Sub-State Preview: Top Defenders In Class 6A And 5A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And then there were four!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kansas High School Football playoffs have just two weekends left. Each classification is down to four teams as we head into the Sub-State Round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at four top defensive players still competing in the Class 6A and 5A Brackets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1453244' first='Jack' last='North']</strong>, DB, 5'11”, 160, Blue Valley West, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blue Valley West (10-1)) will face Gardner-Edgerton (10-1) in one of the Class 6A State Semifinals. The Jaguars leading tackler heading into the game is North. He is currently ranked No. 579 by Prep Redzone. He leads the team with 73 total tackles through 11 games. The senior defensive back also has six pass breakups and one interception. Blue Valley West qualified for the semifinal round with a 35-20 victory over Shawnee Mission Northwest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hagen Hamblin, </strong>LB, 5'10”, 185, Derby, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 11-0 Derby Panthers will face the undefeated Manhattan Indians (11-0) in the other Class 6A sub-state matchup. Derby has been playing with the throttle wide open all season long and making teams look silly. Hamblin is the top tackler for the Panthers. Through 11 games he has recorded 79 total tackles. He has eight tackles that resulted in lost yardage, one quarterback sack, and one fumble recovery. Derby advanced to the Class 6A Final Four with a 63-28 win over Wichita East.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1114826' first='Max' last='Requet'], &nbsp;</strong>DL, 6'1”, 200, St. James Academy, 25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Requet is ranked No. 344 overall by Prep Redzone. He is third on the team with 60 total tackles, which, is an impressive number for a defensive lineman. In 11 games he has collected eight quarterback sacks and nine TFLs. St. James Academy (6-5) and will face St. Thomas Aquinas (11-0) in a Class 5A Semifinal. The Thunder advanced to the semifinal round with a 45-6 victory against Blue Valley North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1530394' first='Julian' last='Gallegos']</strong>, LB, 5'9”, 167, Eisenhower, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second Class 5A Sub-State game pits Hays (7-4) against Eisenhower (9-2). The Tigers defense is lead by a sophomore linebacker. Gallegos has registered an eye-popping total of 114 tackles in 11 games. He is currently ranked No. 198 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027 rankings, but look for him to parlay this season into a rankings climb. Eisenhower knocked off Seaman 44-14 to advance to the Class 5A Sub-State Round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->