2024 Pick Records

Brandon

Last week: 19-2
Overall: 132-31
2023 Record: 159-25
2022 Record: 172-29

Justin

Last week: 19-2
Overall: 137-26
2023 Record: 160-24
2022 Record: 174-27

Kryndon

Last week: 15-6
Overall: 127-36

BROADCAST SCHEDULE

KAIR 93.7 FM – Jefferson County North at Riverside
Cobra Channel – Erie at Jackson Heights
Holton Channel – Burlington at Holton
Hiawatha Channel – Hiawatha at Hayden
THURSDAY – Sabetha Channel – Royal Valley at Sabetha

Week 9 Games – First Round of Playoffs

8M-I

(2-6) Solomon at (6-2) Clifton-Clyde – THURSDAY 6 PM

Solomon started the season losing their first five straight games before being able to pick up dominant wins over Goessel and Canton-Galva. Last week, however, the Gorillas were destroyed 56-0 to end their regular season by Littler River. Solomon allowed for over 162 passing yards and 138 rushing yards. The Gorillas themselves only passed for 60 yards as sophomore Breken Coup went on to just complete 6 of 15 passes. The Gorillas also finished the game with a 2.6 average rush with 55 yards off 21 total carries. 

Clifton-Clyde finishes their season 6-2 with a league mark of 2-2. Last week the Eagles finished their regular season with a solid close win over Lincoln 36-28. This Eagles team has come a long way from their first two weeks where they were beaten by Frankfort and Hanover, but they have won six straight games and are outscoring their opponents 308-168 on the year. Last week’s win also gave Clifton-Clyde the district title of 8M-Dl District 4. 

Clifton-Clyde and Solomon are 4-4 against each other in the all-time series. The last time the two teams met was in the first round of the playoffs in 2021, when Clifton-Clyde won by a score of 66-20.

Brandon’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Justin’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Kryndon’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde

8M-II

(6-2) Frankfort at (3-5) Linn – THURSDAY

Frankfort closed out their regular season with a 76-30 loss at home against top ranked Axtell. The Wildcats played the closest and toughest game against the Eagles so far this season. Frankfort was able to move the ball against the Eagles defense finishing with 230 passing yards and 114 rushing yards. A couple of positives in the game for Frankfort is that they had more time of possession than Axtell and only committed one penalty in the game.

Linn closed out their regular season last week with a 48-0 loss at Hanover. The Bulldogs finished runner-up in their district behind Osborne which allowed them to host this matchup with Frankfort.

Linn and Frankfort have played nine times since 2010 with the Wildcats winning the last eight meetings including last season 55-8. Linn is looking for their first win over Frankfort since a 38-16 final back in 2010.

Brandon’s Pick: Frankfort
Justin’s Pick: Frankfort
Kryndon’s Pick: Frankfort

(4-4) Pike Valley at (7-1) Hanover – THURSDAY 6 PM

The Panthers season through their first six games went one win followed by two losses and then again one win followed by two losses. However, in the last two games Pike Valley has played, they have beaten Thunder Ridge 58-12 and then last week beaten St. Johns/Tipton 66-20. Senior Andrew Cooper only completed just 5 of 12 passes for 60 yards and a score for the Panthers, meanwhile the rushing attack went for 340 yards and five scores, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. 

Hanover bounced back last week with their 48-0 win over the Linn Bulldogs to finish the season. Hanover finished second in the district three standings of 8M-Dll and second in the Twin Valley League, going 5-1 in league play. Hanover’s only loss on the year was to Axtell, 58-12, and the Wildcats can expect to play them in the sub-state championship if Hanover can get through sectionals. 

Since 1980 the Hanover Wildcats are 14-6 when facing Pike Valley, which includes being 3-0 against them in the playoffs. The last time these two teams met in the first round of the playoffs, Hanover won 48-0. The winner of this game will either play Burlingame or St. Paul.

Brandon’s Pick: Hanover
Justin’s Pick: Hanover
Kryndon’s Pick: Hanover

(1-7) Thunder Ridge at (8-0) Axtell – THURSDAY 6 PM

The Thunder Ridge Longhorns have had a tough season, and it gets tougher as they will play the state’s #1 ranked 8M-Dll team, the Axtell Eagles. The Longhorns have only captured one win during the season, it was in week six against St. Johns Tipton 44-22. Last week the Longhorns lost 50-0 against Osborne. Tate Foreman threw for just 76 yards completing 8 of 14 of his passes. The run game also had decent success as they rushed for a total of 106 yards, averaging nearly five yards per carry. 

