Six Kansas high school football games in the Wichita area to watch in Week 1
With the start of the Kansas high school football season coming this week, the Eagle has identified six of the top games to watch involving area teams.
Bishop Carroll at Northwest (Thursday)
After being disrupted last season because of the coronavirus pandemic, the most anticipated opening-week rivalry in Wichita is back. Northwest has won four of six games since the series was moved to Week 1 in 2014. This one could be a shootout with both defenses looking to restock. Thursday could be the breakout games for multiple players on both offenses, as Geremiah Moore (quarterback) and L.J. Phillips (running back) are next up for the Grizzlies and Matt Holthusen, Tate Blasi and Jadonn Williams will be threats for Carroll. The winner also gets an early leg up in what could be the most dramatic City League title race in years.
East at Hays
The Blue Aces have made a splash under coach Ene Akpan and reached the Class 6A quarterfinals last season with the program’s best season in decades. Replicating last season’s seven wins will be a challenge with a much more difficult schedule that begins with a Week 1 road trip to Hays, a team that has multiple Division I athletes. K-State commit Tobi Osunsanmi leads East’s defense, while sophomore quarterback Daeonte’ Mitchell and senior Caquoy Patterson should be one of the best aerial threats in the state. It’s a non-league matchup, but East can send a message with an opening win on the road.
Goddard at Buhler
Neither of these teams are strangers to recent postseason success, which is what makes this non-league game so intriguing. The matchup to watch is Goddard’s defense trying to stop Buhler from running the ball. The Lions have a pair of all-league defensive linemen returning in Braydon Wickliffe and Ruben Ortiz, while Buhler returns all-state running back Sam Elliott, a 5-foot-7 senior who rushed for more than 1,900 yards last season. Goddard’s offense will try to keep pace with senior Lake Hamilton taking over at quarterback with weapons in running back Dylan Reese and receiver Bo Bantz returning.
Eisenhower at Heights
Eisenhower has finished with a winning record just once in the last five seasons and a win here could be an early push for a surprise season. After a 5-3 season in 2020, Heights figures to take a step forward this season with six returning starters on offense, including electric running back John Randle Jr., one of the state’s top recruits, plus quarterback D.J. Dingle, and other weapons like Adrian Patterson, R.J. Richard and Chase Harris. A win here would be a confidence builder for the Falcons entering their second week matchup against Northwest.
Maize at Andover
Andover figures to take a step forward in coach Ken Dusenbury’s second season at the helm. The Trojans haven’t won more than five games in a season since 2016, but could push for that with the offensive nucleus of quarterback Brady Strausz, running back Max Middleton, fullback Chandler Goodnight and receiver Quentin Born all back. Will it be enough to upend Maize? The Eagles enter with plenty of hype following a summer where junior quarterback Avery Johnson racked up Division I offers from some of the top programs in the country. Maize is sure to air it out with most of its receiving corps back in Bryce Cohoon, Landon Helm and Justin Stephens. A good win on the road to open the season would further solidify Maize’s chops as a Class 5A title contender.
Garden Plain at Conway Springs
One of the best small-class rivalries in the state, both programs figure to be contenders in the west half of their class. Conway Springs has won eight of 14 matchups since 2010, but Garden Plain has won the last two meetings, including a 14-13 victory in last season’s opener. Conway Springs has plenty of power up front returning, but will be looking for some new threats to emerge in its running game. Garden Plain returns 1,000-yard rusher Reed Adelhardt to its attack and figures to once again have a strong defense.
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 2:51 PM.
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