Through the doubt, City League sees four football teams advance to state quarterfinals
Friday was a triumphant day for the City League, which saw four football teams advance to the state quarterfinals.
While Bishop Carroll and Kapaun Mount Carmel did not play a league schedule this season due to uncertainty this summer with the coronavirus pandemic, two public schools — Northwest and East — that did play City League competition weekly also celebrated wins on Friday.
After hearing outside criticism throughout the season about the quality of their schedule, coaches and players at Northwest and East alike took delight after their wins. They represented validation.
“I’m getting sick and tired of hearing all the time about how bad the City League is,” Northwest coach Steve Martin said after his team beat Heights 69-0 to advance to the Class 5A quarterfinals.
“Well, look at the playoffs now.”
After East advanced to the Class 6A quarterfinals for the first time since 1983 with a 20-7 victory over Manhattan, East senior defensive lineman Brenden Barley said the Blue Aces were motivated by their doubters.
“We have a big chip on our shoulder,” Barley said. “Every week we hear about how we haven’t played anybody and how we’re over-hyped and overrated. We go out every week and we strive to show people different. That we really are everything you thought we are and more.”
Northwest (8-0) will host Kapaun Mt. Carmel (8-1) in next Friday’s 5A quarterfinals after the Crusaders defeated Goddard 38-15 behind nearly 400 yards of total offense, including 168 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Cale Curtis. In Northwest’s win, six different ball carriers scored touchdowns, with Julius Bolden leading the way with 100 yards and two scores.
East (7-1) will travel to Junction City (8-1) in the Class 6A quarterfinals, while Bishop Carroll (7-2) will travel to Maize (9-1) in a 5A quarterfinal game. Carroll knocked off Hutchinson with a 42-28 road victory, as Hunter Trail rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Aiden Niedens accounted for three touchdowns and 247 total yards.
“We used the same recipe we’ve followed all year long,” Carroll coach Dusty Trail said. “We were able to run the ball and complete some timely passes, then our defense was able to make stops. Cade Gatschet came up with a huge blocked kick for us and Ryan Birch returned it for a score and that’s what flipped the game for us.”
With all four remaining City League teams proving themselves as title contenders, Martin said Friday was a huge win for the league.
“I think it shows you that our league at the top can go against anybody,” Martin said.
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Derby, Maize pick up blowout wins to advance to quarters
A pair of familiar names are back in the state quarterfinals, as Derby (48-28 win over Gardner Edgerton) and Maize (59-27 win over Maize South) both advanced after impressive blowout Friday wins.
For Maize, Josh Sanders rushed for 265 yards and four touchdowns and quarterback Avery Johnson accounted for four touchdowns, including two scoring throws to Jacob Hanna, with 204 total yards. The 32-point drubbing of its rival was made even more impressive considering Maize had to rally in the final minute to escape with a 42-38 win at Maize South just four weeks ago.
Maize (9-1) will host Carroll (9-1) in next Friday’s Class 5A quarterfinals.
“We always talk about winning all three phases of the game and I felt like (against Maize South) we were able to do that,” Maize coach Gary Guzman said. “Our guys played well in all areas and our defense came through with some turnovers and then our offense was able to take advantage of those opportunities. It was a total team effort and everybody is playing well for us right now.”
For Derby, its the fifth straight trip to the Class 6A quarterfinals. That may have seemed like a given before the season for the two-time defending champions, but after dropping two games in the regular season for the first time since 2011 that was thrown in doubt.
Derby responded with one of its best performances of the season, with Lem Wash throwing for three touchdowns and Dylan Edwards rushing for three touchdowns, to defeat a talented Gardner Edgerton team by 20 points. Derby (6-2) will travel to play top-ranked Lawrence (9-0) in next Friday’s 6A quarterfinals.
“Our kids won that game Monday through Thursday this week,” Derby coach Brandon Clark said. “They did such a great job of preparing. This group wanted to find another week, another Monday and they did that.
“It was an unusual feeling losing two games, but we know we lost to two very good teams in Mill Valley and Maize. Our kids came back to work and they didn’t hang their heads. We stayed positive and they knew it was time to do what Derby does and I feel like everybody is starting to click now and we’re playing as a team. They’re on a mission now.”
Class 4A: Ark City upsets Andover Central with goal-line stand
For the third straight season, Arkansas City is headed to the state quarterfinals. This time it was thanks to a last-minute, goal-line stand to upset Andover Central in a 33-28 victory on Friday. The Jaguars had a first down four yards away from a potential game-winning touchdown, but Ark City’s defense came up with a timely sack and shut down the attack.
Andover Central had played for the state title last season and was the top-ranked team in the West side of the Class 4A bracket this season. Arkansas City (4-6) will travel to Wamego (5-4) for next Friday’s 4A quarterfinals.
Wamego ended the Cinderella run of El Dorado, which won its first playoff game in school history last week, in a 21-18 win Friday night.
“A win like this, a signature win like this, it just helps your program,” Ark City coach Jon Wiemers said. “It makes everything better and it creates a different kind of excitement in your program. I”m really proud of our kids for coming through when we needed them to.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the 4A West bracket, McPherson (52-20 win over Augusta) and Buhler (42-8 win at Rose Hill) both won big to set up a rematch of the rivalry game in the 4A quarterfinals. McPherson won the regular-season meeting, 18-6, on Oct. 6.
