By CONOR NICHOLL
The interception mark has always been one of the most elusive records in Kansas high school football history, especially at the eight-man level. Travis Neidig holds the all-time record with 32 INTs at the 11-man level for St. John from ’04-07. That included 17 in his sophomore season, still the all-time single season record.
The 11-man record for season and career pick-sixes is four. The single game mark is three from Douglass’ Morgan Moore in 1996.
At the eight-man level, Bennington’s Gunner Boss has the all-time INT record with 31 from 1985-88. This is one of the longest standing eight-man marks. Dan Wagner, brother of longtime Riley County coach Steve Wagner, picked off 24 passes in 1971 for Paxico. That was the first year Paxico tracked INTs.
The eight-man pick-six record is five for a career and season and three in a game from Chase County’s Blaise Holloway in 2020.
Canton-Galva senior Jett Vincent has already started to re-write the entire record book for interceptions. On Friday, C-G, ranked second in Eight-Man, Division II, defeated Solomon, 58-6. Vincent had three pick-sixes for touchdowns. He has 31 in his career.
In my 15 seasons of covering eight-man football, the three best WR/DB/Returners I have seen is Central Plains’ Layne Bieberle, Canton-Galva’s Tyson Struber and Vincent. Bieberle and Struber both set at least one state record. Both had an undefeated state title team. Bieberle enjoyed a prolific career at Fort Hays, while Struber is on the Kansas State roster. I have seen Vincent play three times in person, including the state title last fall. Vincent was 6-2, 175 as a freshman and now 6-3, 185.
After a huge freshman season where he led the state with 13 INTs, I went to Wheatland-Grinnell that summer and explored the Thunderhawks’ rise and INT record. At that point, Vincent was still relatively unknown. I talked with the Vincent family, along with Wagner and Neidig about the INT records. It’s a day I have thought about many times – the potential of what Vincent and W-G’s trajectory could be.
Kpreps Game Day – Week 1 – Kpreps.com
In his next two seasons, Vincent picked off 15 more passes. He helped completely change the W-G program and culminated in a Division II state runner-up last fall and classification Defensive Player of the Year. Vincent also led eight-man in receiving yards. I have talked with the Vincent family many times since.
After three seasons at W-G, Vincent recorded: 480 passing, 479 rushing, 2,163 receiving yards, 28 INTs, 266 INT return yards and two pick-sixes.
Well-publicized, he transferred to C-G when his dad, Jesse, became the principal. Vincent played quarterback the first two games because of injury to Garrett Maltbie. In Week 1, he delivered 502 yards of total offense and 10 TDs accounted for against Wheat State League rival Little River, then ranked No. 1 in Eight-Man, Division I. Chase’s Jake Kizzar holds the eight-man single game rushing record with 613 in 2009, though that was played in a Week 9 game that no playoff bearing. Vincent accomplished his feat against a team that won a state title in ’20 and was state runner-up last year.
After Week 3, Canton-Galva is 3-0.
Vincent has 7-11-182 passing, 3 TDs; 452 rushing yards, 10 TDs; 28 receiving yards, TD
Defensively: 3 INTs, 3 pick-sixes
Remarkably, Vincent is now tied for all three eight-man marks: career INTs, career pick-sixes and single game pick-sixes.
He has 31 career INTs, five career pick-sixes, three for a single game.
He has exceeded 500 pass, 500 rush, 300 INT and 2,200 receiving yards in his singularly career. The college attention includes offers from Missouri Southern and Hutchinson CC. Vincent is starting to gain higher level interest and had a game day visit to Kansas State on Saturday.
Vincent will look to hold the records by himself next week against Norwich (1-2).
Class 6A
No. 1 Manhattan improved to 3-0 and pulled away in the second half to win at 5A No. 5 Hays High, 31-21. The Indians led 6A in scoring defense last year. Manhattan won at Derby, 26-23, in overtime in Week 1, which halted the Panthers’ 46-game home winning streak. Manhattan has allowed 51 points in three games.
In its other four games this season, Derby has tallied 69 and 45 points, and Hays High twice scored 33. Manhattan is 12-2 since the start of 2021. The Indians have delivered 6A’s top defense. Manhattan has a couple of blowouts against lower-tier teams, but the Indians’ defense has contained the best squads on its schedule, too.
Since the start of ’21, Manhattan has played eight quality teams: Derby, Lawrence, Gardner-Edgerton, Washburn Rural, Junction City, Garden City, Topeka Seaman and Hays High.
In that stretch, Derby is 13-2. Lawrence 11-4. G-E 7-6, Washburn Rural 11-2, Junction City 10-3, Hays High 10-4, Garden City 8-4, and Topeka Seaman 8-5.
