2024 Pick Records

Brandon

Last week: 11-8
Overall: 11-8
2023 Record: 159-25
2022 Record: 172-29

Justin

Last week: 13-6
Overall: 13-6
2023 Record: 160-24
2022 Record: 174-27

Kryndon

Last week: 12-7
Overall:  12-7

BROADCAST SCHEDULE

KNZA 103.9 FM – Nemaha Central at Silver Lake
KAIR 93.7 FM – Riverside at ACCHS
KOZA 96.9 FM – Perry-Lecompton at Sabetha
Cobra Channel – MH-MA at Jackson Heights
Hiawatha Channel – Hiawatha at Marysville  
Holton Channel – Holton at Riley County
Sabetha Channel – Perry-Lecompton at Sabetha

Week 2 Games

NON-LEAGUE

(1-0) Centralia at Mid-Buchanan

Centralia won another close game against Valley Heights last week; this time the final score was 20-14. It was the Panthers ninth straight win over Valley Heights, and they have won 15 of the last 16 in that series. Jacob Flentie and Quentin Aldefer led the rushing attack as Centralia had to rally in the second half after trailing into the fourth quarter. Last time Centralia lost their week one game was back in 2021 at Rossville.

The Mid-Buchanan Dragons are out of Faucett, MO and are off to a 2-0 start this season. They defeated Midway 33-12 in their opener and then beat Lexington last week 42-8. They went 8-4 last season and 10-2 back in 2022 so they continue to have sustained recent success with that program.

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

(0-1) Pleasant Ridge at (0-1) Doniphan West – Game at Highland CC

Pleasant Ridge lost their week one opener 26-14 to Oskaloosa. The Rams had 183 yards of offense, 128 passing yards, and 55 rushing yards. Despite throwing an interception, Nathan Layton had a great night with two 43+ yard passing touchdowns. The defense unfortunately let the Bears rush for 250 yards which was a big difference in the game. Oskaloosa also snapped a five-game losing streak against Pleasant Ridge, dating back to 2016. 

Doniphan West had a tough home opener, allowing the Onaga Buffaloes to put up 40 unanswered points in a 40-0 loss. Doniphan West has only two seniors on the roster this year, whereas there were zero last year. Cooper Eberly and Kelby Windmeyer by far had the best performances as the most experienced and seasoned players on the team, but it wasn’t enough to take down Onaga.

Pleasant Ridge has won all four matchups against Doniphan West, outscoring them 171-36 all-time. The last game was in 2009, the Rams won 40-0. 

Brandon’s Pick: Pleasant Ridge
Justin’s Pick: Pleasant Ridge
Kryndon’s Pick: Pleasant Ridge

(1-0) Lyndon at (1-0) Frankfort (8-Man) 

The Lyndon Tigers are the reigning and defending 8M-I State Champions and are currently riding a 14-game winning streak. They’ve won 18 of their last 19 going back going back to 2022 and they opened this season with a 50-0 win against Pretty Prairie. Elijah Feltner completed 7-of-11 passes last week for 73 yards and two touchdowns. James Marcotte led the rushing attack with 101 yards on just six carries with four touchdowns.

Frankfort enters week two still ranked #2 in the 8M-II rankings according to KPreps right behind Axtell. The Wildcats opened their season last week with a dominant 70-34 win at Clifton-Clyde. Wes Anderson completed 13-of-17 passes for a ridiculous 381 yards and seven touchdowns while adding five carries for 41 rushing yards and another score. Lane Loiseau finished with six catches for 200 yards and four touchdowns. 

This will be the seventh all-time meeting between Frankfort and Lyndon. Lyndon won last season 70-24 and 50-0 two years ago. They played four times from 1998-2002 with Frankfort winning three of the four with the last win in 2000.

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

(0-1) Hiawatha at (1-0) Marysville – Hiawatha Channel

Hiawatha lost their season opener last week at Royal Valley 18-13. The Redhawks leaned on RB Josh Monaghan as he scored the first touchdown of the game. The other Hiawatha score was courtesy of an Ethan Henry 75-yard kickoff return touchdown. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak against Royal Valley dating back to 2019.

