Three 300-yard rushers from Wichita area highlight Week 4 high school football games

Varsity Kansas has you covered with the 10 winners from the Wichita-area games played in Week 4 on Friday, Sept. 23.

The highlight of the night came from three players from the Wichita area rushing for more than 300 yards in Friday’s games.

1. Derby climbs back from early deficit to beat Hutchinson

Hutchinson senior Noah Khokhar showed why he is one of the most dangerous players in the state on the road against Class 6A No. 3-ranked Derby.

But once the Panthers were able to contain Khokhar in the second half, they were able to rally from a touchdown deficit at halftime for a 28-21 victory in a key AV-CTL Div. I battle on Friday.

Khokhar finished with 119 rushing yards and 90 receiving yards in a strong showing for Hutchinson, the No. 4-ranked team in Class 5A, highlighted by a 57-yard run just before halftime to put the Salthawks up 21-14 on the road.

Derby’s defense answered the call in the second half, as the Panthers intercepted Hutchinson quarterback Nic Lange three times. The most crucial came in the third quarter when Elijah Vigil swooped in to pick off a pass to end a Hutchinson drive close to the goal line and jumpstart a Derby touchdown drive to tie the game.

With Hutchinson’s defense keying on star running back Dylan Edwards, Derby quarterback Brock Zerger capitalized in the running game by leading the team in rushing with 125 yards on 15 attempts and a pair of touchdowns. Edwards, a Notre Dame commit, added 88 yards and what amounted to be the game-winning touchdown late in the third quarter.

It was the first loss of the season for Hutchinson (3-1), while Derby (3-1) picked up its second straight ranked win over a highly-touted Class 5A team following a victory at Bishop Carroll last week.

2. Omari Elias cracks 350 yards in Kapaun’s win over Colorado team

In an unusual Week 4 matchup pitting Kapaun Mt. Carmel against Westminster (Colo.) in a game played in Colby, the opponent or location didn’t change much for the Crusaders star Omari Elias.

The junior running back turned a total of 14 touches into 368 yards (26.3 yards per play) and three touchdowns to lead Kapaun to a 63-24 rout of the winless Colorado foe. It was a much-needed bounce-back performance by the Crusaders, who ended their 2-game slide to improve to 2-2.

It was also encouraging to see the efficiency of Kapaun’s passing game, as quarterback Dylan Hamilton completed 8 of 10 passes for 91 yards and five touchdowns. His favorite target, Will Anciaux, a K-State commit, finished with four receptions for 58 yards and three touchdowns, while Bryson Hamilton and Henry Chrisman also caught touchdowns and Noah Schreck added a score on the ground.

3. Dai’Mont Mucker rushes for 318 yards in Valley Center’s win over Campus

In a breakout performance to be remembered in Valley Center, junior running back Dai’Mont Mucker rushed for 318 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the Hornets to a 38-20 win over Campus for a 3-1 start to the season.

While Mucker was no stranger to receiving most of the rushing workload in Valley Center’s offense, he had not even cracked 90 yards in a game this season. In fact, Mucker had just 225 rushing yards before his 318-yard explosion on just 21 carries on Friday.

Mucker accounted for more than 82% of Valley Center’s total offense in the game, as the Hornets continued their strong showing to the 2022 season after finishing last year with a 2-7 record that ended on a 6-game losing streak.

4. Northwest runs away from East in crucial City League tilt

Since a season-opening loss to Bishop Carroll, Northwest has been on a roll knocking off City League challengers one by one.

The latest victim was an upstart East squad that had entered the Class 6A rankings and was coming off a signature win over Kapaun Mt. Carmel. And yet, the Blue Aces were no match for Northwest on Friday in a 52-14 win over the Grizzlies at Carpenter Stadium.

It was a dominant two-way performance from Northwest in the first half, as the defense was producing quick exits for East’s offense and meanwhile the Grizzlies showed their offensive potency by jumping out to a 31-0 lead.

The running combination of L.J. Phillips and Cencere Thompson once again did damage, but so did quarterback Jayce Glasper through the air with senior receiver Michael Lopez.

After knocking off Kapaun, Heights and East in consecutive weeks, Northwest (3-1) will play the waiting game to see if anyone can upset Bishop Carroll (2-2, 2-0 City League) in league play for a potential shared league title with the Golden Eagles.

5. Fourteen-second span costs Carroll in loss to Junction City

It was a game of momentum swings for Bishop Carroll in a 28-21 home loss to Junction City.

After trailing 14-0 in the second quarter, the Golden Eagles were sparked by an interception return for a touchdown by Reed Haneberg and a pair of touchdowns by quarterback Jackson King to take a 21-14 lead into halftime.

That lead stood entering the fourth quarter, but the game swung in a matter of 14 seconds of game clock. On the first play of the quarter, a third-and-6 from the Carroll 9-yard line, Junction City quarterback Xavion Felton powered his way for a touchdown to tie the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, Junction City executed a pooch kick down the right sideline and an awkward bounce allowed the Bluejays to recover on the Carroll 22-yard line. On the very next snap, Felton once again lowered his shoulder, ran over a Carroll defender and scored from 22 yards out to take Junction City from a touchdown behind to a touchdown ahead in a matter of 14 seconds.