Derby led 6A in scoring last season, while Lawrence, Hays High, Washburn Rural, Junction City and Topeka Seaman all averaged at least 30 points per game in ’21. All eight have winning records this fall.
Manhattan has held those opponents to a collective 23.6 points a contest. It’s highly impressive on a yardage basis, too.
While three-time defending 5A state champion Mill Valley and three-time defending titlist Andale are considered the state’s top-two defenses, Manhattan is certainly anchored in the top-three with its continued great depth. Linebacker Jaxon Vikander has led an experienced group under longtime coach Joe Schartz (110-29 in 14 seasons). Manhattan’s fast and physical defense did well against Hays High’s QB run game. Manhattan controlled the clock and ran more than 30 plays than HHS did.
Garden City is 3-0. The defense has allowed six points and forced 10 turnovers in last two games. GC beat Wichita West, 49-0.
No. 2 Derby’s Dylan Edwards, the Notre Dame commit and reigning Gatorade Player of the Year, delivered five touchdowns, including the 85-yard game-winner in the final minute to defeat Bishop Carroll. Derby is ranked second in 6A, and Bishop Carroll third in 5A. Derby defeated Bishop Carroll, 45-38. Edwards has 482 yards this season.
No. 3 Blue Valley Northwest delivered a 48-24 victory. Grant Stubblefield continued his highly impressive career with 34 rushes for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Connor White delivered 11 of 15 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Jashon White delivered four catches for 191 yards and two TDs. Northwest had nearly 600 yards of total offense. The offensive line is right tackle Scott Wyatt, right guard Brock Heath, center Joel Deppe, left guard Aidan Behymer and left tackle Easton Wasinger. Behymer has multiple FCS offers.
Gardner-Edgerton moved to 3-0 with a 36-19 win against Olathe West. G-E is averaging 51 points per game.
Harley Buller picked off three passes versus Salina South on Friday, including a 60-yard return for a touchdown. He was also a second team all-state pick in baseball from SIK last season.
After a tough road loss at Hays High in Week 1, Junction City has won back-to-back games, including Dodge City and 4A No. 4 McPherson. Xavion Felton scored four touchdowns. The Bluejays won, 30-15.
Undefeated Teams: NR Gardner-Edgerton (3-0), No. 4 Olathe North (3-0), NR Garden City (3-0), NR Washburn Rural (3-0), No. 1 Manhattan (3-0)
Class 5A
No. 1 Mill Valley and No. 2 Maize played for the state championship last season. They have been the consensus top-two squads. MV and Maize might have the state’s best defense and offense, respectively. Maize, significantly featured by SIK this week, had another blowout win in a 49-0 victory against Newton in the home opener. Maize has scored 169 points in three games. The Eagles’ Week 2 win at Andover Central (42-14) looks even better as AC won 10-0 against Arkansas City’s pass-heavy offense in Week 3.
Maize QB Avery Johnson completed 17 of 20 passes for 277 yards with six touchdowns. Johnson is the state’s top recruit and Kansas State commit. Maize outgained Newton, 414-46. Sophomore Bryson Hayes, perhaps Kansas’ fastest player with sub-4.4 speed, delivered three catches for 128 yards and five scores. Hayes has eight catches for 345 yards and five scores.
Mill Valley rolled over Shawnee Mission Northwest, 51-0. SMNW was 2-0 and went 7-4 last fall with 43 points a game last year. MV has won its three games by a combined 166-7. MV has a huge matchup against 3-0 Gardner Edgerton.
Mill Valley outgained SMNW, 338-37.
De Soto scored 63 points and didn’t have to punt. Desoto beat Topeka West, 63-20. De Soto is 2-1 with a seven-point loss to undefeated 6A Washburn Rural in Week 2.
Topeka Highland Park’s all-purpose threat Tre Richardson delivered six touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions and picked off a pass. Richardson has 20 touchdowns in three games. Highland Park beat KC Sumner, 63-36. Richardson is a consensus top-15 recruit. Richardson has 691 yards rushing this season. He has 1,115 total yards this season including 380 through the receiving game.
Shawnee Heights’ Allen Baughman had 26 carries for 179 yards and two scores in a 14-7 win against Topeka Seaman. Baughman is up to 493 yards and seven scores. Shawnee Heights defeated Topeka Seaman, 14-7.
No. 5 Hays High gave a solid, gritty performance in the loss to Manhattan. Malik Bah, with more than 500 all-purpose yards in the first two weeks, had an 80-yard TD run to open the scoring and tallied the game’s final TD on a 71-yard play. DB Remy Stull, who has a Division I New Mexico State offer, has missed the last two games.
