By CONOR NICHOLL
Jett Vincent’s state records, Andale’s navigating a 108-0 victory and winning streaks highlight Week 5
Week 5 was highlighted by historical dominance of four teams: 3A No. 1 Andale, the top-two Eight-Man, Division II squads Axtell and Canton-Galva and 4A No. 1 Bishop Miege.
Canton-Galva senior Jett Vincent, significantly featured on SIK and the reigning Division II Defensive Player of the Year, broke two eight-man state marks Friday. For the last several seasons, Vincent has continued his march to the eight-man career state record for interceptions.
On Friday, Vincent returned an interception for a touchdown in C-G’s big win against Fairfield. Vincent has 32 interceptions, which broke the eight-man mark of 31 set by Bennington’s Gunner Boss from 1985-88. Vincent is now tied for the all-time, all-classes mark of 32 set by St. John’s Travis Neidig from ’04-07.
Vincent has six career pick-sixes, which also broke the eight-man state record. Canton-Galva had three players record pick-sixes Friday with interceptions returned for touchdowns from Garrett Maltbie and Cason Mastre, too. The Eagles have seven pick-sixes overall, which also ties a team state record held by Hanover in 2015. All marks from Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Vincent’s recruitment is starting to ramp up with a Colorado State offer, his first FBS Division I offer, this week. He also picked up a FCS North Dakota offer recently. Vincent had a couple of Division II offers before the season started. Vincent is 6-foot-3, 185 and has become a three-star recruit. He is a three-time first team all-state player with honors on both sides.
Canton-Galva ran just eight offensive plays Friday. Axtell has won 18 straight games and ran just 19 offensive plays in another dominant victory Friday. Axtell and Canton-Galva are both on the East side. Both have a win against a Division I squad that was ranked in the top-two at time of meeting. C-G has allowed 42 points this year, including just six in the last month. Axtell has a collective score of 312-50.
Axtell and Canton-Galva are having historically great seasons and are expected to meet in the Division 2 state semifinals.
In 3A, No.1 Andale defeated Nickerson, 108-0, and cross the 100-point threshold early in the fourth quarter. Andale has won 43 straight games. The Indians will likely have their biggest test next Friday against rival Wichita Collegiate, ranked No. 2 in 3A. Collegiate is the last team to beat Andale at home, more than 10 years ago.
Andale is shaping up for a season that could rival 2007 Smith Center for statistically the most dominating team in state history. The Indians have won three straight state titles. This season, Andale could move into fifth place on the all-time Kansas list for consecutive victories, trailing only Smith Center, Colgan, Conway Springs and Smith Center.
Kudos to well-known Wichita Eagle reporter Taylor Eldridge for quoting both Andale and Nickerson coaches late Friday night about the 108-0 victory. Andale led 72-0 in the second quarter. Nickerson felt like Andale handled the situation as best as possible.
This dovetails with what SIK has reported on in the past. Andale coach Dylan Schmidt is a stand-up, well-respected coach. Similar to Central Plains girls’ basketball coach Pat Stiles, Schmidt has built a historical with little peer juggernaut. Schmidt and Stiles (who SIK has covered 20-plus games) has taken great pains to avoid significantly lopsided victories against lesser opponents.
Andale’s junior varsity and freshman talent has proved superior to even major Wichita metro teams. Andale set some records Friday. They will likely set more before the season is complete. Any social media vitriol pointed Andale’s way is unwarranted. Andale -who also has an undefeated volleyball team at 26-0 – is the standard. One coach told SIK late Friday night that there are other quality 3A West teams that in most years could compete for a state berth. This year, the bar is so much higher to meet because of Andale.
Miege ended what is believed to be the longest non-shutout streak in Kansas football. In the EKL, Miege shutout Blue Valley, 40-0. This marked the first time Blue Valley had been shutout since 1999 – a stretch of 23 years. That season, BV lost, 9-0, to Blue Valley North in Week 6, per Kansas Football History. Blue Valley came in averaging 30.5 points a contest.
Class 6A
The Eastern Kansas League, the state’s best conference, continue to have wild results each week. Blue Valley West, which has been ranked and not ranked this season, beat defending 6A state titlist Blue Valley Northwest, 27-26. Zach Darche passed for 162 yards and two scores on 6 of 7 passing. Crew Myers had 100 receiving yards and a score. Sage Huffman finished with 18 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown. Northwest, currently ranked third in 6A, stands at 2-3.
