Week 3 Games of the Week: Wichita/Western KS

Week three rolled in hard and fast on the heels of monsoon rains and thunderstorms that delayed and even cancelled games across the state. But, where they were able to play, teams under the microscope this week did not disappoint..   Many of the teams I am following closely won this past Friday, including Derby continued their dominating ways, as did Andover Central and Eisenhower, who all three moved to 3-0 and among the best in their respective classifications.   It is also readily apparent that the top teams are already operating in machine mode and will be tough to knock off if they keep rolling along like they have so far this fall   But, before getting into the top results, here is a reminder of what my posting plans are for the rest of the week:   -Week 3 "Games of the Week" Overview (posting today, usually every Sun-Mon).   –Week 3 “Top QB's” (posts every Tue-Wed).   -Week 3 "Top RB's" (posts every Tue-Wed)   -Week 4 “Game of the Week" Preview” (posts every Wed-Thu)   But, enough of all that, let's plow into the week #3 “Games of the Week”:   6A Game of the Week - #1 Derby @ Salina South - the Panthers continued to flex their formidable muscle, as they drubbed Salina South 59-7 Friday night. For Derby, it didn't take much time to demonstrate overwhelming domination as they returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, forced a safety, and returned a punt for a TD to lead 23-0 before their offense even took a snap. The lead soon swelled to 44-0 after one quarter, as the backup players started entering the game. The defense was dominating as usual, holding Salina South to one yard rushing and stonewalled them on third downs, forcing them to go 0-8. Derby stars have to get their stats early as they have so far won their first three games by a combined score of 176-14. Case in point, Tennessee commit, [player_tooltip player_id='570288' first='DaSaahn' last='Brame'], '25, only touched the ball three times, but he was on fire when he did, catching two passes for 80 yards and a TD through the air and also returned a punt 45 yards for a TD. These guys are numero uno indeed...   5A Game of the Week – #5 Great Bend vs. Buhler (“Others” 4A) – fifth-ranked Great Bend rolled over a strong Buhler team 43-26 Friday night as the offensive firepower was on full display. I mentioned last week that the Great Bend offense was ready to bust out, and they did in a precision manner. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1113368' first='Daxton' last='Minton'], '26, was impressively efficient, firing five TD passes to all-world wideout [player_tooltip player_id='1229117' first='Ian' last='Premer'], '26, who racked up 167 yards on those catches. The 6'6 top-ranked player in the 2026 class, also added seven tackles and an interception to close out a stellar stat line. Also swarming on defense was all-state middle linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1083225' first='Trenton' last='Kern']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/trenton-kern/"></a> , '26, who was a headhunter as usual, piling up 13 tackles, to give him 36 on the season. He also added a tackle for loss and and a sack.   4A Game of the Week – Chanute (“Others” 4A) vs McPherson (“Others” 4A) – was a key game featuring two teams somewhat flying under the radar, but after Friday night Chanute will be commanding attention as they delivered a knock-out blow to McPherson 27-14. Standout, dual-threat quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id='1113456' first='Kris' last='Harding II']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/kris-harding-ii/"></a> , '26, stepped up to the challenge, completing 15 of 20 passes for 212 passing yards and a pair of TD's. He added 51 rushing yards on only four carries and a rushing touchdown as Chanute picked up a big win. Harding has Chanute hitting on all cylinders with his passing, running and leadership so far this season as they stay unbeaten at 3-0.   3A Game of the Week – Clearwater (“Others” 3A) @ Wellington (“Others” 4A) – looked to be a slugfest going into the game, but the Crusaders continued to fine-tune their impressive arsenal of weapons and dispatched Clearwater 35-14. Wellington came into the game 0-2 after running into a buzzsaw of an early schedule against Collegiate and Andale. Gunslinger QB [player_tooltip player_id='1112386' first='Dusty' last='Bannister'] continued to lead with his arm, hitting wideout [player_tooltip player_id='1552950' first='Grady' last='Norris'] for 100+ yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also went early and often to all-state flanker [player_tooltip player_id='570215' first='Carter' last='Burnett'], who continues to be one of the leading receivers in the state with 24 catches for 473 and two TD's through three games.   1A Game of the Week – #2 Medicine Lodge @ #5 Moundridge – was a critical 1A match-up between two teams ranked in the top five I was looking forward to that ended up being cancelled due to inclement weather. The QB duel looked promising as it pitted two standout quarterbacks. Returning all-state QB, [player_tooltip player_id='868977' first='Keveon' last='Ruiz']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/keveon-ruiz/"></a> , '25, for Medicine Lodge had been on fire so far in 2024, passing for 399 yards and six TD's, while rushing for 218 yards and two TD's on the ground, averaging 13.6 yards per carry. On the other side of the ball, QB, [player_tooltip player_id='1112372' first='Henry' last='Hecox']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/henry-hecox/"></a> , '25, last week became the all-time leading passer in Moundridge history.   In conclusion, the season is starting to get interesting as the top teams look to continue to open the gap with their competitors while many others scramble to salvage a respectable season. Going forward, if you think your team should be on this list and isn't, or know of anyone flying under the radar feel free to reach out to CoolDaddyO via DM on X.

Week three rolled in hard and fast on the heels of monsoon rains and thunderstorms that delayed and even cancelled games across the state. But, where they were able to play, teams under the microscope this week did not disappoint..