These 10 Wichita area high school football teams are moving on in Kansas state playoffs
Varsity Kansas has you covered with a full list of scores from the Kansas high school football regional playoff games from Friday, plus a look ahead to this week’s quarterfinal matchups.
But here are 10 Wichita area teams that are moving on in the playoffs, with recaps of their Friday night victories.
1. Kapaun rolls past Maize South and back into 5A quarterfinals
In a matchup between two of the best running teams in Class 5A, it was Kapaun who prevailed over Maize South on the ground and in the game in a 37-21 victory.
Kapaun racked up 290 rushing yards with sophomore bulldozer Omari Elias finishing with 209 yards on 40 carries, including two touchdowns, while Maize South’s star running back Evan Cantu finished with 137 rushing yards on 31 carries and a touchdown.
For the second straight season under coach Weston Schartz, the Crusaders (9-1) returned to the 5A quarterfinals, where they will face Wichita Northwest (8-2) at Wichita Heights next Friday. It will be a rematch of last year’s 5A quarterfinal that Northwest won 26-14, although Kapaun won this year’s regular-season matchup against the Grizzlies, 34-17, on Sept. 17.
While it was a meeting of two run-first teams, Kapaun took the lead less than four minutes into the game through the air when Dylan Hamilton rolled out and found Isaac Schmitz down the right sideline for a 67-yard touchdown.
Kapaun would score the first 23 points, but Maize South would gain momentum when freshman quarterback Tate McNew, making his second start, connected with Braxton Bigley — the first of their two touchdowns — for a 13-yard score that trimmed the deficit to 23-7 late in the second quarter.
But the Mavericks struggled to stop Kapaun’s running attack, as Elias added another rushing touchdown, Hamilton found Schmitz again for a 33-yard passing touchdown and Will Doolittle scampered 54 yards for a touchdown.
Cantu’s touchdown in the third quarter moved him to 26 touchdowns this season, which broke the Maize South single-season record. The senior finished with more than 2,100 rushing yards in 10 games this season.
2. Dylan Edwards scores seven touchdowns in Derby’s rout of Wichita East
It was the Dylan Edwards Show once again in the latest round of the Class 6A playoffs, as the Derby junior running back finished with 272 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns and even returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown.
The Panthers (9-0) won their 15th game in a row showcasing what has become one of their most potent offenses during their last decade of dominance. Derby is currently averaging 57.3 points per game with the starters playing past the third quarter in only two games this season.
The three-time defending state champions look as dominant as ever and will move on to host Lawrence Free State (8-2) this Friday.
Edwards was dynamic from the start against East, scoring four times in the first quarter alone, including touchdown runs of 61 and 46 yards.
Give East credit — senior receiver Caquoy Patterson tried his best to keep the Blue Aces in it early with two impressive catch-and-runs where he weaved through multiple defenders to score from 28 and 68 yards out. But Derby, more accurately Edwards, kept coming and coming.
Edwards added two more scores in the second quarter on a 66-yard punt return and a 10-yard run to push Derby’s lead to 42-12 by halftime. The Panthers scored three more times in the third quarter, including a Drake Thatcher touchdown catch from his brother, Mercer, and a 10-yard Brock Zerger run to push the lead to 63-12.
East had won five straight games, including an upset of City League champions Bishop Carroll, before meeting Derby. Daeonte Mitchell finished the game throwing for four touchdowns and 267 yards against Derby’s defense.
3. Cheney holds Collegiate without a touchdown in elite 3A showdown
In a showdown between two of the top-ranked teams in Class 3A, it was Cheney who prevailed in an impressive 21-3 victory over Wichita Collegiate.
Cheney entered undefeated and ranked No. 2, while Collegiate’s only loss came to three-time defending champion Andale and entered ranked No. 4. The Cardinals (10-0) will look to continue their perfect season in the 3A quarterfinals, where they will host fellow unbeaten Southeast of Saline (10-0) this Friday.
Cheney got off to a fast start against Collegiate, as quarterback Harrison Voth made the familiar connection with Luke Grace for a 23-yard touchdown in the first quarter. It would prove to be the only touchdown of the first three quarters, as Cheney took a 7-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals finally gained some separation when Jack Voth returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. Voth later put the finishing touches on the victory with a one-yard score to put the Cardinals up 21-3 with 6:56 remaining.
