Sectional Round Football Previews

(8M-I) (9-1) South Sumner County at (9-1) Clifton-Clyde

South Sumner County is in its fifth season as a co-op between Caldwell and South Haven. The Outlaws spent their first two seasons in 8-Man football, compiling a 17-3 record, before moving to the 11-Man ranks for the past two seasons and going a combined 6-12. This year, they made the move back to 8-Man, and fifth-year head coach Sean Blosser has them rolling at 9-1. The Outlaws' lone loss came in Week 4 against Oxford, 26-12. Oxford finished the season 6-3, and South Sumner County is coming off a dominant 72-26 road victory over Chase County last week. This is a team that can put points on the board in a hurry.

Clifton-Clyde has also put together a terrific season under longtime legendary head coach Russ Steinbrock. The Eagles are 9-1, with their only loss coming in Week 2 against Axtell, 56-0. Outside of that setback, Clifton-Clyde has dominated opponents with an explosive offense. Last week, the Eagles found themselves tied 20-20 with Yates Center at halftime before exploding for 38 points in the third quarter on their way to a 72-42 victory. With both teams boasting high-powered offenses, this could be one of the highest-scoring games in the state this week, regardless of classification.

This will be the first-ever meeting between South Sumner County and Clifton-Clyde on the football field.

(8M-II) (10-0) Lebo at (10-0) Axtell – 92.1 KMZA

Lebo will make the two-plus-hour trip north this week to take on Axtell in a matchup of two undefeated 10-0 teams. The Wolves have been dominant all season, with only one game decided by fewer than 25 points: a 30-6 Week 1 victory over Madison. Lebo has also recorded five shutouts, including three straight weeks. The most points the Wolves have allowed all season is 14, coming against Waverly in Week 7. However, with their opponents combining for a 40-50 record, this will easily be Lebo's toughest test of the season.

Axtell continues to roll after taking care of Argonia-Attica last week, 62-14. The Eagles jumped out to a 22-0 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Clayton Heinen carried six times for 126 yards and four touchdowns, while Wyatt Detweiler threw for 145 yards and four touchdowns, with Heinen hauling in three of them. Axtell has been balanced and explosive on both sides of the ball all season. The Eagles also bring some impressive streaks into this matchup. They have won 42 straight games at home, with their last loss coming on September 25, 2020. Axtell is also riding a 75-game winning streak against teams not named Hanover and has yet to trail at any point this season.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Lebo and Axtell on the football field.

(8M-II) (9-1) Hanover at (10-0) Cunningham – 6 PM

Hanover made a huge statement on the road last week, shutting out Marmaton Valley 60-0 by halftime. The defending 8-Man Division II champions will hit the road again this week, making the nearly four-hour trip west to take on the defending 6-Man champions, the Cunningham Wildcats. Hanover's defense was dominant last week, limiting Marmaton Valley to just six yards of total offense. The Wildcats have allowed just 72 points all season and have not lost to a team other than Axtell since the 2024 playoffs.

Cunningham also made a statement last week, knocking off a high-flying Troy team 62-18. The game was still close at 28-18 in the third quarter before the Wildcats pulled away. Cunningham has allowed just 37 points all season and has recorded eight shutouts. The defending 6-Man champions will now look to knock off the defending 8-Man Division II champions on their home turf.

The winner will hit the road next week to face the winner of Lebo and Axtell. This will be the first-ever meeting between Hanover and Cunningham on the football field.

(1A) (4-6) St. Marys at (7-3) Centralia – 96.9 The Pulse

St. Mary's continues to prove it is one of the best sub-.500 teams in the state. All six of the Bears' losses have come against Big East League opponents, including a few close games against some of the state's best in Rossville, Silver Lake and Sabetha. Last week, the Bears picked up an impressive road win over 8-1 JCN, 24-8, despite trailing 8-6 at halftime. St. Mary's ran for 211 yards on 26 carries, led by Jace Hurla with 98 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts. Mason Mayhew added 53 yards and a touchdown, while Parker Heim rushed for 60 yards and a score. The Bears are now 4-0 against non-Big East opponents and are a dangerous team to overlook.

Centralia is coming off an all-time classic against McLouth, pulling out a 28-20 victory. The Panthers fell behind 14-0 after the first quarter but battled back to tie the game at 14 by halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, the final 5:30 provided plenty of drama. Centralia scored to take the lead, only to see McLouth answer and tie the game. With less than 10 seconds remaining, Quentin Alderfer scored from two yards out to give the Panthers the game-winning touchdown. Centralia is 7-0 against 1A competition this season, with all three losses coming against larger classifications. The Panthers are also 7-0 when scoring points this season. Expect a tight, physical matchup between two teams that know how to compete.

Friday will mark the 22nd all-time meeting between these programs. St. Mary's won the most recent matchup in 2022, taking a 46-16 victory in the sub-state round before going on to capture the state championship. Centralia holds a 14-7 advantage in the all-time series.

