The playoffs are here the postseason starts tonight with Class 3A getting the high school football postseason underway on Tuesday. A preview of all the area 3A playoff showdowns is below and listen to 103.9 KNZA (5:00pm) and 92.1 KMZA (6:00pm) for Tuesday Night Fever preview on the radio of the games with coaches comments and more before the game action tonight. Wrap up the night with the Community National Bank Scoreboard show after the games on 103.9 KNZA and 92.1 KMZA.

3A Playoff Games to be Broadcasted:
103.9 KNZA (KAIR 93.7 FM – simulcast) & Sabetha Channel –
      Sabetha at Maur Hill-Mount Academy (click here to listen & click here to watch)
92.1 KMZA – Pleasant Ridge at Nemaha Central (click here to listen)

Sabetha (8-1) at Maur Hill-Mount Academy (7-2)
It’s a first round rematch in the Class 3A playoffs at Sabetha travels to face MH-MA in Atchison. Last year, the Bluejays won the matchup 62-28 as they scored on their first nine offensive possessions. Both teams enter with the same record and losses as last season; however the Ravens returned several more starters than the Bluejays in 2017 and hope to make it out of the first round of the post-season after losing in Bi-Districts the previous three years. Sabetha enters their tenth consecutive playoff campaign and has won at least one post season game for the last five seasons. 

The Ravens have gotten healthy and won five straight games with a balanced and potent offense that has a mean of 148 yards rushing and 163 passing per outing. Sophomore Jack Caudle has thrown for more than 1,500 yards with two receivers over 300 yards and Tate Vowels leading the way with 424. MH-MA has only eight turnovers all season, and hopes to continue that trend after four giveaways last year against Sabetha. Ronald Faulk-Tindal has battled injury and missed three games but still averaged more than 60 yards rushing per game and Dillon Smith has a team high 409 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Jared Thibualt and Abe Siebenmorgen are the tackle leaders for a defense that has 28 takeaways while surrendering less than 12 points per game. 

After their only loss of the season against rival Nemaha Central 21-7, the Jays responded by beating Hiawatha and Riverside at home the past two weeks by a combined 127-6 score. Nemaha and fellow 3A Big 7 playoff foe Perry Lecompton both scored 21 points on the Sabetha defense and no one else managed more than one score as the unit is allowing a mere eight points per contest. Cauy Rokey leads the unit with nearly 11 tackles per game. Sabetha averages 336 yards offense with 300 coming on the ground. Joe Gruber and Mason Engelken are over 600 yards rushing while Wyatt Beyer, Joel Hackney and Gabe Garber all have surpassed 350 yards. The Jays have only five turnovers compared to 22 takeaways.

Game time is 6:00 PM Tuesday in Atchison with live coverage on both KNZA 103.9 FM and KAIR 93.7 FM.  

Pleasant Ridge (3-6) at Nemaha Central (9-0)
Nemaha Central is back in the playoffs and has been every year known as Nemaha Central and have continually taken steps in forward in the postseason the last three years last year making it to the Sub-State round. This postseason the Thunder enter the as a favorite in Class 3A, but the path to the Championship won’t be easy and it starts with a rematch with Pleasant Ridge who the Thunder beat 61-6 last year in the first round of the 3A playoffs.

This season Nemaha Central has played strong in every facet of the game. The Thunder offense is averaging 40.9 points per game and has proved they can run (230 ypg) and pass (145 ypg); Mitchell Henry has speared headed the offense throwing for 874 yards with nine touchdowns, while rushing for 823 yards and 21 touchdowns. Six other guys have at least 190 yards of offense or more on the year and 12 different guys have scored a touchdown. On defense the Thunder have been stout surrendering just eight points per game and forced 20 turnovers, while the team also has only given up over 20 points in one of the last 19 games. Special teams has also been strong with multiple returns for scores.

After a 1-4 start to the season the Pleasant Ridge Rams have won three of their final four games and are in the playoffs for the sixth straight year after a 44-6 win over Maranatha in the regular season finale. The Rams however have ran into Rossville, Silver Lake or Nemaha Central in that first round matchup over those six years. On the year the offense has went through Breydon Baragary who has 763 yards passing and 709 yards rushing but the Rams have struggled to hold onto the ball having 22 turnovers. Defensively in three of the last four games Pleasant Ridge has held teams to under 20 points but in their losses this year they are giving up 41.6 points per game. The Rams will look to stay in the game against Nemaha Central they will need to be discipline and take care of the ball something they have struggled to do in their previous playoff games.

