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2024 Pick Records
Brandon
Last week: 15-4
Overall: 26-12
2023 Record: 159-25
2022 Record: 172-29
Justin
Last week: 14-5
Overall: 27-11
2023 Record: 160-24
2022 Record: 174-27
Kryndon
Last week: 11-8
Overall: 23-15
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
KNZA 103.9 FM – Holton at Royal Valley
KMZA 92.1 FM – Onaga at Centralia
KAIR 93.7 FM – Oskaloosa at Jefferson County North
Holton Channel – Holton at Royal Valley
Sabetha/Hiawatha Channels – Sabetha at Hiawatha
Cobra Channel – Jackson Heights at McLouth
Week 3 Games
NON-LEAGUE
(2-0) Axtell at (1-1) Chase County
The Axtell Eagles continue to roll through the regular season as their week two match-up against Washington County was a 70-0 win ending at halftime, which is the second time this year Axtell has had a game at half called when leading by 70 points. The Eagle’s posted 42 points in the first quarter and followed it up with 28 points dropped in the second quarter. The Eagles met Washington County last week for the first time since 1984 and they now lead the all-time series meeting 5-3 with the win.
Chase County comes from the Flint Hills league, and they play in division one of 8-man football in the state of Kansas. The Bulldogs come off a dominant win themselves beating Wichita-Independent 70-14. However, to start the year the Bulldogs dropped their home opener 22-42 against Little River.
This will be the first time meeting ever for these two teams.
Brandon’s Pick: Axtell
Justin’s Pick: Axtell
Kryndon’s Pick: Axtell
(1-1) KC East Christian at (2-0) Blue Valley-Randolph
KC East Christian came off a loss of 70-40 from last Friday and will look to turn things around this week. The Lions have only recorded one win this season with a close 32-30 victory against Cornerstone Family. The team is led by a freshman quarterback, Brandon Frecks, who has been solid this year with 383 yards passing and 7 total touchdowns. Senior Jeremiah Nicholas is the star of the team with a total of 627 yards accumulated from passing, running, and receiving. Nicholas also ties Frecks with 7 total touchdowns.
Blue Valley-Randolph takes on their first opponent at home as they wrap up this big road stretch with their first three of four games being on the road. Before that however, last week’s road win was another great week for the Rams as they beat Linn 54-28. This also marks the first time the Rams have started a season 2-0 since 2013, a year they went on to finish 5-4.
This will be the first meeting ever between these two teams, which is the Ram’s second opponent this year they’ve played where this was the case.
Brandon’s Pick: Blue Valley-Randolph
Justin’s Pick: Blue Valley-Randolph
Kryndon’s Pick: Blue Valley-Randolph
(2-0) Frankfort at (0-2) Solomon
Frankfort dominated the defending 8M-l state champions, Lyndon, by putting up 20 points in the first quarter, 30 points in the second quarter, and 22 in the third quarter. Wes Anderson continued his spotlight performance throwing for 276 yards, completing 16 of 19 passes, and having four touchdowns with no picks. Lane Loiseau also had a great night scoring four touchdowns. The victory snapped a three game losing streak to Lyndon, it also made Frankfort lead the all-time series 4-3.
The Solomon Gorillas scored their first touchdowns of the year last week against Wakefield, but still lost 38-28. They’ve found themselves in back to back 2-7 seasons in 2023 and 2022. The Gorillas start the year 0-2 which is the first time they’ve started 0-2 since 2011.
Frankfort leads the series versus Solomon 4-2 with a two game winning streak, but these teams have not played each other since 2007, when Frankfort won 40-14.
Brandon’s Pick: Frankfort
Justin’s Pick: Frankfort
Kryndon’s Pick: Frankfort
(1-1) Chapman at (2-0) Riley County
Riley County was impressive last week in their first game without third-year starting quarterback Eli Harmison as they picked themselves up off the mat and rallied to beat Holton 21-20. The Falcons turned the ball over on their first three possessions and gave Holton three short fields and a 20-0 advantage. Yet, Kadrick Woodard settled in to complete 7-12 passes for 111 yards and converted some huge third and fourth down plays to put together a trio of 11-play scoring drives for the win. Sam Allen was the story, however, with 41 carries for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The senior Allen now has 69 carries for 295 yards in the first two weeks.
