The Pick List -- Week 6
By: Kpreps.com & KansasPregame.com
Posted: October 7, 2009 - 10:04 PM

One week remains before the 11-man schools kick off district play. This week features key league games in the Sunflower and Centennial Leagues, another Mid-Continent League slugfest, and some playoff deciding games in 8 Man Division II.

Feature Games of the Week:

6A #1 Olathe North (5-0)) at 6A #4 Lawrence Free State (4-1)

Olathe North and Lawrence Free State square off Friday night in Lawrence in a battle of 6A ranked teams. The #1 ranked Eagles and #4 ranked Firebirds split last fall as North took the regular season match-up 35-7, while Free State got revenge 10-6 in a second round playoff game. The Firebirds continued their run to the state title game where they came up five points short to Junction City.

Each team features game-breakers on the offensive side of the ball. Free State features QB Cameren Torneden and running back Kirk Resseguie who rushed for over 200 yards in last week’s 49-0 shutout of Shawnee Mission Northwest. Olathe North is led by senior running back James Franklin. Franklin has rushed for 1,046 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, and his 4,170 career yards leaves him just 1,060 shy of North’s school record set by current San Diego Charger Darren Sproles.

Our Pick: Olathe North 35 Free State 17


6A #3 Manhattan (5-0) at Emporia (4-1)

The game of the week in the Centennial League features unbeaten Manhattan at Emporia. The Indians narrowly escaped Blue Valley – Stilwell in week one before disposing of four straight Topeka area teams. Indian running back Derek Campbell continues to find ways to help his team win. It was his 18-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Wilkinson on the games final play that was the difference in the 23-21 win over Blue Valley. Even when he’s held in check he finds ways to beat you. Topeka Seaman held Campbell to 36 yards on 12 carries, so he countered with a 30-yard touchdown reception and returned an interception 20 yards for a score.

The Indians will need Campbell’s best effort to earn a road win over a good Emporia team. The Spartans’ lone loss came in week three to Junction City. In that game, the Spartans held a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter before a Blue Jays’ fake punt and kickoff recovery led to 21 straight points and a 35-21 win. Emporia is led by bruising back Mark Kolmer who rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries in last week’s 33-14 win over Topeka Seaman. Manhattan beat that same Seaman Viking team 41-10 in week three.

Our Pick: Emporia 27 Manhattan 21


Hays (5-0) at Dodge City (4-1)

Justin Burke's Dodge City Red Demons had dominated all comers in their first four games averaging 47 points behind the arm of Ty Thomas, the hands of Landon Head and the legs of Jace Banner and it looked like more of the same last Friday as they jumped to a 27-7 halftime lead at Great Bend, but two blocked punts for touchdown in the fourth quarter would deliver the Panthers a 28-27 upset for the Red Demons first loss of the season.

New Hays High coach Ryan Cornelsen hopes to continue his team's impressive five game winning streak and hand the Red Demons their second straight upset when his team travels to Dodge City Friday. The Indians just keep finding ways to win, thanks in large part to the play of quarterback Bryant Bombardier who went 7 for 9 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown in Hays High's 40-14 win over Wichita South last week. He also added two touchdowns rushing.

Our Pick: Dodge City 35 Hays 12


LaCrosse (4-1) at Ness City - Dighton (5-0)

The combined Ness City and Dighton Titans, a team that was 1-8 a year ago, have rolled to a surprising 5-0 record under head coach Faron Kraft, but this week's match-up against 4-1 LaCrosse will be the stiffest competition so far this season. Couple that with the loss of two school days at Ness City because of a flu outbreak and it could be a recipe for disaster for a Titan team which has outscored opponents 258-46.

The Titan team, in their last year of the cooperative, are led on the offensive side of the ball by senior quarterback Joe Flax and sophomore running back Guy Fullmer. Flax has passed for 583 yards and seven touchdowns against only two interceptions while Fullmer is near 1,000 yards on the season with 966 yards on 100 carries with 15 touchdowns.

LaCrosse, under first-year head coach Jon Webster, suffered their only loss of the season in week two to Hutch Trinity, 48-12. Webster's offense goes through speedy junior running back Marcus Moeder who has racked-up 567 yards and five scores on the ground and leads the Leopard defense with 28 tackles and two interceptions.

Our Pick: LaCrosse 34 Ness-Dighton 20


Ellis (3-2) at Norton (4-1)

Only a few plays into the game the Ellis Railroaders found themselves down 7-0 to the Smith Center Redmen last Friday and it looked as though Smith Center could make it another runaway in notching their 72nd win of the season, but something happened after that first score...the Railers got mad. For the next three-and-a-half quarters the Railroaders put up the fight of their lives behind the play of a big, physical offensive line and the hard running of quarterback Jacob Kinderknecht, fullback Gideon Fuchs and tailback Dylan Pfeifer. Impressive sophomore linebacker Jared Herl combined with Fuchs to slow-down the Redmen rushing attack and that first score would be the difference in the game as the Railers lost 16-10 for their second defeat of the season.

Now, Ellis will travel to Norton to take on a 4-1 Bluejay team that's only loss came at the hands of those same Redmen, 20-14, in week three. The Bluejays looked impressive in a 36-0 dismantling of St. Francis last week. Running backs Terrell Lane and Zane Perez are bruisers out of the Bluejay backfield while quarterback Connor Pfannenstiel has found ample targets in receivers Ashton Draper and Landon Hamel.

