Game Balls From Around the State: Week 8

The stage is officially set! After eight weeks and hundreds of games played, the postseason is finally here! Week 8 put the finishing touches on a great regular season. There were a few upsets that took place around the state, but a majority of the favorites took care of business and secured their desired playoff seeding.   Week 8's Game Ball winners features three outstanding quarterback-receiver duos, an unbelievable rushing performance, and two defenders that shutdown passing lanes. Check out the prospects that shined during the final week of the regular season.    Offense:   [player_tooltip player_id='442667' first='Talon' last='Langford'] & <a href="https://twitter.com/isaiahholthaus?s=21&t=ZamiZB778w5dqpcVqo-h2Q" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/isaiahholthaus?s=21&t=ZamiZB778w5dqpcVqo-h2Q">Isaiah Holthaus</a> – Tonganoxie   Langford and Holthaus have had impressive performances throughout the '22 campaign, but the duo saved their best for the final week of the regular season. The sophomore quarterback connected with Holthaus six times for 201 yards and three scores, which set career-high marks in receiving yards and touchdowns for the junior wideout. Langford would also account for 437 yards of total offense and six total touchdowns. This offensive explosion came at the perfect time for a team looking to carry some momentum into the playoffs.   <a href="https://twitter.com/coreycrumrine?s=21&t=-cRSFCAi_W37efAPLVPZdg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/coreycrumrine?s=21&t=-cRSFCAi_W37efAPLVPZdg">[player_tooltip player_id='1112380' first='Corey' last='Crumrine']</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/sterlinglies?s=21&t=-cRSFCAi_W37efAPLVPZdg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/sterlinglies?s=21&t=-cRSFCAi_W37efAPLVPZdg">Sterling Lies</a> – Sedgwick   [player_tooltip player_id='1112380' first='Corey' last='Crumrine'] earns his second Game Ball of the '22 campaign with the help of junior wideout, Sterling Lies. These two were in sync all game in Sedgwick's win over the Marion Warriors. Crumrine completed 16 passes to Lies for 191 yards and two touchdowns; setting season-high marks for Lies in receptions and yards. For Crumrine, this was his second game throwing for more than 350 yards, as he'd finish the game completing 73% of his passes for 376 yards and five touchdowns. Sedgwick's offense has been clicking over the past three weeks, and they take a three-game winning streak into the Class 1A playoffs.   [player_tooltip player_id='415284' first='Bryce' last='Noernberg'] – Olathe South, 5'10”, 165, QB, Class of '24   [player_tooltip player_id='415284' first='Bryce' last='Noernberg'] and the Olathe South Falcons kicked off Week 8 with a statement win over Gardner-Edgerton on Thursday night. With the Falcons down one-possession and 14 seconds left in the game, Noernberg came up big with a touchdown pass that put South in position to win the game. The junior accounted for five total touchdowns in the back and forth contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='1215349' first='Langston' last='Nothern'] – Ingalls, 6'0”, 165, ATH, Class of ‘25   At first glance it appeared as if the Ingalls Bulldogs and the Deerfield Spartans had competed on the hardwood Friday night. But the high score came from the gridiron, as the two 6-Man squads put up several points in a 100-87 shootout. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1215349' first='Langston' last='Nothern'] was the star of the show for the Bulldogs, and his monster night on the ground helped Ingalls edge out Deerfield. Nothern racked up 552 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns in the high-scoring contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='145605' first='Harvey' last='Zimmerman'] & [player_tooltip player_id='334731' first='Donald' last='Collier'] – Trinity Academy   Zimmerman to Collier has been one of the top connections in the state throughout this season, and Week 8 was no different for the duo. The two juniors would link up 14 times for 303 yards and five touchdowns. Zimmerman also completed 68% of his passes and finished with 480 yards of total offense. Their special performance helped Trinity Academy pick up their first win of the season in a 41-36 victory over Baxter Springs.    Defense:   [player_tooltip player_id='145569' first='Maveryk' last='Becker'] – Centralia 5'8”, 150, ATH, Class of '24   Centralia's defense has been stifling this season, as they're allowing just under 12 points per game. It's been performances like [player_tooltip player_id='145569' first='Maveryk' last='Becker']'s that's helped the Panthers stay unbeaten. During Week 8, Becker intercepted three passes in Centralia's 59-16 win over Pleasant Ridge. On top of the junior coming up with three turnovers, he also had over 100 yards rushing and one touchdown.     Stetson Shafer – Cherryvale, 6'3”, 185, ATH, Class of '24   Stetson Shafer has been one of the best two-way players in Class 2A this season. The breakout junior has shined at receiver and defensive back during the '22 campaign, but his play on defense during Week 8 earned him a Game Ball. Shafer came away with two interceptions in the Chargers' shutout victory over Neodesha. The dynamic junior now has 11 interceptions on the season.

The stage is officially set! After eight weeks and hundreds of games played, the postseason is finally here! Week 8 put the finishing touches on a great regular season. There were a few upsets that took place around the state, but a majority of the favorites took care of business and secured their desired playoff seeding.