Playoff Preview: Five Games To Watch In Sectional Round

Two down and two to go.   Kansas High School teams still paying have two playoff wins under their belts, and need two more wins to punch their tickets to the state championship games.   Here is a look at one sectional match-up from classes 6A-2A.   Each game is currently scheduled to take place on Friday, November, 15.   Wichita Northwest (9-1) @ Manhattan (10-0) – On paper, this match-up could be one of the best games this week or a blowout. Manhattan still has yet to be beaten this season and its defense has not allowed a point in the playoffs. Northwest's lone loss of the season came against the Lions in a road loss in Manhattan. The Indians outscored the Grizzlies 38-17 in that October contest. The winner of this Class 6A playoff game will face the winner of Derby (10-0) and Wichita East (7-3)   [player_tooltip player_id='1228492' first='Colby' last='Altevogt'], LB 5'10”, 185, Manhattan, ‘25   One of the stalwarts on the Manhattan defense is senior linebacker Altevogt. He is currently ranked No. 311 in the class of 2025. He leads the Indians in tackles with 70. He has recorded 7.5 tackles for lost yardage. He is a grinder with a nose for the football. He has forced two fumbles this season and recovered one.   Seaman (8-2) @ Eisenhower (8-2) – This game should be called the “Rodney Dangerfield” game of the week. Neither team has gotten much respect from the media this fall. Each team enters the sectional round with records of 8-2. Seaman has been peaking at the right time of the year. The Vikings lost a tough game to De Soto to finish the regular season but have outscored their first two playoff opponents 108-22. The Tigers earned their Class 5A sectionals bid with a gritty 11-point victory over Maize South.   [player_tooltip player_id='1223957' first='Bryer' last='Finley'], WR, 6'2”, 185, Seaman, ‘25   Seaman has a balanced offense and one of the top-producing receivers in the state. Finley has made 72 receptions in 10 games. He has gained 1,499 yards and caught 21 touchdowns. He is the primary threat in a passing game that has gained 2,416 yards through the air, while also rushing for 1,973 yards. Finley is currently ranked No. 224 in the class of 2025 and has college offers from William Jewell and Dodge City Community College. Several other teams have been linked to his recruitment.   Buhler (8-2) @ Wamego (9-1) – Several football pundits wrote off the Red Raiders as Class 4A contenders, after a week three hiccup against Marysville. However, Wamego rides a seven-game winning streak into the sectional round. Buhler took down the No. 4 Seed out west with a 62-21 win over Mulvane. Now the Crusaders will face a big challenge with a road game in Boomtown.   [player_tooltip player_id='1329854' first='Jackson' last='Tupps'],  WR, 5'10”, 165, Wamego, 25   Wamego is a team I saw play early in the season and they have some explosive weapons on offense. Tupps is their leading receiver. Through 10 games he has made 44 receptions for 702 yards. He moved to Kansas from out of state and is still an under-the-radar athlete who should be getting recruited more heavily.   Prairie View (8-2) @ Wellsville (10-0) – Wellsville is one of two teams in Class 3A still looking to run the table and finish with an undefeated season and a 3A State Championship. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 98-7 in two playoff wins.  The Eagles defeated Prairie View in the regular season by a score of 35-20.   [player_tooltip player_id='1585770' first='Armond' last='Graves'], RB/LB, 6'0”, 198, Wellsville, ‘26   Here is a name that popped out of nowhere for me. Wellsville's Graves is an unranked athlete who will surely be added to the rankings at a later date. He leads the Eagles in rushing with over 1,000-yards through nine games. He has found the endzone 22 times on the ground. I noticed his stats while looking up a player we have ranked from Wellsville. It just shows we still don't have enough eyes to find every Kansas athlete we would like to.   Nemaha Central (9-1) @ Osage City (10-0) – Much like Wamego, Nemaha Central's only loss of the season was a week one dud against Marysville. The Thunder defeated rival Sabetha 21-0 to earn a spot in the sectional round. Osage City is one of three undefeated teams left in the Class 2A field. The Osage City defense also pitched a shutout last week eliminating St. Marys 14-0.   [player_tooltip player_id='1573526' first='Quenten' last='Stark'], WR/CB, 6'2” 150, Osage City, ‘26   So I discovered Stark much I like Wellsville's Graves. I planned to once again feature the Indians' ranked quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1113374' first='Kasen' last='Parsons'], but found out that his favorite target is Stark. Stark has been the Indians' “Iron Man” in the passing game with a team-leading 31 receptions and 621 receiving yards. He also leads the squad with 12 touchdown receptions. I can not confirm whether he has his own Roadie or not, nor if he has Marvel Superpowers. However, after watching his most recent video posted on his HUDL account I can confirm that he runs tight routes and is a tall target who can high-point the ball.

Two down and two to go.