Centennial League Friday Preview 10/22

It’s a great week of games in the tight race of the Centennial League. Junction City, Manhattan and Washburn Rural line up in the 3, 4 and 5 spots in the 6A rankings. Only Derby and Blue Valley rank higher. Seaman, meanwhile, is hanging around, 10^th in the 5A rankings. Topeka High and Topeka West, a pair of 2-5 teams, will play for bragging rights and another step in their development. Here are some things to watch from these teams this week: Manhattan: Manhattan bounced back from the shocking loss to Washburn Rural to whip Topeka West 59-0. They should improve to 7-1 against the one-win Emporia Spartans. Quarterback <strong>Keenan Schartz</strong> attempted just two throws against Topeka West, but sailed to 126 yards rushing on just five carries. Tailback <strong>Vinny Smith</strong> was nearly as unstoppable, going for 95 yards on just four carries. Linebacker <strong>Jaxon Kikander</strong> recorded 11 stops. Backups got most of the action, and <strong>Ian McNabb</strong> looks like a player to watch. The sophomore quarterback took five carries for 53 yards. Junction City: The Blue Jays rolled past Emporia 30-6, and will not be tested by Highland Park Friday. So their tie for the league lead should be safe. The Blue Jays are having to finish the regular season with a skeleton crew, unfortunately. <strong>Xavion Felton</strong> continues to fill in at quarterback for injured <strong>David Rowell</strong>. Star ball carrier <strong>TJ Jones</strong> missed the Emporia game after being injured the previous week. Felton was solid once again, running for 102 yards on 25 carries and throwing at TD pass to <strong>Josiah Delta</strong>. Washburn Rural: The team with the biggest challenge to remain tied atop the league is Rural. They will have to get by Seaman, which would love nothing more than to get its sixth win against the Junior Blues. Washburn Rural wasn’t tested last week against Highland Park. Watch for sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="145519" first="Branton" last="DeWeese"] to continue to grow into the role. Seaman: The Vikings really struggled to run the ball against Topeka High last week. Without star backs <strong>Aidan Poulter</strong> and <strong>Kaeden Ireland</strong>, Seaman relied almost entirely on quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="89256" first="Camden" last="Barta"]’s arm to move the ball, and his legs to pick up crucial yards and a touchdown. The receiving tandem of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="158961" first="PJ" last="Vargas"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="98391" first="Casen" last="Stallbaumer"]</strong> has been a lifesaver. <strong>Alex Allemang</strong>, 5-foot-7, 170 pound kicker, 2024, Emporia: The sophomore kicker emerged as a weapon for the Spartans. He put up Emporia’s only points against Junction City, booting field goals of 32 and 37 yards. Watch for this youngster to develop and earn more opportunities. <strong>Parker Leeds</strong>, 5-foot-10, 175 pound receiver, 2023, Emporia: Leeds, who had 10 receptions for 99 yards and two carries for 35 yards, is the Spartans’ primary threat. On the season, he’s averaging 20 yards per catch, and has 600 yards receiving.