Marysville was one of if not the top storyline from week one defeating Nemaha Central 16-8 and snapping the Thunder’s 26-game winning streak. The two teams hadn’t played since 2013, and it was the Bulldogs first win over the Thunder since 2010 (before the consolidation with B&B). They forced a Nemaha Central turnover on the second play of the game that led to an 8-0 lead. They broke an 8-8 tie in the third quarter with a 9-yard touchdown run. They Marysville defense added two interceptions along with the first quarter fumble. It was the fewest points for Nemaha Central in a game since 2020.

Marysville has won seven of the last eight meetings with Hiawatha dating back to 2004 including six in a row. Hiawatha’s last win against Marysville was 34-17 back in 2005.

Brandon’s Pick: Marysville
Justin’s Pick: Marysville
Kryndon’s Pick: Marysville

TWIN VALLEY LEAGUE

(0-1) Washington County at (1-0) Axtell (8-Man)

Washington County opened their season last week with a 42-14 loss at home against Blue Valley-Randolph. It was the first all-time meeting between the Tigers and Rams. The Tigers had won their previous two season openers. It was Washington County’s first meeting against Axtell since they played in back-to-back years in 1979 and 1980.

Axtell extended their state leading win streak to 40 games with a season opening 76-6 win at Linn. Axtell finished the game at halftime scoring 46 points in the first quarter and 30 points in the second quarter. Since the start of last season, the Axtell offense has scored over 800 points while the defense has surrendered less than 100 in that span. Since 2004, Axtell is 11-1 against Linn which includes 10 wins in a row.

Washington County and Axtell are meeting for the first time since 1984. Axtell is 4-2 in the six all-time meetings with the Tigers wins coming in 1979 and 1980.

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

(1-0) Blue Valley-Randolph at (0-1) Linn (8-Man)

The Rams won the first ever all-time meeting with Washington County last week 42-14. The Rams have won back-to-back season opening games as they defeated St. Paul in the opener last season. The Rams play three of their first four games on the road with the lone home tilt next week against KC East Christian.

The Linn Bulldogs lost their ninth straight season opener losing to the three-time champion Axtell Eagles last week 76-6. Blue Valley-Randolph and Linn have played 16 times since 2004 with the Rams holding the slight 9-7 advantage. The Rams won the meeting last season 70-44 and Linn won the matchup in 2022 by a final score of 68-58.

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

(0-1) Clifton-Clyde at (1-0) Hanover (8-Man)

Clifton-Clyde suffered a season opening loss to Frankfort last week 70-34. The Eagles defense struggled in the pass game and was unable to keep Frankfort off the board. They allowed the Wildcats to score 44 points in the second quarter and trailed 50-22 at halftime.

Hanover posted a strong second half to defeat Ell-Saline in their opener last week 34-16. Ell-Saline led the game 16-12 at halftime with the Wildcats putting up 22 unanswered second half points. Reiken Stallbaumer had a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the first half.

Hanover is 7-3 against Clifton-Clyde over the last 10 meetings that goes back to 2004. The Eagles have won the last two meetings with a 50-8 final season and a 52-6 score two seasons ago. Hanover’s last win over Clifton-Clyde was 40-20 back in 2020.

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

(0-1) Valley Heights at (1-0) Onaga

The Mustangs dropped their home opener in heartbreaking fashion 20-14 to Centralia after having the lead multiple times throughout the game. The Mustangs were up 6-0 in the second quarter after a 27-yard touchdown run by Jayden DeWalt. DeWalt also helped the Mustangs take the lead back in the third with a 38-yard touchdown run. Despite the loss, DeWalt finished the game with 16 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns. The Mustangs haven’t beaten Centralia since 2016.

Onaga opened their season defeating Doniphan West 40-0. Onaga was able to rest their quarterback, Jackson Kolterman in the fourth quarter after he led the team to six touchdowns in his time on the field, including two of his own. Josh Daniels had a big game, who had over 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns by the third quarter.