Axtell finishes the season with yet another undefeated year in districts and league, taking home both plagues. However, this Axtell team is not done yet, they want the four-peat, and it starts now. The Eagles are the #1 ranked team in 8M-Dll and finished the season outscoring their opponents 508-56 on the year. Last week Axtell allowed the most points they have to a team since week one of 2023, when the Eagles won 60-44 over Cair Paravel. Axtell beat Frankfort 76-30, and the most impressive stat of the game was marked the first game this season that the Eagles didn’t convert a third down and faced their first-ever fourth down, however, they still scored. Schmelze had easily one of his best performances of the year with over 354 offensive yards and a total of eight touchdowns. 

Axtell is 3-0 against Thunder Ridge in the all-time series, having only met in the playoffs against each other. Axtell won in those three games 76-28 (2022), 46-0 (2021), and 42-20 (2020).

Brandon’s Pick: Axtell
Justin’s Pick: Axtell
Kryndon’s Pick: Axtell

(5-3) Blue Valley-Randolph at (5-3) Osborne – THURSDAY

Blue Valley has been a team that has battled tough, even against the best teams, and finished fourth in districts, just enough to get into the playoffs. The Ram's only three losses of the year come at the hands of Frankfort, Hanover, and Axtell. Last week the Rams ended the season with a dominant win over Wakefield 52-6 to get them into the picture while removing the Wakefield Bombers out of it. The Rams are barely outscoring their opponents on the year 234-212.

The Osborne Bulldogs have finished the season with five straight dominant wins, having games called before the half. Last week’s victory was over Thunder Ridge 50-0, having ended by halftime. Senior Dalton Garman went 4 of 5 for 143 yards passing and three passing touchdowns, meanwhile, the Bulldog’s run game was fed for 280 yards rushing on the ground for four scores, averaging 10.4 yards per carry. The defense also made two fumble recoveries last week alongside five tackles for loss. 

Both teams have only met once, and it was the first round in last year's playoffs. The Osborne Bulldogs would win the lone all-time matchup by a score of 56-6.

Brandon’s Pick: Osborne
Justin’s Pick: Osborne
Kryndon’s Pick: Blue Valley-Randolph

1A

(2-6) Erie at (8-0) Jackson Heights – 6 PM – Cobra Channel

Erie finished the regular season last week with a tough 54-32 loss to Pleasanton. In the game Erie allowed Pleasanton to pass for over 189 yards, completing 13 of 16 passes for three scores. The Red Devils also allowed the Bluejays to rush for 133 yards for four touchdowns, averaging 7 yards a carry. Erie threw a total of three interceptions, lost a fumble but managed to recover it, and allowed a blocked punt. This is the worst season for the Red Devils since 2020 when they went 2-7 and lost 37-24 in the first round of the playoffs to Jayhawk-Linn. 

Jackson Heights has its third undefeated season in school history as last week they wrapped up their season with a 52-0 win over JCN. Drake Mellies finished the game completing 4 of 10 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, while also going for 222 yards off three carries for three scores. Titus Eisenbarth had a good day last Friday with 67 yards and a score of 8 carries. The leading receiver for the Cobras was Austin Zeller, who finished the game with 101 yards and a touchdown off 3 receptions. Jackson Heights has now outscored their opponents 452-15 this year, and they also earn the opportunity to host every playoff game, through sub-state if they don’t lose. 

This will be the first all-time meeting between both teams. Erie has not made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2011, and the Cobras have only lost once in the last six years in the first round of the playoffs.

Brandon’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Justin’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Kryndon’s Pick: Jackson Heights

(5-3) Troy at (5-3) Jayhawk-Linn

Troy was able to close out the regular season with a dominant win over Maur Hill-Mount Academy at home 54-12. The Trojans scored 20 points in the first quarter and 20 points in the third quarter. Troy finished with nearly 500 yards of offense with Gannon Bowe throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Hunter Engemann was the leading receiver with nine catches for 161 yards.

The Jayhawk-Linn Jayhawks closed out the regular season last week with a 53-16 win at Uniontown. They finished runner-up in their district and have won four of their last five games with the lone loss in that stretch to district champion St. Marys-Colgan. They suffered their other two losses in the first three weeks of the season against Anderson County and Olpe.

