WESTERN KANSAS WEEK 1 PICK SIX 

CHENEY AT HOLCOMB 

Holcomb took its lumps in the 2024 season opener against Cheney, taking a 38-7 loss to the 2023 Class 3A champs. But that didn’t deter the Longhorns from producing a strong campaign. They finished 9-3 and reached the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Andale. 

Cheney went 9-2 last year before Andale got its revenge by beating the Cardinals in the quarterfinals after losing twice to them in 2023. 

Holcomb’s postseason run last year was its deepest since it won the 2017 Class 4A Division II championship. The Longhorns beat Scott City 10-7 in the quarterfinals to avenge one of its only two regular season losses.

Holcomb graduated quarterback Keegan Johnson but returned his younger brother, Korbin, who rushed for 1,172 yards with 14 touchdowns in 2024 and led the team in tackles. Speedster Cooper Cranston is set to take over at quarterback. The Longhorns return seven starters on both sides of the ball. 
Cheney will have to replace three-year starting quarterback Josh Burdick, with senior Reece Tolar set to fill that role. The Cardinal offense returns five starters including three-year starting lineman Wyatt Starns. Deitric McDaniel is back after leading the Cardinals in tackles last year. He’s one of five returning starters on defense. Kaden Ludwig is expected to make an impact as a two-way player after transferring into Cheney from Pratt. 

The Cardinals and Longhorns have met four times over the past five seasons, with Cheney winning all those matchups.

ELLIS AT LINCOLN 

The transition to eight-man football has gone well for Ellis, which posted its first winning season last season in almost a decade, going 5-4. The Railroaders should have the experience to take another step forward this season. 

Ellis, which fell in the opening round of the playoffs to Rawlins County last season, will have to replace standout receiver Caleb Noble but returns two key playmakers in Trenton and Carson Schartz. Trenton finished his sophomore campaign with nearly 2,000 yards of total offense while Carson ran for 559 yards and was the team’s top tackler as a junior. Five other starters are back for the Railers. 

Like Ellis, Lincoln is aiming to build off a promising 2024 campaign. The Leopards went 6-3 last year and enter this year with a strong senior group that is already the winningest class in program history. 

Lincoln is led by Jeremiah and Xavier Miller. Xavier was first-team All-8M I last year after catching 20 touchdowns from quarterback Jeremiah, who accounted for more than 2,800 yards and 44 touchdowns. Lincoln returns four other starters on offense and six on defense. The Leopards will look to notch their first-ever playoff win this season after dropping its playoff opener to Little River last season. 

Ellis won a 48-44 shootout against Lincoln in last year’s season opener.


HOXIE AT OSBORNE 

Hoxie dominated throughout its run to an Eight-Player Division I championship a year ago. Osborne was the only team to play the Indians to within single digits, dropping a tight 20-14 decision to Hoxie in the season opener.

Hoxie will now have to reload after getting hit hard by graduation, losing 10 seniors including first-team All-8M I picks Duncan Bell, Easton Nickelson, Sam Watkins and Trent Fenner. The Indians averaged over 40 points per game and surrendered just 5.6 points a contest in 2024. 
Linebacker Mat Bretz and lineman Javon Kachel are the only returning starters from last year. Hoxie will have just two seniors on the roster. 

Osborne had another solid season in 2024, bouncing back from an 0-3 start to go 7-4. The Bulldogs graduated their top two playmakers in Dalton Garman and Dawson Lantz, who accounted for the bulk of the Bulldogs’ offense last year. Kaiden Schultze is one of Osborne’s top returners after running for 531 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. 

The matchup features two highly successful eight-man coaches in Hoxie’s Lance Baar and Osborne’s Steve Tiernan. Baar is 116-47 in his 17th year at Hoxie while Tiernan is 209-50 in 25 seasons of coaching, including stints at Baileyville B&B and Solomon. Tiernan is 81-19 in 11 total seasons at Osborne. The Bulldogs were the last non-Twin Valley League team to win the Division II state title, taking the crown in 2019 when it beat Axtell.

MCPHERSON AT GREAT BEND 

Great Bend set the tone for an undefeated regular season by passing a tough season-opening road test against McPherson a year ago, handing the Bullpups a 28-6 loss. That started a nine-game winning streak for the Panthers, who looked like the favorites to reach the 5A title game out of the West before they were knocked off by rival Hays in the second round of the playoffs. 

Stacked with returners and motivated by last year’s early exit, Great Bend will open against McPherson for the fourth straight season, playing host to a Bullpup squad looking to bounce back from last year’s 5-5 campaign. 

Great Bend enters as one of the favorites in 5A, led by arguably the top athlete in the state in tight end/safety Ian Premer, a Notre Dame commit. Other leaders include three-year starting quarterback Daxton Minton, reigning Western Athletic Conference defensive player of the year Trenton Kern and Cooper Ohnmacht, a versatile weapon in the Panthers’ offense who already has offers from Kansas State and Iowa State. 

Last year marked the first season without a winning record for McPherson since 2005. The Bullpups return six starters on each side of the ball and have one of the top receivers in 4A in Ashton Malm, who caught 10 touchdowns last year. Three different upperclassmen have been battling for the quarterback job, and the Bullpups should have plenty of weapons around whoever the starter is.

PEABODY AT TESCOTT

The matchup between the Warriors and Trojans headlines the Week 1 slate in Six-Player football. 

Peabody won a 40-39 thriller against Tescott in last year’s season opener but the Trojans avenged the loss in the playoffs.

Tescott reached the state semifinals but fell to Cunningham to finish an 8-3 season. The Trojans will have to replace two-year starters Austin Miller and James Dickerman but bring back leading rushers Joey Stirn and Jace Krone. Those two combined for more than 1,000 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground. 

Stirn is the Trojans’ top returner tackler and scored seven touchdowns in the return game. Charlie Phelps anchors the defensive front and was Tescott’s leading receiver last season. 

Peabody is loaded with experience and will look to contend. The Warriors went 7-2 last season with the losses coming to Cunningham and Tescott. Junior Jameson Miles is one of the top receivers in six-man, and Aiden Hurst is another key playmaker for the Warriors, who have eight returners with starting experience. 

SOUTH GRAY AT HODGEMAN COUNTY 

South Gray will look to build off an encouraging first season under Austin Jantz, who guided the Rebels to a 6-4 campaign. Meanwhile, Hodgeman County returns several key pieces off last year’s 8-3 squad.

All three of Hodgeman County’s losses came against teams that were undefeated at the time – runner-up Victoria and semifinalist Dighton (twice). The Longhorns raced out to a 6-0 start but were hit with injuries late in the season. They beat Norwich and Bucklin before exiting in the quarterfinals.

Hodgeman County will have to replace quarterback Hazen Rydquist but brings back its top two rushers in Ian Reece and Garrett Nuss, who combined for nearly 900 yards and 17 touchdowns. 

South Gray returns four starters each way. Three of those are on the line where seniors Asa Briscoe, Brody Schmidt and Landon Garcia anchor both fronts. Sophomore Kasen Faurot is set to take over at quarterback while freshman Tyler Thiessen moves into a running back spot. 

Hodgeman County won last year’s matchup with South Gray, 24-20.