Week 6 Top Games: Wichita Area & Western KS

We are already rolling into week 6 of the 2024 season and so far it has been an exciting start. By the sixth game we can generally start to see some of the elite teams broaden the gap and are anchored comfortably in the rankings.   Others absorbed an early season loss or two and are now scrambling to stay in contention in league/district regular-season play, and hope to get their foot in the playoff door come November.   Unfortunately, hope is not much of a strategy...   The loss or losses may have essentially wiped out any margin of error for the rest of the season, so if every game wasn't critical before, they certainly are now. There are a couple of those teams below who find themselves in this predicament.   In this report we will take a high-level look at three of the more interesting games coming up this Friday. All are either ranked or have been listed in "Others" at some point in the season, with several one-loss teams and a rare two-loss ranked team fighting to maintain some mid-season momentum.   So, without further adieu, lets dive in to the week 6 "Games of the Week":   5A #4 Great Bend (5-0) @ 5A Liberal (4-1)   Great Bend won at Dodge City, 28-14, last week to continue their unbeaten streak so far in 2024. The Panthers are already battle-tested, having defeated a ranked McPherson squad in the season opener, #5 (at the time) Buhler 43-26, and then last week against Dodge City 28-14.   Junior dual-threat quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1113368' first='Daxton' last='Minton'] 6'0, 185, QB, '26, leads a powerful offense that features the #1-ranked player in the 2026 class, all-world wideout [player_tooltip player_id='1229117' first='Ian' last='Premer']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/ian-premer/"></a> , 6'6, 205 WR, '26, who racked up 167 yards and five TD's on only five receptions and also added seven tackles and an interception in his team's big win over Buhler earlier in the year. Up front the Great Bend skill players are protected by [player_tooltip player_id='1236067' first='Owen' last='Kaiser']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/owen-kaiser/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/owen-kaiser/"></a> , 6'4, 280, RT/DE, '25, a mauler in the trenches who is getting attention from college scouts and coaches. On the other side of the ball the Panthers feature all-state middle linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1083225' first='Trenton' last='Kern']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/trenton-kern/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/trenton-kern/"></a> , 6'1, 220, LB, '26, who has been a headhunter as usual, averaging double-digit tackles every game this season.   Liberal, on the other hand, started strong destroying their first three opponents 154-12 before falling to Dodge City 33-14 in week four. They got back on track with a win against Garden City 28-14 last week.   The Redskins will be attempting to counter the Great Bend defense with a powerful running game led by [player_tooltip player_id='1453234' first='Xavier' last='Porras']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/xavier-porras/"></a> , 5'11, 175, RB/DB, '25, who rolled last week with 200+ yards rushing, including a 96-yard score, and is currently one of the top rushers in the state with just under 900 yards in the first five games. He is also averaging nine yards every time he touches the ball. Leading the squad from behind center is [player_tooltip player_id='1075837' first='Tevin' last='Cotter']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/tevin-cotter/"></a> , 6'0, 175, QB, '28 – a rare freshman starter at quarterback in the higher-classification schools. He hasn't wasted any time making his mark on high school football, leading Liberal to a 70-6 victory in the season opener, while firing TD passes of 52 and 38 yards and added a rushing touchdown to give him three total TD's in his debut..     4A "Others" Winfield (4-1) @ 4A #5 Wellington (3-2)   Winfield improved to 4-1 with a 29-8 win over Circle last Friday. The Vikings regrouped from their heartbreaking OT loss to McPherson 29-23 the week before and took it out on the Thunderbirds last Friday, holding them to less than 80 yards rushing and also picked off a pair of passes. The Vikings roll into Wellington this week and will need every bit of that defensive prowess against the dangerous Crusaders.   