Game will be broadcasted on 92.1 KMZA with kickoff at 7:00pm.

Perry Lecompton (6-3) at St. Mary’s (5-4)
After a four-year hiatus, Perry Lecompton returns to the 3A Playoffs for a second straight year and takes a 6-3 record to face St. Mary’s. The Kaws only losses are against unbeatens Nemaha Central (30-13) and Silver Lake (40-35) as well as one-loss Sabetha (28-21). Perry has scored at least 56 points in every win and averages better than 47 points per game after a playoff clinching 63-0 win against Oskaloosa last Thursday. Dalton Kellum accounted for 300 yards and four scores against the Bears and has thrown for more than 1,000 yards while running for 1,245 and Tyler Erickson has 572 yards rushing this season. Ty Packard and Colton Mallonee have combined for 700 yards receiving. The Perry defense has 30 takeaways with a sophomore, Grant Roush, and freshman, Hayden Robb leading the way alongside Joel Guess. The Kaws lost in the first round of the playoffs last year to eventual state champion Rossville, but have a much less daunting of a task in 2017 against a St. Mary’s team they haven’t played against in well over a decade.

The Bears are 5-4 and won their district despite a 26-13 loss to Mission Valley on Thursday. They have also lost to playoff teams Riley County and Silver Lake in the Mid-East League and to 2A qualifier Centralia. Silver Lake is a common opponent and the Bears fell 27-20 against the Eagles.  The last time St. Mary’s had a winning record was 2010 and they haven’t won a playoff game since 2009 while getting ready for their first post season game in four years. This year the balanced Bears average 144 yards rushing and 132 passing per game. Mitchell Flanagan has thrown for over 1,200 yards and Taegan Schoenfeld leads the team with 630 yards rushing. Austin Rieschick has only missed one extra point all season in 30 tries and has a team high 557 yards receiving with 10 touchdowns while Trevor Acker has 91 tackles to lead the St. Mary’s defense. 

Norton (7-2) at Marysville (8-1)
For the third straight year the Marysville Bulldogs are headed to the playoffs and for the second straight season doing so as District champs and will once again play Norton in the first round as they have the last two seasons. Norton won a tough 28-20 battle last year, while taking the 2015 showdown 37-0 in the postseason. The Bulldogs have come a long way from their 32-game losing streak that ended in 2015 to know being ultra-competitive. Offensively Marysville has been electric this year averaging 46.9 points per game with 350 yards per game. Jack Blumer has been the guide leading the charge has he has 2,059 yards passing with 24 touchdowns (2 interceptions) and has ran for 692 yards with 12 touchdowns. Blumer has multiple playmakers around him including Gabe Pieschl who has 994 yards receiving with 12 touchdowns and Arteyau Hornbeak has 658 yards of total offense with 12 touchdowns. The defense has been solid too giving up just 19.7 points per game.

Norton is back in the playoffs for the fourth straight year and have only two losses to unbeaten Phillipsburg and a top 2A team in Smith Center. On the year the Bluejays offense is averaging 34.1 points per game and run the ball for 218 yards per game, while passing for 107 yards per contest. Jace Ruder has been solid at quarterback with 819 yards passing with nine touchdowns and ran has ran for 759 yards with 11 touchdowns, while Tevin Petrie has ran for 948 yards with 12 touchdown. That duo has compiled most of the offensive production this season, while on defense the team is giving up 20.6 points per game and has forced 26 turnovers on the season.

Both teams matchup similarly in many ways and both take care of the ball well as Norton has turned the ball over only six times this year, while Marysville has only five turnovers this year.

Bulldogs are looking for their first playoff win since 2009, while Norton has won at least one playoff game the past three years.

Rest of 3A Playoff Games:
Mission Valley (6-3) at Silver Lake (9-0)
Humboldt (7-2) at Wellsville (8-1)
Neodesha (5-4) at Galena (9-0)
Osage City (7-2) at Jayhawk-Linn (8-1)
Cherryvale (7-2) at Caney Valley (7-2)
Cheney (7-2) at Douglass (3-6)
Marion (7-2) at Halstead (4-5)
Lakin (7-2) at Larned (5-4)
Wichita-Independent (1-8) at Conway Springs (9-0)
Hutch-Trinity Catholic (6-3) at Hesston (6-3)
Riley County (7-2) at Phillipsburg (9-0)
Hoisington (6-3) at Cimarron (7-2)