Kpreps – Rankings

Cap Journal – Rankings

The 2019 high school football season is set to kickoff Friday night for area teams and with that preseason state rankings have been released.

In Class 3A the top spot in all publications is claimed by the back-to-back state champion Sabetha Bluejays who went a perfect 13-0 a year ago to claim the school’s second straight state title. Sabetha is set to open up the season with a rivalry game Friday night on the road at Nemaha Central with live coverage on 92.1 KMZA.

Class 1A features two area teams in the top five to start the season with the Jackson Heights Cobras at No. 3 and the Centralia Panthers at No. 5 according to kpreps while the Cap Journal has the Panthers at No. 4 and the Cobras No. 5. Jackson Heights finished 9-2 a season ago and made it to the state quarterfinals, while Centralia ended the season 8-3 falling to Olpe 20-18 in the state quarterfinals.

The final ranked area teams come in 8-man DII, with the Hanover Wildcats at No. 1 and the Axtell Eagles at No. 2. The Wildcats enter 2019 riding a 38-game winning streak after capturing another state title a year ago, while Axtell went 10-2 last season with both losses coming to the Wildcats.