By CONOR NICHOLL & Chet Kuplen – Sports in Kansas
Sports In Kansas Week 2 Impressions are highlighted by Derby’s opening its remodeled stadium, more than 790 yards of total offense from Wichita Northwest, a long field goal from Maize’s Cole Segraves, big wins for Spring Hill, Hillsboro and Hill City, plus notes on a variety of standout performances from 6A to 6-Man. Also a big shoutout to all of the photographers who sent in photos remembering 9/11 on football friday night.
Class 6A
No. 1 and three-time defending state champion Derby didn’t play in Week 1 when its out-of-state opponent went in a different direction. Derby, though, opened reconstructed Panther Stadium with a 50-17 win versus Newton.
Blue Valley North senior quarterback Henry Martin, with an Illinois State offer, continued to close in on multiple Kansas career passing records. Martin cleared 390 passing yards and six touchdowns. Blue Valley North defeated Blue Valley West, 42-21. BVN is 2-0 and ranked No. 3 in Class 6A.
Washburn Rural, under head coach Steve Buhler, is 2-0 for the first time in three years. The Junior Blues have Pittsburg High this week in a game that they will be favored headed into. WaRu has outscored opponents (Topeka, Topeka West) 87-to-19 this season.
Olathe West’s Mason McGavran finished with 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 179 passing yards and a score. On Thursday, Olathe West came back to defeated Shawnee Mission Northwest, 39-34 for its first win of the fall.
Olathe Northwest was a KPreps Potential Breakout Team in the preseason. Northwest virtually halved its scoring defense from 2019 to ’20 when it allowed 40.7 points to 20.4. Northwest is now 2-0 after a pair of one-score wins: Olathe West (28-21) and Olathe East (13-6). Northwest has permitted just 27 total points. Last year, NW didn’t start until Week 2 and opened 0-2 with 46 points allowed in those contests. Coach Aaron Hafner and NW have enjoyed a nice turnaround. Defensive lineman Jayden Oquendo has FCS offers. Northwest has not been 3-0 ever in the history of their program and not 2-0 since 2011.
Blue Valley Northwest beat Bishop Miege, 49-36. Blue Valley Northwest is ranked No. 4 in 6A, and Miege is first in 6A. Mikey Pauley passed for 349 yards and four touchdowns.
Dodge City beat Liberal, 48-12, and remained undefeated with new coach Glenn O’Neil.
Undefeated teams are: Blue Valley North, Blue Valley Northwest, Olathe North and Olathe Northwest in the East. The West has Dodge City, Lawrence, Lawrence Free State, Manhattan, Washburn Rural and Derby (1-0). Manhattan won the Silver Trophy rivalry against No. 5-ranked Junction City. Free State is now 2-0 after an 0-6 season last year. Rural is 2-0 after a 0-2 and 2-4 start in 2020.
Class 5A
No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas defeated St. Louis power Lutheran North, 53-39. Gianni Rizzi rushed seven times for 138 yards and a touchdown. The game featured more than 1,000 yards in total offense. Lutheran North ran 52 plays for 575 yards. St. Thomas Aquinas had 55 plays for 489 yards. Sean Carroll delivered 27 rushes for 137 yards and three TDs. Quarterback Maxwell Ford rushed 15 times for 111 yards and three scores.
Wichita Northwest bounced back from its season-opening loss to rival Bishop Carroll with a key 62-40 victory against Wichita Heights. Northwest rushed 64 times for 732 yards and had 63 passing yards. Northwest had no turnovers. Overall, NW’s 795 yards of total offense were close to the all-time state record. Northwest has the mark with 891 yards against Maize in a 2019 playoff game.
Against Carroll, Northwest moved the ball effectively with more than 400 yards of total offense, including 200-plus on the ground from quarterback Geremiah Moore. However, NW was hurt by four turnovers and two big plays allowed. Northwest is ranked fourth in Class 5A and the three-time defending state runner-up. Kicker Brayden Souter and wide receiver Romelo Golston were Northwest’s players of the game. Northwest had a 68-49 play edge. Junior L.J. Phillips delivered 23 carries for 260 yards and four touchdowns and caught a 45-yard touchdown pass. Sophomore Cencere Thompson rushed 24 times for 281 yards and three TDs. Moore had 16 carries for 186 yards and a TD.
