State semifinals are upon us. These teams are now fighting for the right to call themselves the best from their respective sides of the state and go to the championship to bring home some hardware.
The potential game of the year will be played in Derby. The Hutchinson Salthawks go to Derby to take on the Panthers. Both of these teams always play their best football this time of the year, and with it being the 6A state semifinal game, both sides are bringing their A-game.
Derby head coach Brandon Clark has been so close on several different occasions, but hasn’t been able to break through yet. This could be the year, as Derby has destroyed almost every team it’s played. Hutch won the first meeting between the two in week 6.
Bishop Carroll has ran past every team this season, so its state semifinal game against Salina South could (and should) be the team’s biggest test of the season. Both Salina South and Carroll have their eyes set not on getting a trophy this week, but next Saturday in Emporia. This game could be a shootout or a defensive struggle, only time will tell.
Mulvane, a strong defensive team, hosts Holton, a strong run team. Mulvane has held its opponents to just 14 points in three games this postseason, as it has shut out Maize South and Buhler. Holton, on the other hand, has shown it can win in different ways than just running the ball, so it will be interesting to see if Mulvane can shut it down. Holton could hold an advantage here, as Mulvane hasn’t seen much of the single-wing-type offense in the AVCTL.
LaCrosse and Meade meet in the 2-1A playoffs for the third straight season. In 2010, the Buffaloes beat the Leopards in the Sectional round in route to a state title. In 2011, LaCrosse returned the favor on their way to state runner-up finish.
It’s been said all year that Ness City, an 8-Man squad, has the ability to beat an 11-Man squad. The Eagles’ past two games have been called at halftime due to the points rule. Rock Hills has every intention of slowing down that high-flying offense and capture a state title Saturday.
Baileyville B&B and Thunder Ridge will meet in Newton for the second straight season. The Falcons of Baileyville look to redeem themselves after last year’s loss at the hands of Longhorns. Both teams can put a ton of points, so it will be fun to see who can outlast the other.
Scott City surprised a lot of people when it beat 3A power Garden Plain 49-0. Now it travels to Beloit to face the equally-high powered offense of the Trojans. Beloit beat Sedgwick last week 54-24. Both sides can put up points, so it will come down to which defense can get more stops than the other.
U Pick 'Em will once again be the game to play this season. Everyone is invited to sign up and compete against the Eyewitness Sports team. Anyone who beats KWCH Sports Director Bruce Haertl in a given week will be eligible to win a prize, plus you can compete against your friends to see who is the king or queen of Kansas high school football. The competition will go all the way through the state championship games, so keep making your picks each week.
CatchItKansas.com and KWCH 12 Eyewitness Sports will be across the state on Friday, bringing the most complete coverage of high school football in the state of Kansas. Below are all the game you can expect coverage from on KWCH 12 Eyewitness Sports, and the Catch It Kansas Show on KSCW 33, Cable 5 at 11:00 pm on Friday night.
Bruse Haertl
Hutchinson @ Derby
Grant Meech
Salina South @ Bishop Carroll
Samantha Anderson
Scott City @ Beloit
Heather Williams
Holton @ Mulvane
Danilynn Welniak
LaCrosse @ Meade
