Barber’s bests: Ranking the top high school football performances from Week 1

Two teams broke losing streaks that tracked to 2015, but there were some individuals who stole the show, too.

Here are the top five performances from Week 1:

5. Travis Theis - Pratt, Running Back, Sr.

12 carries, 212 yards, 17.7 yards/carry, 79 long, 4 touchdowns, 34-0 win at Hoisington

Tiny Travis Theis made a huge impact as expected.

Pratt is considered to be one of the top contenders in the Central Kansas League, and Theis is the biggest reason. He didn’t touch the ball too much in the Greenbacks’ shutout, but when he did, he was as explosive as advertised.

At 17.7 yards per carry, Theis had the best average of all running backs in the Wichita area in Week 1.

4. Hooper Schroeder - Sedgwick, Quarterback, Sr.

31/51, 502 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 46-6 win vs. Remington

Schroeder became the third player in Kansas history to throw for more than 500 yards Friday. It came against a far inferior team, but he wasn’t throwing deep.

Coach Jeff Werner said the Remington defense was taking away long passes, and that left Schroeder to throw underneath and take what the defense gave him.

He turned that mindset into a clinic.

3. Marcus Hicks - Wichita Northwest, Defensive End, Sr.

9 tackles, 7 tackles for losses, 2 sacks, 1 blocked PAT, 23-22 win at Bishop Carroll

In the marquee game of the week, Hicks came up biggest.

Hicks, a verbal commit to Oklahoma, dictated much of what Carroll tried to do in what some built as the City League championship. He was constantly in the Eagles’ backfield, especially in the second half.

Hicks showed excellent explosion off the line throughout. He had good hands and seemed to engulf players at times with his 6-foot-6 frame.

If Friday was any indication, 2018 will be a huge year for one of the most talented players to come through Wichita recently.

2. Tyler Kahmann - Campus, Receiver, Sr.

5 catches, 137 yards, 4 total touchdowns, 3 receiving touchdowns, 1 fumble return touchdown, 47-9 win at Dodge City

Coach Greg Slade said it was “just Tyler’s night.”

Campus has a lot of weapons on offense, but it seemed to only need one Friday against Dodge City. Kahmann was lethal from all parts of the field, towering over cornerbacks and even shaking the Dodge defense on a screen pass for a score.

Kahmann gave credit to his first-year quarterback Evan Kruse after the game. Had Kruse not transferred from Wichita South for the 2018 season, Kahmann would have likely been the Colts’ quarterback.

With Kruse in the mix, Campus’ offense opens up, and Kahmann was the benefactor of that Friday night.

1. K’Vonte Baker - Wichita Heights, Quarterback, Sr.

14 carries, 275 rushing yards, 99-yard touchdown run, 80-yard touchdown run, 3 touchdowns, 35-21 win vs. Maize South

He was in his bag Friday.

Baker broke a must-see 99-yard touchdown and ran for another of 80 yards in route to Heights’ 35-21 win against Maize South. Without Baker, it’s safe to say the final would have looked different.

Although his two big runs stole the show, Baker put on a display of agility that has almost become commonplace for the Falcons senior quarterback.

Baker was all over the field Friday, even contributing some on defense. With a young Heights defensive unit, Baker will be more important than ever to the Falcons’ success.

Baker will have another spotlight opportunity Friday as the Falcons host Carroll.

This story was originally published September 3, 2018 at 1:24 PM.