Leading the way on defense for the Vikings will be the one-two punch of [player_tooltip player_id='1115495' first='Jackson' last='Davis']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jackson-davis-2/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jackson-davis-2/"></a> , 5'10, 195, DB/LB, Winfield, '25, a strong, physical defender who can play multiple positions within coach Monty Lewis' defensive scheme; and [player_tooltip player_id='1228512' first='Devan' last='Caley']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/devan-caley/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/devan-caley/"></a> , 6'1, 335, OL/DL, Winfield, '25, a massive road-grader in the trenches who excels both ways but really shines along the defensive front, essentially shutting down the opposition's run game between the tackles.   Wellington won its third straight game, 40-21, at Augusta after starting the season with a buzzsaw of a schedule, facing a couple of teams ranked in the top three in the state at the time, Collegiate and Andale. The Crusaders lost both of those games but they were shoot outs and they appear to be getting stronger every game since then. Winfield presents the latest challenge as they bring a ball-buster defense to town ready to go toe-to-toe.   The high-flying Crusader arial attack has been on full display this year as returning all-state QB [player_tooltip player_id='1112386' first='Dusty' last='Bannister']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/dusty-bannister/"></a> , 6'0, 185 '25, is back after piling up 30 touchdowns running and passing a year ago. So far this year he is one of the top passers in the state with 1,500+ yards and 14 total TD's in the first five games. His favorite target is future D1 wideout [player_tooltip player_id='570215' first='Carter' last='Burnett']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/carter-burnett/"></a> , 6'4, 195, WR/DE '25, an athletic receiver with prototype size and a huge catch radius who is also one of the leading wideouts in the state with just under 700 receiving yards so far in 2024. When teams try to focus on Burnett, the Crusaders have been effective, throwing to standout senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1552950' first='Grady' last='Norris'], 6'0, 175, ATH, '25, who is also among the top receivers in the state this year and has burned up the passing lanes all year..   3A #9 Scott City (4-1) @ 3A Holcomb (4-1)   Scott City blasted Hugoton, 50-0, last week after jumping out big in the first half and cruising to the win. The Beavers have been a high-octane offense all year, and other than their only loss to unbeaten Colorado powerhouse Wray, CO, have destroyed the competition 171-15 in the other four games.   Leading the charge for the Beavers is [player_tooltip player_id='1115096' first='Jackson' last='Rumford']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jackson-rumford/"></a> , 6'6, 240 '25, a versatile stud in the making and multi-positional receiver/defensive end who will continue his football career at Kansas State next year. Getting Rumford the ball as consistently as possible will be dual-threat senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1115099' first='Camden' last='Vulgamore']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/camden-vulgamore/"></a> , 6'1, 180, '25 who returns after a strong junior campaign when he was responsible for 1,600+ yards and 20 touchdowns. When opposing defenses try to focus on those two, Scott City counters with running back Kelton Cook, 5'9,165 '25 who finished last week with seven carries for 173 yards and a pair of TD's, including a scorching 80-yard touchdown run to bust open the second half and help seal his team's win.   Holcomb hammered an undefeated Colby squad 41-7 last week to give them a four-game winning streak coming into this game. Other than an opening-day loss to defending state champion and currently undefeated Cheney, they have been on a roll.   Last week junior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1398429' first='Korbin' last='Johnson'] 5'11, 185 '25, rushed for 250 yards and three scores, caught three passes for 59 yards and had seven tackles on defense to carry the Longhorns. Anchoring the trenches on both sides of the ball is future D1 standout [player_tooltip player_id='716775' first='Drayton' last='Knoll']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/drayton-knoll/"></a> , 6'5, 305, OL/DL, '25 who has been blowing open holes in the running game and when on defense, dominates in the trenches with his size and athleticism. He trained with legendary Coach James Tabor with @PIAthletes getting ready for his senior season and it is already reaping dividends.   In conclusion, these teams are too good to pass up! Get out and see them in action if at all possible. And, as always, if you run across a team or player flying under the radar feel free to reach out to via DM on X.

We are already rolling into week 6 of the 2024 season and so far it has been an exciting start. By the sixth game we can generally start to see some of the elite teams broaden the gap and are anchored comfortably in the rankings.