This will be the first all-time meeting between Troy and Jayhawk-Linn.

Brandon’s Pick: Troy
Justin’s Pick: Troy
Kryndon’s Pick: Troy

(3-5) Wabaunsee at (5-3) Rossville

Not sure how often this occurs but Rossville and Wabaunsee will play for a second straight week but this time being in the first round of the playoffs.

Rossville won at Wabaunsee to close out the regular season last week 55-14. It was another strong performance from Rossville quarterback Tayson Horak with 166 passing yards, 118 rushing yards with five total touchdowns.

The Bulldogs have won five straight games since starting the season 0-3 with that losing streak coming against Silver Lake, St. Marys, and Nemaha Central who have a combined record of 18-6.

Rossville has now won 31 straight games against Wabaunsee with the Chargers last win over Rossville coming back in 1986.

Brandon’s Pick: Rossville
Justin’s Pick: Rossville
Kryndon’s Pick: Rossville

(4-3) Pleasanton at (6-2) McLouth

Pleasanton started their season 1-3 which included a cancelled game against Sacred Heart in week three. The Blu-Jays won at Erie to close out the regular season last week 54-32. Pleasanton quarterback Kam Staton has thrown for 954 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. The leading rusher is Eli McGinnis with 549 yards and six touchdowns.

McLouth closed out the regular season with four straight wins as they won at Onaga last week 32-16. The only two losses for McLouth this season have come against Riverside and Jackson Heights who have a combined record of 14-2.

This will be the first all-time meeting between Pleasanton and McLouth.

Brandon’s Pick: McLouth
Justin’s Pick: McLouth
Kryndon’s Pick: McLouth

(3-5) Horton at (7-1) St. Marys-Colgan – THURSDAY 6 PM

The postseason wasn’t look possible for Horton after their week six loss to Centralia, but back-to-back wins against Maur Hill-Mount Academy and Doniphan West earned the Chargers a backdoor entry into the playoffs. The Three wins for Horton are the most in a season since 2017.

St. Marys-Colgan closed out their regular season last week with a 49-12 win against Southeast. Carston Simmons completed 7-of-9 passes for 116 yards and five touchdowns. They also rushed for 165 yards and averaged over nine yards per carry. Jefferson County North eliminated the Panthers last season in the sub-state round of the playoffs.

This will be the first all-time meeting between the Chargers and Panthers.

Brandon’s Pick: St. Marys-Colgan
Justin’s Pick: St. Marys-Colgan
Kryndon’s Pick: St. Marys-Colgan

(5-3) Jefferson County North at (6-2) Riverside – KAIR 93.7

Jefferson County North and Riverside both ended their regular seasons with losses last week. The Chargers lost at home to top ranked Jackson Heights 52-0 while Riverside’s late rally fell short against Centralia 34-28.

Riverside with the loss to Centralia finished in the runner-up spot in the district standings while JCN finished third in their district behind Jackson Heights and McLouth.

This will be just the third all-time meeting between Riverside and Jefferson County North with the Chargers beating the Cyclones 64-22 in the first round of the playoffs in 2022. Riverside won the only other matchup in 2011 by a final score of 20-18.

Brandon’s Pick: Riverside
Justin’s Pick: Riverside
Kryndon’s Pick: Riverside

(3-5) Onaga at (7-1) Centralia – THURSDAY

Last week the Buffaloes finished their season with a tough district loss to the McLouth Bulldogs, 32-16. The loss had Onaga fall to fourth in the districts, which forced them to play the first game on the road for the playoffs. Onaga has been a dominant run-first team all season and has averaged over 200+ rushing yards in each of their games, even the losses. The Buffaloes will look to heavily rely on the senior quarterback, Jackson Kolterman, to get things done this week against Centralia. 

Centralia played a frightening game last Friday which was a 26-0 game in the third quarter, and winded up being a close 26-14 game in the blink of an eye by the third quarter. However, the Panthers held strong and closed out the District Championship title game 34-28 against the Riverside Cyclones. Jacob Flentie finished with two rushing scores on the ground, one from 3 yards out and another from 42 yards out. The Panthers won both the 11-man league plaque this year and their district. The lone loss of the year for the Panthers was to a huge non-Kansas, 41-6.

The Panthers lead the all-time series against the Buffaloes 29-12. Centralia has won 22 games straight against Onaga and has not lost to them since 1998. Centralia also beat Onaga earlier on in the season 42-6.