Maize’s Cole Segraves made a 54-yard field goal for the Eagles, just shy of the all-time state record. Segraves and Blue Valley’s Charlie Weinrich (KU offer) are considered Kansas’ top-two kickers. Segraves was first team all-state Class 5A last year and led the state in kick scoring in 2020. He was 10 of 13 on field goals and 56 of 59 on extra points. Segraves had shown range of 50-plus yards and is considered a Division I caliber kicker.
Seaman picked up a big 35-7 win over Hayden in an away contest on Friday. Bethany Bowman of Sports in Kansas was there to talk about the action here with Camden Barta and head coach Jared Swafford here
Maize, ranked No. 5 in Class 5A, improved to 2-0 with a 29-10 win versus Haysville Campus. Maize led 3-0 after the first quarter but trailed 10-3 entering the fourth before 26 unanswered points. Junior quarterback Avery Johnson went 19 of 26 for 208 yards. Johnson has multiple Power 5 football offers. Daeshaun Carter rushed 13 times for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel won a key City League game versus Wichita East, 29-22, with a fourth-quarter comeback. KMC scored an 18-yard touchdown pass just outside of the final two minutes. The Crusaders have lost one regular season game since the start of 2020.
Hays High beat rival Great Bend, 51-0, and scored on all seven possessions of the first half, per HHS broadcaster Dustin Armbruster. Roy Moroni, who missed Week 1 because of sickness, had a 25-yard touchdown run on the game’s second play. Clemson commit Jaren Kanak passed for three touchdowns and delivered a 79-yard rushing TD.
Spring Hill pulled a 42-14 upset win versus Paola. SH is 2-0. Paola lost in the regular season in a 25-7 defeat to Louisburg in Week 8 of 2018. Paola last lost to Spring Hill, 18-12, in 2016. Spring Hill has beaten both Louisburg (31-0) and Paola for the first time in five years, too. Only two unbeaten teams left in the Frontier league, which also includes 2-0 Piper (4A).
Undefeated East teams are Topeka Seaman, Mill Valley, Spring Hill and St. Thomas Aquinas. On the West, Hays High, Maize South, Bishop Carroll, Kapaun Mt. Carmel and Maize are all 2-0.
Class 4A
In a huge game, No. 3 Andover Central edged No. 4 Buhler, 21-19. AC, also expected to be a breakout team, picked up a signature win and likely leads the 4A West pecking order at this point. This game was not played last year. Dynamic two-way player Ashton Barkdull scored a screen pass of 50-plus yards in the final minute for the final touchdown.
Winfield has new coach Monty Lewis, a longtime coaching veteran of KCAC football. Winfield is a surprise 2-0 team. Armon Acosta delivered 191 rushing and two scores, along with 46 receiving yards and a touchdown. Winfield defeated Labette County, 27-7. Winfield is 2-0 for the first time since 2013, according to the Kansas Football History database.
In a wild comeback, K.C. Piper completed a 53-yard touchdown pass on the game’s final play from Logan Ladish to Ethan Walker after Eudora had scored just inside the final minute. Ladish tossed three fourth-quarter touchdown passes. Piper won 23-20. Eudora’s Gage Hayden was 5 of 7 passing for 144 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with 13 carries for 110 yards. Piper is 2-0. The Eudora game marked Piper’s first home contest since 2019. Piper finished 5-4 and led Class 4A in scoring defense last year.
Atchison’s Jesse Greenly finished with 200-plus rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Atchison held off Topeka Highland Park, 47-36.
Wamego junior dual threat quarterback Hayden Oviatt paced his league in rushing and passing yards last season. He delivered 179 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with 123 rushing and a TD. Wamego won 28-7 against Marysville.
