Kansas teams win football state titles

Field position didn't matter much to Heights (Wichita) during Saturday's 48-14 Class 6A State Championship football win over defending champion Olathe North at Washburn's Yager Stadium.

The Falcons scored from afar or with the short field in issuing a little payback for last year's 37-3 championship drubbing by the Eagles. Rick Wheeler's squad jumped on top early and stayed there.

Dreamius Smith's 58-yard touchdown run on Wichita Heights' first possession was called back to the Eagle 25-yard line due to a penalty. But Falcon quarterback Matt Reed put Heights on top to stay four plays later when he found his way into the end zone with an 18-yard run.

Then, after an Olathe North punt pinned Wichita Heights at its own 3-yard line, Smith erupted up the right sideline for 85 yards and a touchdown to put the Falcons up 14-0 with 5:32 left in the opening quarter.

The result of the ensuing kickoff buried Olathe North once more when the ball took a Wichita Heights bounce at the Eagle 21-yard line and fell into the arms of the Falcons at the Olathe North 23. Moments later, Reed connected with Daniel Deshazer for a score from 18 yards out to put the Falcons up 21-0 after a quarter of play.

Wichita Heights added touchdown runs of 3 yards by Reed and 30 and 10 yards by Smith to build a 41-0 advantage in the third quarter. The Eagles avoided the shutout following Victor Simmons' 79-yard strike to Adonis Saunders to pull within 41-7 going into the fourth quarter.

Smith, who rushed for 286 yards on just 17 carries, added a 60-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, while Simmons hooked up with Saunders for an 18-yard score.

Reed added 127 yards rushing on 15 carries as the Falcons gained 519 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns on 53 carries. Simmons gained 53 yards on 23 carries and completed 5 of 7 passes for 138 yards and the two touchdowns to lead the Eagles.

With the win Wichita Heights wrapped up its first state football title and puts the Falcons in perfect position to sweep the Class 6A football and boys basketball championships.

CLASS 5A – Blue Valley (Stilwell) 35, Carroll (Wichita) 14
Blue Valley proved its semifinal win over top-ranked Gardner-Edgerton was no fluke Saturday by scoring the first 21 points in the Class 5A title game at Welch Stadium in Emporia. Tiger quarterback Kyle Zimmerman tossed three touchdown passes and threw for 251 yards on 18 of 32 passing in the contest. Three Tiger receivers caught at least 73 yards in passes in the triumph. The Tigers scored 14 points in the final 6:33 of the first half following a fumble and an interception to pull away from the Golden Eagles, who turned the ball over four times in the first half. Blue Valley's 2010 title is the school's fifth and first since a 34-3 win over Great Bend in 2006.

CLASS 4A – Louisburg 24, Holton 16
Garrett Griffin led Louisburg to its first Class 4A state football title after running for 154 yards on 20 carries, and scored on a 43-yard pass from Kody Cook. Cook also threw an 8-yard strike to David Embers and returned an interception for another score. The Wildcats rallied after trailing Holton 10-0 in the opening quarter, by scoring 24 straight points. Holton, which stopped Louisburg on the 1 earlier in the game, scored as time ran out.

CLASS 3A – Silver Lake 27, Conway Springs 21
Facing a rushing attack that averaged 383 yards throughout the season, Silver Lake's defense stepped up in Saturday's Class 3A state football championship. The Eagles limited Conway Springs to just 178 yards on the ground. Brian Doffing led the way for the Cardinals by rushing for 114 yards on 31 carries, and scored a touchdown. Silver Lake countered by going to the air and running on the ground. Keenan Kruger threw for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also running for 81 yards on 18 carries. He hooked up with Brit Dewey for 84 yards on four catches and a 54-yard scoring strike. Silver Lake struck first as the Class 3A powers traded points. The Eagles, however, scored twice in a row in the fourth quarter to take control. Jordan Ast returned a kick 84 yards for a score.

CLASS 2-1A – Meade 20, St. Mary's-Colgan (Pittsburg) 14
Kellan Hernandez ran for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 31 carries in Saturday's Class 2-1A 20-14 state football championship win over season-long top-ranked Pittsburg-Colgan. Jaden Friesen added 86 yards rushing and a 17-yard scoring run in the first quarter on 23 carries. After Colgan scored first on a blocked punt in he end zone, Meade tallied 20 straight points. Colgan then scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone with 1:52 left in the game. Andy Farmer threw for 99 yards on 7 of 12 passing.

KANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL TOP PERFORMANCES
RUSHING
Dreamius Smith of Wichita Heights ran for 286 yards and 4 touchdowns on 17 carries in a 48-14 win over Olathe North … Louisburg's Garrett Griffin carried the ball 20 times for 154 yards in a 24-16 win over Holton … Kellan Hernandez of Meade scored a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 151 yards on 31 carries in a 20-14 win over Pittsburg-Colgan … Wichita Heights' Matt Reed rushed for 127 yards and a couple of touchdowns on 15 carries in a 48-14 win over Olathe North… Brian Doffing of Conway Springs scored a touchdown and rushed for 114 yards on 31 carries in a 27-21 loss to Silver Lake … Holton's Brentt Donaldson rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in a 24-16 loss to Louisburg.

