Game Balls From Around the State: Week 11

The Sub-State stage is officially set, and now teams are just one win away from punching their ticket to Championship Saturday. While there have been upsets throughout the playoffs, a majority of the top-seeded teams in each classification level managed to reach the semifinal round. There are however a few Cinderella teams in Class 6A and 5A looking to make history this week, and a new state champion will be crowned in six classification levels.    This 11th Game Ball piece features some familiar names, but it also features a few prospects that earned their first selection of the season. Here's a look at the top offensive and defensive performances from Week 11's slate of games.    Offense:   [player_tooltip player_id='511674' first='Garyson' last='Booth'] – Holton, 5'11”, 185, RB, Class of '23   [player_tooltip player_id='511674' first='Garyson' last='Booth'] and the Holton Wildcats keep things rolling, as they extended their winning streak to 10 games during Sectionals. Booth's monster game on the ground helped Holton take down an unbeaten Girard team in a final score of 47-27. The senior rushed for over 350 yards and hit pay dirt four times in the contest. Booth's impressive senior campaign makes him a strong candidate for the upcoming Class of '23 Player Rankings update.    [player_tooltip player_id='170390' first='Hagan' last='Johnson'] – Wamego, 5'9”, 150, WR, Class of '23   Normally, [player_tooltip player_id='122493' first='Hayden' last='Oviatt'] makes the headlines for Wamego's offense. But this time it was [player_tooltip player_id='170390' first='Hagan' last='Johnson']'s standout play that stole the show. The saying “less is more”, perfectly sums up Johnson's performance against Andover Central. Johnson would accumulate 172 yards of total offense on just six touches, and found the end zone three times in Wamego's revenge victory over the Jaguars.    [player_tooltip player_id='131237' first='Sean' last='Carroll'] – St. Thomas Aquinas, 6'0”, 220, RB, Class of '23   [player_tooltip player_id='131237' first='Sean' last='Carroll'] is no stranger to earning a Game Ball, and his performance during Sectionals gives him his second one of the '22 campaign. The bruising fullback led the way for the Saints against St. James Academy, as Aquinas defeated the two-time Class 4A State Champions 28-13. Carroll was responsible for all of Aquinas' points and rushed for 218 yards.    [player_tooltip player_id='230440' first='Dylan' last='Dunn'] – Blue Valley SW, 6'3”, 180, QB, Class of '24   [player_tooltip player_id='230440' first='Dylan' last='Dunn'] is having an absolutely ridiculous playoff run. The junior was featured in Week 10's Game Ball piece, and he followed that performance up with an unbelievable stat line during Sectionals. Dunn and the Timberwolves dominated the No. 2 seed on the East side of the 5A bracket, as Dunn led a full on aerial assault against De Soto. He'd complete 22-of-29 passes for 583 yards and eight touchdowns in Southwest's big win. Dunn now has two 500-yard passing performances in his career.    [player_tooltip player_id='265194' first='Brayden' last='Kunz'] – Conway Springs, 6'2”, 200, RB, Class of '24   Kunz is another prospect that earns a Game Ball in back-to-back weeks, and this one marks his fourth of the '22 campaign. His Sectional Round performance against Wabaunsee was the third time this season that the junior has rushed for over 250 yards with four touchdowns. Kunz went on to tote the rock a season-high 37 times for 288 yards and four scores in the 39-14 victory.   Defense:   [player_tooltip player_id='512184' first='Evan' last='Lind'] – Hays, 6'1”, 210, LB, Class of '23   [player_tooltip player_id='512184' first='Evan' last='Lind'] and the Hays Indians made a statement on defense during Sectionals. Their defense held a Salina Central offense that averaged 42 points per game to just 12 points in the contest. Lind was one of the key leaders for Hays, as the senior racked up eight total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and an interception returned for a touchdown. Hays will need another big-time performance from Lind when they take on top-seeded Maize during Sub-State.    [player_tooltip player_id='259743' first='Packson' last='Bettis'] – Washburn Rural, 6'3”, 220, DL, Class of '24   The Jr. Blues gave the Derby Panthers everything they could handle during Sectionals, but Rural was unable to knock off Derby. Normally the Panthers jump out to some insurmountable leads against their competition. That wasn't exactly the case in this matchup. [player_tooltip player_id='259743' first='Packson' last='Bettis'] and the Jr. Blues defense didn't make things easy for Derby. The standout junior managed to finish with 11 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks.

The Sub-State stage is officially set, and now teams are just one win away from punching their ticket to Championship Saturday. While there have been upsets throughout the playoffs, a majority of the top-seeded teams in each classification level managed to reach the semifinal round. There are however a few Cinderella teams in Class 6A and 5A looking to make history this week, and a new state champion will be crowned in six classification levels.