Several area high school football teams remain among the state's best as Kpreps.com released its latest rankings Monday following Week 6 of the Kansas high school football season.
Sterling continues to hold the top spot in Class 1A, while Hesston, Inman, Haven, McPherson and Little River are among the other area teams ranked in the top five of their respective classifications.
In Class 4A, McPherson remains No. 4 following a 47-13 road victory over Mulvane on Friday. The Bullpups (5-1) jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead, aided by two defensive touchdowns in the game. Carter Melton and Colt Chapman each returned interceptions for scores, while Dane Becker accounted for three offensive touchdowns.
McPherson returns home Friday to face Tonganoxie (4-2). Meanwhile, Buhler (4-2) is among the Class 4A teams receiving consideration after its 42-14 victory over Wellington.
Hesston remains No. 2 in Class 3A after improving to 6-0 with a 49-8 victory at Clay Center. Quarterback Jerick Humphreys completed 30 of 39 passes for 280 yards and five touchdowns while adding two rushing scores. Kason Landes caught 11 passes for 133 yards and four touchdowns.
The Swathers will host Class 4A Wamego (4-1) in a non-district matchup Friday. Andale (6-0) continues to hold the top spot in Class 3A.
In Class 2A, Haven climbed one spot to No. 4 following a 56-0 shutout of Larned. The Wildcats are 6-0 and averaging 44 points per game after finishing 7-3 last season.
Haven will host fifth-ranked Garden Plain (5-1) Friday in a matchup with major implications in District 7. The Owls defeated Haven 15-14 last season and enter Friday's contest riding a five-game winning streak.
Sterling remains atop Class 1A after extending its winning streak to 19 games with a 62-0 victory over Ellinwood. The Black Bears (6-0) rushed for 370 yards, including 130 yards and three touchdowns from Deryn Maxwell on just 10 carries.
Sterling has won five of its six games by at least 32 points and already owns a 35-12 victory over second-ranked Inman. The Black Bears travel to Syracuse (1-5) on Friday.
Inman remains No. 2 in Class 1A after shutting out Whitewater-Remington 35-0. The Teutons (5-1) have recorded four shutouts this season and allowed just 41 points through six games.
Malachi Brunk threw touchdown passes to Tyler Jerrick and Cayden Gaeddert, while Gaeddert also returned an interception for a touchdown.
Inman faces another major challenge Friday when it hosts unbeaten Council Grove (6-0), ranked third in Class 2A.
In Eight-Man Division II, Little River holds steady at No. 3 following a 70-0 rout of La Crosse. The Redskins (6-0) have surrendered just six points all season and recorded four consecutive shutouts.
Little River will travel to fourth-ranked Sylvan-Lucas (6-0) Friday in a showdown between unbeaten teams that could determine the District 6 championship.
Hutchinson Central Christian (5-1) is among the teams receiving consideration in Eight-Man Division II following its 46-0 victory over Solomon. Cunningham (6-0) is also receiving consideration after defeating Fairfield 50-0.
Elsewhere, Kapaun Mt. Carmel remains No. 1 in Class 5A, Mill Valley holds the top spot in Class 6A, Lincoln leads Eight-Man Division I, Hanover remains first in Eight-Man Division II and Weskan leads Six-Man football.
The complete Kpreps.com rankings for Monday, Oct. 12, are listed below.
Class 6A
- Mill Valley (6-0)
- Derby (6-0)
- Manhattan (4-2)
- Gardner-Edgerton (5-1)
- Maize (5-1)
Class 5A
- Kapaun Mt. Carmel (6-0)
- Hays (5-1)
- St. James Academy (4-2)
- Spring Hill (6-0)
- Bishop Carroll (5-1)
Class 4A
- Bishop Miege (6-0)
- St. Thomas Aquinas (3-3)
- Great Bend (6-0)
- McPherson (5-1)
- Eudora (5-1)
Class 3A
- Andale (6-0)
- Hesston (6-0)
- Holcomb (5-1)
- Cheney (4-2)
- Wellsville (6-0)
Class 2A
- Sabetha (6-0)
- Silver Lake (6-0)
- Council Grove (6-0)
- Haven (6-0)
- Garden Plain (5-1)
Class 1A
- Sterling (6-0)
- Inman (5-1)
- Smith Center (5-1)
- Rossville (4-2)
- Thomas More Prep-Marian (6-0)
Eight-Man Division I
- Lincoln (6-0)
- South Central (4-1)
- Leoti-Wichita County (6-0)
- Oswego (6-0)
- Clifton-Clyde (5-1)
Eight-Man Division II
- Hanover (6-0)
- Axtell (6-0)
- Little River (6-0)
- Sylvan-Lucas Unified (6-0)
- Hodgeman County (6-0)
Six-Man
- Weskan (6-0)
- Tescott (6-0)
- Ingalls (6-0)
- South Barber (5-1)
- Wheatland-Grinnell (5-1)