Salina Central quarterback Gunnar Gross delivered six total TDs in a 56-24 win against Emporia, per Emporia broadcaster Jackson Schneider. Gross had four rushing and two passing scores. Gross has thrown for 695 yards this season along with 196 rushing. He has completed 66 percent of his passes with 13 total touchdowns. He’s just a junior.
Undefeated Teams: No. 1 Mill Valley (3-0), Topeka Highland Park (3-0), No. 2 Maize (3-0), NR Hutchinson (3-0)
Class 4A
Mulvane sophomore Jay Fisher delivered 17 rushing attempts for 142 yards and two TDs. He caught three catches for 66 yards. Mulvane lost, 30-28, to Augusta. In Week 1, Mulvane lost, 8-0, to Coffeyville in overtime.
Chanute’s Dagen Dean, who is a terrific athlete and has MIAA offers, had a big game on both sides. Dean finished with six catches for 128 yards and four scores. In an intriguing 4A East game, No. 5 Chanute solidified its ranking with a 41-17 victory.
Wamego continues to play well without injured quarterback Hayden Oviatt, a returning first team all-league player and Army West Point commit. Colin Donahue delivered 120 passing yards and four scores. Junior Thomas McIntyre delivered 137 rushing yards and two rushing TDs. The defense permitted 34 yards of total offense, two forced fumbles and an interception. Wamego beat Concordia, 46-0.
Atchison’s Jesse Greenly finished with four carries for 100 yards and four scores. Atchison rolled over long struggling KC Harmon, 72-0.
Coffeyville Field Kindley, led by HC Deonta Wade, is unbeaten after three weeks for the first time since 2013. ‘Nado play on the West Bracket of 4A despite being in the Southeast Kansas League.
Colton Brusven of Tonganoxie has rushed for 598 yards this season for the Tonganoxie.
Great Bend stopped a 19-game losing streak with a 31-6 victory against Buhler.
Undefeated Teams: No. 2 Bishop Miege (3-0), No. 5 Chanute (3-0), NR Eudora (3-0), No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (3-0), NR Atchison (3-0), NR Basehor-Linwood (3-0), NR Wamego (3-0), Towanda-Circle (3-0), Coffeyville (3-0)
Class 3A
Topeka Hayden continued to be the 3A East favorite. Hayden’s Jensen Schrickel had four touchdowns, a kickoff return touchdown, a punt return TD, a pass reception TD, and a rushing TD. He went seven on eight on extra points. Hayden beat Rossville, 55-34. Rossville is the two-time defending 2A state champion.
Chapman’s Aiden Whitley finished with 27 carries for 284 yards and three scores. The Fighting Irish defeated Marysville, 22-9, for Chapman’s first win this season.
Tra Mack continues to impress for Parsons (3-0) as he has passed for 806 yards with 13 TDs along with zero interceptions. Mack is proving to be one of the more underrated QBs in Southeast Kansas and 3A. He’s only a junior and threw for over 1,500 yards as a sophomore last year. Jeff Schibi and the Vikings are a dangerous team in their district and to the 3A East.
Nash Money, a consensus 2A all-state pick last season, is having another big year at over 166 yards rushing per game for the Eagles of Wellsville who moved up to 3A.
Baxter Springs is 3-0 for the first time since 1996. Nice work by HC Russell Burr. The Lions schedule gets much tougher but its a great step in the right direction for a program that has not seen recent success.
Pratt, under HC Brent Hoelting, has done a great job this season to a 3-0 start, allowing just 21 points all year. Huge matchup next week against Cheney to open up district play. Loaded district with state dynasty Andale (3-0), Pratt (3-0), Smoky Valley (2-1) and Cheney (2-1) that have winning records, Nickerson also with a 1-2 mark in the district.
Alex Coester has been outstanding for the Girard Trojans this season including a 181 yard rushing night on Friday with three touchdowns in the win over Galena. Coester has nine rushing touchdowns this season and is also one of the best defenders in the CNC League. Coester and Luke Niggemann are all-state talented players for the Trojans. He was also an all-state pick for Girard last year in baseball who finished in the top four at state.
Undefeated Teams: NR Baxter Springs (3-0), NR Parsons (3-0), NR Girard (3-0), NR Wellsville (3-0), No. 2 Topeka Hayden (3-0), No. 3 Wichita Collegiate (3-0), No. 1 Andale (3-0), NR Pratt (3-0), NR Hugoton (3-0), NR Holcomb (2-0)
Class 2A
Southeast of Saline quarterback Luke Gebhardt finished 13 of 15 for 217 yards with four touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the first half. SES beat Minneapolis, 51-0. In 2A, No. 1 SES and No. 2 Nemaha Central continue to have dominant starts.