After a 10-8 win against Smith Center to start the season, Chapman fell 42-8 last week against Abilene in a NCKL matchup. The Irish are led by first-year Coach Jason Grider (Midway Denton grad) who grew up and previously coached in Northeast Kansas (Royal Valley, Highland) before a good run at Halstead and then the college ranks for a short stint. Chapman is still trying to fit the pieces of a new offensive line together and leaning on their run game while going just 1-9 passing so far this year. Senior Cade Haney leads the Irish with 125 rushing yards in two games while also averaging 12 tackles per contest to led the Chapman defense.
These teams have only played once in the last 20+ years with that being a Riley County 37-16 win in 2021.
Brandon’s Pick: Riley County
Justin’s Pick: Riley County
Kryndon’s Pick: Riley County
(1-1) Maur Hill-Mount Academy at (0-2) Maranatha
After winning their first game in nearly two years in week one, the Maur Hill-Mount Academy Ravens dropped their first game in 2024 with a 55-0 loss last week against Jackson Heights. The Ravens defense surrendered nearly 200 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. The Ravens are still searching for their first win against Jackson Heights since 2019.
The Maranatha Academy Eagles have had a tough start to their season losing 52-6 in week one against KC Harmon and then last week 64-0 at Uniontown. The rest of their schedule will not get any easier with the Ravens this week, followed by games against Rossville, Olpe, and Wabaunsee.
This will be just the second meeting all-time between these two teams with the Ravens winning the lone matchup 51-12 back in 2017.
Brandon’s Pick: Maur Hill-Mount Academy
Justin’s Pick: Maur Hill-Mount Academy
Kryndon’s Pick: Maur Hill-Mount Academy
TWIN VALLEY LEAGUE
(1-1) Onaga at (1-1) Centralia – 92.1 KMZA
Onaga finishes up their Twin Valley League play this week versus Centralia, but last week they took their first loss of the season to Valley Heights 42-20. Despite having a good rushing attack with senior quarterback Jackson Kolterman leading it having 19 carries, 86 yards and 2 touchdowns the Buffaloes couldn’t get the victory. The Buffaloes are now 1-13 in their last 14 games against Valley Heights.
Centralia would take on an out-of-state opponent in Mid-Buchanan from Missouri and lose to them 41-6. The Panthers allowed 14 points apiece in both the first and second quarters and were down 28-6 going into half. Mid-Buchanan put the game away with an additional 13 points in the fourth quarter. It was the first meeting between the two teams ever.
The Panthers lead the all-time series 28-12 against Onaga. Centralia has been on a 21 game winning streak against the Buffaloes and have not lost to them since 1998.
Brandon’s Pick: Centralia
Justin’s Pick: Centralia
Kryndon’s Pick: Centralia
(0-2) Linn at (0-2) Clifton-Clyde
Linn lost to Blue Valley-Randolph 54-28 last Friday, but despite the loss, it was still a more improved game for Linn as they fell 76-6 a week prior to Axtell. Since 1994 Blue Valley leads the series 13-11 against the Linn Bulldogs. The Bulldogs also haven’t gotten off to an 0-2 start since 2019, a year they went 0-9.
The Clifton-Clyde Eagles had a rough week two taking a 50-0 defeat against Hanover. Clifton-Clyde also has their first 0-2 start to a season since 2014, a season that ended 1-8, the only one win season for the Eagles in the last 20 years. The Eagles had their first loss against Hanover in four years; After the loss, Hanover has now won eight of the last 11 meetings between the two.
Clifton-Clyde is 13-1 against Lynn since 2000. Lynn last won in 2014 in a close 43-34 game.
Brandon’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Justin’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Kryndon’s Pick: Linn
(1-1) Doniphan West at (1-1) Valley Heights
Doniphan West took down Pleasant Ridge 14-0 last Friday in a thrilling game at Highland Community College. Kelby Windmeyer scored both the touchdowns rushing for the Mustangs. Doniphan West won the turnover differential 6-1 against the Rams and more impressively took their first win ever against the Pleasant Ridge Rams as they were 0-4 in the all-time series going into the game. This was also the first time the Mustangs had shut out a team since 2017, it was a 58-0 shutout win over Wabaunsee.
Valley Heights lost 20-14 to Centralia in week one and had a bounce back week last week with a 42-20 win over Onaga. After receiving the ball in the first half and scoring on their first drive, they just didn’t hold back from stepping on the gas. Valley Heights has now won 13 of the last 14 meetings against Onaga but the Buffaloes still have the all-time series lead 19-18.
Doniphan West Trails the series 2-6 against Valley Heights with their last win against the Mustangs back in 2015. Both teams haven’t played each other since 2017, which was also the last year Doniphan West was 11-Man before coming back this year.
