It was déjà vu all over again. Well, kind of.
A year ago, Hogan Prep (Mo.) jump-started an 11-1 season that ended with a 14-12 sectional loss to Carrollton by pounding Holton 30-6.
Friday’s rematch of the Kansas and Missouri football powers saw a reversal, as the Wildcats outdistanced the Rams on the scoreboard, bettering Missouri’s top-ranked Class 2 squad by scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half of a 35-7 win.
The triumph improved Holton to 3-0 on the year, while the Rams dropped to 3-1. With the win, the Wildcats jumped from sixth to fourth in the latest Class 4A football rankings.
"I think it was a reversal of last year," Holton coach Brooks Barta said. "We were out of our element and had some bad breaks early in the game (a year ago). The same thing happened to them (Friday).
"I’m just really proud of how well our kids played because that is a really good football team. There is no way I ever imagined we could play that well at this point in the season against that kind of a team."
Rob Riederer led the Wildcat attack by carrying the ball 13 times for 130 yards, including touchdown runs of 17 and 39 yards. Gunnar McKenna, who scored on a run of six yards, produced 102 yards rushing on 17 carries. Mitchell Hampton ran for another 115 yards on six carries for Holton, while Jackson DeLay scored on runs of 10 and five yards for the Wildcats.
Hogan Prep ran the ball for 213 yards and threw for another 203 yards in outgaining Holton 416-412. But the Rams couldn’t keep up on the scoreboard.
With the Wildcats leading 14-7 on the final play of the first half, Hogan Prep held possession at the Holton 9-yard line. But Holton’s Marshall Bjelland sacked Rams signal caller Dawon Cummings for a 25-yard loss.
"Oh, that’s huge," Barta said of the senior’s momentum-swinging play. "You know when you play a spread offense, the field position just kind of disappears. Its just about making stops, especially if you’re playing well on offense. You just have to keep playing and you have to get an interception or you have to get a sack."
Holton began the second half with a couple of quick scores and never looked back. With the win, the Wildcats sit right behind top-ranked Bishop Miege, which trades places with Buhler after the Stags dismantled Class 6A’s eighth-ranked Blue Valley West 37-15 Thursday. Andale is third, while Louisburg rounds out the Class 4A top five.
Record breakers
Olathe North’s James Franklin and Blake Jablonski of Wichita Collegiate share player of the week honors after shattering rushing and passing records at their respective schools.
Despite following in the footsteps of a talented list of Olathe North running backs like Darren Sproles, Maurice Mack, Jim Bouknight and Josh Gore, Franklin produced the top single-game rushing performance in school history when he raced for 340 yards and four touchdowns during a 40-13 win over Olathe Northwest Friday.
Jablonski accomplished the same feat in the passing category after flinging the ball for 319 yards and four touchdowns on 20-of-31 passing in a 44-34 loss to Hesston. Brett LeMaster caught four passes from Jablonski for 111 yards and a touchdown during the loss.
Kansas’ top offensive performances
Rushing
Max Barren of Bonner Springs rushed for 313 yards on 45 carries in a 44-21 win over Lansing…Sedgwick’s Wade Hansen rushed for 303 yards and four touchdowns in a 55-20 win over Moundridge…Jorden Oden of Buhler rushed for 292 yards and six touchdowns on 18 carries in a 50-13 win over Augusta…Stafford’s Collin Dixon rushed for 287 yards in a 64-14 win over Attica…Jordan Tice of Osage City rushed for 277 yards on 21 carries in a 27-13 win over Northern Heights…Norwich’s Cody Howard rushed for 258 yards in a 42-6 win over Cunningham…Luke Olsen of St. Marys rushed for 258 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries in a 34-25 win over Riley County…Olathe East’s Brandon Willingham rushed for 245 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in a 34-31 win over Olathe South.
Passing
Tanner Dutton completed 21-of-42 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown in a 34-31 loss to Olathe East…Salina Central’s Trey Dallas completed 12-of-18 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-28 win over Blue Valley…Cullen Demarest of Lansing completed 19-of-31 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-21 loss to Bonner Springs…Wichita Bishop Carroll’s Blake Bell threw for 281 yards in a 35-12 win over Wichita South…Derek Racette of Hutchinson Trinity threw for 265 yards in a 54-0 win over Inman…Rossville’s Mitch Buhler completed 22-of-38 passes for 245 yards in a 35-3 loss to Silver Lake…Anthony Abenoja of Blue Valley completed 21-of-36 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-28 loss to Salina Central…Lyndon’s Derek Banzhaf completed 11-of-15 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-31 loss to Council Grove.