PASSING
Kyle Zimmerman of Blue Valley completed 18 of 32 passes for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Wichita Bishop Carroll … Olathe North's Victor Simmons connected on 5 of 7 passes for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 48-14 loss to Wichita Heights … Keenan Kruger of Silver Lake threw for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 7 of 10 passing in a 27-21 win over Conway Springs … St. Mary's-Colgan's Andy Farmer completed 7 of 12 aerials for 99 yards in a 20-14 loss to Meade.

RECEIVING
Adonis Saunders of Olathe North caught a couple of passes for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 48-14 loss to Wichita Heights … Blue Valley's Pj Debey reeled in seven aerials for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Wichita Bishop Carroll … Brit Dewey of Silver Lake caught four passes for 84 yards and a score in a 27-21 win over Conway Springs … Blue Valley's Jacob McDermott hauled in five passes for 82 yards in a 35-14 win over Wichita Bishop Carroll … Justin Fulks of Blue Valley caught four passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in a 35-14 win over Wichita Bishop Carroll.

FINAL KANSAS PREP FOOTBALL RANKINGS
TOP 10
1. Wichita Heights (13-0) 658 254 3
2. Dodge City (11-1) 479 200 10
3. Blue Valley (12-1) 548 229 8
4. Gardner-Edgerton (11-1) 626 207 1
5. Olathe North (11-2) 396 187 6
6. Manhattan (10-1) 413 214 4
7. East (Olathe) (10-2) 333 141 5
8. Carroll (10-3) 441 162 –
9. Hutchinson (10-2) 530 194 2
10. Junction City (8-3) 368 186 –

CLASS 6A
1. Wichita Heights (13-0) 658 254 1
2. Dodge City (11-1) 479 200 5
3. Olathe North (11-2) 396 187 4
4. Manhattan (10-1) 413 214 2
5. Olathe East (10-2) 333 141 3
6. Junction City (8-3) 368 186 8
7. South (Olathe) (7-4) 252 239 10
8. East (Shawnee Mission) (8-2) 286 179 6
9. Topeka (6-3) 329 225 9
10. West (Shawnee Mission) (7-3) 289 155 7

CLASS 5A
1. Blue Valley (12-1) 548 229 4
2. Gardner-Edgerton (11-1) 626 207 1
3. Carroll (10-3) 441 162 5
4. Hutchinson (10-2) 530 194 2
5. Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission) (6-4) 384 206 6
6. McPherson (9-2) 507 221 3
7. Aquinas (Overland Park) (6-3) 320 224 8
8. Hays (7-2) 244 129 10
9. Emporia (6-4) 375 236 –
10. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (Wichita) (8-2) 342 147 7

CLASS 4A
1. Louisburg (14-0) 497 142 2
2. Holton (11-3) 545 161 8
3. Buhler (12-1) 543 140 3
4. Hayden (Topeka) (10-2) 416 131 1
5. Paola (9-4) 423 170 –
6. Baldwin (10-2) 441 178 5
7. Abilene (10-1) 349 167 4
8. Ulysses (9-3) 468 200 –
9. Rose Hill (7-3) 408 167 10
10. Andale (9-2) 328 174 9

CLASS 3A
1. Silver Lake (13-1) 504 142 5
2. Conway Springs (13-1) 797 159 1
3. Beloit (10-3) 548 229 –
4. Scott (Scott City) (10-1) 428 118 2
5. Trinity (Hutchinson) (10-2) 459 188 6
6. Norton (9-1) 443 137 4
7. Wellsville (10-2) 491 120 7
8. Collegiate (Wichita) (9-2) 457 164 3
9. Garden Plain (8-3) 423 133 8
10. Rossville (9-4) 370 200 –

CLASS 2-1A
1. Meade (12-1) 564 142 4
2. Pittsburg-Colgan (12-1) 534 113 1
3. Olpe (10-2) 326 146 3
4. Centralia (9-2) 366 121 2
5. Stanton County (Johnson) (10-2) 419 183 6
6. LaCrosse (10-1) 438 207 5
7. Lyndon (7-2) 340 173 7
8. Washington County (Washington) (7-3) 276 189 8
9. Elkhart (7-2) 337 136 10
10. Oskaloosa (7-3) 373 242 9

CLASS 8-MAN 1
1. Madison/Hamilton (Madison) (13-0) 739 156 2
2. Hill City (11-2) 572 230 5
3. Osborne (10-2) 580 326 3
4. Pretty Prairie (10-1) 577 98 1
5. Lebo (10-2) 554 325 6
6. Lakeside (Downs) (8-2) 516 196 4
7. Hodgeman County (Jetmore) (9-2) 538 212 9
8. Burlingame (7-2) 462 196 7
9. Central (Burden) (8-4) 528 260 –
10. Crest (Colony) (10-2) 488 309 –

CLASS 8-MAN 2
1. B & B (Baileyville) (13-0) 628 166 1
2. Otis-Bison (11-1) 598 128 3
3. Hanover (10-2) 502 139 2
4. Ashland (10-1) 531 110 4
5. Centre (Lost Springs) (9-1) 457 198 5
6. Caldwell (9-2) 507 182 7
7. Cheylin (Bird City) (10-1) 526 177 8
8. Hope (8-2) 434 158 6
9. Thunder Ridge (Kensington) (7-3) 461 218 –
10. South Haven (9-2) 472 197 9