Brandon’s Pick: Valley Heights
Justin’s Pick: Valley Heights
Kryndon’s Pick: Valley Heights
(2-0) Hanover at (0-2) Washington County
The Hanover Wildcats are on fire to start the year with the 34-16 win over Ell-Saline followed up by last week’s victory 50-0 over Clifton-Clyde. Outscoring their opponents 84-16 to begin the year, the Wildcats are off to their best start since 2021. Hanover is now 8-3 all-time against Clifton-Clyde.
Washington County has been outscored 112-14 between their first two games to start the year. Last week the Tigers took a swift game called at half, 70-0 loss. The Tigers met Axtell last week for the first time since 1984 and they now trail the all-time series meeting 5-3 with the loss.
The Wildcats haven’t met Washington County since 1982 which ended in a 20-0 win for the Tigers. Historically all-time, the Wildcats have found more success over the Tigers, leading the series 8-4.
Brandon’s Pick: Hanover
Justin’s Pick: Hanover
Kryndon’s Pick: Hanover
BIG EAST
(1-1) Sabetha at (0-2) Hiawatha – Sabetha & Hiawatha Channels
The Sabetha Bluejays lost a close game last week to Perry-Lecompton at home 12-9. The Bluejays scored the first touchdown in the game in the first quarter on a 53-yard punt return by Cole Menold. They wouldn’t score again until the final seconds on a safety. They had a hail mary opportunity after that with just seconds remaining, but the throw ended up short. The Bluejays offense will look to improve heading into week three as they have totaled just 16 points in their first two games.
Hiawatha is off to an 0-2 start as they were blasted last week by a now ranked Marysville squad 38-0. The Hiawatha defense was solid in the first half giving up only 12 points, but the offense couldn’t find any rhythm and the Bulldogs were able to build on the lead throughout the second half.
The Bluejays are 12-4 against Hiawatha dating back to 2006 and they will enter this matchup winners of eight in a row against the Redhawks. Hiawatha is searching for their first win against Sabetha since 2013.
Brandon’s Pick: Sabetha
Justin’s Pick: Sabetha
Kryndon’s Pick: Sabetha
(0-2) Holton at (2-0) Royal Valley – 103.9 KNZA & Holton Channel
Holton is 0-2 for the second straight year, but the losses sting a little more in 2024 as both setbacks have come by just one point in games that couldn't capitalize on multiple opportunities and hurt themselves with untimely penalties. Last week the Wildcats led 20-0 early in the second quarter but didn't score again and had a couple late touchdowns called back by penalty in the 21-20 defeat at Riley County. Kyler Jackson had 71 yards rushing and a TD while Korban Wilson scored a pair of touchdowns and ran for 52 yards, but Holton had to play their second half without starting fullback and middle linebacker Cael Frazier. Holton will try to clean things up after 12 penalties for 85 yards as they face a third Big East foe and Jackson County rival Royal Valley in Hoyt. Holton hasn't lost to the Panthers since 1996, in Coach Brooks Barta's first game as Holton head coach.
Royal Valley is full of confidence after starting 2-0 and beating Jeff West 30-2 last week. It's the first 2-0 start for the Panthers since 2011 and they've only posted one winning season since (6-3 in 2015). Now RV will try snap a streak of 28 straight losses against Holton dating back to a 37-28 win week one in 1996. Jaxson Stevens paced the Panthers with 43 carries for 341 yards while Nolan Bausch has added 22 totes for 152 yards. The Royal Valley defense also has 11 takeaways already this season.
Brandon’s Pick: Royal Valley
Justin’s Pick: Holton
Kryndon’s Pick: Holton
(0-2) Jefferson West at (2-0) St. Marys
Jefferson West couldn’t get much going on either side of the ball last week as they lost to Royal Valley 30-2 to drop to 0-2 on the season. So far through two games, quarterback Tucker Holthaus has completed 24 of 51 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown. Holthaus has also led the rushing attack that has only amassed 97 yards on 44 attempts in two games.
The St. Marys Bears enter week three ranked #3 in Class 2A according to K-Preps as they moved to 2-0 with an impressive 24-19 win at Rossville last week. They led 16-6 at halftime and were able to hold on for the win. Brady Hurla had three short touchdown runs in the game and the defense held Rossville out of the endzone until the fourth quarter.
This will be the first all-time meeting between the Bears and Tigers.
