Kansas Week Five: Deck’s Top Games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The landscape changes every week as high school football in Kansas enters its fifth week of action. It's hard to imagine that we are already at the halfway mark of the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teams across the state begin to shift their attention to district wins and playoff seeding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at five of the top games scheduled for September 29 and one prospect from each game to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Olathe North (4-0) @ Gardner Edgerton (4-0) – </strong>Two undefeated teams meet for the top spot in Class 6A. North is coming off a home win over Shawnee Mission South, while Gardner-Edgerton put a thumping on Mill Valley one of the top teams in Class 5A. This smells like a possible trap game for Trailblazers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='545364' first='TJ' last='Porter']</strong>, RB, 5'6”, 155, Olathe North, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles running back is posting big numbers through four games. He has rushed for 483 yards and has scored 11 touchdowns on the ground for undefeated Olathe North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Washburn Rural (4-0) @ Junction City (3-1) – </strong>The Junior Blues are coming off a big win against Manhattan and now hope to avoid a loss to the Bluejays. Junction City has been a tough place to win for opposing teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='259756' first='Michael' last='Boganowski']</strong>, ATH, 6'2” 195, Junction City, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boganowski is the No. 1 ranked prospect in the class of 2024 according to the Prep Redzone rankings. He is fast and tough and has multiple Division I offers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eudora (2-2) at Louisburg (4-0) – </strong>Louisburg has a chance to grab the Frontier League by the horns with a win over Eudora. Spring Hill and Tonganoxie will have something to say about who wins the Frontier, but a fifth win by Louisburg puts them in the catbird seat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kole Manley,</strong> QB, 5'11”, 165, Eudora, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manley can hurt you with his throwing arm or legs. He has thrown for 583 yards and six touchdowns in four games. He has also rushed for 230 yards and five scores for the Cardinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Southeast of Saline&nbsp; (4-0) @ Clay Center (4-0)</strong> – Only one team will leave this game with an undefeated season still intact. The Tigers are a class 3A school competing against the 2A Trojans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='826192' first='Brody' last='Hayes']</strong>, ATH, 5'10”, 175, Clay Center, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hayes is a multi-position athlete who can do several things on the football field. He has rushed for 321 yards and made seven receptions for 124 yards. He has accounted for seven total touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Hayes has 33 total tackles and two interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Moundridge (4-0) @ Little River (3-1) – </strong>The winner of this match-up will be the favorite to win District Four in the Eight-man I Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103765' first='Andrew' last='Smith']</strong>, ATH, &nbsp;6'3”, 180, Little River, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith is a key member of the Redskins' offense. He has been playing quarterback and has played tight end in the past. His size makes him a quality pocket passer, but also a big target in the pass game. He had rushed for 741 yards and 11 touchdowns and passed for 216 yards and three TDs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->