By Matt Browning

6A

While there were a few more challenges this season than in previous seasons when they seemingly rolled through 6A, the Derby football team still found themselves where they have been at the end of November.

The Panthers defeated Blue Valley North 56-31 in a rematch of 2017 and 2018. Derby has now won three consecutive titles and six out of the last eight. Quarterback Lem Wash had perhaps his best game of the season, as the senior racked up 349 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns.

“Lem had ankle surgery two weeks before our first game,” Derby coach Brandon Clark said. “He had a slower start due to us calling plays that would allow him to heal and not reinjure his ankle. Once the playoffs hit we opened up the playbook a little and actually passed the ball. He had been practicing all of that all season long, it was just when and what game we would allow him to go full throttle.”

Derby had other strong offensive contributions from sophomore running back Dylan Edwards, who ran for 170 yards and wide receiver Reid Liston, who caught eight passes for 142 yards.

The two teams exchanged scores throughout the first half, but Derby’s defense made key stops in the second quarter and the Panthers offense was unable to be stopped as they went into halftime with a 42-21 lead. Blue Valley North was not able to muster much offense in the second half as Derby cruised to yet another championship.

“They handled this pandemic and all of this negativity in our world, with so much grace,” Clark said. “When we were together, they allowed all the outside noise to filter out. When we were together on and off the field, they found a way to keep on the path to our goals we had set a long time ago. This team brought a smile to my face every single day.”

5A

For the second consecutive season, the Northwest Grizzlies fell to Mill Valley in the 5A championship game, this time losing 49-35. The Grizzlies came into the game undefeated and the No. 1 team in VYPE’s Wichita Large School Power Ranking.

Mill Valley jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and while Northwest tied the score at 21-21 early in the third quarter, it never got over the hump.

“It is tough to say goodbye to our seniors,” Northwest coach Steve Martin said. “You want to win it for them every year but in reality it’s the journey to get here is the ultimate prize. These kids, especially this year, will remember what we did and how we handled every turn in the road.”

Trailing 42-35, Northwest had a fourth down conversion fail that Mill Valley turned into the deciding touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Martin said his team rallying from an early deficit was another example of their resolve that he has seen time and time again over the past few years.

The amount of adversity that our kids faced on a daily basis would have broken most people,” Martin said. “These guys are winners and I am excited to see where they are 10 to 20 years from now. That is how we as coaches will be judged long term.”

4A

It never even seemed possible. To go from 2-6 and a low seed in the 4A playoffs to playing for a state championship was never a thought for Ark City football coach Jon Wiemers. But sure enough, the Bulldogs made a remarkable run, which ended in a 56-34 loss to St. James Academy. Wiemers said that while losing is not fun, he could not be more proud of what his team accomplished.

“Losing is never fun when you are competitive,” Wiemers said. “When looking back at it I am beyond proud of our kids and our staff for overcoming adversity. I am positive about the future of our football program and the progression we made this season.”

Things were looking good for Ark City early in the first half as the Bulldogs led in the second quarter 14-13. But then St. James scored 22 straight points, which seemingly put the game away. Wiemers said that while this team was no more talented than his previous ones, they did buy into what the coaching staff was preaching from the very first day.

“We were not any more talented this year than my previous three,” Wiemers said. “The most impressive quality of this group was their buy-in to the standards of our football program. They were a close-knit group that was led by a group of seven seniors. They learned from their failures at the beginning of the season and didn’t let the results pull them apart.”

3A

Andale’s 20-0 victory over Perry-Lecompton in the 3A championship game was the culmination of a dominant playoff run for the Indians. Their defensive unit allowed just seven points during the playoffs and shut out state powers Wichita Collegiate, Riley County and ultimately Perry-Lecompton in the end.

“They (defense) were unbelievable,” Andale coach Dylan Schmidt said. “We knew we had a good defense and we felt like we had a good game plan, but we thought there was no way we could force four takeaways and shut them out. The bottom line is you have to play good defense in the end.”

Andale has now won 25 consecutive games and back-to-back championships—a feat that is not lost on Schmidt as to how challenging that is to accomplish.

“A team has to have talent and the kids have got to buy in and we have both,” Schmidt said. “The biggest things to me are the kids determination and focus. They put in work and it’s a year-round commitment.”

The Indians were sluggish early against Perry-Lecompton, but scored two touchdowns before halftime and then scored the knockout punch early in the third quarter. Schmidt said just by statistics alone, this was the best Andale team ever, which speaks volumes about the tradition-laden program. The Indians averaged 51 points per game, allowed six points per game and had a scoring margin of victory of 44.6.

“There was an intense hunger from our guys to show that we are good, too.” Schmidt said. “Those guys had a chip on their shoulder to show that this year is what we are all about.”