Derby Panthers named to the 12th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard

MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the Derby (Kan.) Panthers have officially been named to the 12th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 12th year honoring football.

This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for the top 100 teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams. This puts the Panthers ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!

On Saturday, Nov. 26 the Derby Panthers became repeat state champions after a thrilling 17-14 victory over the previously unbeaten Blue Valley Tigers. With 27 seconds left in the state title game, Blayten Tullis kicked the go-ahead and eventual game-winning field goal to give Derby back-to-back state championships.

The Panthers have won three of the last four Class 6A titles and this year was their first undefeated state championship season. En route to the title, the team trounced North (62-0), Northwest (65-28), Hutchinson (40-7) and Lawrence Free State (49-21) in the 2016 KSHSAA Class 6A state tournament.

At the end of the season (13-0), head coach Brandon Clark and the team finished highly ranked by MaxPreps — No.1 in Class 6A, No.1 in the state and No.60 in the nation.



These incredible season achievements have earned the Derby Panthers an invitation to the 12th Annual Tour of Champions.

Please join us as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Friday, Feb. 3 at 2:15 p.m. during a school assembly in the gym.

For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.