It’s not like Kade Mitchell and Connor Hanika haven’t been key contributors for Hayden prior to their senior seasons this fall.
 
Mitchell, after all, was Hayden’s leading rusher, second-leading receiver and second-leading tackler last year. And Hanika was the Wildcats’ third-leading receiver.
 
But when it came to who the leading figures were in leading Hayden’s run to a second straight Class 3A state championship last fall, it was unquestionably now-departed standouts Jensen Schrickel and Jett Wahlmeier.
 
“It was obviously Jett’s and Jensen’s team last year,” Mitchell said. “But we were there grinding every day. We’ve been waiting for our senior year and our turn to come in and be the leaders this year.”
 
Schrickel and Wahlmeier were both four-year starters for Hayden in their careers. Schrickel was a do-it-all weapon on offense, dangerous as both a receiver and runner, while also starring at defensive back and on special teams on his way to being a two-time first-team All-Class 3A selection and Second 11 pick in 2024. Wahlmeier, meanwhile, stepped in as the Wildcats’ starting quarterback his freshman season and threw for more than 5,000 yards in his career.
 
That left some huge holes for Hayden to fill this year, but both Mitchell and Hanika were more than ready to step into even bigger roles this season.
 
“It started in the summer,” Hanika said. “We took control of things and did workouts on our own to be ready for this moment.”
 

 
For Hanika, his ascension into the starting quarterback role to replace Wahlmeier began in 2023. When Wahlmeier was injured in the Wildcats’ playoff opener that season, Hayden coach Bill Arnold didn’t hesitate turning the offense over to then-sophomore Hanika.
 
“He’s got the skill set,” Arnold said of thrusting Hanika into the midst of the Wildcats’ run to the 3A state championship game in 2023. “Any time you put a twig out there as a sophomore, you don’t really know. But he’s very headsy, very football knowledgeable and he throws a really good deep ball.”
 
In filling in for Wahlmeier, Hanika threw for 461 yards and 7 touchdowns, one of those TD passes going to Mitchell for Hayden’s lone score in a 34-7 loss to Cheney in the state championship game.
 
“That (experience) really helped me a lot,” Hanika said of his sophomore step-up. “At first, I was like, ‘Sweet, it’s my time.’ Then it started to sink in, but I knew I could do it.”
 
After playing receiver almost exclusively last year as Wahlmeier stayed injury-free and threw for more than 2,000 yards, Hanika was ready for the moment once again when his number was called this fall.
 
Thus far this season, Hanika has been rock solid in leading the Wildcats, No. 2 in Class 3A, to a 4-0 start. He threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for an 11-yard score in Friday’s 42-6 win over Wamego that avenged the Wildcats’ lone regular-season loss a year ago.
 
On the season, Hanika has thrown for 549 yards and 7 touchdowns with just one interception.
 
“It definitely helped having those four or five games under my belt my sophomore year,” Hanika said.
 
Mitchell also got pressed into a bigger role as a sophomore in 2023. Midway through the regular season, standout tailback Finn Dunshee went down with a knee injury that looked severe enough to potentially wipe out the rest of his senior season.
 
In stepped Mitchell, who ran for 769 yards and 11 touchdowns and added 170 receiving yards and two scores, holding down the job until Dunshee returned late in the playoffs.
 
Last year, Mitchell took over as Hayden’s top tailback, rushing for 808 yards and 18 touchdowns. But in a sense, he was a clone of Schrickel as a triple threat, adding 543 yards and 5 touchdowns receiving while also returning two kicks for touchdowns.
 
Defensively, he led the team in takeaways with 3 interceptions and was the second-leading tackler with 72 stops.
 
This year, he’s rushed for 344 yards and 4 touchdowns and also has returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
 
“It’s what I’ve worked for,” he said. “But it’s credit to my teammates. They’ve helped me get here.”
 

 
“Kade’s a playmaker out there,” Arnold said. “He does so many things well on both sides of the ball and then he’s a threat on special teams. He’s a little bit bigger than Jensen was butd not quite as fast, though he is fast. I’ve been happy with both him and Connor, who came in as a sophomore when Jett went down and did some good things for us.”
 
For all the success they’re enjoying in their roles as team leaders – along with fellow seniors such as Jude Krentz (last year’s leading tackler), Julian McGivern and Xander Blasing, among others – both Mitchell and Hanika said the ultimate goal is to get the state title that’s eluded the Wildcats each of the past two seasons.
 
Hayden fell to Cheney in the 2023 title game and then lost to Andale in last year’s championship contest. Hayden is ranked behind Andale in the Class 3A rankings this fall.
 
“We want that really bad,” Mitchell said. “We’re hungrier than ever. We don’t want to lose in the state championship game three times in a row.”
 
Hanika agreed.
 
