Varsity Football

10 Takeaways: The games that mattered most heading into the 2018 state playoffs

By Hayden Barber

Updated October 20, 2018 9:22 PM

The drama that came from Week 8 district championships, league titles and playoff positioning couldn’t be beaten.

Here are 10 takeaways from Friday, including the games that had the biggest impact on the state playoff brackets:

See the 2018 Kansas high school football playoff brackets here.

1. The One in I from the 1

Derby at Maize.png — Hayden Barber The Wichita Eagle

A touchdown separated Derby from hosting and traveling in an expected sub-state matchup with Lawrence Free State.

Maize drove the ball with 12 seconds left, and with no timeouts, the Eagles ran a quarterback sneak with senior Caleb Grill, but the Panthers kept him out, and time expired.

The final Class 6A West tally: Derby - 104 points, Free State - 97.

The Firebirds earned all 13 points Friday in an unexpectedly close 28-13 victory over one-win rival Lawrence, but if Grill scored and Maize converted the 2-point conversion, the Panthers would travel north for a chance to go to state.

“Our kids knew that we had to win by seven or more, and that goal-line stand was a testament,” coach Brandon Clark said.

Outside of the postseason theatrics, the Maize-Derby game lived up to its billing.

Both teams entered atop their class’ district standings, and with the AVCTL I championship on the line, they brought the drama as the Eagles came back from a 21-0 halftime deficit before the Panthers slammed the door on a a 35-21 win. Maize will go into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in Class 5A West behind undefeated Wichita Northwest.

2. T’s and threes

He already had them printed.

Goddard coach Tom Beason surprised his team with AVCTL II championship shirts after the Lions’ 32-3 win over Andover to clinch their third straight league title.

He was that confident in his group.

And if they lost, Beason said he wouldn’t have acknowledged the share they were already guaranteed after losing to the other two teams with a cut of the pie, Andover and Maize South. But they didn’t.

“We knew we would have been in third place out of the deal,” Beason said. “So it mattered to our guys and they came ready to play.”

The Lions’ offense has been iffy through the past few weeks with a stunning home loss to Maize South and a 2-point showing against Maize. But sophomore quarterback Kyler Semrad picked the Trojans’ defense to pieces as the Lions locked up the No. 3 seed in Class 4A West behind McPherson and Wellington.

3. Emporium of calamity

Emporia was down 20-8 to Junction City with about nine minutes to play.

If the Spartans lost, Wichita Heights would host. They didn’t, and the Falcons won’t. Emporia beat Junction City 23-20 after a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback, and Heights will be forced to play on the road against the same team that took away its home-field advantage.

The Falcons lost 33-7 to Kapaun on Friday, falling to the No. 9 seed, and with Emporia’s win, the Spartans move up to No. 8 on point differential.

After sitting out in the Falcons’ Week 7 loss to Wichita Northwest, senior quarterback K’Vonte Baker was back for Heights, but the Crusaders’ defense lived up to its potential holding the Falcons to under 10 points for the first time since Week 2 of the 2015 season.

For Kapaun, coach Dan Adelhardt’s men earned the No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 Hays in Week 9.

4. 2 points

Andover Central won Friday and needed almost every point.

The Jaguars beat Arkansas City at home 20-17. Although Central’s Class 4A West seed isn’t determined because of Coffeyville’s Saturday game, the Jags finished two points ahead of Buhler.

The Crusaders won, too, Friday. They beat Winfield 28-21 as senior running back Jordan Hawkins ran in a 17-yard touchdown for the win, but it wasn’t enough.

Depending on Coffeyville’s result, Andover Central will sit at No. 5 or 6 and will play either No. 12 El Dorado or No. 11 Augusta.

Buhler could go from No. 6 to 7 with a Coffeyville win over Christ Prep Academy.

5. An overtime win and letdown

Halstead had one of the best finishes of the night, but the Dragons still needed more.

Going against 6-1 Chapman, who was locked into the No. 2 seed in Class 3A District 5, Halstead wasn’t the favorite, but the Dragons pulled out a 30-22 win Firday in overtime.

Junior running back Scott Grider scored from 3 yards out, and Halstead converted the two-point conversion to earn eight points toward its differential. The Dragons were still seven short.