Onaga is 1-12 in the last 13 games against Valley Heights, but the Buffaloes lead the series 19-17 in their 36 all-time matchups. 

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

BIG EAST

(0-1) Holton at (1-0) Riley County – Holton Channel

Holton struggled in week one at home against Sabetha falling 7-6 with two extra points wiped away because of penalty and a third that missed from 30 yards. The Wildcats got a 14-yard touchdown from Logan Altenburg, but that was the longest offensive play of the game for Holton who was stopped on fourth down on their final three drives of the game, all inside Sabetha territory. Kyler Jackson led a balanced backfield with 87 yards rushing for the Cats who are expected to have their starting center back this week to help a rebuilding offensive line in their first road game.

Riley County jumped out early and led 27-0 at halftime before holding on to beat Jeff West 27-14 in their first Big East contest. The win however was costly for the Falcons who lost senior quarterback Eli Harmison to injury after he completed 6-9 passes for 116 yards and dropped long touchdown tosses to Jace Woodard and Brett Hoper. Sam Allen ran for 129 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown and the Falcons won the turnover battle 4-0. Sophomore Kadrick Woodard will take over at QB this week in Riley County's first ever football matchup against Holton.    

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

(1-0) Royal Valley at (0-1) Jefferson West

Royal Valley opened their season with an 18-13 win against Hiawatha. The Panthers trailed 7-6 at halftime but scored the first two touchdowns of the second half and were able to hold on for the win. The Panthers rushed for 239 yards and Jaxson Stevens led the way with 23 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Royal Valley had lost their previous two season opening games which included a 14-13 loss last season to Hiawatha.

Jefferson West opened their season at home with a 27-14 loss to new Big East league member Riley County. The Tigers played much better in the second half as they trailed 27-0 at halftime. Jeff West got their touchdowns on a long pass and a short run.

Since 2004, Royal Valley holds a 9-8 edge against Jefferson West. They’ve won the last two meetings 24-14 last season and 46-0 in 2022. Jeff West is looking for their first win over Royal Valley since 2021 which was a 30-12 final.

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

(0-1) Nemaha Central at (1-0) Silver Lake – 103.9 KNZA

Nemaha Central’s 26 game winning streak came to an abrupt halt last Friday at home as the Thunder fell to Marysville 16-8.  Nemaha Central outgained the Bulldogs 313-189, but 3 turnovers, costly penalties, and a 1 for 4 performance in the red zone eventually was too much to overcome. Junior QB Carter Hajek ran for 125 yards and threw for another 121 in the defeat.

After a sluggish 1st half, the Silver Lake offense started to click in the 2nd half in the Eagles’ come from behind 33-26 OT victory over Rossville in the War on 24. In his 1st ever start at QB, senior Dysen Schooler heated up in the 2nd half, throwing for 218 of his 274 yards after intermission to go along with 3 TD tosses.  Junior WR Dayne Johnson had a huge night with 10 receptions for 144 yards and 2 TD grabs and Brody Dieter came up with a couple of clutch catches to allow the Eagles to complete the comeback against their rival, Rossville.

The Eagles now face another state ranked team at home. Silver Lake has big play ability and Nemaha Central is focused on limiting those explosive plays.  The Eagles will probably need more than 24 yards rushing (their game 1 total) to start the season 2-0, while the Thunder will need to cut down on their mistakes from last Friday. This will be the 1st ever regular season meeting on the gridiron for these two schools. They have met 3 times in the playoffs though with Nemaha Central winning in 2016 & 2020 and Silver Lake coming out victorious in 2017. 