Beloit senior running back Logan Arasmith finished 26 carries for 296 yards and five touchdowns. The Trojans have been off to a tough start after two losses to Ellsworth and Southeast of Saline. Beloit defeated Republic County, 52-8.
Trey Sommer, who has a great size at 6’2″ 190 pounds for 2A Humboldt, is having another big year with eight touchdowns and 140+ yards per game this season for Humboldt.
Council Grove, a KPreps Potential Breakout Team in the preseason, continued its tremendous turnaround with a 69-0 win versus Northern Heights. A 1-8 squad last year, CG is 3-0. Foreign exchange kicker Loup Charlier went 9 of 10 on extra points to set the school mark for kicking points and extra points in a game. Charlier is now 17 of 19 on extra points this year.
Last season, lineman Holden Ziegler was one of several freshmen to play for the Braves. CG allowed the most points per game in 3A last fall. The Braves have opened with three straight shutout wins this season and have a huge district opener this week versus 3-0 Humboldt. Head coach/OC Butch Hayes and DC Derron Reddick have paced a staff that has done a nice job.
Ziegler broke the CG record with nine pancake blocks Friday. This season, Ziegler has 14 pancakes, 14 tackles, seven TFLs and two sacks. Ziegler is 6-2, 242 with a 330-pound clean, 435 squat and 260 bench. He is a state wrestling qualifier.
Atchison County moved to 3-0 and received multiple standout performances. Bricen Lee had 13 carries for 164 yards and two scores. Lee finished 12 of 15 passing for 122 yards and three scores. Easton Schletzbaum had 12 carries for 70 yards and two TDs, along with one catch for eight yards. Trenton Kimmi finished with six offensive touches for 76 yards and a pair of scores.
On Friday, Lakin defeated 3A Goodland, 45-20, in a slight upset. Lakin sophomore Colter Oldham had a big freshman season in football, basketball and track. Overall, Oldham rushed for 288 yards. Lakin rushed for 462 and delivered 527 total yards, per GHS broadcaster Ross Volkmer. Oldham will be one of the top throwers in the state this next season in track and field after a huge freshman season.
Cooper Hajek may be known to many as one of the best linebackers in 2A as he is but he’s delivering a monster season on the ground with 211.3 yards rushing per game with 634 yards and 12 touchdowns this season for Nemaha Central (3-0). Are the Thunder the best team in 2A?
Although Osage City picked up a loss, Landon Boss still continues to impress this season with 869 total yards as QB.
District Two in 2A is quite loaded as far as good records go: Humboldt, West Franklin and Council Grove are all 3-0 while Eureka and Osage City sit at 2-1.
Undefeated Teams: NR Council Grove (3-0), NR Humboldt (3-0), NR West Franklin (3-0), NR Atchison County (3-0), No. 2 Nemaha Central (2-0), NR Ellsworth (3-0), No. 1 Southeast of Saline (3-0), NR Chaparral (3-0), No. 3 Kingman (3-0), NR Lakin (3-0), No. 5 Norton (3-0), NR Thomas More Prep-Marian (3-0)
Class 1A
Valley Falls won, 34-20, at Horton. Zac Evans had eight catches for 184 yards and three scores. His lone catch went for a 30-yard touchdown. Dylan Cervantez was 12 of 17 for 220 yards and three scores, along with a pick-six. Solomon Drinkard finished with 10 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Olpe defeated 2A power Osage City and re-asserted itself as a 1A power. Olpe has won back-to-back 1A state championship games. Olpe is 1-2 with close losses 3A No. 2 Hayden and 3A Bishop Ward. Olpe, which led all of Kansas in scoring defense the last two falls, has allowed just 49 total points.
Pleasanton (3-0) has already passed last years win total (2-6). Led by HC Caleb Hendricks, they defeated Belle Plaine on Friday as RB Karsten MCKee had 308 yards with four touchdowns.
Tough Districts 1A District Four is loaded with Troy, Jackson Heights and Central all unbeaten. Riverside and Onaga both sit at 1-2. 11 wins in this district so far of five teams while 1A district one has four teams without a win and one team with a 2-1 record. District Eight on the west only has one combined win from five teams. Records can be deceiving for sure but certainly some tough districts out there.