Brandon’s Pick: Centralia
Justin’s Pick: Centralia
Kryndon’s Pick: Centralia

(3-5) Oakley at (6-2) Valley Heights – THURSDAY 6 PM

The Oakley Plainsmen managed to snap a two-game skid before entering the post season with a 56-9 over Stanton County. Carsen Beal for the Plainsmen went 3 of 5 for 23 yards and a touchdown. The rushing attack for Oakley is what really made the score what is was with 303 yards rushing off 33 carries, averaging out at 9.2 yards per carry. The leading rusher for the Plainsmen was also Carsen Beal who rushed for 132 yards off 9 carries while adding another score for himself.

Valley Heights took their second loss of the entire season last week, and by the biggest margin in a loss for them. The Mustangs lost 46-26 to Marion in a non-district game that did not affect the district standing for the Mustangs as they had already secured themselves as district champs. The only other loss Valley Heights took during the season was at the beginning 20-14 to Centralia. The Mustangs will go into the playoffs outscoring their opponents 323-136.

This will be the first time all-time meeting between the two schools. Valley Heights last season won their opening round 58-14 against Whitewater-Remington, Oakley lost in the first round last season to Medicine Lodge 32-0.

Brandon’s Pick: Valley Heights
Justin’s Pick: Valley Heights
Kryndon’s Pick: Valley Heights

2A

(2-6) ACCHS at (8-0) Humboldt

Despite four straight losses for ACCHS, the Tigers were still able to make the playoffs with their lone district win coming against Oskaloosa. The Tigers lost last week to the two-time champs in Nemaha Central 46-0. The Tigers were held to under 100 yards of total offense in the game. Tigers quarterback Cody Falk has thrown for 423 yards and four touchdowns this season while Max Bottorff was the leading rusher this season with 679 yards and six touchdowns.

For making the playoffs, the Tigers get a tough draw as they must travel to #4 ranked and undefeated Humboldt. The Cubs beat Central Heights last week 40-0 which was their third straight shutout. Blake Ellis rushed for 196 yards and four touchdowns while passing for nearly 100 yards and another touchdown.

This will be the first all-time meeting between ACCHS and Humboldt.

Brandon’s Pick: Humboldt
Justin’s Pick: Humboldt
Kryndon’s Pick: Humboldt

(4-4) Galena at (6-2) Silver Lake – THURSDAY 6 PM

Galena finished third place in their district behind Caney Valley and Riverton. They closed out their regular season with a 36-20 win last week against Baxter Springs. Galena finished 4-2 in their last six games of the season and were 0-9 last season.

Silver Lake finished runner-up in district 3 with their lone district loss to undefeated Osage City. Silver Lake closed out the regular season last week with a 29-12 win against Council Grove. The only other loss for Silver Lake this season was against Nemaha Central in week two so their two losses were against teams with a combined record of 15-1.

This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Galena and Silver Lake with Silver Lake winning the previous three meetings. Last time out was in 2017 with the Eagles defeating Galena 13-6 which was in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

Brandon’s Pick: Silver Lake
Justin’s Pick: Silver Lake
Kryndon’s Pick: Silver Lake

(5-3) St. Marys at (4-4) Central Heights

After a week six loss to Osage City, it didn’t look good for St. Marys to make the playoffs even though they began the season ranked in the top five in the state. The win in week seven against Council Grove was the crucial game that helped the Bears backdoor their way into the postseason. They got an impressive Big East league win last week defeating Sabetha 24-3. The Bears’ three losses were between weeks 4-6 against Silver Lake, Riley County in overtime, and Osage City.

The Central Heights Vikings closed out their regular season last week with a 40-0 loss to undefeated Humboldt. There last win was two weeks ago against Eureka 20-14. The Vikings are led by senior quarterback Brody Roullett who’s thrown for 527 yards and four touchdowns while adding a team-high 536 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. The Vikings average 162 rushing yards per game and average over five yards per carry.

This will be the first all-time meeting between Central Heights and St. Marys.

Brandon’s Pick: St. Marys
Justin’s Pick: St. Marys
Kryndon’s Pick: Central Heights

(4-4) Fredonia at (7-1) Nemaha Central – THURSDAY 6 PM

The Fredonia Yellowjackets finished fourth place in district 1, but they won back-to-back games to close out the regular season. They beat Riverton 21-18 in overtime in week seven and then defeated Cherryvale on the road last week 35-28. Fredonia hasn’t won more than five games in a season since 2020.