Hesston, who took the No. 3 seed in district play over Halstead, beat Clay Center 54-0. And because the Dragons couldn’t reach the No. 2 seed, they will have to go on the road to face undefeated Andale, the 3A team coming off a 4A-Division I state championship game appearance.

If Halstead had gotten seven more points, the Dragons would face Collegiate - a team that lost 55-0 to Andale.

6. Not so Well

Wellington was locked into the bracket coming in, but Mulvane made a statement.

The Wildcats went on the road and beat the No. 2 team in Class 4A west 14-13 in one of the best defensive games in the Wichita area this season.

After senior cornerback De’Andre Washington intercepted Mulvane’s Tab Creekmore on the opening drive, spurring a Wellington score, the Wildcats looked in danger. Mulvane was forced to punt deep in its own territory, but the Crusaders touched the ball without fielding it and the Wildcats pounced.

Soon after, Creekmore hit junior running back Cole Diffenbaugh for a 40-yard score. And the Wildcats followed it up with another touchdown as Creekmore launched a ball to senior receiver Jacob Walker before halftime.

After that, it was up to the Mulvane defense, and the Wildcats came through.

The result means No. 2 Wellington will host No. 15 Rose Hill, and No. 4 Mulvane will welcome No. 13 Arkansas City in Week 9.

7. Redemption in Salina?

The Tigers will get another shot.

After beating Valley Center 34-20 on Friday, Eisenhower is locked into the No. 12 seed in Class 5A West. The Tigers will face the team that embarrassed them in Week 1, No. 5 Salina Central.

The Mustangs thumped Eisenhower 44-7 in the season-opener. It sent waves through the Kansas football community as Salina Central hadn’t won since 2015 and the Tigers were expected to be one of the best teams in the Wichita area in 2018.

Since that game, Central has lost twice only to Derby and Maize, and Eisenhower’s best win came in Week 2 over Andover Central.

None of that will matter in Week 9. The Tigers will be riding momentum after the win over the Hornets and will hope that can carry them to a road upset on the field where it happened to them earlier this season.

8. Trying to get out of the dog house

Much of the same story can be said about Douglass and Garden Plain.

In Week 2, Garden Plain handed Douglass its only loss of the 2018 season to this point, an ugly 31-0 blowout. Since then, the Bulldogs have gone undefeated with a win over Fredonia, and they captured their second straight district championship with a 65-14 win over Belle Plaine on Friday.

Now Douglass gets another crack at Garden Plain, who fell victim to the deepest district in Class 2A falling to the No. 4 seed behind Conway Springs, Hutchinson-Trinity and Chaparral.

Week 9 has the potential to be different. The Bulldogs are a different team with a different mentality. The belief is there.

9. Sedg-whack

They can boast one of the most attractive stats from Week 8.

After Sedgwick thrashed a promising Inman team 49-14, the Cardinals have now won eight straight district championships and 28 straight district games.

Sedgwick sprinted through its district play, earning a +63 point differential, which was 14 more than the next highest team in Class 1A.

The Cardinals have become well-known in Kansas for their high-flying offense, and it was on display Friday but not as one might imagine. Senior quarterback Hooper Schroeder came in as one of the top passers in the state, but senior running back Colton Smith stole the statline.

Smith ran for 217 yards and a pair of scores in the win. Now Sedgwick will play the winner of Syracuse (4-3) and Meade (3-4), who the Cardinals beat 42-7 in Week 6.

10. Maize-Maize South?

Let’s get ahead of ourselves.

If both Maize schools get past their first-round games Friday, they will meet up for the first time since 2015 and the third time ever in the Class 5A West regionals.

Maize and Maize South are two of the hottest teams in the Wichita area despite the Eagles’ 35-21 home loss to Derby in Week 8. The Mavericks have rattled off five straight after starting 0-3. Friday, the beat Wichita North 59-22.

First No. 2 Maize must get past No. 15 Liberal and No. 7 Maize South has to deal with AVCTL II rival and 10-seed Andover. But if they do, the all-Maize matchup would be the one to watch in Week 10.

Maize South has never lost to its crosstown rival.