Rankings and playoff picks

Here’s our best guess at the Top 5 in each classification and our predictions for the winners of this week’s regional playoff games. Asterisks indicate the games we believe will be the closest on each side of the bracket. Not much change in the rankings, though we returned St. James Academy to third place in 4A because even at 2-7 the Thunder pushed Miege to the brink proving they are deserving of the ranking. While asterisks indicate the game we think will be closest on each side of each playoff bracket, there are plenty of fantastic matchups in each classification and in our estimation there may be more close games than in past regional playoff rounds.

Class 6A

1. Washburn Rural (9-0)

2. Olathe North (8-1)

3. Manhattan (8-1)

4. Olathe East (7-2)

5. Gardner-Edgerton (8-1)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

Gardner-Edgerton over Shawnee Mission Northwest

Blue Valley Northwest over Olathe South

Olathe North over Blue Valley West

*Olathe East over Blue Valley

West

Washburn Rural over Junction City

*Wichita Northwest over Wichita East

Manhattan over Free State

Derby over Lawrence

Class 5A

1. Mill Valley (7-2)

2. Blue Valley Southwest (8-1)

3. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (8-1)

4. De Soto (8-1)

5. Maize South (7-2)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

*De Soto over Seaman

Mill Valley over Spring Hill

Blue Valley Southwest over Lansing

Shawnee Heights over Highland Park

West

Kapaun Mt. Carmel over Great Bend

*Maize South over Hutchinson

Eisenhower over Hays

Liberal over Maize

Class 4A

1. Bishop Miege (8-1)

2. St. Thomas Aquinas (6-3)

3. St. James Academy (2-7)

4. Louisburg (9-0)

5. Tonganoxie (7-2)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

*Eudora over Atchison

Tonganoxie over Chanute

Louisburg over Basehor-Linwood

Bishop Miege over St. Thomas Aquinas

West

Wamego over Rose Hill

Wellington over Field Kindley

*Buhler over McPherson

Andover Central over Abilene

Class 3A

1. Cheney (9-0)

2. Andale (8-1)

3. Topeka Hayden (9-0)

4. Wichita Collegiate (8-1)

5. Clay Center (8-1)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

Frontenac over Burlington

*Wellsville over Holton

Parsons over Prairie View

Topeka Hayden over Santa Fe Trail

West

Clay Center over Hesston

Cheney over Holcomb

*Wichita Collegiate over Rock Creek

Andale over Scott City

Class 2A

1. Nemaha Central (9-0)

2. Southeast of Saline (9-0)

3. Hoisington (9-0)

4. Garden Plain (8-1)

5. Kingman (7-2)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

Humboldt over Riverton

Sabetha over Silver Lake

*Council Grove over Osage City

Nemaha Central over Riley County

West

Southeast of Saline over Kingman

Hoisington over Beloit

*Garden Plain over Ellsworth

Norton over Thomas More Prep

Class 1A

1. St. Mary’s Colgan (9-0)

2. St. Marys (6-3)

3. Smith Center (8-1)

4. Sedgwick (8-1)

5. Marion (8-1)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

St. Mary’s Colgan over Jayhawk-Linn

St. Marys over Jackson Heights

Olpe over Central Heights

*Jefferson County North over Centralia

West

Smith Center over Marion

Conway Springs over Sterling

Sedgwick over Valley Heights

*Hutch Trinity over Medicine Lodge

8-Man I

1. Wichita County (9-0)

2. Moundridge (9-0)

3. Lyndon (9-0)

4. Cair Paravel (7-2)

5. Ell-Saline (8-1)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

West Elk over Little River

Lyndon over South Sumner

*Cair Paravel over Central Burden

Moundridge over Chase County

West

*Ell-Saline over Meade

Hoxie over La Crosse

Rawlins County over Trego

Wichita County over Clifton-Clyde

8-Man II

1. Axtell (9-0)

2. Victoria (7-1)

3. Osborne (8-1)

4. Minneola (9-0)

5. Frankfort (7-2)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

Lebo over Hanover

*Frankfort over Canton-Galva

Axtell over Hutch-Central Christian

Osborne over Rural Vista

West

Victoria over South Barber

Sharon Springs-Wallace County over Dighton

South Central over Central Plains

*Minneola over Sylvan-Lucas

6-Man

1. Cheylin (8-0)

2. Ashland (7-1)

3. Cunningham (7-1)

4. Waverly (7-0)

5. Northern Valley (7-1)

Regional Playoff Picks (*indicates closest game prediction)

East

Waverly over Altoona-Midway

Tescott over Peabody-Burns

Cunningham over Centre-Lost Springs

*Chetopa over Pawnee Heights

West

Ashland over Triplains-Brewster

*Northern Valley over Deerfield

Cheylin over Tribune-Greeley Co.

Ingalls over Golden Plains