Game Balls From Around the State: Week 12

After 12 exciting weeks and hundreds of games played, we are now in the final week of the '22 campaign. Each state title game is officially set after a frigid night of Sub-State action. There are seven teams returning back to Championship Saturday, with others looking to make history, and one rematch set up to be a great showdown.     With so much on the line during the Semifinal Round, several prospects across the state gave everything they had to help their team advance to Championship Saturday. These nine players put together some of the top offensive and defensive performances of the week.   Offense:   [player_tooltip player_id='395576' first='Keller' last='Hurla'] – St. Marys, 6'0”, 165, QB, Class of ‘23   [player_tooltip player_id='395576' first='Keller' last='Hurla'] put together a phenomenal dual-threat performance against the Centralia Panthers during Sub-State. The Panthers came into the matchup against St. Marys surrendering only 23 total points over their past three games, but Hurla and the Bears proceeded to score 46 points in this one. Hurla completed 11-of-14 passes for 147 yards and rushed for 218 yards on 17 carries with four touchdowns.    [player_tooltip player_id='246116' first='Erhik' last='Hermosillo'] – Wichita County, 5'8”, 150, ATH, Class of '23   [player_tooltip player_id='246116' first='Erhik' last='Hermosillo'] has been one of the top athletes in the 8-Man D-I level this season, and he added yet another outstanding performance to his impressive senior year. Hermosillo helped the Indians put up 76 points in their win over Hill City. The senior accounted for 425 yards of total offense and was responsible for eight total touchdowns.    [player_tooltip player_id='123617' first='Isaac' last='Detweiler'] – Axtell, 5'11”, 180, ATH, Class of ‘23   The Axtell Eagles will be defending their 8-Man D-II title, as they took down Canton-Galva in a final score of 36-32. This matchup featured two of the premier teams in the 8-Man ranks, with some of the top 8-Man prospects in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='123617' first='Isaac' last='Detweiler'] was one of those prospects, and he put on a show. Detweiler accumulated 330 yards of total offense and four total touchdowns, which earns him his first Game Ball of the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='122493' first='Hayden' last='Oviatt'] – Wamego, 6'2”, 205, QB, Class of '23   [player_tooltip player_id='122493' first='Hayden' last='Oviatt'] and the Wamego Red Raiders made history against McPherson. Their 33-16 victory over the Bullpups secured their first Sub-State title in school history, and now they will compete for their first-ever state championship this week. Oviatt has continued to have success at running back, as the senior rushed for 208 yards on 28 carries and punched in four scores.    [player_tooltip player_id='246330' first='Mac' last='Armstrong'] – Bishop Miege, 6'0”, 175, QB, Class of '23   St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Bishop Miege was one of the biggest matchups of the Sub-State round, and it featured one of the top performances in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='246330' first='Mac' last='Armstrong'] earns his second Game Ball of the season after helping the Stags takedown their longtime rival. Armstrong completed 18-of-23 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns in the 38-28 victory.    Defense:   <a href="https://twitter.com/aidanhefley?s=21&t=IJYxDRDawkylk5I96ni6jg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/aidanhefley?s=21&t=IJYxDRDawkylk5I96ni6jg">Aidan Hefley</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/gannoncouture?s=21&t=IJYxDRDawkylk5I96ni6jg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/gannoncouture?s=21&t=IJYxDRDawkylk5I96ni6jg">Gannon Couture</a> – Wamego   While Oviatt gets the praise for Wamego's offensive success against McPherson, <a href="https://twitter.com/aidanhefley?s=21&t=IJYxDRDawkylk5I96ni6jg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/aidanhefley?s=21&t=IJYxDRDawkylk5I96ni6jg">Aidan Hefley</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/gannoncouture?s=21&t=IJYxDRDawkylk5I96ni6jg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/gannoncouture?s=21&t=IJYxDRDawkylk5I96ni6jg">Gannon Couture</a> helped hold the Bullpups' offense in check. The Red Raiders defense held a 10-1 McPherson squad to their second lowest point total of the season. Hefley and Couture were two of the leading tacklers for Wamego, as they both racked up 11 total.   [player_tooltip player_id='119125' first='Jaxon' last='Vikander'] – Manhattan, 6'2”, 215, LB, Class of '23   Manhattan's defense faced a tall task squaring off against Derby's explosive offense for the second time this season. But [player_tooltip player_id='119125' first='Jaxon' last='Vikander'] and Co. were up for the challenge. The Indians' defense held Derby well below their season scoring average once again, as they'd outlast the Panthers in a final score of 28-23. Vikander tied for the team-lead in total tackles with 10, and came up with three tackles for loss, earning him his first Game Ball of the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='415415' first='Elijah' last='Porter'] – Gardner-Edgerton, 5'9”, 160, DB, Class of '24   The Gardner-Edgerton Trailblazers put an end to Olathe Northwest's Cinderella run, and [player_tooltip player_id='415415' first='Elijah' last='Porter'] played a key role in the huge win. Porter earns his first Game Ball of the season after helping the Trailblazers' defense limit the Ravens to just seven points in the contest. The junior didn't allow hardly anything in the secondary, as he came away with two interceptions and a few pass breakups.

After 12 exciting weeks and hundreds of games played, we are now in the final week of the '22 campaign. Each state title game is officially set after a frigid night of Sub-State action. There are seven teams returning back to Championship Saturday, with others looking to make history, and one rematch set up to be a great showdown.