Class 4A has just six undefeated teams: Basehor-Linwood and K.C. Piper on the East, and McPherson, Augusta, Winfield and Andover Central on the West. Augusta is 2-0 for the first time since 2017 under head coach Jason Filbeck. Miege was dethroned last season by St. James Academy. The classification has seemed to open up a little than having just a clear cut favorite. While Miege (0-2) will be a heavy contender to win it all, there are several teams that have the opportunity to make deep playoff runs in the class this season.
Class 3A
Wellsville’s Nash Money recorded 13 carries for 124 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, in a 55-0 win versus Anderson County.
Russell lost 24-6 to TMP last season and on Friday they defeated the Monarchs 23-17 in a 3-OT thriller. Russell plays Norton this week and will look to be 3-0 for the first time since 2000. Russell started the 2018 season with a 2-0 record before losing in week three. Russell is in quite the district that has three other 2-0 teams (Scott City, SE Saline, Smoky Valley).
Parsons is 2-0 for the first time in three years under head coach Jeff Schibi. Besides 2021 and 2018, the last time the Vikings were 2-0 was 2011. Nice start for PHS but they have a tall task this week as they face a very good Prairie View team on the road. Parsons beat PV on the road in the 3A playoffs back in 2018.
Columbus’ Kody Schalk, one of 3A’s top defensive lineman, consistently beat a quadruple team. Columbus defeated Coffeyville, 40-8. Brett Hamilton threw three touchdown passes, and Gabe Martin ran for a score en route to a 26-0 lead. Columbus improved to 1-1 on the season.
Concordia’s Cav Carlgren was 3 of 4 passing for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Keyan Miller enjoyed his second straight big game with seven carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of two-point conversions. His lone reception was a 52-yard touchdown. Miller returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown. Miller played a full quarter and a series in the second quarter. Concordia rolled over struggling Abilene, 51-20.
Chapman fullback Eli Riegel has been one of Kansas’ stars of the first two weeks. He was a key back as a sophomore and then played in just three games a year ago. Riegel recorded 200-plus rushing yards in a Week 1 win versus Sabetha. In Week 2, Riegel finished with 25 carries for 111 yards in the first half versus Holton, Class 3A’s No. 5-ranked team. Holton won, 24-14.
Clay Center’s Lane Musselman finished with seven rushing attempts for 159 yards and three touchdowns. He caught a 27-yard pass and returned a punt 56 yards. Clay Center is 2-0 after a 57-0 win versus Jefferson West.
Prairie View is a team not many are talking about on the East side of 3A but need to be. PV has outscored opponents 90-to-19 over the first two weeks. PV went 8-2 in 2018, 10-1 in 2019 and 8-2 last season. The Buffaloes are a major contender on the eastern side of 3A. Kyle Littrell has done outstanding work here. Loaded district that features traditional solid programs in Frontenac, Girard and Burlington.
Girard is one of the most underrated teams in the class. The Trojans are 2-0 for the first time since 2007. Girard has allowed just seven points all season as they blanked Baxter Springs, 49-0, on Friday and in week one beat traditional 2A/1A power Colgan, 33-6. Keep an eye on the Trojans led by Neal Philpot.
Hiawatha lost 47-7 to Perry Lecompton last season. The Redhawks won 21-7 on Friday night at home over last seasons 3A runner-up. Hiawatha also played Troy very close in week one and are 1-1 on the season. It was the first win over Perry Lecompton for Hiawatha since 2013.
Class 2A
Maur Hill’s Parrish Beagle, one of Kansas’ top baseball pitchers, finished with 194 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, along with three interceptions on defense. Maur Hill beat Oskaloosa, 35-9.
Hoisington bounced back from its season-opening loss to Pratt with a 27-14 win versus Larned. For Larned, Brady Hope had a pair of fumble recoveries, including one returned 65 yards for a touchdown. Hope blocked extra points and delivered double-digit tackles. Per Hoisington broadcaster Cole Reif, Hoisington’s Legend Robinson, expected to breakout this season, delivered 32 carries for 218 yards and two TDs. Robinson was in the backfield as a sophomore and moved to line last year before he switched to the backfield again this year.
