NO. 1 MANHATTAN (1-0) AT NO. 3 LAWRENCE FREE STATE (1-0)
Manhattan took over the No. 1 spot in the Class 6A rankings with the help of Lawrence Free State, who knocked off defending state champion, and previous No. 1, Gardner-Edgerton in week one. Now the Firebirds, who went from unranked to No. 3 in the rankings, will try to knock off their second No. 1 team in as many weeks as they host Manhattan in a non-league matchup.
The Firebirds outlasted Gardner-Edgerton in a 35-34 win that went down to the wire. Free State stopped a Blazer 2-point try late in the contest, led by Ethan Prescott, that sealed the win. Quarterback Finn Moore was a big part of the victory for Free State as he put together a memorable performance in his first game as a starter. The Firebird junior had 20 carries for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Moore also threw for 110 yards and another score. He got many of those yards behind an offensive line led by left tackle Braden Wilmes, a Clemson commit. Moore threw a 75-yard go-ahead touchdown to Jonas Lonard late in the contest, that ended up being the game-winner.
Manhattan had a little easier time in its opener as the Indians put together a strong performance in their 43-13 win over Garden City. The defending state-runner put a new cast of players on display and didn’t disappoint. Finn Watson is the team’s new quarterback and looked strong as he threw for 133 yards, and two total touchdowns. The Indians also featured a pair of 100-yard rushers. Kha’Mario Davis led the way with 128 yards and a score, while Aslin found the endzone twice with 100 yards on the ground.
The two teams met in week two last season and the Indians jumped on Free State early and held on for a 38-27 victory. It will look a little different than a season ago as both teams were senior heavy. One player who does return is Free State wide receiver Maddon Brittingham who had 183 yards receiving and two touchdowns a year ago.
NO. 5 ST. JAMES ACADEMY (1-0) AT NO. 1 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1-0)
Defending Class 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas picked up right where it left off in a shutout win at Blue Valley West last Friday in an Eastern Kansas League matchup. St. James Academy did much of the same as the Thunder blanked rival Bishop Miege to open their season — and their new stadium — with a victory. At least one of these teams will be giving up their first points of the season as St. James travels to play Aquinas.
Aquinas dominated their game against Blue Valley West as the 2-time state champion knocked off the Jaguars, 21-0. Offensively, despite being hurt by penalties, the Saints put together a strong performance in the second half that was led by senior Calin Arndt. The Aquinas senior handled a bulk of the offense as he carried the ball 36 times for 235 yards and scored all three touchdowns. The Saints leaned on their offensive line, led by 4-year starter Stephen Carroll, who is a Central Arkansas commit. Aquinas knocked off St. James 28-7 in week two last season and used a 211-yard rushing attack from Arndt to pull away.
As for the Thunder, they leaned on their defense in week one’s shutout of Miege. Sam Charlton led St. James with 13 stops on the night, including four for a loss. They also got two interceptions from Brinton Banker as the Thunder forced three turnovers. Starting quarterback Frankie Menghini left the game with an injury in the fourth quarter, but backup John Hornback helped put the game way with two touchdowns, including a 73-yard run up the middle for the game’s final score.
NO. 5 BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST (1-0) AT SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST (1-0)
Points were not hard to come by for either Blue Valley Northwest or Shawnee Mission Northwest in week one. The two teams combined for 95 points as both cruised to victories in their opener. A lot of points should be scored tonight as Shawnee Mission Northwest will host Blue Valley Northwest at the district stadium at Shawnee Mission North.
Blue Valley Northwest used a balanced attack to knock off rival Blue Valley North, 40-13, last week. The Husky combo of quarterback Aidan Ihm and running back LJ Bowens proved to be too much for the Mustangs to handle. Ihm completed 16 of 25 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns. That success through the air opened things up for Bowens, who had 110 yards rushing on 15 carries and had a touchdown. Bowens also had 50 yards receiving and two more scores. The Huskies handled business last season against Shawnee Mission Northwest in a 38-7 victory.
As for the Cougars, Shawnee Mission Northwest pulled away for a dominant 55-27 victory over Shawnee Mission North in its opener. The Cougars featured a dominant ground attack that racked up 457 rushing yards. Running back Trai Woodruff only needed seven carries to post a 206-yard rushing performance. Ty Newton also eclipsed the 100-yard mark as he finished with 149 yards rushing as the Cougars got their first win under new head coach Kurt Webster.
FRONTENAC (1-0) AT NO. 4 ST. MARY’S COLGAN (1-0)
The CNC title could be on the line tonight as defending champion Frontenac will travel to St. Mary’s Colgan, who captured the crown in 2023. Frontenac, which is in Class 3A, had the advantage a year ago as it blanked Class 1A Colgan in a 26-0 victory.
Colgan, who moved into the No. 4 spot in the Class 1A rankings this week, will have several players back from that matchup a year ago. The Panthers put together a strong debut in their opener with a 28-0 victory over Girard. Quarterback Carston Simmons led the team with 113 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Senior Klayton Adamson also a big night with two touchdowns and 63 yards rushing.
As for Frontenac, the Raiders got on the scoreboard early and often against Galena. They jumped out to a 22-point lead in the first quarter and left with a 49-6 victory over the Bulldogs. Quarterback Brogan Smith got the Raiders going early with a pair of first quarter touchdowns, while running back Luke Sneed also had two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion.
PIPER (1-0) AT BASEHOR-LINWOOD (1-0)
The two schools are separated by just a little more than four miles, and Piper and Basehor-Linwood know each other well. The two will square off Friday as they try to stay atop the United Kansas Conference Standings.
Piper is hoping to go on a revenge tour of sorts. The Pirates avenged a loss to Topeka-Seaman from season ago as the Pirates cruised to a 31-22 victory. Pirate running back Roman Byers, Jr., proved to be too much to stop. Byers ran through the Seaman defense as he carried the ball 33 times for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Leeum Healy was also effective with 150 yards passing and two scores.
As for Basehor-Linwood, the Bobcats return several players from last season’s 48-14 victory over Piper, which includes quarterback Carson Dixon. The Bobcat senior threw for 181 yards and three touchdowns in the Bobcats’ 42-21 victory over Leavenworth last week. His favorites targets were Nash Morrison and Nate Martin. Morrison had 94 yards receiving, while Martin had 58 and both had a touchdown. Martin also returned a kick for a score early in the contest.
TONGANOXIE (1-0) AT SPRING HILL (1-0)
Spring Hill may have won the Frontier League championship last season, but Tonganoxie nearly knocked the Broncos off in week two a year ago as the Chieftains lost 18-14 in a defensive-minded contest. Both teams will feature many new players on both sides of the ball as they gear up for Friday’s game at Spring Hill.
The Broncos cruised in week one as they handed Bonner Springs a 47-7 setback under new head coach Fred Bouchard. Senior quarterback Jordan Miller completed 11 of 14 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, but the Broncos did a bulk of their damage on the ground. Senior running back Hank Kotchavar led the way with 92 yards rushing and a touchdown as the team ran for 221 yards total. Miller also carried the ball for 70 yards and a score, while Maysen Dodson had two touchdowns.
Tonganoxie found itself in a dogfight with Louisburg last week as the Chieftains were able to hold on for a 20-14 victory over the Wildcats to start their season off on the right foot. The Chieftain defense came up big in the contest as it recorded two interceptions to stop a pair of Wildcat drives. Quarterback Bodee Maslak accounted for 300 total yards on the night, including 203 yards passing and a touchdown. He also rushed for 97 yards and two scores. His favorite target was Jacob Morenz who had seven catches for 147 yards.