“We’ve been playing since we were kids together,” Hanika said. “It’s just fun to do it one more time and hopefully go win a state championship.”
 
Friday’s win was a big one for the Wildcats after the way last year’s showdown with Wamego ended. Up 28-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Hayden saw the Red Raiders mount a furious rally and pull out a 31-28 win on a late field goal.
 
In the rematch, Hayden put down the pedal early, bolting to a 21-0 halftime lead on a pair of Hanika TD passes to McGivern and Blasing and a Hanika TD run. Hayden stretched the lead to 28-0 early in the second half on Mitchell’s 4-yard scoring run and after Wamego got its lone touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats iced the blowout with Hanika’s TD pass to Logan Power and a 30-yard pick six by Mason Becker.
 
“That was a great lesson that we not only learned last year, but it’s carried through this year,” Arnold said. “We came out the first game against Eudora and put points up in the first half and then kind of petered out. But that’s something we addressed and the kids have responded really well.”
 

 
HI-HO SILVER! JUNCTION CITY UPSETS ARCH RIVAL AND NO. 1 MANHATTAN
 
Wins in the annual Silver Trophy game against arch rival Manhattan haven’t come as frequently as Junction City head coach Randall Zimmerman would have like, making each one that does occur pretty special.
 
But even wins such as a 34-33 victory in 2012, a 17-14 overtime win in 2015 and a 9-7 slugfest in 2018 may have to take a backseat to Friday’s victory.
 
With Manhattan going into the contest ranked No. 1 with impressive wins over Free State and Hays and Junction City going into the contest fresh off a home loss to No. 2 Wichita Northwest, the Blue Jays stunned the Indians on their home turf, taking a 28-14 victory.


“It ranks right up there at the top or close to it,” Zimmerman said. “They’re such a good team, very well-coached and incredibly disciplined. For our kids to go into their place and have them get on us 7-0 early, our kids just stayed within themselves and made the plays they needed to make offensively and defensively. … We just kind of settled in and I’m just proud of these kids. The stuff that we’ve gone through the past three years for them to come together and play as they have been, I’m very proud of them.
 
“Defensively, we were very, very, very good and took away the big play from them and created turnovers.”
 
Zimmerman could have thrown in a few more “verys” to describe the Blue Jays’ defensive effort in the contest. Though the Blue Jays were out-gained 290-170 in the game, turnovers were the great equalizer as Junction City picked off Indian quarterback Finn Watson four times and Mclain Aslin once and also recovered a fumble, finishing a plus-5 in the turnover battle.
 
Marshall Karmann had two of the interceptions, while JaMarcus Tyson, Lovell Autry and Khaliel Walker each came up with one and Toby Johnson had the fumble recovery.
 
“Our defense is way ahead of where we’re at offensively,” Zimmerman said. “Our kids are playing with so much energy, playing sound and playing together. It’s a lot of fun to watch. Ty (Zimmerman, Randall’s son) is coordinating that side of the ball and all of our defensive coaches have those kids dialed in.”
 
Manhattan led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter on the strength of a short Aslin touchdown run. But after getting off to a slow start offensively, the Indians found their groove in the second quarter. Junction City scored on four straight possessions, taking a 14-7 lead at halftime and then a 28-14 lead at the end of the third quarter that held up for the final score.
 
Conrad Gomez hit Autry for touchdown passes of 18 and 76 yards, the second of those being the eventual game-winner, and he also ran in a score that clinched the win. Lance Norris also had a 3-yard TD run to start the Blue Jays’ scoring.
 
While Gomez only threw for 132 yards in the game, he managed it well, especially with leading rusher Aaron Woods and Tyson both going down with an injury in the game.
 
“We only had four players on offense that had any varsity time returning,” Zimmerman said. “But they’re starting to come around. It took us so long to get going. Conrad’s really leading us well offensively.”
 
Even though Junction City had suffered its only loss of the season the week before against Wichita Northwest, Zimmerman said the game showed his team what it was capable of. Junction City held a 21-17 lead in the fourth quarter before the Grizzlies rallied with two late touchdowns for a 31-21 win.
 
“We gained a lot of confidence out of that,” he said. “We’re up 21-17 and at that point we felt it was all us. Northwest is really good and has so much talent, but we gave up a big kickoff return and a couple big plays and they scored and then we turned the ball over and they got another one. We felt like it was in our hands and we broke it down to our kids that if you make a play or two here or there, that game ends up our way against an incredibly good team. We carried that through with our week of practice and hopefully we’ll continue to practice and prepare well and see where that will take us.”
 
