Conway Springs, Goddard Peaking at the Right Time

We are coming down the home stretch as the eight-game regular-season comes to a close this Friday, with the playoffs looming large in the not-so-distant future.   The all-important "post-season" is essentially a season within a season. Run the table and you play five games and get a shot at the state title.   Stumble, and you go home. No do-overs. No mulligans. The post-season is single-elimination warfare at it's best.   But before we officially roll into playoff season we have one final regular-season of Friday-Night Lights and there are some intriguing games throughout the state.   In the Wichita and surrounding area we have some huge games, as 6A #5 Wichita NW (6-1) @ 5A #5 Eisenhower (6-1), as the Tigers go from the frying pan to the fire coming off their close loss to Andover Central last week. In another key bounce-back game, 3A #5 Cheney (6-1) looks to get back in the groove when they host 3A "Others" Pratt (6-1).   Also, 3A #1 Andale (7-0) @ 3A #8 Hesston (7-0), in a battle of the unbeatens; while the eastside rivalry game gets underway Friday with 4A #2 Andover Central (6-1) @ Andover (4-3).   Two more games of interest that I will go into a little more detail on, feature teams that appear to be peaking at the right time: 1A #1-ranked Conway Springs, and 5A #8-ranked Goddard. Both teams have been hot of late and are looking at this Friday as a final tune-up before the playoffs hit.   Both teams are physical, with pounding running attacks and suffocating defenses. There are also quite a few high-end players that will be seeing action on Saturdays in the very near future.   So, without further adieu, let's shift gears and take a quick look under the hood.   Conway Springs Cardinals (7-0) ranked #1 in class 1A @ South Sumner (Caldwell/South Haven) (2-5) unranked   This time last year Conway Springs was still fighting for their life to offset the two losses suffered in the first two games of the 2023 season. They would go on to dominate in the playoffs and beat Jefferson County North 35-6 for a convincing win in the 1A state championship game.   Fast forward to this year and the Cardinals are riding high on an 18-game winning streak and currently ranked #1 in 1A going into the last week of the regular season.   And, they have been doing it in their own way for as long as most people can remember. They still pound the rock out of the single wing and its many variations and they still play a tough, physical style of play.   The single wing running game continues to overwhelm after all these years, as so far they have cranked out 2,322 rushing yards on 336 carries, averaging seven yards a carry and 330+ yards rushing every game.   Leading the way in the run game is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1224115' first='Isaac' last='Winter'], 5'11, 180, RB/LB '25, who has been the workhorse, carrying 127 times for 1,103 yards, just under nine yards a carry and 17 TD's. He has also picked up 32 tackles, five tackles for loss and a pair of sacks on defense.   Also coming up big on both sides of the ball has been junior [player_tooltip player_id='1585776' first='Logan' last='Osner'], 6'1, 175, QB/DB '26, who has rushed for 575 yards on 85 carries, averaging seven yards a carry and four touchdowns. He has averaged 120 yards a game rushing the last two games and has picked up 38 tackles and two tackles for loss on defense.   Also key on both sides of the ball has been [player_tooltip player_id='284900' first='Cade' last='Howell'], 5'11, 225, RB/LB, who has picked up just under 200 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on offense and piled up 56 tackles and eight tackles for loss on defense.   South Sumner has their work cut out for them when the top team in the land rolls into town this Friday. The Outlaws started the season on a winning note, beating Pleasanton 49-7 and then handled Southeast 41-22 in week three to stand at 2-1 after three games. Since then it has not been as positive as SS has lost four straight, including a 55-18 drubbing by Sterling last week.     Goddard Lions (6-1) ranked #8 in class 5A @ Salina Central Mustangs (3-4) unranked   Goddard has used a similar game plan as Conway in rolling to a 6-1 record, as they have a powerful running game, backed by a punishing defense. The Lions only loss came in game two against #5 Eisenhower 32-21. Since then they have allowed less then nine points per game, which included four games of only a single score allowed.   Leading the Lions and their stonewall defense is the one-two punch of [player_tooltip player_id='1317790' first='Preston' last='Hagel'], 6'1, 215, LB/FB '25, one of the top LB's in the state, he is a headhunter of a linebacker who has been in beat-down mode all season with 90+ tackles, averaging a whopping 13 per game, to go along with 19 tackles for loss and seven sacks; and [player_tooltip player_id='1159647' first='Jaden' last='Cohens'], 5'10, 175, DB '25, a suffocating, lockdown corner who has 20 tackles and an interception so far this year and has been getting a lot of attention from scouts and coaches.   On offense, the Lions have been fine-tuning their ground game all season. They have rushed for just under 2,000 yards so far and almost 250 yards a game. Leading the way has been Kaiden Stroot, 5'11, 175, RB/LB '25, who has carried the ball 81 times for 493 yards and eight TD's; [player_tooltip player_id='1530365' first='Erik' last='Olivas'], 5'8, 170, RB/DB, has carried the ball 44 times for 483 yards and averages 10+ yards per carry.   For Salina Central, it has been an up-and-down year as just when they pick up a win and look to be building some momentum they would absorb another loss. Three weeks ago they bombed Newton 57-7 and looked like they might be turning the corner sitting at 3-2. However, they loss their next two, including last week to Andover 21-14.   The Mustangs have some top-end players, on defense they are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1159895' first='James' last='MacKinney'], 6'4, 235, DE/LB '25 who has 42 tackles and 19 tackles for loss and [player_tooltip player_id='866495' first='Tyrus' last='Young'], 6'2, 215, LB/TE '25, a rising two-way star who has 18 tackles and a tackle for loss the last couple of weeks. On offense, QB [player_tooltip player_id='1112371' first='Jack' last='Gordon'], 5'11, 185, '25 got off to a hot start rifling 12 TD's to zero picks on 700+ yards in his first three games this year. In one game he was 8 for 8 for 216 yards, with five TD passes to four different receivers in two quarters of play. He has since cooled a bit but when he is on he is one of the best in the state.     In conclusion, these guys are too good not to get out and see live. Additionally, if you know of any player or team that is flying under the proverbial radar, reach out to me via DM on X.

We are coming down the home stretch as the eight-game regular-season comes to a close this Friday, with the playoffs looming large in the not-so-distant future.