It was a dominant showing from Cheney’s defense and special teams, as the Cardinals held Collegiate’s potent attack to without a touchdown for the first time this season.
4. Geremiah Moore runs all over Mustangs to send Northwest to 5A semifinals
Almost no area team plays at a fast tempo better than Northwest and the Grizzlies showed why in a 66-21 rout of Salina Central.
Northwest senior quarterback Geremiah Moore thrived in the up-tempo game, finishing with 223 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while completing all five of his passes for 55 yards and another two touchdowns.
The Grizzlies (8-2) earned a City League rematch with Kapaun Mt. Carmel (9-1) in this Friday’s Class 5A quarterfinals. Although the Crusaders won the regular-season game, 34-17, on Sept. 17, the Grizzlies claimed the victory in last year’s quarterfinals.
Salina Central managed to push Northwest early, cutting the Grizzlies’ lead to 27-21 midway through the second quarter, but Moore led Northwest to two touchdowns in the final 90 seconds of the first half and the rout was on.
Moore finished with five touchdowns in the first half, including four rushing scores, then a 10-yard passing touchdown to Cincere Thompson with 11 seconds left.
Moore tacked on two more scores in the third quarter to finish out his day with a 54-yard touchdown run, then a 19-yard scoring throw to L.J. Phillips, the running back who finished with 125 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
5. Mulvane proves it in rematch win over McPherson
In a rematch of a game that was played less than a month ago, Mulvane proved it was no fluke by knocking off McPherson once again, this time by an 18-16 final score line, to advance to the Class 4A quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.
Mulvane (8-2) has won eight straight game since an 0-2 start to the season and will travel to face top-seeded Buhler (9-1) this Friday. Making it even more impressive is the fact that the Wildcats endured an injury-plagued 2020 season where they finished with a 1-7 record.
Mulvane quarterback Mason Ellis was superb, as he finished with 116 rushing yards and his two rushing touchdowns giving the Wildcats a 14-0 lead at halftime. Ellis made it 18-0 early in the fourth quarter when he found Ian Comer for his lone passing score of the game.
But it was too little too late for McPherson, which saw its four-year run of reaching the state semifinals come to an end.
The Bullpups made a desperate rally in the end, as Hunter Alvord found Trey Buckbee for a 42-yard touchdown on a fourth-down play with 2:03 remaining. After recovering a Mulvane fumble, McPherson scored again when Jaytin Gumm powered his way in and Alvord converted the two-point conversion to draw to within 18-16 with 1:02 remaining.
But Mulvane recovered the on-side kick and with McPherson’s timeouts exhausted, the Wildcats were able to kneel out the game.
6. Andover Central uses second-quarter explosion to advance past Circle
It’s not often a game is won or lost in the second quarter, but that was the case when Andover Central out-scored Circle 42-0 in the second quarter in what became a 49-10 victory.
After Circle forced a turnover and a punt on Andover Central’s first two drives, the Jaguars exploded once the second quarter rolled around. It only took 46 seconds into the quarter for Andover Central running back Ashton Barkdull to score, then Circle fumbled on its first play and Barkdull scored again just 22 seconds later.
After a Circle punt, the Jaguars pounced again with Kai Kuntz finding Cooper Tabor for a 49-yard touchdown pass for the team’s third touchdown in two minutes.
A pair of Circle interceptions set up the final Andover Central scoring drives, as Kunz finished one with a six-yard touchdown run of his own and then found Brock Stupka for two touchdowns in the final two minutes to end the 42-point explosion.
Kunz finished with 201 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Barkdull turned seven carries into 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Jace Rees added 53 yards and a touchdown. Tabor finished with seven grabs for 96 yards and a score, while Stupka finished with four catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
Andover Central (9-1) advanced to the Class 4A quarterfinals, where it will travel to Wamego (9-1) for a showdown this Friday.
7. Andale wins No. 35 in a row in return to 3A quarterfinals
It was another ho-hum dominant performance by Andale in a 51-0 shutout of Holcomb to punch its ticket back to the Class 3A quarterfinals, where the Indians (10-0) will put their 35-game winning streak on the line at Concordia this Friday.
Andale has now won its two playoff games by a combined 104-2 margin, as it took a 38-0 lead at halftime against Holcomb and never let up.
In a rare exhibition of its passing game, Andale completed a season-high seven passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Will Spexarth completed four of six passes for 123 yards, while Nathan Nemechek and Drew Bugner hauled in touchdown passes.
