Thought Derby was down? How the Panthers proved their doubters wrong again
For the first time in what seemed like ages, the postseason future for the Derby football team was in doubt.
The Panthers had endured more adversity this fall than any season in more than a decade, suffering three losses for the first time since 2011 to go along with nagging injuries.
But on Friday night, Derby looked like Derby again.
Behind a punishing defense, a balanced offense and a tone-setting pick-six that swung momentum for good, the Panthers rolled to a 28-7 win at Junction City to advance to the Class 6A quarterfinals for the 15th straight season.
How Derby football regained its form
After taking its lumps during the regular season, Derby is suddenly playing its best football when it matters most.
“Going through some adversity is good,” Derby coach Brandon Clark said. “Last year we didn’t go through too much adversity, and in the semifinals we had a little and didn’t know how to handle it. These kids are battle-tested and they’ve been through the storms.”
That experience showed Friday. Derby jumped ahead early when quarterback Blade Clark scored on a 7-yard keeper in the first quarter, the lone score of the first half.
The game’s defining moment came midway through the third quarter when senior safety Issac Nikolas picked off a pass and raced 34 yards to the end zone for an interception return that doubled Derby’s lead to 14-0.
Junction City, which entered averaging 33.4 points per game, never found an offensive rhythm all night. Derby’s defense was suffocating, forcing three turnovers, holding the Bluejays to 133 total yards and finishing a perfect 0-for-11 on third downs. It was the second straight shutout performance by the Panther defense, as the lone Junction City score came on a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Clark credited the play of defensive linemen Houston Bowlin and Dalton Hornback for disrupting Junction City’s passing game, which finished with three interceptions (Nikolas finished with two and senior Krystian Dorsey had the other).
Derby’s new balanced offense finds a rhythm
After Junction City’s lone score cut the deficit to 14-7, Derby immediately answered. Blade Clark broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown run to restore control, then junior running back Arieus Finley, who has battled an injury most of the season, sealed the victory with a fourth-quarter touchdown plunge.
Derby also flashed a more balanced offensive attack than it showed earlier in the year. Clark completed 12 of 21 passes for 176 yards, with Rowan Foster hauling in seven receptions for 74 yards and Michael Castillo adding 55 yards on three catches. Finley led the ground game with 98 yards, while Clark rushed for 67 more.
“Our passing game is starting to grow a little bit with Blade being in there,” Clark said. “Now all four of our best receivers are healthy, our O-line is protecting, and we’ve got Arieus back too.”
Derby-Northwest rivalry renewed in the Kansas state playoffs
The win sets up a long-awaited rematch between two Wichita-area powerhouses, as Derby (8-3) travels to Wichita Northwest (10-1) next Friday in the Class 6A quarterfinals.
It will mark the first meeting between the programs since 2017, when Derby won 53-41 to advance to the state title game. Derby is a perfect 8-0 all-time against Northwest in a series dating back to 1994.
“That’s always a fun game,” Clark said. “We haven’t played them much lately, but we’re really good friends with their staff. They’re big, physical and well-coached. It’s going to be a battle.”
Fifteen straight deep playoff runs is a staggering number. And considering this fall’s adversity, this one might be one of the more cherished.
And after Friday, the rest of Kansas knows Derby is still very much in the fight for the title.
“We’re about as tight as ever right now as a team,” Clark said. “They’re playing for each other and trusting each other.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2025 at 6:02 AM.
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