Varsity Kansas high school football Top 25 in the Wichita area heading to Week 2
Week 1: Derby 49, Garden City 6
Week 1 Rank: 2 (+1)
Week 2: vs. No. 20 Salina Central
Last Meeting: Derby 34, Salina Central 0 (Week 6, 2017)
Prediction: Derby 42, Salina Central 14
Garden City finished with eight wins and reached the Class 6A quarterfinals last season. Derby beat the Buffaloes by 43 and held them under double-digits. That is mid-season form.
Week 1: Wichita Northwest 23, Bishop Carroll 22
Week 1 Rank: 1 (-1)
Week 2: at Wichita East
Last Meeting: Wichita Northwest 16, Wichita East 8 (Week 3, 2013)
Prediction: Wichita Northwest 38, Wichita East 8
Northwest had the highlight win of the week over the 5A champions. Coach Steve Martin said there was a lot to improve on from the win, but with that much talent, the Grizzlies’ potential is through the roof.
Week 1: Wichita Northwest 23, Bishop Carroll 22
Week 1 Rank: 3 (-)
Week 2: at No. 9 Wichita Heights
Last Meeting: Bishop Carroll 35, Wichita Heights 14 (Week 7, 2017)
Prediction: Bishop Carroll 31, Wichita Heights 28
To overreact to a one-point loss to a potential state champion is pointless. Carroll wasn’t perfect in the loss and failed to put away an eight-point fourth quarter lead, but it’s still Carroll.
Week 1: Andale 42, Mulvane 14
Week 1 Rank: 5 (+1)
Week 2: at No. 21 Wellington
Last Meeting: Andale 38, Wellington 0 (Week 4, 2017)
Prediction: Andale 28, Wellington 14
Andale smoked Mulvane and is rewarded with a team that just pitched a 30-point shutout over Collegiate. But with how the Indians performed, in Week 1, they seem to be cruising already.
Week 1: McPherson 21, Salina South 0
Week 1 Rank: 4 (-1)
Week 2: at Winfield
Last Meeting: McPherson 38, Winfield 14 (Week 3, 2017)
Prediction: McPherson 35, Winfield 7
Salina South is considered to be a fairly strong, revitalized team in 2018, and McPherson handled the Cougars with ease. In fact, the Pups’ defense was more impressive than its vaulted offense.
Week 1: Goddard 32, Wichita East 8
Week 1 Rank: 7 (+1)
Week 2: vs. Arkansas City
Last Meeting: Goddard 44, Arkansas City 21 (Week 6, 2017)
Prediction: Goddard 34, Arkansas City 14
Goddard is in a transition season and still beat the biggest high school in Kansas by 24. The Lions weren’t scored on until the fourth quarter when coach Tom Beason put in the second squad.
Week 1: Campus 47, Dodge City 9
Week 1 Rank: 9 (+2)
Week 2: at No. 15 Newton
Last Meeting: Campus 20, Newton 19 (Week 1, 2015)
Prediction: Campus 34, Newton 24
Dodge City isn’t one of the top teams in 6A, but Campus handled Week 1 with class on the road. The Colts now get a team that is coming off its biggest win in the last decade.
Week 1: Maize 49, Valley Center 0
Week 1 Rank: 10 (+2)
Week 2: at Hutchinson
Last Meeting: Maize 14, Hutchinson 13 (Week 8, 2017)
Prediction: Maize 41, Hutchinson 7
Maize lost a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, but that didn’t matter at all in the Eagles’ opener. Quarterback Caleb Grill was lethal against the Valley Center defense. Now they get a team that gave up 55 in Week 1.
Week 1: Heights 35, Maize South 21
Week 1 Rank: 13 (+4)
Week 2: vs. No. 3 Bishop Carroll
Last Meeting: Bishop Carroll 35, Wichita Heights 14 (Week 7, 2017)
Prediction: Bishop Carroll 31, Wichita Heights 28
K’Vonte Baker put Maize South in fits. Now he and the Falcons must do it again against Maize South 2.0 in Bishop Carroll, a team coming off an emotional loss.
Week 1: Conway Springs 48, Trinity Academy 7
Week 1 Rank: 14 (+4)
Week 2: vs. No. 14 Cheney
Last Meeting: Conway Springs 41, Cheney 0 (Week 8, 2017)
Prediction: Conway Springs 34, Cheney 15
The Cardinals thrashed Trinity Academy and seem similarly dominant to their undefeated selves from 2017. They will take a strong stake in the Central Plains League with a win over Cheney.
Week 1: Pratt 34, Hoisington 0
Week 1 Rank: 19 (+8)
Week 2: vs. Halstead
Last Meeting: Pratt 39, Halstead 30 (Week 6, 2017)
Prediction: Pratt 34, Halstead 28
Running back Travis Theis kicked off his senior season with a bang and led the Greenbacks to an impressive shutout. Halstead will be a steeper challenge.
Week 1: Wichita West 55, Hutchinson 14
Week 1 Rank: 23 (+11)
Week 2: at No. 18 Kapaun
Last Meeting: Kapaun 31, West 21 (Week 4, 2015)
Prediction: West 28, Kapaun 24
West wrapped up one of the most impressive wins of Week 1. The thumping of Hutchinson was outstanding for the Pioneers. Doing that against Kapaun will stake their claim in the City League.