Andale still churned out 320 yards on the ground with Jonah Meyer (121 yards, one touchdown) and Gage Prosser (97 yards, one touchdown) doing most of the damage. On defense, Andale forced Holcomb to finish with negative-nine rushing yards on 11 attempts.
8. Sam Elliott helps Buhler run over Winfield in 4A playoffs
In a meeting between AV-CTL Division III rivals, Buhler didn’t have much of a problem dispatching Winfield in a 59-20 victory.
Senior running back Sam Elliott finished with 143 rushing yards on just 14 carries and four touchdowns, as Buhler took a 42-7 lead into halftime and never looked back.
Buhler got on the board early with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Bradley Neill to Brock McCurdy, although Winfield briefly tied the game when Ar’mon Acosta connected with Kody Brenn for a 22-yard touchdown near the end of the first quarter.
But on the next snap, Elliott scampered 71 yards for a touchdown to put Buhler back in front and it was all Crusaders from there. Neill added two more touchdown passes, to Brock McCurdy and Tanner Tustian, Elliott scored again and Cody Wisecarver returned a fumble for a score to highlight the first half for Buhler.
Next up for Buhler will be a home game this Friday against a red-hot Mulvane (8-2) team in the Class 4A quarterfinals that has won eight games in a row.
9. Kingman continues best season since the turn of the century
For the first time since 1999, Kingman finds itself back in the state quarterfinals.
The Eagles blitzed Garden Plain early, then held on for a 28-21 victory to advance to the Class 2A quarterfinals, where they will travel to Hays to face Thomas More Prep (8-2) this Friday.
Since losing to Cheney, the undefeated, No. 2-ranked team in Class 3A, Kingman (9-1) has rattled off nine straight victories. The Eagles also claimed their second win of the season over Garden Plain with the two wins coming by a combined 10 points.
Kingman took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a trick play with sophomore Carter Helm finding Geoff Holloway for a 33-yard touchdown pass. From there, quarterback Nolan Freund powered his way into the end zone and found Avrey Albright for a short scoring pass to give Kingman a 21-0 lead.
Garden Plain battled back, as Reed Adelhardt’s three-yard touchdown run trimmed Kingman’s lead to 21-14 midway through the third quarter. But Freund gave Kingman some breathing room with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Helm, which ultimately proved to be the game-winner after Adelhardt scored again for the Owls with 5:29 remaining. Kingman was able to successfully run out the remaining time with its running game.
Elsewhere in the 2A playoffs, Hillsboro continued to quietly piece together an impressive season that continued on with a 41-14 rout of Chaparral. The Trojans were led by quarterback Matthew Potucek, who completed 12 of 14 passes for 243 yards, rushed for 112 yards on 15 carries and finished with four touchdowns.
Hillsboro (9-1) will travel to Beloit (7-3) this Friday in the quarterfinals.
10. Sedgwick, Conway Springs and Inman all moving on in 1A playoffs
The undefeated season of Sedgwick marched on to the Class 1A quarterfinals following a 33-6 victory over Ell-Saline.
Sedgwick (10-0) led 21-0 at halftime with Lance Hoffsommer passing and throwing for a touchdown, then Austin Cook adding a rushing score. The Cardinals were able to coast their way into a highly-anticipated matchup at Smith Center (9-1) this Friday against a team that ended Sedgwick’s season in 2019, 2018 and 2015.
Meanwhile, Inman (10-0) continued its dominant march through the 1A playoffs with a 54-16 victory over Oakley.
Tanner Heckel rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Jace Duerksen threw for 127 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 53 yards and two more touchdowns to lead the way for Inman. Eli Brunk, Heckel and Kaden Blank all caught touchdowns for the Teutons.
Inman advanced to the quarterfinals, where it will meet Conway Springs (8-2) after the Cardinals held on to win 27-14 over Plainville.
It was all Conway Springs to start, as Izic Billups returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown to put the Cardinals on the board. Conway Springs took a 21-0 lead into halftime following a touchdown run by Brayden Kunz, then the quarterback found Billups for a 24-yard score.
The lead stretched to 27-0 when Kunz added another touchdown run midway through the third quarter. But that’s when Plainville would make its rally, scoring two straight touchdowns to trim Conway Springs’ lead to 27-14 with more than eight minutes remaining. Conway Springs was able to extinguish the threat and run the clock out.
This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
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