The run for the three-peat championship officially starts now for Nemaha Central. After losing their season opener to Marysville which snapped a 26-game winning streak, the Thunder have won seven straight and closed the regular season last week with a 46-0 win at ACCHS. Carter Hajek compiled over 300 yards of offense and seven total touchdowns in the win while the defense held the Tigers to just 50 yards of offense.

This will be the first all-time meeting between Nemaha Central and Fredonia.

Brandon’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Justin’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Kryndon’s Pick: Nemaha Central

(5-3) Royal Valley at (5-3) Sabetha – THURSDAY – Sabetha Channel

Royal Valley closed out their regular season last week in dominant fashion defeating Oskaloosa at home 59-8. It was the second time this season that the Panthers rushed for more than 500 yards with Jaxson Stevens rushing for 228 yards and two scores, and Nolan Bausch added 121 yards and two touchdowns. Royal Valley is averaging 341 rushing yards per game this season while averaging seven yards per carry.

Sabetha closed out their regular season last week with a 24-3 home loss to the St. Marys Bears. In their three losses this season to Perry-Lecompton, Nemaha Central, and St. Marys, the Bluejays scored a combined 12 points. The Bluejays scored more than 27 points per game in their five wins.

These two teams played to a 7-6 Bluejays win back in week four which was Sabetha’s seventh straight win over Royal Valley dating back to 2015.  

Brandon’s Pick: Sabetha
Justin’s Pick: Sabetha
Kryndon’s Pick: Royal Valley

3A

(4-4) Burlington at (4-4) Holton – Holton Channel

It's a battle of 4-4 Wildcat teams that have never played on the gridiron as Holton host Burlington. Both teams are coming off a loss as Holton fell at home against 5A Leavenworth 27-20 and lost two key starters to injury on their opening drive. Burlington lost against Wellsville 35-14 and the winner of tonight's game will likely play against the undefeated Wellsville Eagles next week. 

Korban Wilson has now ran for more than 475 yards on the season adding his 8th and 9th touchdowns of the season last week to help fill the void of the Cats leading ground-gainer, Kyler Jackson. Bodie Dillon completed a couple passes last week of more than 30 yards including a TD to freshman Grant Warner, who again was forced into action because of injuries. The Wildcat defense now has 21 takeaways on the season, including a fourth INT by Dillon last week.

Burlington is incredibly balanced, averaging 173 rush yards per game and 171 passing. Quarterback Chance Hegg has completed 101 of 179 passes for 1,357 yards and 12 TDs while also running for 465 yards and 9 more scores. Brody Anderson is the top weapon with 856 yards receiving on 57 receptions. Yet, Burlington is minus five in the turnover category and must be disciplined to win on the road.  

Brandon’s Pick: Holton
Justin’s Pick:
Kryndon’s Pick: Holton

(3-5) Perry-Lecompton at (5-3) Santa Fe Trail

Perry-Lecompton finished third place in district 4 behind only Hayden and Holton as they split their four district games this season. The Kaws had to rally last week to defeat Hiawatha 34-20 and have won two of their last three heading into the postseason. Last week against the Redhawks, Koltyn Kaniper posted 21 tackles and one tackle for loss and one forced fumble. The senior linebacker now has 143 total tackles this season which is one of the top marks in the state.

Santa Fe Trail was the runner-up finisher in district 3 finishing behind only undefeated Wellsville. The Chargers closed out their regular season with a 33-20 home win last week against Bishop Ward. They have won three straight heading into the playoffs with their last loss to Wellsville in week five.

This will be the first matchup between Perry-Lecompton and Santa Fe Trail since 2021 with the Kaws winning that matchup 27-21. Between 2004-2021 the two teams played 14 times with the Kaws winning all 14 of those matchups.

Brandon’s Pick: Santa Fe Trail
Justin’s Pick: Perry-Lecompton
Kryndon’s Pick: Santa Fe Trail

(2-6) Hiawatha at (7-1) Hayden – Hiawatha Channel

Hiawatha’s one district win against Jefferson West back in week four was the only win they needed in district play to finish fourth and earn their spot in the playoffs. The Redhawks lost their regular season finale last week to Perry-Lecompton 34-20. Hiawatha’s other win this season was against Oskaloosa back in week six by a final score of 42-6. Hiawatha played a tough schedule this season with losses to Royal Valley, Marysville, Sabetha, Hayden, and Holton.

