Previewing the top Week 6 matchups + the Varsity Kansas Game of the Week
None of the players were born the last time it happened.
Oct. 1, 1999, was the last time Kapaun beat Bishop Carroll in football. Friday will be the Crusaders’ best shot in about four years.
Carroll is injury-plagued and hasn’t hit on all cylinders since Week 2 at Wichita Heights. Starting senior quarterback Cade Becker went out with a shoulder injury in Week 5 at Great Bend, and junior backup John Honas is out for the season after surgery on a broken hand.
That left sophomore Aiden Niedens to come in at Great Bend and get the job done. He did with a 36-33 win, but the 3-2 Golden Eagles haven’t exactly been convincing.
But neither has Kapaun.
The Crusaders started the season 4-0, but they have their pitfalls. Kapaun struggles to stretch the field offensively at times, and that can get the Crusaders into tight games against teams they should blow out.
The defense, particularly the defensive line, is solid and will have to come through with pressure on the inexperienced Carroll quarterback to break the 6,944-day drought.
Prediction: Bishop Carroll 28, Kapaun 26
Collegiate is the last real roadblock.
Andale has won two straight AVCTL IV titles. The last team other than the Indians to win it is their opponent Friday.
Collegiate started the season with its first shutout loss to Wellington in school history. The 32-0 defeat sent shockwaves through the area, but since, the Spartans have gone undefeated with wins over Mulvane, Cheney and rival Trinity Academy.
Andale is coming off four straight shutout wins, including a 28-0 victory over Wellington in Week 2. A loss Friday would be Collegiate’s first regular-season defeat since Aug. 31, 2012, against Collegiate.
Prediction: Andale 38, Collegiate 21
Valley Center has proven a lot of people wrong in 2018.
After losing a lot of talent, including a head coach, from a team that won five games last season, the Hornets weren’t expected to sit second in AVCTL II with three games to go.
Yet Goddard is the only team ahead of them.
Valley Center will have to lean on its strong running attack with senior Larry Wilson to beat the Lions, which would be a first since Week 4 of the 2004 season.
Prediction: Goddard 18, Valley Center 14
Conway Springs is the ultimate hurdle, but this is a bit of a semifinal.
The Central Plains League has come down to three teams. Garden Plain and Chaparral round out the other two.
All three teams are 3-0 in the CPL this season. It would be naive to think the league champion would come out with a league loss, which makes Friday a virtual must-win for both teams.
Garden Plain is coming off its first loss of the season, a 20-7 home defeat to Hutchinson-Trinity Academy. The Owls will be looking to find its offensive rhythm, but containing the Chaparral offense might be the biggest challenge.
Prediction: Chaparral 28, Garden Plain 21
Salina Central is the Cinderella story of Kansas.
Everyone knows the Mustangs hadn’t won since 2015 coming into this season and that they sit 4-1 and just a game off the top of AVCTL I. Newton won’t care about that Friday, looking to spoil the party.
The Railers are coming off an explosive 42-35 win over Hutchinson last week, and Salina Central is fresh from a 48-17 home upset of Campus. Points are almost a guarantee.
Prediction: Salina Central 35, Newton 21
Maize South and Eisenhower have had similar seasons.
Both have been embarrassed. Maize South has given up two 99-yard touchdowns this season. And Eisenhower was Salina Central’s first win in more than 1,000 days.
But they have also seen great highs. The Mavs are coming off back-to-back wins, including a thrilling 21-20 victory at Andover Central. And the Tigers corrected that Week 1 loss with a road win over Andover Central, too.
This game will tell a lot about these teams’ true identities.
Prediction: Eisenhower 28, Maize South 24
Rankings are based on the Varsity Kansas Top 25, ranking the top high school football teams in the Wichita area each week.