Game Balls From Around the State: WR’s Week 8

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 postseason is officially upon us in the <em>Sunflower State</em>. But before we preview matchups for this upcoming week of postseason play, we'll take one last look at the action from Week 8. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final week of the 2024 regular season did not disappoint. With it being senior night for several programs and having playoff seeding on the line, teams were playing with a little extra juice this past Friday night. This of course led to more impressive performances from receivers and defensive backs across the state. In the first part of this Week 8 <em>Game Ball</em> report we'll be highlighting the top receiving performances. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Class of ‘25</em></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='442660' first='Carter' last='Pabst'] - Eisenhower, 6'1”, 185</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pabst takes home the top receiving <em>Game Ball</em> for Week 8 and earns his third total of the season. He capped off the regular season with his best performance of his senior year. The <em>North Dakota commit </em>eclipsed the 1,200-yard receiving mark against Wichita Northwest, as he caught eight passes for 251 yards and found the end zone twice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1223957' first='Bryer' last='Finley'] - Seaman, 6'5”, 195</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finley joins Pabst as a three-time <em>Game Ball</em> recipient. He extended his streak of 140 or more receiving yards to six games, and reached the 1,200-yard mark as well. In Seaman's matchup against De Soto, Finley snagged seven balls for 146 yards and two touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='282256' first='Landen' last='Gatto'] - Maize South, 6'4”, 200</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another top-ranked wideout that shined from the Class of ‘25 was [player_tooltip player_id='282256' first='Landen' last='Gatto']. Week 8 didn't go as planned for Maize South and Gatto, but he still put together a note worthy stat line. Gatto recorded 13 receptions for 181 yards and one score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Class of ‘26</em></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1115792' first='James' last='Fieser'] - Liberal, 6'3”, 185</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fieser saved his best performance for the final week of the regular season. The 6-foot-3 junior came up big in a rivalry matchup against Hays. He posted three catches for 180 yards and two scores. This not only secured his first <em>Game Ball</em> of the season, but it also helped Liberal lock up the 5th seed on the westside of the Class 5A bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1403609' first='Arley' last='Morrell'] - Pratt, 6'6”, 205</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This pass catching portion of Week 8's <em>Game Ball</em> report concludes with another first-time <em>Game Ball</em> recipient. [player_tooltip player_id='1403609' first='Arley' last='Morrell'] has been huge for Pratt down the stretch and he closed out the regular season with his best performance. Morrell hauled in six catches for 159 yards and one touchdown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->