Receiving
Brett Soucie of Wichita Independent was credited with 182 receiving yards in a 35-27 loss to Anthony-Harper-Chaparral…Salina Central’s Jesse Wassenberg caught five passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-28 win over Blue Valley…Tanner Engweiler of Hutchinson Trinity was credited with 149 yards receiving in a 54-0 win over Inman…Olathe South’s Marquis Addison caught nine passes for 147 yards in a 34-31 loss to Olathe East…Brady Abrahams of Silver Lake caught four passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in a 35-3 win over Rossville…Wichita Collegiate’s Brett LeMaster caught four passes for 111 yards and a touchdown in a 44-34 loss to Hesston…Matt Buhler of Rossville caught eight passes for 112 yards in a 35-3 loss to Silver Lake…Marais des Cygnes Valley’s Michael Zabel caught eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in a 66-26 loss to Hartford.
Kansas Football Rankings
Class 6A
1. Olathe North (3-0) 152 31 1
2. Junction City (3-0) 129 36 2
3. Manhattan (3-0) 111 31 3
4. Shawnee Mission West (3-0) 95 37 4
5. Dodge City (3-0) 133 25 5
6. Derby (2-1) 67 23 7
7. Blue Valley Northwest (3-0) 109 45 9
8. Blue Valley West (2-1) 71 44 8
9. Olathe East (2-1) 77 68 10
10. Washburn Rural (3-0) 119 42 -
Class 5A
1. Hutchinson (3-0) 151 33 1
2. McPherson (3-0) 157 34 2
3. Gardner-Edgerton (3-0) 160 36 3
4. Salina Central (3-0) 99 61 4
5. Wichita Bishop Carroll (3-0) 102 41 5
6. St. Thomas Aquinas (3-0) 67 39 6
7. Kansas City-Turner (3-0) 97 49 7
8. Newton (3-0) 109 21 10
9. Emporia (2-1) 89 62 9
10. Sumner Academy (3-0) 133 68 -
Class 4A
1. Bishop Miege (2-1) 107 33 2
2. Buhler (3-0) 158 53 1
3. Andale (3-0) 133 37 3
4. Holton (3-0) 98 41 6
5. Louisburg (3-0) 126 20 4
6. Rose Hill (3-0) 135 0 -
7. Topeka Hayden (2-1) 59 64 5
8. Mulvane (3-0) 127 43 -9. Andover (2-1) 93 71 9
10. Abilene (2-1) 69 69 10
Class 3A
1. Conway Springs (3-0) 127 39 1
2. Silver Lake (3-0) 100 17 2
3. Garden Plain (3-0) 182 28 3
4. Marysville (3-0) 147 8 4
5. Wichita Collegiate (3-0) 111 49 5
6. Scott City (3-0) 89 7 6
7. Norton (2-1) 68 34 8
8. Pleasant Ridge (3-0) 115 12 7
9. Riverton (3-0) 160 13 9
10. Galena (3-0) 100 49 -
Class 2-1A
1. Smith Center (3-0) 138 14 1
2. St. Marys (3-0) 112 47 2
3. Olpe (3-0) 129 6 3
4. Oakley (3-0) 80 6 4
5. Pittsburg-Colgan (2-1) 138 53 5
6. Meade (3-0) 136 27 6
7. Ellis (2-1) 76 28 7
8. St. Francis (2-1) 76 62 8
9. Ell-Saline (3-0) 123 28 9
10. Oswego (3-0) 94 6 -
Class 8-Man I
1. Baileyville B&B (3-0) 138 14 1
2. Madison (3-0) 121 12 3
3. Clifton-Clyde (2-1) 160 70 2
4. Colony-Crest (3-0) 165 54 4
5. Quinter (2-1) 118 52 4
6. Minneola (3-0) 148 38 6
7. Goessel (2-1) 138 56 8
8. Pretty Prairie (3-0) 154 50 9
9. Frankfort (3-0) 146 28 10
10. Lebo (3-0) 142 42 -
Class 8-Man II
1. Victoria (3-0) 138 76 1
2. Hanover (2-1) 104 70 2
3. Rozel-Pawnee Heights (3-0) 138 23 3
4. Sharon Springs-Wallace County (3-0) 118 58 4
5. Beloit-St. John’s-Tipton (3-0) 134 54 6
6. Ashland (3-0) 84 38 77. Otis-Bison (3-0) 186 90 -
8. Quivira Heights (1-2) 124 106 5
9. Norwich (2-1) 102 54 9
10. Hope (3-0) 124 54 -
