out a 49-42 victory in a battle of unbeatens. Last year’s rematch wasn’t quite up to that level with Southeast rolling past Hoisington 30-8 on its way to its first state championship since 2005.
With both teams unbeaten again this year, a game more closely resembling the 2023 tilt could very well be in store.
Both teams have been nothing short of dominant in going undefeated to this point. Hoisington has only had one game decided by less than 20 points, a 39-23 win over Hesston in Week 2. The Cardinals had a Week 3 game with Scott City canceled by lightning and in seven of their 10 games, they’ve given up a touchdown or less, including last week’s 36-7 romp past Garden Plain. On the season, Hoisington has outscored its opponents 519-102.
As impressive as that is, Southeast’s season – its sixth straight in which the Trojans have gone undefeated in the regular season – maybe is even more so. The Trojans’ closest game was a 32-point victory over Russell in the second round of the playoffs and Southeast has outscored its opponents 613-101.
Making Southeast’s run a bit more impressive is it has done it despite having lost standout quarterback Gannon Jacobson to a season-ending injury in Week 6. Tiernan Ptacek has been stellar in taking over the spot, throwing for 943 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The driving force all season, however, has been senior back Grady Gebhardt, who’s had a monster season on offense. He’s rushed for 1,779 yards and 32 touchdowns and also is the leading receiver with 587 yards and 10 scores.
Hoisington’s 1-2 punch has been senior back Taylen Morales, who’s run for 1,390 yards and 21 touchdowns, and quarterback Mason Martin, who has 1,279 yards and 23 touchdowns passing.
CLASS 1A
EAST
ROSSVILLE (10-1) AT JACKSON HEIGHTS (11-0)
If the sequel is anything like the prequel, then Friday’s semifinal should be something to behold.
Enjoying one of its best seasons in program history, Jackson Heights was seemingly on its way to the state semifinals last year for the first time since 2019, surging to a 38-21 lead on Rossville with 5:30 left in their quarterfinal showdown. But that’s when the Bulldawgs flipped the game on its head, completely stunning the Cobras.
Rossville scored three touchdowns in the span of 1:27, twice recovering onside kicks to set up Tayson Horak’s 6-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left that proved to be the game-winner in the Bulldawgs’ improbable 42-38 comeback victory.
Heights had run the table to that point and has done the same again this year. But the Cobras have had much tougher tests in the playoffs this season, surviving a 21-20 overtime affair with Olpe in the second round when the Eagles couldn’t convert a two-point conversion pass for the win.
Last week, the Cobras rallied to beat Riverside 21-14 after having beaten the Cyclones 21-0 in the season opener. Brody Browning had the game-winning TD run in the fourth quarter of the rematch, his second score of the game sandwiched around a TD run by Drake Mellies.
As he has throughout his four-year career, Mellies has carried the Cobra offense, throwing for 1,517 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushing for 1,385 yards and 24 scores.
Rossville is fresh off a 27-20 road win over previously undefeated St. Mary’s Colgan behind two TD runs from Canann Mitchell, who ran for 100 yards and threw for 163. On the season, Mitchell has led a balanced attack, rushing for 921 yards and 17 TDs and throwing for 1,474 yards and 16 TDs.
The Bulldawgs fell in the semifinals to Centralia last year and are looking for their first championship game appearance since winning back-to-back 2A titles in 2020 and 2021. Heights last played in a state championship game in 1983, finishing runner-up to Stanton County.
WEST
SMITH CENTER (11-0) AT STERLING (11-0)
While a six-year absence from a state title game might seem like a lengthy void for tradition-rich, 10-time champion Smith Center, Sterling is trying to reach its first final since 1982, when Gary White’s Black Bears went 12-0 and won the program’s only championship in Class 2A.
That contrast in postseason success belies the similarities between the two 1A unbeatens, who prefer a ground-and-pound style and can consider themselves fortunate to be chasing the ultimate prize after tough quarterfinal tests.
Smith Center, coming off a rare losing season in 2024, continued its quest for its first unbeaten season in 17 years with a 22-14 victory over Moundridge. The Redmen used an 18-play, 80-yard scoring drive to erase a 7-0 deficit, then got their final touchdown on a 97-yard march before fending off the Wildcats’ pass into the end zone on the game’s final play.
Parker Hutchinson, who capped the winning, 10-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown run with under two minutes to play, and Brant Wilson each ran for more than 100 yards in the victory.
Meanwhile, Sterling fought off a stern challenge from Heart of America League counterpart Hutchinson Trinity, winning 44-42 after it stopped a potential tying two-point conversion attempt in the final minute. The Black Bears defeated Trinity 34-12 in their 1A District 7 finale, but needed every bit of their 344 rushing yards to win the rematch. Trinity limited senior Zane Farney – a 1,982-yard rusher this season – to 56 yards on 17 carries. But seniors Logan Isaac (11 carries, 128 yards, 2 TDs) and Wyatt Newberry (7 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD) helped Sterling go over 4,000 rushing yards for the season in the victory.
Newberry also went over 1,000 yards for the season with 1,017 and also has 14 touchdowns, second to Farney’s 37. The Black Bears have 71 rushing scores and average 49 points.
Smith Center last reached the title game in 2019, a year after winning its last state championship. Both of those teams finished with 12 victories, which the Redmen will try to match on Friday. Smith Center and Sterling met in the playoffs three times in four seasons from 2010-13, with the Redmen winning twice.