Riverton’s Derek Larison was considered one of Kansas’ top returning linebackers and then had a big statistical performance in the Rams’ jamboree. He recently picked up a Sterling College offer. Larison recorded seven tackles, forced a fumble, blocked a pass, recorded a pair of quarterback rushes and had a pick-six. Offensively, he delivered 18 carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Riverton beat Quapaw (Okla.), 32-20.
Southwestern Heights lost, 19-6, to out-of-state Texhoma, but Memo Flores still delivered 28 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown. Sergio Chavez, Damien Ratzlaff and Markus Trejo all picked off a pass.
Hillsboro earned a quality 25-14 win versus Hesston in the Central Kansas League. Hillsboro lost to Hesston, 44-39, last season. Hillsboro has not beaten Hesston since 2012, a stretch of eight straight losses. Frank Wichert had a pick-six with 1:33 left in the game to seal the victory.
Atchison County is 2-0 for the first time since the 2012 season as they’ve opened up with wins over Horton and Pleasant Ridge, only allowing seven total points. The Tigers are coached by Alex Thornburgh.
Marion is 2-0 for the first time since 2016 as they’ve opened up with wins over Ell-Saline and Douglass.
Class 1A
Sublette junior quarterback/safety Miguel Hernandez finished with 52 passing yards and a touchdown, along with nine rushes for 137 yards and a score. He delivered a two-point conversion. Defensively, he finished with 15 total tackles (including nine solo), along with an interception. Hernandez was timed at 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Stanton County beat Sublette, 42-16 and ended a 13-game losing streak. Before Friday, SC was 1-8 in 2019, 0-8 last year and 0-1 this season.
Jackson Heights was picked as a 1A KPreps Potential Breakout Team in the preseason. JH went 4-5 and missed its first two games because of COVID-19. This year, the Cobras returned multiple key players. JH is led by Caleb Wick, a Smith Center graduate. The Cobras run Smith Center’s inside/outside belly series offense and are known for its ground game. However, Jason Bosley finished 7 of 11 for 291 yards and six touchdowns against zero interceptions. Grant Amon had four catches for 201 yards, all for touchdowns. Jackson Heights beat Horton, 48-7, on the road and gets the premier district matchup versus Centralia this week.
Wabaunsee moved to 2-0 with a 17-6 win against Uniontown. It marks the best start for the Chargers in 15-plus years. Wabaunsee has outscored teams, 45-6.
Inman rolled over Ellinwood, 68-0 after a 52-0 win against Hutchinson Trinity in Week 1. Kendyn Blank ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns on five carries. Eli Brunk paced the defense with seven tackles, along with a sack. Kyler Konrade had a pick-six and three rushing touchdowns. Inman is ranked No. 3 in Class 1A.
Eight-Man, Division I
In one of the most remarkable results of 2021, WaKeeney-Trego upset No. 4 Leoti-Wichita County, 76-28. Owen Day went 17 of 28 passing for 181 yards and five touchdowns, along with 172 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. James Kreigh, expected to be a breakout player this year, tallied 237 rushing yards and four scores. Gunner Wilson recorded seven catches for 67 yards and three TDs.
Charlie Russell, highly instrumental in WaKeeney boys’ basketball turnaround and a first team all-state Class 2A player, returned to football after a year away. He recorded four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Day is a key basketball player, too.
Last year, Wichita County went 12-1 and earned Division I state runner-up. WaKeeney was 1-6, including a 54-8 loss to Leoti in Week 3 last season. The Golden Eagles earned a Week 1 win when Chase forfeited. Wichita County was significantly featured on SIK last week for its big 56-6 win against Hoxie, which opened the season No. 4 in Eight-Man, Division I.
In a district game that was moved to Week 2, No. 3-ranked Canton-Galva held off Solomon, 54-6, in a game called in the third quarter. C-G outscored Solomon, 32-0, in the first quarter. Canton-Galva had 219 passing yards and 99 rushing. Garrett Maltbie went 7 of 12 for 219 yards with four touchdowns. Maltbie had six carries for 59 yards and a score. Kansas State signee Tyson Struber delivered four catches for 154 yards and three TDs. Struber has six receiving scores in 2021 and continues to move closer to the eight-man career receiving touchdowns record.