Undefeated Teams: NR Jayhawk-Linn (3-0), NR Pleasanton (3-0), NR Centralia (3-0), NR Jackson Heights (3-0), No. 5 Troy (3-0), Hutchinson Trinity (3-0), No. 1 Inman (3-0)
Eight-Man, Division I
In a huge Division I West game, No. 1-ranked Wichita County beat Hoxie, 56-28. This marked the fourth matchup since the start of 2020. WC is 4-1 in those meetings.
Chase County senior Mitch Budke delivered 12 carries for 240 yards and four touchdowns, a defensive TD and 11 tackles in a 48-0 win against Goessel. CC is 3-0 and ranked No. 2 in Division I. Goessel has made the state quarterfinals each of the last two seasons.
West Elk remained undefeated with a big win against Central Burden. WE standout sophomore Creyo Koop had four sacks, 10-plus tackles and well over 200 rushing yards. West Elk defeated Central Burden, 28-6. The Patriots have allowed 22 points in three games this season. Koop is one of the top athletes in 8-man after taking runner-up in wrestling last season. He is averaging over 180 yards per game this season with 10 TDs.
Keiondre Smith is off to another great year for South Sumner (Caldwell-South Haven) and has 14 touchdeowns rushing this year along with 521 yards on the ground. He’s also thrown for 174 more and a touchdown.
Hill City was highly impressive in its 48-22 road win against Eight-Man, Division II No. 3 Thunder Ridge. HC held Thunder Ridge to 6 of 22 passing for 54 yards and two interceptions. Significantly more on the Ringnecks this week at SIK, but Hill City, just outside the top-5, will vault up the rankings this week.
HC scored a touchdown in the final 20 seconds to lengthen the margin, though the defense was superb throughout the game. Standout linebacker Conner Dinkel, a four-year starter and returning first team all-state player, delivered five tackles for loss, including two sacks. Trent Long, a first-year starter, delivered three tackles for loss. Jaden Nuss had two pass breakups and an interception. Kaleb Atkins had a crucial pass breakup on 1-on-1 coverage in the end zone.
Atkins, Nuss and Amrein are likely eight-man’s best three-man backfield. They again accounted for all of Hill City’s touchdowns. All three accounted for more than 100 yards of total offense again. Wichita County, Hill City and Hoxie (the latter two will play in districts) are likely the three best Division I teams.
Thunder Ridge led 6-0 after a long first quarter drive, and standout senior quarterback Dylan Bice rushed 30 times for 121 yards before he had an ejection early in the fourth quarter.
Undefeated Teams: NR West Elk (3-0), NR Burlingame (3-0), No. 2 Chase County (3-0), NR Lyndon (3-0), NR Argonia-Attica (3-0), NR Wichita Independent (3-0), No. 5 South Sumner Co. (3-0), NR Washington County (3-0), NR Hill City (3-0), NR Macksville (3-0), No. 1 Leoti-Wichita County (3-0), NR Meade (3-0)
Eight-Man, Division II
Axtell’s Brandon Schmelzle delivered eight rushes for 147 yards and four scores. He delivered seven catches for 126 yards and a score and delivered a defensive TD. Axtell pulls away to beat Twin Valley League foe Clifton-Clyde, 58-12. Axtell has won 16 straight contests, and is ranked first in Eight-Man, Division II. C-C is ranked third in Division I. This marked the first matchup between the teams since ’13.
Eli Lang of Minneola has 1,062 yards this season for the Wildcats with 624 yards passing along with 438 rushing.
Undefeated Teams: No. 2 Canton-Galva (3-0), No. 1 Axtell (3-0), NR Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton (3-0), Downs-Lakeside (3-0), Pike Valley (2-0), No. 4 Victoria (3-0), NR Wallace County-Sharon Springs (2-0), NR South Barber (3-0), NR Stafford (3-0), NR Bucklin (3-0), No. 5 Dighton (3-0), NR Minneola (3-0)
Six-Man
In a big six-man result, No. 2 Ashland won at No. 3 Cheylin, 50-28, in a game played Friday afternoon. No. 5 Northern Valley bounced back with a quality win at 2-0 Ingalls and will face Cheylin at home this week. NV had a nice performance from Jeremiah Hansen, who was injured in the Week 2 one-point loss to Tescott.
Natoma is the defending state champion but had a slow 0-2 start with two losses to ranked teams. The Tigers beat 2-0 Burrton behind 300 all-purpose yards and nine total TDs from Javon Letsch in a win against Burrton.
Undefaeated Teams: NR Waverly (3-0), No. 1 Cunningham (3-0), No. 4 Tescott (3-0), Ingalls (2-0), Moscow (2-0)