The current top-5 in the EKL standings:
Bishop Miege (4-0 in league)
Blue Valley West (3-1)
St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1)
Blue Valley (2-2)
Blue Valley Northwest (2-2)…Miege finishes with Aquinas, Blue Valley West and Blue Valley Northwest
Eight of the nine teams in the league have at least two losses after five weeks. Bishop Miege, ranked No. 1 in 4A, is the only unbeaten.
Lawrence took a close, mistake-filled Week 1 loss and has since pulled off four straight wins. Tyrell Reed, who moved from Topeka to Lawrence this summer, finished with 15 carries for 135-plus rushing yards and five scores. Lawrence won at Shawnee Mission North, 44-14. In the four-game winning streak, the Lions have averaged 41 points a contest.
Junction City’s Michael Boganowski helped the Bluejays win their fourth straight game and set up a gigantic Silver Trophy matchup against 6A No. 1 Manhattan next week. Boganowski forced four total turnovers with two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. JC earned a quality 24-6 road win against Washburn Rural.
Since it allowed 26 unanswered points in a 33-21 road loss to Hays High in Week 1, the Bluejays have permitted 21, 15, 21 and six points. The last three have all been top-10 in the classification. Rural had averaged 34.8 points a contest in its 3-1 start.
Excellent Olathe Northwest two-way player Micah Geary picked off a pass and had a touchdown catch in a key 12-7 win against Olathe East. Geary has three interceptions and three receiving scores this season. Geary is a top-10 all-classes defensive back.
In 6A East, No. 5 Olathe North (5-0) is the only undefeated squad. Four teams are tied for second at 3-2. Manhattan is the only 5-0 team in the West. Five squads are 4-1.
Undefeated Teams: No. 1 Manhattan (5-0), No. 5 Olathe North (5-0)
Class 5A
No. 1 Mill Valley and No. 2 Maize continue to roll and look like the top-two squads by at least a notch. Mill Valley is the lone undefeated squad in 5A East. Mill Valley rolled over Olathe South, 45-14. MV has won every game by at least three touchdowns. The Jaguars has allowed just 35 points all season.
Maize dominated Maize South, 63-26, and set up the massive road game at No. 2 Derby. The teams have split the meetings the last two years. Mill Valley is probably Kansas’ top defense, Maize the best offense. Maize has an average score of 58-11. The Mavericks defeated rival Maize South, 63-26. Mill Valley and Maize are the lone 5A undefeated squads.
Blue Valley Southwest’s Gage Ilges picked off four passes for the T-Wolves in a 31-10 win against Blue Valley North. BVN has lost 11 straight after a 3-0 start for 2021.
Andover avoided the upset with a 27-25 victory against one-win Goddard-Eisenhower. The Trojans are 3-1 in the last month, including an overtime win and two-point victory.
Valley Center running back Dai’mont Mucker enjoyed 37 carries for 340 yards and three touchdowns with a 43-36 win against Salina Central.
Pittsburg, with first-year head coach Josh Lattimer, started the season 0-2. Pittsburg has won three straight, including an impressive 20-14 win versus Paola.
Undefeated Teams: No. 1 Mill Valley (5-0); No. 2 Maize (5-0)
Class 4A
Circle’s Cannon McCormack has 22 tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a blocked punt. He has never recorded less than double digit tackles in any game this season. McCormack has five sacks this fall.
Bishop Miege wide receiver Isaiah Coppage has been a top target for No. 1 Bishop Miege. He has 675 receiving yards and eight receiving scores and been one of the state’s top targets, Miege has a great QB with Mac Armstrong and a highlighted receiving corps. Miege shut out Blue Valley, 40-0. It marked the first time Blue Valley had been shutout since 1999. That year, Blue Valley lost, 9-0, to Blue Valley North in Week 7.
Labette County’s Kendall Holtzman delivered 267 passing yards and four touchdowns with a 25-8 win against Fort Scott. LC ended a 15-game losing streak.