Speaking of Hayden, the #2 ranked team in 3A behind only undefeated Andale, closed out their regular season last week with a 43-0 win at Jefferson West. Hayden’s only loss this season was back in week four against 4A #4 Wamego 31-28 which the Red Raiders won on a last second field goal.

Hayden and Hiawatha are meeting up for a second time here in 2024 as the Wildcats defeated the Redhawks 49-0 back in week five. The Redhawks finished that game with less than 100 yards of total offense and averaged less than two yards per carry.

Brandon’s Pick: Hayden
Justin’s Pick: Hayden
Kryndon’s Pick: Hayden

4A

(1-7) Bonner Springs at (7-1) Atchison

The Bonner Springs Braves lost their first seven games of the season but won their first game last week in the regular season finale over KC Schlagle 28-18. The Braves are out of the Frontier League and played a tough schedule this season with losses to Louisburg, Rock Creek, Tonganoxie, and Paola.

Atchison secured the outright Meadowlark Conference title last week as they closed out the regular season with a 56-6 win at Wyandotte. The Phoenix lost their first game of the season to Ottawa and have won seven straight since.

This is a rematch of the first round of the playoffs from last season where Atchison won 56-22. The two teams also met up in the regular season in 2020 with Atchison winning that matchup 42-24. Bonner Springs is looking for their first win against Atchison since 2001.

Brandon’s Pick: Atchison
Justin’s Pick: Atchison
Kryndon’s Pick: Atchison

Week 9 non-playoff games

(0-8) Pleasant Ridge at (1-7) Doniphan West – THURSDAY 6 PM

The Rams of Pleasant Ridge have not won a game since September 22, 2023, against Maur Hill-Mount Academy. Pleasant Ridge have lost 13 straight since then including last week’s regular season finale at Valley Falls 38-6.

Doniphan West lost their regular season finale last week to Horton 60-20. This was the Mustangs first season above the 8-man ranks since 2017.

This will be a rematch from this season as Doniphan West got their lone win of the season against the Rams in week two by a final score of 14-0.

(2-7) St. Marys Academy at (1-7) Jefferson West

The St. Marys Academy Crusaders finished their regular season last week with a 41-8 loss at Christ Prep Academy. There two wins this season were against teams out of Missouri with KC Central in week two and KC Northeast in week six.

Jefferson West played state ranked Hayden last week and lost 43-0 to close out their regular season. The lone win for the Tigers this season was back in week seven against ACCHS 29-6.

This will be the first all-time meeting between Jefferson West and St. Marys Academy.

(1-7) Goessel at (0-8) Washington County – THURSDAY 6 PM

Goessel has lost six straight games since their week two win over RV 46-0. Since then, they have been shut out three times and held to one touchdown twice. Last week they barely lost to Canton-Galva 32-24 to end the year. They missed the playoffs and went on the road for their week nine consolation game. 

The last time the Tigers finished a season 0-8 was back in 2017, where they finished 0-9 to end the year. The 54-0 loss last week for the Tigers allowed Sylvan Lucas to lock in at the number 3 spot in districts. Washington County will look for their first first win since their week nine consolation game last year. 

This will be the first meeting between the schools.

(2-6) Oskaloosa at (4-4) Riley County

Oskaloosa started their 2024 season with wins over Pleasant Ridge and Valley Falls. They would follow those two wins with six straight losses including last week’s finale at Royal Valley 59-8. The Bears scored 54 total points in their two wins but were held to just 26 total points in their six straight losses.

Riley County was unable to hold on to a playoff spot after starting the season 4-1, they closed out with three straight losses including last week’s finale against Osage City 41-28. It was the Falcons first season in the Big East league, and they were able to finish 3-1 in league play.

This will be the first all-time meeting between Riley County and Oskaloosa.

(1-7) Valley Falls at (3-5) Maur Hill-Mount Academy – THURSDAY 5:30 PM

Valley Falls ended a lengthy losing streak that dated back to last season as they beat Pleasant Ridge in their finale last week 38-6. It was the first win for the Dragons since Sept. 15 of last season against Horton. The 38 points scored against were the most points scored in a game since 2021.

Maur Hill-Mount Academy lost their finale last week against Troy 54-12. The Ravens gave up more than 400 yards passing and nearly 500 yards of offense to the Trojans. The Ravens were sitting at 3-3 through the first six games but back-to-back losses to close the season bounced them out of the playoffs in 2024.