Brandon’s Pick: St. Marys
Justin’s Pick: St. Marys
Kryndon’s Pick: St. Marys
(0-2) Rossville at (1-1) Nemaha Central
Nemaha Central didn't take to losing their 1st game in nearly 3 years very lightly as the Thunder bounced back with a resounding 35-7 win at Silver Lake last Friday outscoring the Eagles 21-0 in the 2nd half. Carter Hajek ran for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns and added 145 yards and 2 more scores. TD connections of 74 yards to Caleb Strathman and 40 yards to Sam Nordhus. The defense held the Eagles to 179 total yards. The win came at a cost as starting RB and LB, Sam Nordhus suffered a season ending injury, so the Thunder are down to 3 healthy seniors on the team and will once again depend on younger kids to step up in place of Nordhus.
Rossville has had one of the toughest schedules in the state through the 1st two weeks and week three may be the biggest test of them all. The Bulldawgs lost a heartbreaker in week 1 to their rival, Silver Lake, 33-26 in OT and then last week fell to another state ranked team, St. Marys, 24-19. Rossville trailed 16-6 at halftime but Tayson Horak's 54 yard punt return for a score late in the game made things interesting, but in the end, it was another close loss to a state ranked foe. The good news after their battle with the Thunder, the Bulldawgs will start 1A district play next week and they figure these 3 very difficult non-district games will catapult them through districts and deep into the 1A postseason.
This will be the 1st ever regular season football meeting between the two schools and many more to come as both are part of the new Big East League. Nemaha Central and Rossville have faced each other on 5 occasions in the playoffs with Rossville winning in 2016, 2020, & 2021, while the Thunder ended the Bulldawgs season in 2015 and in their last meeting in the 2022 playoffs, 36-13. The Thunder also defeated Rossville on their way to the State Championship in 2019.
Brandon’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Justin’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Kryndon’s Pick: Nemaha Central
(1-1) Silver Lake at (1-1) Perry-Lecompton
After explosive plays on offense helped them to rally for a win over Rossville, Silver Lake saw those explosive plays disappear against one of the best 2A defenses in the state in week two. The Eagles managed only 1 scoring drive and just 179 yards of total offense in their 35-7 loss to Nemaha Central. The Eagle defense held their own but seemed to wear down later in the game after the Thunder hit two long passes for scores. The Eagles go on the road for the first time this season as they face an improved Perry-Lecompton squad.
The Kaws surprised some with their 12-9 win at Sabetha on Friday. Perry-Lecompton's defense was outstanding stopping Sabetha on downs on 3 instances in the 2nd half and added an interception to keep the Bluejay offense in check.
This will be the first meeting for these teams since 2017 as Silver Lake defeated the Kaws four straight times from 2014 to 2017. If Friday's game is anything like the last 3 matchups, then look out! Why? Because in the last 3 meetings Silver Lake won by scores of 39-38 in OT, 21-19, & 40-35.
Brandon’s Pick: Silver Lake
Justin’s Pick: Silver Lake
Kryndon’s Pick: Silver Lake
NORTHEAST KANSAS LEAGUE
(2-0) McLouth at (1-1) Riverside
McLouth continues their strong start to 2024 with a 30-12 win against Troy last week to improve to 2-0. The Bulldogs ground game was the story against the Trojans as they ran the ball 48 times for 245 yards. It was a 16-6 game going into the fourth quarter, but McLouth added a couple of touchdowns to build out the final score. McLouth has outscored their first two opponents this season 62-24.
Riverside bounced back in week two after the season opening loss to Jackson Heights and shut out ACCHS on the road 20-0. The Cyclones defense was the story of the game holding the Tigers passing attack to just 1 of 5 completions and two interceptions. The rush defense held the Tigers to just 68 yards on 25 carries.
This will be the second all-time meeting between McLouth and Riverside with Riverside beating the Bulldogs 34-14 back in 2021.
Brandon’s Pick: McLouth
Justin’s Pick: McLouth
Kryndon’s Pick: McLouth
(2-0) Jackson Heights at (1-1) Horton – Cobra Channel
Jackson Heights is ranked #4 this week in Class 1A according to K-Preps as they moved to 2-0 with a 55-0 win over Maur Hill-Mount Academy in week two. The Cobras scored 28 points in the first quarter and 20 in the second quarter and never looked back. Drake Mellies completed 10 of 14 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The Cobras rushed for 197 yards and averaged nearly seven yards per carry. Titus Eisenbarth led the attack with 97 yards and two touchdowns while Brody Browning, Kade Holliday, and JW Moore each found the endzone.
Horton lost their first game of the season last week getting doubled up at Jefferson County North 28-14. The Chargers got a 29-yard touchdown run in the second quarter from Wyatt Chartier and Trent Lockwood added a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Chargers dealt with some injuries after the week one win against Valley Falls so had to move some pieces around in the game against JCN.