Louisburg was among the 13 Kansas 11-man teams that opened 3-1 after an 0-1 start. Louisburg improved to 4-1 with the only loss to an out of state team. Louisburg defeated a big road win in overtime 28-27 victory over Eudora, ranked No. 5 in 4A. First-year coach Drew Harding has done a nice job.
Wamego took control of 4A West with a 34-6 home victory against Coffeyville. The Red Raiders and Coffeyville were the last two undefeated squads in 4A West. Impressive showing by Wamego and QB Colin Donahue, who a converted WR. Donahue has stepped in for QB Hayden Oviatt, an Army West Point commit. Plus, the underrated defensive line has allowed just 35 total points. Wamego allowed 116 points in the first five contests last year.
Undefeated Teams: No. 4 Chanute (5-0), NR Atchison (5-0), No. 1 Bishop Miege (5-0), NR Wamego (5-0)
Class 3A
No. 1 Andale defeated Nickerson,108-0, and eclipsed the 100-point mark early in the fourth quarter. Andale has won 43 straight contests. The historically great juggernaut will face rival Wichita Collegiate, ranked No. 2 in 3A next week.
Defending state runner-up Frontenac moved to 3-2 with a huge 35-8 victory against Columbus tonight. Quarterback Kal Terlip had a breakout contest with four touchdown passes, three to all-state running back/defensive back Mario Menghini. Vinny Pile added two interceptions on defense and a 35-yard field goal. Pile was 3 of 3 on field goals.
Galena had nice performances from QB/ATH Zane Turner and ATH/TE Tyler Little, who showed versatility in a 3-2 start. Turner finished with 131 rushing scores and three touchdowns, along with 174 passing yards and two TDs. Little, with Division I offers, is a top-15 all-classes recruit. Turner had 188 offensive touchdowns with three offensive TDs. Galena beat Baxter Springs, 52-14.
Pratt beat Hoisington, 37-13, on the road. Pratt will be featured this week on SIK. Johnny Martinez, playing with two torn ligaments, had a big game. That included a halfback pass for a touchdown and the game’s biggest defensive play on a forced fumble/fumble recovery following a long Hoisington run.
In a remarkable upset, previously winless Goodland – which hadn’t had a game within 17 points – defeated Norton, 28-25, in overtime at home. Norton is ranked No. 4 in 2A.
Undefeated Teams: NR Parsons (5-0); NR Girard (5-0); NR Wellsville (5-0); NR Topeka Hayden (5-0); No. 2 Wichita Collegiate (5-0); No. 1 Andale (5-0); NR Holcomb (5-0)
Class 2A
No. 2 Nemaha Central moved to 5-0 and continues to have a dominant season. Cooper Hajek had 12 carries for 157 yards and five scores in just one half of play. Hajek had 94 rushing yards in the first quarter. NC defeated Jefferson West, 67-6.
Ellsworth is 5-0 for the first time since 1984 under head coach Josh Homolka. Ellsworth was a combined 4-13 in the last two seasons. The Bearcats have allowed six total points and has four consecutive shutouts. Ellsworth won at Lyons, 55-0.
Council Grove picked up its fourth shutout in five games with a district 21-0 road win against West Franklin in a battle of 4-0 teams. Council Grove won just one game last season and allowed the most points per game in 3A. The Braves are one of Kansas’ best stories this season. What a year with head coach Butch Hayes, defensive coordinator Derron Reddick, and the players that include QB Ace Monihen, ATH Ethan Burton and OL Holden Ziegler.
CG is 5-0 for the first time since 2006 and has allowed just 14 points all season. CG has seven wins in the last four seasons. The Braves have permitted just 133 yards per game. Monihen has significantly cut down on mistakes this year and has completed 36 of 78 passes for 588 yards with six touchdowns against zero interceptions. Burton has 12 catches for 257 yards and four scores. Ziegler continues to have a huge season up front with 16 pancake blocks. Burton has 37 tackles, Jay Johnson with 31.
Just like the last two seasons that ended in the state semifinals and state runner-up, Beloit has started to find its footing after a slow start. Logan Arasmith enjoyed another huge game with 11 carries for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Arasmith made two catches for 74 yads and a touchdown. Beloit has won three straight and defeated Phillipsburg, 48-12, at home.