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

(0-1) Perry-Lecompton at (1-0) Sabetha – 96.9 KOZA & Sabetha Channel

Despite returning only a couple starters from their 10-2 team, Sabetha started this season with a huge road win at Holton by a 7-6 score. The Bluejays were terrific on defense, despite having as many as six sophomores of the field at a time, not allowing Holton a single play of more than 14 yards and stopping the Wildcats five times on fourth down and short. Cole Menold led the Bluejay offense with 71 yards on 18 totes and the lone touchdown early in the second quarter that was set up by a 32-yard-pass from Mitchel Kramer to Kyler Wenger. Kramer threw for 80 yards and the team ran for 135 yards in beating Holton for the second straight season. 

Perry Lecompton lost to St. Mary's 30-6 after trailing 24-0 at halftime in week one. The Kaws put the ball in the air as Garrett Metcalfe was 18-27 passing for 237 yards and the team ran for just 33 yards. Eli Dean caught 8 balls for 99 yards and the lone Kaw TD while Bronzen Rush also had 94 yards receiving. Perry Lecompton turned the ball over four times and was led on defense by Koltyn Kaniper with 15 tackles. 

Sabetha is 8-1 in the last nine meetings with Perry Lecompton including a 30-0 shutout win last year. The Kaws lone win in that stretch was 28-21 back in 2021.

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

(1-0) St. Marys at (0-1) Rossville

St. Marys is coming off an impressive 30-6 win over Perry Lecompton in week 1.  The Bears amassed 350 yards of offense, 222 rushing & 128 passing. Junior Korleone Holz led the balanced Bear attack with 109 yards rushing and a score.  The St. Marys defense forced 3 interceptions in a solid all around win for the Bears in their 1st ever Big East league game.

Rossville is trying to bounce back after their annual War on 24 showdown at Silver Lake. The Bulldogs led multiple times in their season opener, but Silver Lake rallied to win in OT, 33-26. Senior Tayson Horak, in his first ever start at QB, rushed for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns in a game that featured 5 lead changes in the 2nd half & OT. The Bulldogs are amid a 3 game stretch against state ranked teams to start the season as they will head to Seneca to face Nemaha Central next Friday.

Rossville has won 5 of the past 6 meetings vs St. Marys, including an exciting week 1 win last year, 30-22.

Brandon’s Pick: Rossville
Justin’s Pick: Rossville
Kryndon’s Pick: St. Marys

NORTHEAST KANSAS LEAGUE

(1-0) Troy at (1-0) McLouth

Troy opened their season last week with a 42-8 win at home against Republic County. Trojans quarterback Gannon Bowe completed 20-of-30 passes for 175 yards and five touchdowns. Kaston Jasper finished with five catches for 60 yards and Jack Hartman finished with five catches for 44 yards. The Trojans did lose one of their best players as Logan Blevins broke his collarbone in the first quarter with his timeline on a return unsure.

McLouth built on the momentum from last season and opened 2024 last week with a 32-12 win at home against ACCHS. The Bulldogs defense held the Tigers to under 100 rushing yards in the game and limiting them to just four yards per carry.

Troy has won eight of the last nine meetings against McLouth dating back to 2004. This will be the first meeting since 2017 with Troy winning 36-12. The Trojans have won seven straight in the series with McLouth’s last win against Troy coming in 2005 with that final score being 26-6.

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

(1-0) Horton at (0-1) Jefferson County North

The Horton Chargers won their first season opening game since 2017 and beat Valley Falls for the first time in 10 years with a 38-8 romp over the Dragons last week. Senior running back Dalton Nioce rushed for over 200 yards and touchdowns. Talon Hooper and Trent Lockwood posted back-to-back pick-6’s in the third quarter which helped put the game away.

Jefferson County North, coming off their best season in school history, lost their week one tilt against Maur Hill-Mount Academy 22-20. JCN had multiple chances down the stretch to get the win but were unable to capitalize.

Jefferson County North is 8-2 against Horton dating back to 2004 with JCN winning the last meeting 60-3 in 2021. JCN enters the contest with a five-game winning streak over Horton with Horton’s last win against JCN coming back in 2014 by a final score of 44-0.