(1A) (8-2) Olpe at (8-2) Rossville – 580 WIBW

Perennial powerhouse Olpe punched its ticket to the sectional round with a convincing 35-0 regional playoff victory over Wabaunsee last week. Junior quarterback Ryker Windle completed 6-of-11 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, both going to senior wide receiver Breckyn McGuire. McGuire hauled in four receptions for 109 yards and added a rushing touchdown to finish with three scores on the night. Olpe also established a strong ground game, rushing for 128 yards at more than five yards per carry. Senior Abbott Bailey led the way with 76 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Rossville continued its winning ways with a 47-13 victory over St. Mary's Colgan, pulling away with a dominant second-half performance. The Bulldawgs outscored Colgan 20-0 after halftime to secure their seventh consecutive win. Junior quarterback Landen Lewis completed 9-of-12 passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns, while senior running back Cael Horgan carried the ball 19 times for 169 yards and two scores. Lewis has been a major contributor throughout the season, accounting for 1,557 passing yards, 955 rushing yards and 39 total touchdowns. Horgan has added 716 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, while Cale Horak leads the receiving corps with 22 catches for 394 yards and five scores.

This matchup will mark the seventh all-time meeting between Rossville and Olpe, but the first time the programs have faced each other in the playoffs. The teams met four consecutive seasons in Week 2 from 1974-77, with Olpe winning three of those four contests. However, Rossville has claimed the most recent two meetings, shutting out Olpe 28-0 in Week 7 of 2024 before earning a 36-22 victory last season. The two programs will now meet in the sectional round for the first time in their history.

(2A) (9-1) Riverside at (10-0) Silver Lake – Silver Lake Channel

Riverside made the lengthy trip to southeast Kansas last week and returned home with a convincing 50-24 victory over Neodesha. Freshman running back Charles Hewins delivered another historic performance, rushing for 290 yards and six touchdowns. Hewins has now surpassed 2,200 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns on the season, putting together one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in Kansas high school football history. Both marks are already single-season school records at Riverside. Junior quarterback Kobe Koehler also connected with freshman Brooks Griffin for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the finishing touches on the Cyclones' victory.

No. 2-ranked Silver Lake was equally impressive in its regional-round matchup, overwhelming Humboldt 76-8 at home. Not including a forfeit victory the previous week, the Eagles have outscored their last five opponents by a staggering 345-14 margin. Sophomore quarterback Kipton Kruger put together a spectacular performance against Humboldt, completing 8-of-11 passes for 345 yards and six touchdowns. Silver Lake's receiving corps also had a big night, led by senior Owen Rottinghaus with two catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Mason VanVactor added two receptions for 90 yards and two scores, while sophomore Rylan Young contributed two catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles have been an offensive powerhouse all season, averaging nearly 59 points per game.

The matchup will be a historic one for both programs, as Silver Lake and Riverside have never faced each other on the football field. The first-ever meeting between the Eagles and Blue Streaks will come with a trip to Sub-State on the line.

(2A) (10-0) Sabetha at (10-0) Caney Valley – 6 PM – Sabetha Channel

No. 1 ranked Sabetha secured a 26-14 victory over Osage City in another hard-fought contest, using a strong first-half performance to build a comfortable cushion. Micah Lang opened the scoring with a short touchdown run late in the first quarter before finding the end zone again in the second to extend the lead to 14-0. Lang then showed off his arm, connecting with Jack Frazee on a 50-yard touchdown pass late in the half to send Sabetha into the halftime break up 20-0. Osage City managed to get on the scoreboard after halftime, but Lincoln Menold answered with a 46-yard touchdown run to help the Bluejays maintain control and close out the win. The Bluejays have outscored their 10 opponents this season 404-115.

No. 3 ranked Caney Valley rolled to another convincing victory, defeating Royal Valley 46-6 at home after overcoming an early deficit. The Panthers struck first with a touchdown on their opening possession, but the Bullpups quickly responded. A big kickoff return gave Caney Valley excellent field position, setting up a touchdown run by Traxcyn Garton to even the score. Garton went on to find the end zone three times in the contest. Caney Valley also received a boost from its special teams, as Konner Paulie returned a punt for a touchdown to help the Bullpups take a 24-6 advantage into halftime. The win continued an impressive stretch of consistency for Caney Valley, which has scored at least 38 points in every game this season. Overall, Caney Valley is averaging 53 points per game.

This will be the second all-time meeting between Sabeth and Caney Valley. The two teams met in this exact round in 2022 with Sabetha picking up a convincing 47-0 victory.

(3A) (7-3) Nemaha Central at (8-2) Jefferson West – 103.9 KNZA

Defending Class 2A state champion Nemaha Central delivered one of the biggest wins of the season last week, knocking off previously undefeated Wellsville 22-21 in overtime on the road. The Thunder elected to go for two following a touchdown in overtime and successfully converted to secure the dramatic walk-off victory. Junior quarterback Cole Ranieri completed 8-of-15 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown while contributing another 52 yards and a score on the ground. Sullivan Haverkamp added 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries as Nemaha Central finished with 189 yards rushing as a team. After opening the season with a 1-3 record, the Thunder have completely turned things around, winning six consecutive games and outscoring their opponents 242-34 during that stretch.

Jefferson West makes its debut in this week's rankings at No. 5 after putting together a dominant performance in a 48-6 rout of Burlington. Sophomore quarterback Brixton Schwinn continued his outstanding season, completing 17-of-21 passes for 198 yards and four touchdowns. The state's leading passer has now amassed 2,792 passing yards and 43 touchdowns on the season. The Tigers were just as impressive defensively, limiting a potent Burlington offense to only 68 passing yards on 7-of-23 completions while holding the ground game to 82 yards on four yards per carry.

Nemaha Central and Jefferson West have a history dating back several seasons, with the two programs meeting seven times since 2014. The Thunder hold a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Tigers claimed the most recent matchup earlier this season. The teams met in Week 4 in Meriden, where Jefferson West earned a 20-7 victory after the contest remained scoreless through the first half.