Sabetha moved into the 2A rankings this week and solidified its spot in the top-five. Garrett Michael is the Bluejays’ longtime coach, former SIK all-classes coach of the year and led Sabetha to two state titles. Sabetha was a top-10 3A defense, though was 4-5 with several close losses. The Bluejays were a 2A potential breakout team this fall. Sabetha improved to 4-1 with a 35-0 win against Riley County. Sabetha’s lone loss came in Week 2 to Holton, 35-14. Holton is top-5 in 3A. Sabetha has two shutouts this year and outscored teams, 173-56.
Osage City’s Landon Boss had another huge game in a win versus Sedgwick. OC had 264 passing yards with a touchdown, along with 14 carries for 174 yards and four touchdowns. Boss and Cooper Parsons tied for the team lead with tackles. Osage City defeated Sedgwick, 52-28.
No. 3 Kingman improved to 5-0 behind a big performance from Avrey Albright. He delivered five catches for 99 yards and two scores. Albright finished with a 75-yard kick return for a touchdown. Kingman continued Hesston in a 28-0 road victory. Kingman’s resume continues to be really impressive. Kingman has allowed 27 total points in five games. The Eagles have wins against Cheney (4-1), Conway Springs (2-3) and Hesston (3-2). In games not against Kingman, Hesston has scored 29.8 points, Cheney tallied 39 and Conway Springs 23.5.
Silver Lake earned an overtime win against War on 24 rival Rossville, 22-21. SL has defeated Riley County, St. Marys and Rossville.
Russell beat TMP, 22-0, in Hays. The Monarchs have not scored an offensive touchdown in the last two games after a 3-0 start. Russell has a key matchup versus Ellsworth this week. Russell has allowed 17.4 points a game, which would be by far the school’s best scoring defense in more than a decade.
Undefeated Teams: NR Council Grove (5-0), No. 2 Nemaha Central (5-0), Ellsworth (5-0), No. 1 Southeast of Saline (5-0), Chaparral (5-0), No. 3 Kingman (5-0), Lakin (5-0)
Class 1A
Riverside’s Percy Duncan finished with 15 carries for 71 yards. He delivered five catches for 127 yards. Overall, Duncan had five total touchdowns and 198 total yards. Riverside has back-to-back quality wins and defeated Onaga, 34-7, on the road.
In a matchup of undefeated squads, No. 1 Inman pulled away from Heart of America rival Hutchinson Trinity with a 21-3 victory. Inman has allowed 10.1 points a contest in five wins. Josiah Buller continued to play great at quarterback with Tanner Heckel injured. Buller completed 12 of 19 passes for 115 yards with a socre. Harrison Brunk and Sammy Shober both rushed for a touchdown. Kellen Schrag delivered 13 tackles.
Undefeated Teams: NR Jayhawk-Linn (5-0); Centralia (5-0); No. 1 Inman (5-0)
Eight-Man, Division I
La Crosse head coach Jon Webster, a class act, delivered career win No. 100 at his alma mater. The Leopards have won three in a row and stand at 4-1. La Crosse beat Pratt-Skyline, 46-0.
District 2 continues to be highly close with five teams, No. 3 Burlingame, Chase County, Cair Paravel, Lyndon and Madison, for four spots. Separation occurred Friday.
No. 3 Burlingame moved to 5-0 with an impressive 57-26 victory against Cair Paravel. Bearcat senior quarterback Colby Middleton finished with 27 carries for 87 yards and five scores. He finished 10 of 14 passing for 184 yards and two TDs.
Lyndon was 4-0 with a close win against Lebo, a game when it had 99 total yards. Madison had a close loss to Lebo, though significantly moved the ball. Madison features senior speedster Bryson Turner, a multiple-time state sprinting champion and one of Kansas’ best players. Per broadcaster Michael Dieker, Turner delivered 43 carries for 325 yards and six touchdowns. He finished with 80 passing yards – Madison has had several different quarterbacks this year. Madison picked up a big 40-26 win against Lyndon.
Madison and Burlingame are now 2-0 in districts.
Pretty Prairie’s Bryan Steadman delivered 21 carries for 124 yards and three scores. He finished with 11 catches for 132 yards and a score. PP lost the game by forfeit but won, 34-22, on the scoreboard.