Our Pick: Norton 22 Ellis 6


Hope (5-0) at 8 Man-II #2 Hanover (4-1)

Traditional power Hope will find out just how strong their 5-0 record is when they travel to Hanover to take on the defending state champs. Hanover's lone loss on the season came at the hands of fellow Twin Valley League and defending 8-Man I champion Baileyville B&B. The Lions’ toughest test came in a week three four-overtime win at Centre-Lost Springs.

The Lions offense is led by Lucas Bird who returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in last week win over Linn. Hanover is led by senior backs Taylor Nicholson and Trevor Juneman who have paced a Wildcat offense that averages nearly 42 points per game.

Our Pick: Hanover 46 Hope 12


The Pick List:

4A #5 Andover (4-1) at Pittsburg (3-2) -- Andover 27-14

The #5 ranked Andover Trojans will travel to Hutchinson Field Friday night to take on the Pittsburg Purple Dragons. Last year, the Trojans won this meeting at Andover in a hard fought 13-9 game. The Trojans have been rolling since a season-opening loss to #2 ranked Buhler. The Purple Dragons have struggled on offense at times this season, but the defense is good enough to keep them in any game.

4A #2 Buhler (5-0) at Mulvane (4-1) -- Buhler 46-20

What could Jorden Oden possibly do next? The Buhler back has already rushed for 1,251 yards and 17 touchdowns in the Crusader’s first five games. He’s only logged one sub 200-yard performance this season, and in that game he ran for 195. Mulane’s only loss came two weeks ago by 20 points to Andover; the same Andover team that Buhler beat by 25 in week one.

Osage City (4-1) at Mission Valley (5-0) -- Osage City 33-21

Perhaps more quietly, Osage City’s Jordan Tice has put up even bigger numbers that Buhler’s Jorden Oden. Tice has run for 1,257 yards and 17 touchdowns thus far, while throwing for 194 yards and three more scores. Even in the Indians 27-6 loss to 2-1A power Olpe, Tice rushed for 126 yards and the only touchdown on a dozen carries. Mission Valley has raced to a 5-0 start behind an offense that averages 40 points per game. Viking QB Ryne Cook has thrown for 643 yards and eight scores this season.

Chanute (4-1) at Coffeyville (3-2) -- Chanute 34-26

The Chanute Blue Comets have won three straight games against tough SEK opponents in Columbus, Pittsburg, and Independence. Chanute is led by Quarterback Matt Bollig who has led the Blue Comets in averaging 35 points per game over the last two games. Coffeyville-Field Kinley will counter with a talented quarterback of their own in Ethan Cordray. Cordray has led a ‘Nado offense that has scored over 40 points in each of their three wins, but defense giving up 27 points per game will have to be better against the Comets.

Colby (4-1) at 2-1A #1 Smith Center (5-0) -- Smith Center 27-12

Smith Center has survived three straight upset bids with wins over Norton (20-14), Phillipsburg (14-12) and Ellis (16-10) and Colby will look to find the formula that puts an end to the Redmen's 72 game win streak. The Eagles upended Phillipsburg 22-14 last week for their fourth consecutive win to improve to 4-1 on the season. The Redmen will need to replace key players in running back Dereck McNary (lost against Norton for the season) and quarterback Shawn Stansbury (lost to a broken collarbone last week at Ellis). The loss of Stansbury leaves the Redmen with a small lineup in the defensive secondary, but Stansbury could return if the Redmen make another deep playoff run.

Caldwell (5-0) at Norwich (4-1) -- Caldwell 45-28

Caldwell QB Braden Lebeda has put up some monster games in leading a Blue Jay offense averaging 55 points per game. Lebeda has completed nearly 60% of his passes for 728 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for 885 yards and 15 scores. Last week in a 76-38 win over Argonia, Lebeda rushed for 377 yards and five scores, and added 272 yards and three more touchdowns through the air. He’ll need another big game as the Blue Jays travel to Norwich (4-1) who’s only loss came to 8 Man-I #4 ranked Pretty Prairie, 48-14.



Salina South (3-2) at Derby (3-2) -- South 24-20

Wichita Northwest (3-2) at Garden City (4-1) – Northwest 28-16

5A #3 Gardner-Edgerton (5-0) at Eudora (4-1) – Gardner-Edgerton 49-6

Kapaun Mt. Carmel (3-2) at 5A #4 Bishop Carroll (5-0) – Carroll 27-17

Newton (4-1) at Pratt (4-1) – Newton 31-22

Anderson Co. (4-1) at Wellsville (3-2) – Wellsville 34-28

Columbus (3-2) at Independence (4-1) – Columbus 27-22

Rose Hill (4-1) at Wellington (3-2) – Rose Hill 21-17

Wichita Trinity (4-1) at Garden Plain (5-0) – Garden Plain 49-17

3A #5 Wichita Collegiate (5-0) at Halstead (4-1) -- Collegiate 42-20

Hillsboro (4-1) at Hoisington (4-1) – Hoisington 30-16

Ell Saline (4-1) at Whitewater Remington (5-0) – Ell Saline 30-21

Valley Heights (4-1) at Wathena (3-2) – Valley Heights 23-16

Minneola (5-0) at Deerfield (3-2) – Minneola 46-28

Centre-Lost Springs (4-1) at Waverly (3-2) – Centre 32-26

8 Man-II #3 Otis-Bison (5-0) at Natoma (4-1) – Otis-Bison 46-14