Week 7 Wichita Area & Western KS Top Games

Half a dozen games is apparently enough for some teams to be hitting on all cylinders. Obviously, for driven coaches and players it is never quite good enough, as the relentless pursuit of perfection burns deep, but we have some baller teams looking good so far in 2024.   As week 7 unfolds tonight there are numerous captivating games on tap. Earlier in the week I did a deep dive on the clash of the titans in Andover tonight when #5 Eisenhower travels to #3 Andover Central, but, that is just one of many across the state.   Other huge games tonight in the Wichita area and Western Kansas are 5A #9 Maize South (5-1) @ 6A #1 Derby (6-0); Goodland @ 3A #9 Scott City (5-1) out west; while traditional powerhouse St James Academy (2-4) after running into a four-game buzzsaw of a mid-season schedule, travels to Wichita from Lenexa to challenge 4A #1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (6-0).   In this report we will take a quick look at a couple of intriguing matchup's in the Wichita area when 5A #10 Hays (4-2) makes the short trip across the prairie to take on 5A #4 Great Bend (6-0). A little closer to Wichita will be the much-anticipated rivalry rock fight when 1A #2 Sedgwick makes the short roadtrip up I-35 to battle 1A #4 Moundridge.   At this stage in the season it is time to buckle up and deliver a beat down, or exit stage left and join the rest of us fans in the stands...   So, without further adieu, let's dive into a couple of those key games coming to a football field near you tonight:   Hays 5A #10 (4-2) @ Great Bend 5A #4 (6-0)   Hays has their work cut out for them tonight when they make the short jaunt to Great Bend for a potentially-thrilling game between two ranked teams.   The Indians kicked off the season with a gut-punch of a schedule as they opened with 6A #1-ranked Derby. They got hammered by the Panthers 40-7, but regrouped to defeat Wheat Ridge, CO 42-7 the next week, before losing a heartbreaker to 6A #2-ranked Manhattan 34-30.   It doesn't get much tougher than facing the two top teams in the highest classification in the state right out of the chute, but Hays circled the wagons and got the season back on track when they knocked out Garden City 41-8 and then last week blanked Dodge City 26-0 to cap a three-game winning streak.   The Hays squad features some top talent that has been highlighted in earlier reports, so I wanted to focus on one of their strengths that doesn't get as much attention as it should - their lights-out linebackers, [player_tooltip player_id='1115502' first='Wyatt' last='Kirkpatrick'], 6'2, 225, '25, a jackhammer of a middle linebacker who is shutting down opposing team's run game between the tackles; and [player_tooltip player_id='1115489' first='Dalton' last='Meyers'], 6'2, 205, '25, another senior ball buster who plays outside linebacker and storms the gate off the edge to shut down the perimeter.   Kirkpatrick and Meyers are going to need to bring their A-game tonight as the formidable Great Bend offense is as dangerous as they come in Western Kansas. The QB-Receiver connection is elite, as the junior tandem of [player_tooltip player_id='1113368' first='Daxton' last='Minton'], 6'0, 185, QB, '26 and [player_tooltip player_id='1229117' first='Ian' last='Premer'], 6'6, 210, WR/TE are deadly in the redzone.   On defense junior all-state LB, [player_tooltip player_id='1083225' first='Trenton' last='Kern'], 6'1, 220, '26 gets most of the attention as he is one of the top tacklers in the state, but also playing exceptionally well has been his teammate, [player_tooltip player_id='1622490' first='Conner' last='Holladay'], 6'0, 200, LB/RB, a rising star who has been rock solid all year with 43 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four sacks in six games. He is athletic and aggressive and brings the heat coming off the edge.   Hays has regrouped after starting 1-2 and has put together a strong 3-0 run the last three weeks to both move up in the rankings and also in building the momentum needed to finish the season strong.   Great Bend has weathered a tough schedule as well, defeating a ranked McPherson team in the opening game and then another ranked team in Buhler in week three. They continued to mow down the competition and then survived a close one last week, winning 14-7 over Liberal, to move to 6-0 on the season and set the stage for tonight's showdown on the prairie.     #2 Sedgwick (6-0) @ #4 Moundridge (5-0-1)   Shifting gears to 1A, another game with two ranked rivals takes place tonight when Sedgwick rolls into Moundridge for their annual football fist fight. The Cardinals (6-0) have been hot all year and are looking to stay undefeated.   Moundridge (5-0-1) is undefeated as well, except for a tie with Medicine Lodge in week three that was cancelled due to inclement weather.   Sedgwick brings one of the top offenses in the state, led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='1112380' first='Corey' last='Crumrine'], 5'10, 165, QB, '25 who is having another exceptional season, has completed 110 of 158 passes for a sizzling 70% completion percentage. He has also thrown 21 TD passes to only two interceptions for a blazing QBR of 136. He has added 316 yards and six TD's on the ground to give him just under 2,000 total yards through six games.   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1115726' first='Dallas' last='Lagree'], 5'10, 165, ATH, has been his main target, hauling in 41 passes for 623 yards and seven TD's to date. He is also a ball buster on defense averaging 6+ tackles a game and is one of the top special teams players.   On defense the Cardinals have been led by senior Gage Harris, 5'10, 170, LB/WR '25 who has been a headhunter all year. Through the first six games he has piled up an impressive 75 tackles, averaging 12+ per game, and has also added 16 tackles for loss and a sack just for good measure. Earlier in the year he put on a show against Trinity, dominating the game with 21 tackles and five TFL. Get your popcorn out for this kid when he is on defense.   For Moundridge, their stellar defense is going to be put to the test trying to stop the high-octane Cardinals attack. So far in 2024 they have not allowed any team to score more than eight points in a game. Last week they dispatched a tough Marion team 12-8 to keep their unbeaten streak alive heading into game seven.   On offense [player_tooltip player_id='1112372' first='Henry' last='Hecox']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/henry-hecox/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/henry-hecox/"></a> , 6'2, 195, QB, '25, is the dual-threat team leader who is off to another solid start. Earlier in the year he became the all-time leading passer in Moundridge history. On defense, master-blaster Bear Moddelmog, 6'4, 205, LB/TE has led one of the stingiest defensive squads in 1A this year. He also came up big on offense last week, catching three Hecox passes for 80 yards, including the game-winning TD with two minutes left in the game to rally for a 12-8 win over Marion.   Rivalry games like this one are always tough to predict as both teams bring a ton of raw emotion to the game that can sometimes cause interesting developments. Moundridge will need to dial up their best defensive scheme yet this season if they hope to derail the powerful offense Sedgwick brings to town. Should be a riveting ball game.   In conclusion, these teams and players are too good not to get out and see them live. And as always, if you know of anyone or any team flying under the radar, feel free to give me a shout on X via DM.

Half a dozen games is apparently enough for some teams to be hitting on all cylinders. Obviously, for driven coaches and players it is never quite good enough, as the relentless pursuit of perfection burns deep, but we have some baller teams looking good so far in 2024.