Since 2004, Jackson Heights is 13-4 against Horton and have won eight in a row. The final last season was 42-6 and they have held the Chargers to 10 points or less in five straight meetings. The Chargers are looking for their first win over the Cobras since 2014.
Brandon’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Justin’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Kryndon’s Pick: Jackson Heights
(0-2) Pleasant Ridge at (1-1) Troy
Pleasant Ridge dropped to 0-2 on the season after losing to Doniphan West last week at Highland CC by a final score of 14-0. The Rams have been outscored 40-14 in their first two games. It’s the first time since 2019 (not including the Covid season) that the Rams have lost their first two games of the season.
Troy has been bitten by the injury bug in 2024 through the first two games of the season as they had a few players go down last week in their 30-12 loss against McLouth. Gannon Bowe had a 35-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the game, but the offense couldn’t get much going after that as there only other touchdown was in the fourth quarter. The Trojans finished the game with 145 passing yards and 64 rushing yards.
This will be the first meeting between Troy and Pleasant Ridge since 2019. They played eight times between 2004 and 2019 with both teams winning four times. Troy has won the last two meetings, including the most recent in 2019 by a final score of 38-0. The Rams are searching for their first win against the Trojans since 2009.
Brandon’s Pick: Troy
Justin’s Pick: Troy
Kryndon’s Pick: Troy
(2-0) Oskaloosa at (1-1) Jefferson County North – KAIR 93.7 FM
The Oskaloosa Bears continued their strong start to the season beating Valley Falls at home last week 28-6 to improve to 2-0. The game was tied 6-6 after the first quarter but the Bears scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and would put the game away with one more touchdown in the fourth quarter. They held Valley Falls to just 39 passing yards and 30 rushing yards on 29 attempts.
Jefferson County North bounced back after the week one loss to Maur Hill-Mount Academy and got their first win last week 28-14 against Horton. Eli Weishaar rushed 17 times for 120 yards and four touchdowns while Will Elias completed 5 of 8 passes for 65 yards while adding nine rushes for 55 yards. Merrick Noll added to the rushing attack with five carries for 60 yards.
Since 2004, JCN has won 12 of the 20 meetings against the Bears including eight straight. They dominated the game last season winning 66-0. The Bears are looking for their first win over JCN since 2015.
Brandon’s Pick: Oskaloosa
Justin’s Pick: Oskaloosa
Kryndon’s Pick: Oskaloosa
(0-2) ACCHS at (0-2) Valley Falls
ACCHS dropped to 0-2 on the season last week with a 20-0 loss to Riverside at home. The offense couldn’t get much going throwing for 51 yards and rushing for just 68 yards on 25 carries. The 51-yard completion for the Tigers went from Cody Falk to Ben Handke. This is the first time since 2017 that ACCHS has started the season 0-2.
Valley Falls dropped to 0-2 last week with a 28-6 loss at Oskaloosa. The Dragons had very little offense against the Bears as they rushed for just 30 yards on 29 carries and added just 39 passing yards. AJ Reeves was the leading rusher for the Dragons in that game. Valley Falls have been outscored 66-14 in their first two games this season.
Since 2008, ACCHS is 7-1 against Valley Falls with seven straight wins. They won the game last season 46-16 and the Dragons lone win in that stretch was 14-12 back in 2008.
Brandon’s Pick: ACCHS
Justin’s Pick: ACCHS
Kryndon’s Pick: ACCHS
MEADOWLARK CONFERENCE
(0-2) KC Sumner at (1-1) Atchison
Sumner Academy has had a tough start to their 2024 season as they dropped to 0-2 with a 42-0 loss against Highland Park at home last week. They lost 36-26 in week one against KC Washington. The Sabres are under a new head coach this season with Steve Williams Jr. leading the program in 2024.
Atchison bounced back in a big way last week after the week one loss to Ottawa as they beat KC Harmon 55-6. They scored 27 points in the first quarter and 28 points in the second quarter en route to the win. Sumner was able to throw for some yards, but the Atchison defense held Sumner’s rushing attack to 42 yards on 23 carries. Kolton Bonnel completed 5 of 10 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. Ayden Rebant had nine carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Atchison rushed for 300 yards and averaged over nine yards per carry.
Atchison has won 12 straight games against Sumner dating back to 2011 with last year’s final being 63-6.
Brandon’s Pick: Atchison
Justin’s Pick: Atchison
Kryndon’s Pick: Atchison
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