In a game that featured 12 turnovers on a humid night, Hill City pulled away from Ness City for a 49-18 road victory. Sophomore Aiden Amrein, who was hurt the majority of last season, had always excelled in football in the younger ranks. Amrein rushed 36 times for 282 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
The defense, led by junior Conner Dinkel and sophomore Jaden Nuss, also played physically. Hill City, a KPreps Potential Breakout Team in the preseason, might be the early West favorite after some wild results in Division I West thus far. Nuss had a scoop-and-score touchdown and a pair of rushing touchdowns. Hill City, 2-0 and ranked fifth in Eight-Man, Division I. HC has quality wins versus Osborne and Ness City in the first two weeks.
Sedan’s Brec Long finished with 11 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Long had 7 of 11 passing for 192 yards and six touchdowns. Dameion Hattan had five catches for 140 yards, all for touchdowns. Sedan beat Flinthills, 60-14.
Spearville’s Kolten Bennett finished with 15 rushes for 139 yards and four touchdowns, along with two interceptions. One resulted in a 35-yard pick-six. Easton Shenk finished with 21 carries for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He completed two of two passes for 28 yards and another TD. Spearville defeated a quality Minneola team, 60-22. Spearville had lost to Bucklin in Week 1, which halted a streak of nine straight season opening wins.
Chase County junior quarterback Mitch Budke enjoyed a big game with 193 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 147 passing and two scores. CC is 2-0 after an 8-3 mark last year, the school’s best season in 30 years. Chase County is 2-0 for the first time since 2016. Chase County was 0-5 against Lebo from ’01-20. The Bulldogs’ last win versus Lebo came in a 35-32 victory in 2000.
Eight-Man, Division II
Stafford beat Wilson, 49-0, and limited the Dragons to minus-23 yards of total offense. Tai Hildebrand delivered four carries for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Caldwell’s Keiondre Smith enjoyed another massive performance with seven total touchdowns (five rushing, two passing) with 263 rushing and 130 passing yards. Defensively, he recorded seven tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Caldwell is 2-0 and has outscored teams, 102-26. The Bluejays have a key Week 3 home matchup versus Norwich.
Bucklin delivered an emphatic 56-0 road win versus Kiowa County. The Red Aces are 2-0 and outscored teams, 78-6. Last year, against the same opponents, Bucklin went 1-1 and allowed 76 points. Bucklin had the offense last year with 40.2 points scored a game, though permitted 40.2 a contest. The Red Aces are definitely a team to watch in Eight-Man, Division II West. Bucklin is at Hodgeman County, a 22-6 winner against Coldwater-South Central. Bucklin is 0-3 against Hodgeman County since ’04.
Against KC, senior Nathan Bowman completed six of seven passes for 81 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. Senior Scott Price rushed five times for 151 yards and three TDs. Price and sophomore Andrew Bowman both had receiving TDs. Andrew Bowman delivered eight tackles, and sophomore Izaiah Pearce finished with 2.5 tackles for loss, both game highs. Senior Nathan Imel picked off two passes.
St. Paul scored on the game’s final play for a 68-66 win against Oswego. This marked Oswego’s first game against Chetopa forfeited in Week 1.
Six-Man
In a great moment that was highly meaningful for Western Plains High School, WP played its first football game since 2019 on Friday afternoon. Western Plains, located in Ransom, co-ops with Healy. The Bobcats celebrated their Homecoming in a 52-37 win versus Cunningham. The game officially did not count in the standings, and Cunningham did not have its top players.
However, for Western Plains, the game and afternoon was incredibly meaningful. WP coach Joe Spangler choked up after he talked to his team on the field and then looked at the fanbase. Western Plains enjoyed big performances from sophomore running backs Caleb Weeks and senior Eddy Malicovsky. They combined for seven rushing touchdowns. WP is expected to play a five-game season. Seniors Wade Wason and Darren Flax controlled the line up front.
Cunningham, a significant contender for the Six-Man title, resumes its season with an official game Monday versus Centre-Lost Springs.
