Wichita’s Week 1 preview: High school football and the VK Game of the Week are back
Week 1 has finally fallen upon the Wichita area.
With the 2020 Kansas high school football season getting into full swing, every team in the state has hopes of a state championship. Week 1 will reveal who improved through the offseason. Here is a preview of the top games in the Wichita area Friday night, including the Varsity Kansas Game of the Week, along with predictions:
2019 Records: Andover, 3-7 ... Maize, 10-2
Previous Meeting: Maize 14, Andover 0 (Week 4, 2011)
Preview:
Despite being the two biggest high schools in two of Wichita’s biggest suburbs, Maize and Andover haven’t met since 2011. Andover, under new leadership, looks to surprise the back-to-back state semifinalists. The Maize offense will be under the direction of sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, one of the top players in Kansas Class 5A, but since the Eagles’ revival as a program, their defense has carried the day.
For Andover, defense should be the strong point as well. With senior linebacker Ashton Ngo, senior defensive back Isaiah Maikori and junior linebacker Chandler Goodnight leading the way, points may be at a premium. But the Trojans haven’t faced a 5A state semifinal opponent since 2017, a 21-17 loss to Goddard.
Coach Ken Dusenbury was wildly successful at Garden Plain. His first test at Andover will be a real challenge, but if his group can pull an upset, the Trojans would enter the conversation for a playoff run in 2020.
Score Prediction: Maize 31, Andover 14
2019 Records: Derby, 13-0 ... Mill Valley, 10-30
Previous Meeting: Mill Valley 27, Derby 20 (Week 2, 2015)
Preview:
If this game was in Derby, it would be the biggest Wichita area game in recent history. Even still, many eyes will be glued to score as the defending Class 6A and 5A champions meet in Mill Valley.
Derby has lost one regular season game since the last time these teams met Sept. 18, 2015. The Panthers are back-to-back 6A champions with two straight undefeated seasons. They are the best team in Kansas almost without question, but some believe Mill Valley might be the only team to challenge them in 2020.
Derby senior quarterback Lem Wash will lead the way. He is a versatile offensive weapon who is capable of 99-yard touchdown runs and 99-yard touchdown throws. Trying to tackle him will be senior defensive lineman Ethan Kremer, a returning Top 11 selection by The Eagle last season.
Score Prediction: Derby 35, Mill Valley 28
2019 Records: Buhler, 8-3 ... Goddard, 4-6
Previous Meeting: Goddard 31, Buhler 3 (Week 4, 2003)
Preview:
Goddard isn’t in Class 4A anymore, rising back up to 5A for the 2020 season. That said, the Lions need a barometer test, and they get it in Week 1. The Lions went an uncharacteristic 4-6 last season, their worst record since 2014. Then-junior quarterback Kyler Semrad suffered a season-ending injury in Week 5, so his game against Buhler will mark his return.
Buhler has been one of the most consistent teams in Kansas since coach Steve Warner took over in 2006. In fact, the Crusaders haven’t had a losing record in that time. Buhler is young this season, and Goddard doesn’t have the top end talent of years past, which should make for a fairly even contest.
Score Prediction: Goddard 20, Buhler 17
2019 Records: Conway Springs, 8-3 ... Garden Plain, 10-1
Previous Meeting: Garden Plain 32, Conway Springs 21
Preview:
Conway Springs and Garden Plain make up one of the great small town rivalries in the Wichita area. Both programs have been perennial winners with just two losing seasons combined since the turn of the century. 2020 should have a lot in store for both programs.
Conway Springs drops down to Class 1A for this season, a classification the Cardinals figure to play a big part in deciding. Garden Plain is under the direction of first-year coach Dan Adelhardt, who comes to the west side of the area from Kapaun Mt. Carmel.
Score Prediction: Garden Plain 21, Conway Springs 18
2019 Records: Junction City, 8-3 ... Bishop Carroll, 8-3
Previous Meeting: N/A
Preview:
Bishop Carroll’s vicious 2020 starts Friday with a team that is believed to make a deep playoff run in Class 6A this season. The Golden Eagles shuffled their schedule after the Wichita Public Schools temporarily canceled fall activities. In doing so, they planned dates with teams that went a combined 69-18 last season.
Carroll brings back an outstanding offensive line once again, and points will need to come from senior quarterback Aiden Niedens, entering his third season as the Eagles’ starter.
Carroll didn’t allow more than 14 points at home last season.
Score Prediction: Bishop Carroll 24, Junction City 21
2019 Records: Winfield, 6-4 ... Arkansas City, 4-7
Previous Meeting: Arkansas City 13, Winfield 3 (Regional, 2019)
Preview:
The Cowley Cup might now pose the best teams in Kansas, but the rivalry is tense. Winfield and Arkansas City have gone back and forth since 2000 with the Vikings holding an 11-7 lead in the series, but last season, Ark City got the last laugh with a 13-3 win in a Class 4A regional title meeting.
Score Prediction: Arkansas City 14, Winfield 10
2019 Records: Andale, 13-0 ... Rose Hill, 3-6
Previous Meeting: Andale 63, Rose Hill 0
Preview:
Andale is nothing short of a machine entering the 2020 season, but Rose Hill might have its best season since coach Greg Slade led the Rockets to a state championship in 2011. Andale hasn’t lost a regular season game since Oct. 14, 2016, when it lost to Buhler who went on to the title game. So don’t count on an upset, but Rose Hill should provide a bigger test than in years past.
Score Prediction: Andale 45, Rose Hill 14
2019 Records: Great Bend, 5-5 ... Maize South, 10-1
Previous Meeting: Maize South 26, Great Bend 14 (Regional, 2015)
Preview:
Maize South has reloaded in 2020. The Mavericks had nine of the top 100 players featured on The Eagle’s preseason list, including senior quarterback Colin Shields and senior All-State linebacker Brandon Bowles. Great Bend played a brutal schedule last season against two state runners-up and two other teams that went a combined 17-4, so the Panthers’ 5-5 record last season is deceiving.
Score Prediction: Maize South 24, Great Bend 14