Carroll had multiple chances in the fourth quarter to score a potential game-tying touchdown, but no drive threatened deep in Junction City territory. The Bluejays improved to 3-1, while Carroll, the No. 3-ranked team in Class 5A, fell to 2-2 this season.

6. McPherson tops Circle in ranked league showdown

Off to its first 3-0 start to a season in more than two decades, Circle met its toughest test to date on the road in AV-CTL Div. III powerhouse McPherson.

In a meeting between a pair of ranked Class 4A teams, No. 5-ranked McPherson showed why it is the hunted and why No. 10-ranked Circle is still the hunter in a 35-15 home win.

Circle had no answer for McPherson running back Jaytin Gumm, as the senior rushed for 152 yards and scored four touchdowns, including three unanswered scores in the third quarter, to help the Bullpups pull away from a 14-9 halftime lead.

Meanwhile, Circle showed off a lethal passing game led by senior quarterback Cooper Chadwell, who completed 22 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns. The Thunderbirds were led in receiving once again by senior playmaker Ty Smith (eight catches for 127 yards and a score), while running back Cannon McCormack added a season-high eight catches for 108 yards.

In what very well could be the de facto AV-CTL Div. III title game, McPherson (3-1) pulled in front of the league race with a 2-0 record and Circle (3-1) suffered its first league loss in three tries.

7. Avery Johnson remains perfect on the season in another Maize romp

Good luck slowing down this Maize offense.

Led by K-State commit Avery Johnson at quarterback, the Eagles are averaging eight touchdowns per game in a 4-0 start to the season after a 56-7 rout of Salina South at home.

Johnson, who has still yet to throw an interception this season, completed 11 of 15 passes for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns and added two more scores on the ground. Syracuse commit Bryce Cohoon hauled in both of those scoring throws and finished with four catches for 119 yards.

Throw in a strong rushing performance from tailback Daeshaun Carter, who ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and Maize coasted to another blowout win. The Eagles, the No. 2-ranked team in Class 5A, will face more of a stiff challenge next Friday against rival Maize South (3-1) in an annual AV-CTL Div. I showdown game.

8. Andover Central shuts down Eisenhower to take league lead

The Andover Central defense has carried the team to an early lead in the AV-CTL Div. II league race following another stellar performance in a 24-7 home win over Goddard Eisenhower.

The Jaguars, the No. 7-ranked team in Class 4A, improved to 3-1 on the season and 2-0 in league play, the only team in AV-CTL Div. II without a blemish early in the season. Andover Central was able to secure the win in part because of a defense that has allowed just 20 combined points in the team’s three wins this season.

Friday’s game was competitive early, as the teams each traded scores in the first quarter with Braden Barscewski running in from two yards out for the Jaguars and Eisenhower quarterback Tyner Horn, a Wichita State baseball commit, connecting with Carson Roy for a 52-yard touchdown.

Andover Central took control in the second quarter when running back Jace Rees (94 rushing yards) scored a short touchdown, then kicker Isaac Saye tacked on a field goal for a 17-7 lead. The defense pitched a shutout in the second half and Barscewski added another score, this one through the air on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Trey Niernberger for the final result.

9. Brayden Kunz rushes for 331 yards and six TD’s in Conway Springs win

The Wichita area saw three different players rush for more than 300 yards on Friday night, as Conway Springs senior running back Brayden Kunz has a claim for the most impressive performance of the week.

Kunz finished with 331 rushing yards and scored all six of his team’s touchdowns in Conway Springs’ 43-13 win at Medicine Lodge. It was the first win of the season for the Cardinals, the longest it has taken the program to win their first game of a season since 1984.

That’s because of the play of Kunz, who scored four touchdowns in the first half and then added two more in the second half for good measure. His longest touchdown run was 78 yards just before halftime to put Conway Springs up 29-7.

10. Maize South’s air attack overwhelms Newton

Maize South was able to shake off a slow start by finding its explosive passing attack once again in a 34-14 home victory over Newton.

The Mavericks finished with 379 passing yards, while sophomore quarterback Tate McNew accounted for 323 of them and two touchdowns. His favorite target, Sammy Dresie, once again posted an eye-popping final line of 12 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown, while Landon Gatto added eight catches for 101 yards and Jeron Askren hauled in a pair of touchdowns.

Newton led 7-0 after the first quarter thanks to a deep pass play of its own, as quarterback Colby Gomez connected with Camden Carr for a 76-yard touchdown. Carr finished with four receptions and 102 yards for the Railers (0-4).

But it was all Maize South after that, as the Mavericks scored 34 unanswered points, including a pair of field goals by kicker Sam Parks (highlighted by a 50-yard conversion), to secure the victory to improve their record to 3-1 this season.