Brandon’s Pick: JCN
Justin’s Pick: JCN
Kryndon’s Pick: Horton

(0-1) Valley Falls at (1-0) Oskaloosa

Valley Falls had a tough opening game as they lost at home to Horton 38-8. It was the Dragons’ first loss against Horton in 10 years. Grant Meyer had the lone touchdown in the game for Valley Falls in the first half on a one-yard run. Valley Falls now enter a stretch where three of their next four games are on the road starting in week two at Oskaloosa. Week four they will travel to Onaga and week five they will travel to McLouth.

The Oskaloosa Bears picked up the first win under new head coach Boone Heston defeating Pleasant Ridge last week 26-14. It was Oskaloosa’s first win over the Rams since 2016 and P-Ridge had dominated the series prior to last week winning 15 of the previous 16 meetings.

The Bears are 9-5 against Valley Falls dating back to 2004 with Oskaloosa currently riding a five-game winning streak in the series. They won the matchup last season 37-6 with the Dragons last win over Oskaloosa coming in 2012 by a final score of 38-12.

Brandon’s Pick: Oskaloosa
Justin’s Pick: Oskaloosa
Kryndon’s Pick: Oskaloosa

(0-1) Riverside at (0-1) ACCHS – KAIR 93.7

The Cyclones hung tough with a top five 1A team last week in Jackson Heights trailing by one score in the second half, but some costly mistakes led to some quick Cobra scores and Riverside would lose the game 35-7. It was only the fourth all-time meeting between the Cyclones and Cobras with the series now tied at 2-2.

ACCHS opened their season last week with a 32-12 loss at McLouth. Tigers quarterback Cody Falk threw for 77 yards and a touchdown while the rushing attack went for less than 100 yards averaging four yards per carry in the game. Max Bottorff found the endzone while Kannon Crossland finished the game with eight carries for 61 yards.

Riverside had a nine-game winning streak against ACCHS snapped in the last meeting in 2021 as the Tigers won the game 32-13.

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

(1-0) Maur Hill-Mount Academy at (1-0) Jackson Heights – Cobra Channel

Maur Hill-Mount Academy made themselves known last week with the win over the 1A state runner-up in Jefferson County North, 22-20. The Ravens hadn’t won a game since October 28th, 2022. Maur Hill put up three touchdowns with a touchdown pass from Luke Siebert to Raheem Thompson, and a rushing touchdown each from James Peltzer and Jack Moore. Raheem Thompson also had an impressive defensive performance of four sacks and eight tackles. First win for the Ravens over the Chargers since 2011.

Jackson Heights had a slow start but pulled away in the second half to beat Riverside 35-7. The Cobras struck first with a three-yard touchdown run from Drake Mellies, one of three he scored with his accumulated 153 offensive yards: 56 passing and 97 rushing. No one scored until the third quarter when Jackson Heights burst out in front with a 41-yard touchdown run from Mellies and a run from Austin Zeller.

Jackson Heights leads the series against Maur Hill-Mount Academy 7-5, having not lost since 2019, where the Ravens won 18-14. Coach Caleb Wick for the Cobras is 7-2 all-time against the Ravens.  

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

MEADOWLARK CONFERENCE

(0-1) Atchison at (1-0) KC Harmon

Atchison suffered a season opening loss last week to Ottawa 24-14. The Phoenix had won each of the previous two meetings against Ottawa. Ottawa won only three games last season which was the most wins they had posted since 2016. Atchison’s Kolton Bonnel finished 10-14 passing for 94 yards and a touchdown. The Ottawa defense held Atchison’s running game to just 87 yards on 35 carries which comes out to 2.5 yards per carry.

KC Harmon is off to a 1-0 start as they defeated Marantha Christian Academy last week 52-6. Sophomore Adrian Fernandez rushed for 132 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns. As a team, Harmon finished the game with over 300 rushing yards averaging over seven yards per carry.

Since 2010, KC Harmon and Atchison have played 13 times with the Phoenix winning all 13 meetings. Last year’s final was 77-7. It was 72-0 in 2022 and 70-0 in 2021, so Atchison has dominated the most recent meetings with KC Harmon.

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