Week 2 helped clear some things up for us in our personal Top 5 for each classification. The returning champs in each classification continue to look the part of title defenders in spite of our concerns entering the season, and a few new contenders are starting to make some noise. Let’s take a closer look.

Class 6A

1. Gardner-Edgerton (2-0)

2. Wichita Northwest  (2-0)

3. Manhattan (2-0)

4. Olathe North (2-0)

5. Blue Valley Northwest (1-1)

Friday night left us with more questions than answers, which is the way it should be, parity is good for high school sports. It’s great for kids across the state to truly believe they have a chance to help their team win a state title, and in our estimation more teams than ever have a legitimate shot to challenge for the top spot in their respective classifications, however, the defending champions in most classifications appear more well-equipped to repeat than we originally thought.

Preseason rankings are a guessing game, perhaps now more than ever given the increased frequency of student-athlete transfers in the offseason, but it's fun to try and predict who is going to finish the season on top.

As a former coach, I'm a little conflicted about producing preseason rankings. I can tell you definitively that players can be impacted by what's written and reported about them. Different teams have differing abilities to meet or exceed expectations.