McPherson was led by 186 rushing yards by Jaytin Gumm, while Dylan Rinker threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns. The road win by Buhler was perhaps the team’s best performance of the season, as Sam Elliott finished with 274 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
“The first half was probably the best we’ve played all year long,” Buhler coach Steve Warner said. “We knew Rose Hill was a really good football team and we played really, really well. We had a lot of inexperience coming into the year and we’ve taken our growing pains, but I think it’s helped us. We’ve always had the potential to do this and the biggest improvement for us has been our defensive backs, who are really starting to come together.”
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Class 3A: Collegiate ends Cheney’s perfect season
Collegiate delivered perhaps its most impressive overall performance of the season on Friday in a 35-20 road victory to end the undefeated season of Cheney in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs. Collegiate (8-1) advances to the 3A quarterfinals for the first time since 2015 next Friday to host another undefeated team in Southeast of Saline (9-0).
Wesley Fair rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns with all three scores in the first half to stake the Spartans to a 29-7 lead. Cheney’s offense, led by junior quarterback Harrison Voth, scored two straight touchdowns to trim the deficit to 29-21 in the third quarter, but Collegiate’s Carson Phelps scored a 47-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
“This group has gone through so much and they just love being around each other,” Collegiate coach Troy Black said. “They love playing football and they love each other and this is the result you’re seeing. We have a next-man-up mentality because we’ve lost starters every week to injuries or Covid or something else. They’ve really bonded and this has been a really special group. We’ve been telling them that all year and now they’re starting to believe it.”
In the other area playoff game, top-ranked Andale continued its dominant march to defending its title with a 53-0 victory over Clearwater. This was a Clearwater team that had been the only team this season to stay within three touchdowns of Andale in a 40-21 regular-season win by Andale.
But in the rematch, Andale was too much, as Eli Rowland rushed for 213 yards and five touchdowns and Noah Meyer added 136 rushing yards and another score, as Andale’s defense pitched a shutout and held Clearwater’s offense to 152 yards. Andale (9-0) will travel to Riley County (8-1) for next Friday’s 3A quarterfinals.
Small-class report: Haven advances to quarters for first time
Haven’s playoff win last week was the first postseason win at the school since 1976. Haven’s playoff win this week, a 26-6 victory over Hutchinson Trinity, is the first time Haven has won two games in the playoffs in school history. Nathan Schmidt (181 yards) and Darby Roper (111 yards) both scored two touchdowns to power Haven into the Class 2A quarterfinals, where it will host Beloit (4-6) next Friday.
It was a dominant performance by Garden Plain through three quarters, but the quick-strike nature of Hillsboro made things interesting in the fourth. The end result was a 25-20 victory for Garden Plain, which turned into a nail-biter when Hillsboro’s dynamic quarterback, Matthew Potucek, threw for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. In the end, Garden Plain (9-1) advanced to a 2A quarterfinal and will travel to Hoisington (10-0) thanks to a standout performance by Reed Adelhardt (192 rushing yards, three touchdowns).
“It’s always a challenge for a team getting used to a new coach, but our kids have done a really good job,” first-year Garden Plain coach Dan Adelhardt said. “We’re matched up with Hoisington again and that’s the team who ended their season last year. So these kids have been here before and they know what it’s going to take to win this time.”
After a bye in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs, Conway Springs (9-1) received a stiff challenge from Plainville (5-5). The Cardinals needed a short touchdown run by Cole Schulte in the final minute of the game to break a tie and prevail 14-7 to advance to the 1A quarterfinals. Plainville managed to limit Conway Springs’ first two options on the ground — Jonathan Wright (59 yards) and Heath Hilger (84 yards) — but could not contain Schulte, who rushed for 173 yards and both touchdowns on 18 carries.
Conway Springs will host Inman (7-2) in next Friday’s quarterfinals after the Teutons made short work of Remington in a 50-6 victory. Inman was led by Kendyn Blank, who turned six carries into 91 yards and three touchdowns, and Jace Doerksen, who threw for 126 yards and a touchdown.
Elsewhere in the 1A playoffs, Sedgwick (8-2) saw its third straight season of at least eight wins come to an end in the second round in a 27-24 home loss to Oakley. The Cardinals led 17-7 in the third quarter, but turnovers proved costly as Oakley scored 20 straight points to establish a 27-17 lead. Lance Hoffsommer threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Stucky late in the fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 27-24, but Sedgwick never touched the ball again.
In the 8-man Division I playoffs, the area had four winners advance: Little River (46-26 win over Clifton Clyde); Madison (60-0 win over Oswego); Canton-Galva (56-6 win over Burlingame); and Argonia-Attica (60-14 win over La Crosse). Little River (8-2) will host Chase County (8-2), while top-ranked Canton-Galva (10-0) will host Madison (10-0) in an undefeated showdown and Argonia-Attica (9-1) will travel to Wichita County (10-0).
This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 11:28 AM.
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