While the 2026 regular season in football was completed this past Friday night, the first round of playoffs will pit four North Central Kansas League teams against each other in the first round of the playoffs this Friday.
Chapman, which won the 2026 NCKL regular season title with a 6-2, 5-0 record, the Fighting Irish will get a chance to solidify that title in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs Friday when the Irish host Concordia.
Wamego also marched through the 2026 regular season with an undefeated NCKL record, as the Red Raiders and Irish never met on the field during the regular season, the Red Raiders will get a chance to solidify their 4-0 NCKL record in the opening round of the Class 4A playoffs when they host Abilene in the opening round.
The other NCKL football teams to qualify for the playoffs include Rock Creek, which will host Highland Park in Class 4A, Marysville which will host Southeast of Saline in Class 3A and Clay Center, which will play at Hoisington in 3A on Friday.
Marysville defeated Abilene 41-7 and Concordia defeated Clay Center 24-17 in the only intra-NCKL football showdowns in the final week of the regular season. Chapman suffered its 2nd loss of the season Friday when the Irish lost 35-14 against Hesston. Wamego defeated Jefferson West 22-20 and Rock Creek defeated Bonner Springs 41-0 in the other NCKL football games Friday.
The NCKL’s 2026 regular season volleyball champion, the Clay Center Lady Tigers, are the lone NCKL volleyball team to qualify for a state tournament in 2026.
The Lady Tigers finished the regular season with a 36-4, 12-0 record and won the sub-state championship on Saturday.
Rock Creek finished in 2nd place in the NCKL with a 19-14, 9-3 record while Abilene finished in 3rd place in the regular season with an 18-16, 5-7 record.
Here is a look at how each NCKL school did in volleyball and football this past week:
ABILENE
The Cowgirl volleyball team went 1-1 on Saturday in the sub-state tournament, defeating Chapman 2-0 in the opening round and losing 2-0 against Clay Center in the championship match. … The Cowboy football team lost 41-7 against Marysville on Friday.
CHAPMAN
The Lady Irish volleyball team lost 2-0 against Abilene on Saturday in the opening round of the sub-state tournament. … The Fighting Irish football team lost 35-14 against Hesston on Friday.
CLAY CENTER
The Lady Tiger volleyball team qualified for the Class 4A state tournament by winning the sub-state tournament on Saturday. The Lady Tigers defeated Clearwater 2-0 in the opening round and Abilene 2-0 in the championship match. … The Tiger football team lost 24-17 against Concordia on Friday.
CONCORDIA
The Lady Panther volleyball team did not qualify for the sub-state tournament and finished the season with a 3-29, 1-11 record. … The Panther football team defeated Clay Center 24-17 on Friday.
MARYSVILLE
The Lady Bulldog volleyball team saw its season come to an end on Monday when they went 2-1 in the Class 3A regional tournament. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Chaparral 2-1 and Haven 2-0. The Lady Bulldogs lost 2-1 against Riley County. The Lady Bulldogs lost 2-0 against Hesston on Saturday in the opening round of the sub-state tournament. … The Bulldog football team defeated Abilene 41-7 on Friday.
ROCK CREEK
The Lady Mustang volleyball team went 1-1 on Saturday in the sub-state tournament. The Lady Mustangs opened with a 2-0 victory against Parsons and lost 2-0 against Bishop Miege in the championship match. … The Mustang football team defeated Bonner Springs 41-0 on Friday.
WAMEGO
The Lady Raider volleyball team lost 2-0 against Paola on Saturday in the opening round of the sub-state tournament. … The Red Raider football team defeated Jefferson West 22-20 on Friday.
2026 NCKL Football Standings
NCKL Overall
Team W L W L
Chapman 5 0 6 2
Wamego 4 0 6 1
Marysville 3 1 6 2
Concordia 2 3 3 5
Rock Creek 1 2 6 2
Clay Center 1 4 3 5
Abilene 1 5 1 7
Friday, October 23
Marysville 41, Abilene 7
Hesston 35, Chapman 14
Concordia 24, Clay Center 17
Wamego 22, Jefferson West 20
Rock Creek 41, Bonner Springs 0
Friday, October 30
Abilene at Wamego
Highland Park at Rock Creek
Concordia at Chapman
Clay Center at Hoisington
Southeast of Saline at Marysville
2026 NCKL Volleyball Standings
NCKL Overall
Team W L W L
Clay Center 12 0 36 4
Rock Creek 9 3 19 14
Abilene 5 7 18 16
Chapman 5 7 18 17
Marysville 6 6 20 20
Wamego 4 8 11 25
Concordia 1 11 3 29
