Deck’s Top 5 Big Games: Key Week One Battles

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are just one more sleep from kicking off the Kansas High School football season, as at least five games are scheduled for Thursday, September, 5.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I would like to carry on a tradition from last season sharing the first edition of “Deck's Top 5 Big Games.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I will feature five games across the state and one player from each game each week. I plan on picking games involving teams from my coverage area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Salina South (5A) @ Salina Central (5A) – </strong>City rivals face each other looking for bragging rights and to get off to a quick start. Prep Redzone will be in the house when the Cougars and Mustangs square off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401683' first='Kaden' last='Snyder']</strong>, OL, 6'6”, 255, Salina Central, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am looking forward to this prep season like never before. I will be at the South/Central game and am looking forward to watching multiple ranked players in this contest. Snyder is currently ranked No. 3 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. He has multiple college offers, and I want to see him ply his blocking trade in person.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shawnee Heights (5A) @ Washburn Rural (6A) – </strong>Former league rivals and current Topeka rivals face off to open the season. Both teams lost a significant number of key players from last year's squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1115459' first='King' last='Leonard']</strong>, DB, 5'10”, 175, Washburn Rural, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leonard is a talented defensive back currently ranked No. 52 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas.&nbsp; The Blues lost a ton of talent on offense and will need the defense to play big early in the season. Heights likes to sling the ball around when possible, so Leonard could get challenged.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hayden (3A) @ Eudora (4A) – </strong>Class 3A powerhouse Hayden opens the season on the road against a tough and young Eudora squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1113404' first='Kade' last='Mitchell']</strong>, RB, 5'8” 170, Hayden, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hayden is a team I expect to see play later down the road and one I saw practice already this season. The Wildcats are a team that will utilize multiple weapons on offense. Mitchel a running back ranked No. 111 overall by Prep Redzone will get his fair share of carries. I am interested to see who steps up for the Hayden offense and what players the Wildcats will lean on in high-pressure situations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sabetha (2A) @ Holton (3A) –</strong>  Two perennial Northeast Kansas powerhouses will meet in Holton. The Bluejays (10-2) and Wildcats (7-5) will both look to begin building winning seasons with a week one victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1115433' first='Kyler' last='Jackson'], </strong>RB, 6'0”, 200, Holton, 25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson is currently ranked No. 367 overall in the class of 2025. Holton is traditionally a run-first offense with multiple ball carriers. Jackson carried the ball 113 times for 728 yards as a junior. A record of 7-5 is a down year for Holton, so the Wildcats want to get the momentum train running right away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Abilene (4A) @ Clay Center (3A) – </strong>The Cowboys and Tigers will face off in a key central Kanas match-up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1334220' first='Weston' last='Rock']</strong>, WR, 6'1”, 170, Abilene, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rock has an offer from Bethany College and will be looking to improve his recruitment stock and win a bunch of games as a senior. He finished last season with 52 receptions and caught 10 touchdowns. I predict Rock will find the end zone in Abilene's season opener.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->