Week 1: Garden Plain 15, Cheney 12
Week 1 Rank: 18 (+5)
Week 2: vs. Douglass
Last Meeting: Garden Plain 38, Douglass 16 (Week 6, 2017)
Prediction: Garden Plain 21, Douglass 17
Coming off an emotional rivalry win could take a lot of out of the Owls, and if they aren’t careful, Douglass has the potential for an upset.
Week 1: Garden Plain 15, Cheney 12
Week 1 Rank: 17 (+3)
Week 2: at No. 10 Conway Springs
Last Meeting: Conway Springs 41, Cheney 0 (Week 8, 2017)
Prediction: Conway Springs 34, Cheney 15
Cheney is real danger of starting 0-2 after the loss to Garden Plain. The Cardinals have real talent, but their scheduling did them no favors.
Week 1: Newton 34, Buhler 26
Week 1 Rank: 25 (+10)
Week 2: at No. 7 Campus
Last Meeting: Campus 20, Newton 19 (Week 1, 2015)
Prediction: Campus 34, Newton 24
The Railers are flying high after their win at Buhler and are certainly a team trending up. A win at Campus would make a real statement.
Week 1: Hesston 42, Hillsboro 36
Week 1 Rank: 15 (-1)
Week 2: at Larned
Last Meeting: Hesston 56, Larned 35 (Week 3, 2017)
Prediction: Hesston 52, Larned 28
Hesston’s season-opener was much closer than anticipated. The Swathers’ offense was churning, but they must sure up their defense before stiffer competition hits the schedule.
Week 1: Wichita Heights 35, Maize South 21
Week 1 Rank: 8 (-9)
Week 2: vs. No. 19 Andover
Last Meeting: None
Prediction: Maize South 24, Andover 20
Losing at Heights was a tough start to the Mavericks’ season, but they showed signs of promise against one of the best offenses in Wichita.
Week 1: Kapaun 26, Wichita Southeast 3
Week 1 Rank: 12 (-6)
Week 2: vs. No. 12 West
Last Meeting: Kapaun 31, West 21 (Week 4, 2015)
Prediction: West 28, Kapaun 24
Kapaun put out a rough half of football against Southeast before turning it around in the third quarter. It will be interesting to see which team shows up against West.
Week 1: Great Bend 35, Andover 12
Week 1 Rank: 11 (-8)
Week 2: at No. 17 Maize South
Last Meeting: None
Prediction: Maize South 24, Andover 20
Andover laid an egg against Great Bend, but the Trojans have a chance to get their swagger back against a Maize South team still trying to figure it out, too.
Week 1: Salina Central 44, Eisenhower 7
Week 1 Rank: NR
Week 2: at No. 1 Derby
Last Meeting: Derby 34, Salina Central 0 (Week 6, 2017)
Prediction: Derby 42, Salina Central 14
Salina Central hadn’t won a game since 2015, but they broke that streak in a momentous way. Eisenhower’s quality will be seen, but the Mustangs’ momentum is clear.
Week 1: Wellington 32, Wichita Collegiate 0
Week 1 Rank: NR
Week 2: vs. No. 4 Andale
Last Meeting: Andale 38, Wellington 0 (Week 4, 2017)
Prediction: Andale 28, Wellington 14
Wellington beat Collegiate for the first time in school history and looked almost flawless in doing it. A win over Andale would be simply remarkable.
Week 1: Newton 34, Buhler 26
Week 1 Rank: 20 (-2)
Week 2: at El Dorado
Last Meeting: Buhler 48, El Dorado 6 (Week 8, 2017)
Prediction: Buhler 28, El Dorado 21
Buhler is either in a spot of limbo or Newton is one of the area’s bests. Time will tell, but the Crusaders must find a quick way to patch their defense.
Week 1: Andale 42, Mulvane 14
Week 1 Rank: 16 (-7)
Week 2: vs. Clearwater
Last Meeting: Mulvane 21, Clearwater 7 (Week 3, 2015)
Prediction: Mulvane 22, Clearwater 6
Losing to Andale is no knock, but Mulvane’s showing in Week 1 raised some eyebrows. A solid win against Clearwater would do a world of good.
Week 1: Andover Central 13, Augusta 3
Week 1 Rank: NR
Week 2: vs. No. 25 Eisenhower
Last Meeting: Andover Central 37, Eisenhower 13 (Week 5, 2015)
Prediction: Andover Central 16, Eisenhower 15
The Jaguars’ defense was a rock Friday against Augusta. If they can get the offense clicking, they will be dangerous.
Week 1: Salina Central 44, Eisenhower 7
Week 1 Rank: 6 (-19)
Week 2: at No. 24 Andover Central
Last Meeting: Andover Central 37, Eisenhower 13 (Week 5, 2015)
Prediction: Andover Central 16, Eisenhower 15
Eisenhower was on the wrong end of the most eye-popping result of Week 1. The Tigers have to figure out what went wrong before they get too deep into the league season.
This story was originally published September 3, 2018 at 1:26 PM.