Sublette switched down from 11-man to eight-man this year. Miguel Hernandez had a strong year for the Larks last season. He had a bad ankle sprain in Week 1. Hernandez delivered 18 carries for 215 yards and five touchdowns. He also delivered 63 passing yards and two scores. Plus, he recorded six tackles, a pass breakup and an interception. Sublette defeated Elkhart, 74-32. Sublette ended a 12-game, 11-year losing streak to the Wildcats. Sublette stands at 2-3 after 3-20 in the last three seasons.
Meade, the defending state champions, has won 20 straight games, which tied the school mark for consecutive victories. The Buffs have won five straight contests in 2022 by the 45-point margin and allowed just 18 total points. Meade has the huge home district matchup against No. 1 Leoti-Wichita County on Friday. WC has scored at least 56 points in all five games.
Undefeated Teams: NR West Elk (5-0); No. 3 Burlingame (5-0), No. 5 South Sumner Co. (5-0); NR Wichita Independent (5-0); No. 2 Hill City (5-0); Macksville (5-0); No. 1 Leoti-Wichita County (5-0); NR Meade (5-0, defending champions, 20-game winning streak)
Eight-Man, Division II
No. 1 Axtell and No. 2 Canton-Galva continue to dominate. Axtell bumped its winning streak to 18 games. Standout senior quarterback Isaac Detweiler finished 9 of 12 for 250 yards and six touchdowns. Axtell ran 19 total offensive plays. Six different Eagles scored, including first team all-state offensive lineman Owen Strathman on a reception.
Stafford continues its great start under first-year head coach Mitchell Engelken, a former all-state player at Baileyville B&B and an Osborne assistant. Stafford has its best start since ’14. Before then, Stafford had not opened 5-0 since 1988. Stafford won at St. John, 60-12.
South Barber has enjoyed great success under coach Matt Cantrell, though has rarely started 5-0. The Chieftains are 6-3, 9-2, 9-2, 9-1-1, 9-2, 5-4, and 9-2 since Cantrell became head coach. SB had not started 5-0 since at least 2003. South Barber defeated South Central, 44-28.
Undefeated Teams: No. 2 Canton-Galva (5-0); No. 1 Axtell (5-0); No. 3 Victoria (5-0); NR Stafford (5-0); NR South Barber (5-0); NR Minneola (5-0); No. 5 Dighton (5-0)
Six-Man
Javon Letsch continues to put up big numbers for Natoma. He rushed for four rushing touchdowns, a receiving score, six tackles, four interceptions, a pick-six and 250-plus yards. Natoma opened with two shutout losses after its undefeated state championship squad last fall. The Tigers have won three in a row and worked themselves back into the top-10. Natoma won 37-28 at Centre-Lost Springs.
Impressive bounce back for Northern Valley, which is just outside the top-5 in 6-Man. Including last season, NV was 2-3 in its last three games with all losses by one point. After a back-and-forth one-point loss to Cheylin in Week 4, Northern Valley defeated a quality Triplains-Brewster squad, 53-6.
Golden Plains picked up its first win of the year with a 49-0 victory against Western Plains-Healy. The game, remarkably, did not have a first down. GP allowed 11 rushing and nine passing yards. Golden Plains’ average starting position was the WPH 22-yard line. GP finished with 16 carries for 109 yards and six touchdowns. Its only pass was an 11-yard score. Senior Mason Green delivered 16 tackles with two rushing scores. Freshman Diego Perez had a pair of rushing scores with eight tackles. Junior Landon Meier recorded 12 tackles and a rushing score. Sophomore quarterback Josh Rath threw a TD pass.
There’s a line of demarcation between No. 1 Cunningham, No. 2 Ashland and the rest of the class. Cunningham defeated Ashland, 38-30, in a 1 vs. 2 matchup in the season opener. Since then, the Wildcats have three shutouts and allowed just 13 points. That included a 46-0 win against an improved Pawnee Heights squad on Friday. Ashland averaged 59.8 points a game in its four straight wins, including a quality Week 3 road win versus Cheylin, currently No. 3.
Undefeated Teams: No. 4 Waverly (5-0); No. 1 Cunningham (5-0)
