The Hanover Wildcats finished the season 12-0 and won both their district and the Twin Valley League for the first time since 2020. The Wildcats have won seven total state titles, with their last trip dating back to 2020, when they won the 8-MAN DII state championship over St. Francis 46-24. The Hanover Wildcats are led by head coach Matt Heuer, who has been at the helm of the Wildcat program for 21 seasons. During Heuer’s tenure, Hanover has won six titles alone, including three consecutive from 2016 to 2018, which was part of a massive 43-game winning streak for the Wildcats. Hanover missed the playoffs in 2019 after Axtell ended the Wildcat’s 43-game winning streak and attempt for the four-peat. In a repeat of history, the Hanover Wildcats did the same to Axtell this season, ending their 58-game winning streak in the regular season and then ending their five-peat attempt in the sub-state championship game. Hanover has won seven total titles, with two more under the tenure of Heuer in ‘08 and ‘09. Hanover’s first state championship came back in 1979 under head coach Tom Young, in which the Wildcats went 12-0 that season and won the Blue Valley league. 

Hanover’s offense has been led by the junior quarterback Kadrick Cohorst, who received a TVL honorable mention in his sophomore season, but has since stepped up massively in 2025. Cohorst is 82 of 107 total attempts for 1,376 yards passing, averaging 16.8 yards per attempt and 115 yards passing per game. Cohorst has only tossed four picks to his 29 passing scores. Not only has Cohorst been effective in the air, but also on the ground as he’s added 90 carries this season for a team-leading 630 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. On defense, Cohrost adds 25 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and a fumble recovery. Kadrick’s primary target this season has been Braylon Meyn, who’s caught 35 receptions for 556 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Hanover backfield has two backs over 400 yards, with senior Alec Jueneman at 417 and 10 touchdowns, while sophomore Cooper Bruna is at 451 yards and 11 scores. The offense has nearly averaged fifty points a game in each contest they’ve played. 

The Wildcats' defense has been stout, with Brody Sedlacek leading in multiple defensive categories with 7.5 sacks, 86 total tackles, and 15 tackles for loss. Hanover’s defense has 65 total tackles for loss this season, 19 sacks, 15 interceptions, and 14 fumble recoveries. Lanxden Stallbaumer leads the defense in takeaways with nine total combined between six interceptions and three fumble recoveries, adding 58 tackles as well. Hanover’s defense allowed fewer than ten points per game throughout the season. 

The Victoria Knights have now posted back-to-back seasons, going 12-0 on the western side of the state heading into the state championship; however, the Knights would like to forget last season’s 50-0 shutout loss to the Axtell Eagles. Doug Oberle leads the Knights as head coach, who has been at the helm for 20 years and is quite accomplished, having won three titles in his tenure, with the last one coming back in 2015. The Knights went back-to-back in 2014 and 2015, adding their third title under Oberle in his first coaching season in 2006, overtaking a program that went 7-3 the year prior in ‘05. Victoria also has seven total state championships, with titles coming from the 80s in ‘81, ‘85, and '88, but all were in the 2-1A classification. 

This year, the Knights' offense has been led by their senior quarterback, Wyatt Schmidtberger. The Knights' offense has averaged 43.2 points per game and has posted two games scoring 64 points in the regular season. The Knights' offense has only been held under thirty points just twice this year in their 22-20 win over Central Plains and their 28-14 win over Hodgeman County in the regular season. 

The Victoria Knights' defense has held their opponents to 6.3 points per game, only allowing 76 total points on the season. The Knights have given up just 20+ points twice this season and won both games in close margins. Victoria has shut out six total teams this season, including three consecutive teams in the middle of the season: Pretty Prairie, St. John, and Stafford. 

The Hanover Wildcats and Victoria Knights have only matched up once before throughout their programs’ history, and it was back in 2008 in the 8-Man DII State Championship. Hanover won the state title 46-14, marking the second state championship in Hanover history and the first title ever for coach Matt Heuer. This season has been nothing but fine poetry for the Hanover Wildcats, and they can dip the pen back into the ink and write the final chapter to end with a state championship this Saturday, November 29, at 7:00 PM in the Kiowa County High School stadium in Greensburg, Kansas