Things don’t get any easier for the Blue Jays, who this week travel to Class 5A No. 3 Hays
 

 
OTHER WEEK 4 FOOTBALL STANDOUTS

• Class 2A Council Grove got out to a 21-0 lead on Riley County and then had to hang on for a 28-26 victory, secured with a Reid Buttrey interception on the final play of rthe game. Buttrey accounted for all four touchdowns, rushing for two and throwing for a pair, finishing with 116 total yards. Kadrick Woodard had a 53-yard touchdown run and threw a pair of TD passes to get Riley County in the game before being picked off at the end.
• Hanover completely dominated its showdown with Twin Valley League rival Frankfort, getting out to a 28-0 halftime lead and cruising to a 50-0 victory. Kadrick Cohorst completed 9 of 11 passes for 164 yards and 3 touchdowns and he also had one of Hanover’s four rushing touchdowns. Wes Anderson threw for 104 yards for Frankfort.
• Parker Schwarz ran for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead Prairie View to a 48-13 win over Burlington. Jay Muse, Josh Goodwin and Wyatt Attebery each added TD runs as the Buffaloes ran for 335 yards as a team.
• Zion Bell was a workhorse for Rock Creek in its 28-14 win over Abilene, rushing 42 times for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 5-yard TD run in the fourth quarter broke a 14-14 tie and he also scored on a 25-yard run. Gavin Rosa threw for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 20-yarder to Luke Skinner in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory.
• Clifton-Clyde cruised past Lakeside 46-0 as Joseph Fahey ran for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also threw for a touchdown.
• Kole Riedy ran for 209 yards and 4 touchdowns as Rural Vista rolled to a 52-0 win over Wakefield. Riedy also ran in three two-point conversions.
• Despite having only 227 yards of total offense, Santa Fe Trail rolled 61-7 against Osawatomie. Kain Tantoras returned a punt for a touchdown and also had two interceptions that set up short scoring drivers. Trevir Hinck had a kickoff return touchdown. Rigley Sleichter ran for two of Trail’s five rushing TDs.
• Clay Center’s Eisaac Girton ran for 210 yards and 4 touchdowns on just 11 carries as the Tigers handled Chapman 44-8.
• Sacred Heart picked up one of its biggest wins in years with a 26-16 win over Valley Heights. Maddox Wells threw for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns with Noah Hines hauling in two of those scores and finishing with 114 yards receiving. Dom Matteucci has rushing and receiving touchdowns and finished with 117 combined yards. Heights’ lone touchdowns came on Brady Dewalt’s 78-yard kickoff return and on a 66-yard fumble return.
• Will Elias had a hand in every touchdown Jefferson County North scored in a 50-12 win over Pleasant Ridge. Elias ran for 145 yards and 4 touchdowns and also threw for 178 yards and three more scores. Christopher Noll had 4 catches for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• Troy improved to 3-1 after Kaston Jasper threw for 385 yards and 6 touchdowns in a 34-14 win over Horton. Colt Jensen had 138 yards and 3 touchdowns receiving and Cade Rosenberger added 113 yards and 2 touchdowns receiving.
• Osage City put up 42 points in the first quarter alone and rolled to a 74-0 win over West Franklin. Kasen Parsons threw for three touchdowns in the first quarter and finished with 184 yards passing and 4 TDs overall. He also ran for one of the Indians seven rushing touchdowns, all coming from different players as the Indians racked up 282 yards on the ground. Osage City held the Falcons to just 58 total yards.
• Southeast of Saline built a 50-0 halftime lead on its way to a 58-6 win over Kingman. Grady Gebhardt had a 63-yard TD run and 53-yard TD reception among four first-quarter touchdowns and finished with 198 total yards. Gannon Jacobson threw for 111 yards and two scores.
• Lebo’s Brock Hadley threw three touchdowns passes to Brayden Hopkins and had 4 TD passes overall to lead the Wolves to a 46-0 win over Hartford. Hadley finished with 153 yards passing and Hopkins had a 103 yards receiving, Jaxon Grimmett ran for two touchdowns as well.
• Lyndon outscored Chase County 46-6 in the second and third quarters to turn a tight 16-12 lead into a 68-18 win over the Bulldogs. The Tigers finished with 402 total yards  and seven rushing touchdowns. Wyatt Griffin had 153 combined rushing and passing yards for Chase County.
• Axtell scored 54 points in the first quarter of a 54-8 win over Blue Valley-Randolph. Wyatt Detweiler threw for 110 yards and 3 touchdowns, two to Collin Shaughnessy, and Joe Lybarger had a rushing touchdown and returned an interception 26 yards for a score.
• Shawnee Heights’ Aiden Scott threw for 409 yards and 3 touchdowns in the T-Birds’ 43-29 loss to Leavenworth. AJ Gallegos had 157 yards and 2 touchdowns receiving.
• Beloit freshman quarterback Truitt King threw for 330 yards and 2 touchdowns but the Trojans fell 40-28 to Phillipsburg.