Deck’s Top 5 Big Games: Week Nine Class 4A Edition

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most competitive games on paper in Class 4A will be played in the eastern part of the state this Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is the third of multiple reports picking five key games from a different classification each day and featuring one prospect from each game from Week Nine contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Paola (4-4) at Basehor-Linwood (5-3) – </strong>Both Paola and Basehor-Linwood are better teams than their respective seeds imply. The Bobcats' two toughest losses came against De Soto and Tonganoxie. While a seven-point loss to Eudora cost the Panthers a higher seed. Either team will be a tough out for anticipated opponent eastern No. 2 seed Louisburg.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103590' first='Kaleb' last='Scott'],</strong> ATH, 6'0”, 180, Basehor-Linwood, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scott is a playmaker for the Bobcats on both sides of the ball. He has electric speed and understands how to create space against opposing players. Scott has made 39 receptions for 692 yards. He has scored seven receiving touchdowns and one on the ground. Defensively he has 25 total tackles and one fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KC Piper (4-4) @ Eudora (5-3)</strong> – The is should be an Eudora victory, but you can't sleep on a sneaky Pirate club. Either of these teams will be a serious challenge for No. 1-seeded Atchison in the second round. Atchison is 8-0 but the only challenging opponent on their schedule was Ottawa and that game came in Week One. The Phoenix face Bonner Springs in Week Nine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='543073' first='Aaron' last='Henson'], </strong>&nbsp;LB, 6'0”, 215, Piper, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Piper is able to pull off an upset the Pirate defense will have to carry the load. Piper's leading tackler is Henson with 98 total tackles, six of which were for a loss of yardage. He has a nice mix of speed and strength which makes him difficult to block. He has registered two sacks and has one fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ottawa (3-5) at Tonganoxie (6-2) – </strong>These two teams played just last week with the Chieftains knocking off the Cyclones 40-10. Each team has seen each other and now must make adjustments to the other. The winner will likely face No. 4 seed Chanute in the regional round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='543068' first='Isaiah' last='Holthaus']</strong>, WR, 6'2”, 195, Tonganoxie, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chieftains have one of the most explosive offenses in the state. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='544724' first='Colton' last='Brusven'] does most of the heavy lifting, but wideout Holthaus might be the best athlete on the unit. He has great size which makes him an easy target to find. The senior has made 22 receptions for 634 yards and nine touchdowns. He can make long gains and his longest reception of the season went for 70 yards. On another offense, he could get targeted five times the number he does now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Circle (2-6)  at Wellington (6-2) – </strong>Wellington has a chance to prove it is worthy of a No. 4 seed with a decent test from Circle and then a probable match-up against Field Kindley (5-3) in the regional round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1112386' first='Dusty' last='Bannister']</strong>, QB, 6'1” 189, Wellington, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crusaders have a junior quarterback posting eye-popping numbers in 2023. Bannister has thrown for 1,978 yards and 20 touchdowns. He will be a guy to really watch this summer at camps and combines for the 2025 recruiting push.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Independence &nbsp;(3-5) @ Andover Central (5-3) – </strong>There is some unique randomness to this game. For instance, Independence playing in the western side of the bracket seems to be quite odd. Also, Andover Central playing 4A football and 5A in other sports is weird. Oh, well I am sure both teams will put on a good show.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maddox Archibald</strong>, RB,&nbsp; 5'8”, 160, Andover Central, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Archibald is one of the Jags' main offensive weapons. He has rushed for 913 yards on 179 carries and has scored 11 touchdowns. The winner of this game should be destined to meet the No. 3-seeded Abilene Cowboys (6-2) in the regional round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->