SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS WEEK 3 PICK SIX
 
KAPAUN MT. CARMEL (2-0) AT WICHITA EAST (1-1)
 
After rolling past Wichita North in its Greater Wichita Athletic League opener, Class 4A No. 1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel enters a key, two-week stretch of league games. The Crusaders’ recent matchups with Wichita East have been high quality, with Kapaun fending off the Blue Aces 27-20 in three overtimes a year ago.
 
Kapaun has been able to spread the wealth with its rushing attack in its first two games. Reserve sophomore tailback James Guyer ran for 160 yards in the Crusaders’ 77-0 victory over North and leads the team with 16 carries for 169 yards and 4 touchdowns. Junior tailback Ken Huff has 17 carries for 150 yards and 3 TDs, while senior fullback Wyatt Sullenger has rushed 17 times for 144 yards and 4 scores.
 
East, which last defeated Kapaun in 2022, is coming off a 34-14 loss to Wichita Northwest – Kapaun’s Week 4 opponent. Senior running back Aaron Bohannon, who ran for 173 yards and scored two touchdowns in a season-opening victory over Wichita Heights, also found the end zone against the Grizzlies.
 
Both teams have already played competitive games, with Kapaun opening with a 27-14 victory over Andover after the score was tied at 7 at the break. East sealed a 23-14 victory over Heights with a fourth-quarter field goal. Three of the last five in the Kapaun-East series have been decided by one score.
 

MAIZE (2-0) AT HUTCHINSON (2-0)
 
Maize’s start to the 2025 season has been vastly different from a year ago, when the Eagles struggled to an 0-4 start before winning their next five. After avenging losses to Goddard and Andover the first two weeks, Maize will try to settle another score in its trip to Hutchinson’s Gowans Stadium.
 
The Eagles, shut out at home by Hutch in a 21-0 loss last September, have been highly efficient so far behind senior quarterback Brayden Myovela. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Myovela has completed 25 of 30 passes for 324 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also leads the Eagles with 164 rushing yards and 2 scores.
 
Hutch is 2-0 for the first time in three seasons after road victories over Andover Central and Valley Center. After shutting out Andover Central in the opener, the Salthawks limited Valley Center to 217 yards and got a pair of second-half touchdown passes from senior Tramel Walker in relief of injured starter Robert Hunter.
 
Hutch has won the last two meetings since falling to Maize in the 2022 Class 5A playoffs. A Maize victory would the 200^th for longtime coach Gary Guzman.
 

CHANUTE (2-0) AT MCPHERSON (1-1)
 
One of the big feathers in Chanute’s cap last season was a 27-14 victory over McPherson that boosted the Blue Comets to an 8-3 record. The second installment of the home-and-home, non-league series shifts to McPherson for the rematch.
 
Both teams are coming off impressive Week 2 victories. Chanute blistered Coffeyville 55-0, cashing in on all its first-half possessions to put up 42 points before the break. Senior quarterback Kris Harding ran for 3 touchdowns and completed 7 of 10 passes for 121 yards and a score.
 
McPherson bounced back from a season-opening loss to Class 5A No. 2 Great Bend and defeated Circle 34-17. The Bullpups trailed at halftime but used a strong ground attack to take control. Sophomore Brody Milleson ran 11 times for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns, while junior Dane Becker added 17 carries for 121 yards and a score.
 
McPherson’s ability to run the ball could be one of the telling factors in its home opener. The Bullpups were held to 32 yards on the ground in last year’s loss to Chanute.
 

CHENEY (1-1) AT GARDEN PLAIN (2-0)
 
Garden Plain ended the state’s longest 11-player winning streak last week when it defeated two-time reigning Class 1A champion Conway Springs 33-14. Now it takes aim at a more personal streak, having lost the last five meetings to Central Plains League neighbor Cheney.
 
The Owls, who moved into the Class 2A rankings at No. 5, snapped Conway’s run at 25 games with a dominating performance, building a 25-6 halftime lead and finishing with 392 rushing yards. Senior quarterback Eli Eck scored on runs of 68 and 72 yards en route to a 185-yard rushing performance, while senior Emrick Hays – who ran for a school-record 327 yards in Garden Plain’s opening victory over Wichita Trinity – added a pair of touchdown runs against Conway Springs.
 
Cheney, which dropped its opener to Holcomb, bounced back with a 38-0 victory over Kingman last week. Quarterback Reece Tolar completed 14 of 17 passes for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns – 2 to Deitric McDaniel – and added a 6-yard rushing touchdown. The Cardinals’ defense forced 5 turnovers and limited Kingman to 134 yards on 49 plays.
 
As effective as Garden Plain has been against Conway Springs, winning five of the last six, Cheney has been a different story for the Owls. The Cardinals have won by an average of 31 points since their current streak in the series began in 2020.

 
NEODESHA (2-0) AT CANEY VALLEY (2-0)
 
The longtime Tri-Valley League members have played for well over 100 years, but rarely in recent times as unbeaten teams, even at this point in the season. Neodesha is 2-0 for the first time since 2015 – the last year it defeated Caney Valley.
 
Neodesha is coming off a 35-8 victory in Bluestem in which senior Cole Ramey rushed for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns, part of a 324-yard rushing effort by the Bluestreaks. Ramey added a sack as the Neodesha defense yielded just one touchdown for the second straight game.
 
Caney outscored Humboldt and Erie by a combined total of 90-6 in its 2-0 start. The Bullpups pounced on Erie in last week’s 52-6 victory, as junior Traxcyn Garton scored on the third offensive play and sophomore Konnor Paulie quickly followed with a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown.
 
Both teams came into their 2011 meeting at 5-0, a matchup Caney won 44-14. Neodesha is off to its best start in three seasons under coach Nathan West, and will see how much of the gap it can close on the Bullpups, who have won nine straight and 16 of 17 in the series.

 
INMAN (2-0) AT STERLING (2-0)
 
Two of the three remaining unbeatens in the Heart of America collide in Sterling, where the host Black Bears play for the first time after entering KSHSAA Covered’s Class 1A rankings at No. 5.
 
Sterling is coming off an impressive 27-15 road victory over Moundridge in which it churned out 302 yards of total offense, all on the ground. Senior Zane Farney dashed 67 yards on the game’s second play for the first of his two touchdowns and finished with 21 carries for 168 yards.
 
Inman is 2-0 for the second straight season after victories over Hutchinson Trinity and Wichita Trinity. The Teutons built a 24-9 halftime lead last week and held off Wichita Trinity 32-27.
 
Sterling notched its first victory of the 2024 season in last year’s meeting, edging Inman 21-20. Farney ran for 180 yards and a touchdown in that game, and Wyatt Newberry added a pair of interceptions. Another win over the Teutons would mark Sterling’s first 3-0 start in 33 years.