I’ll say it for you, Kansas fans.
Thank goodness Jayhawk basketball is back.
While it was just an exhibition showdown, KU edged Mizzou 93-87. Devonte’ Graham had 25 points and 10 rebounds. Missouri’s Michael Porter Junior led the Tigers with 21 points.
But that shouldn’t be the story. Instead, the sellout crowd at the Sprint Center did its part as well as others tuning in on pay-per-view. The two schools raised $1.75 million. For a scrimmage that had the feel of a March Madness game.
I doubt this sort of thing happens each year. But it should.
There are a billion charities that could benefit from this effort. I’d rather see two NCAA Division One institutions meet up once a year for a cause than a 40-point blowout in Allen Fieldhouse. My cohort James Westling had a great idea. Get Wichita State, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri to play at the Sprint Center. KU and K-State would alternate opponents, avoiding a Big 12 preseason contest. Count both games as exhibitions for charity and voila, $1.75 million can become $4 million.
Alright. Enough dreaming for the day. Before I get to my rankings, here are my predictions for the playoffs.
First Round
#1 Shawnee Mission East over #16 Gardner-Edgerton
#9 Olathe Northwest over #8 Shawnee Mission South
#4 Blue Valley North over #13 Shawnee Mission North
#5 Olathe East over #12 KC Wyandotte
#2 Blue Valley over #15 Shawnee Mission West
#7 Shawnee Mission NW over #10 Olathe South
#3 Olathe North over #14 Blue Valley West
#6 Lawrence over #11 Blue Valley Northwest
#1 Free State over #16 Wichita North
#8 Wichita West over #9 Junction City
#4 Manhattan over #13 Wichita East
#5 Derby over #12 Dodge City
#2 Wichita Northwest over #15 Wichita Southeast
#10 Campus over #7 Hutchinson
#3 Topeka High over #14 Wichita South
#11 Washburn Rural over #6 Garden City
Regional
#1 Shawnee Mission East over #9 Olathe Northwest
#4 Blue Valley North over #5 Olathe East
#2 Blue Valley over #7 Shawnee Mission NW
#6 Lawrence over #3 Olathe North
#1 Free State over #8 Wichita West
#4 Manhattan over #5 Derby
#2 Wichita Northwest over #10 Campus
#3 Topeka High over #11 Washburn Rural
Sectional
#1 Shawnee Mission East over #4 Blue Valley North
#2 Blue Valley over #6 Lawrence
#1 Free State over #4 Manhattan
#2 Wichita Northwest over #3 Topeka High
Sub-State
#1 Shawnee Mission East over #2 Blue Valley
#1 Free State over #2 Wichita Northwest
State Championship
#1 Free State over #1 Shawnee Mission East
Quick hits: 6A is not nearly as strong as it has been in previous years. Still, there is no big upset in the first round. Washburn Rural is getting healthier with the return of Jordan White, which is why the Junior Blues are going to get by Garden City. The long drive could be a concern, though. The regional tilt between Lawrence and Olathe North should be a dandy, much like Manhattan and Derby. When it’s all said and done, defense prevails, which leads to a Free State-Shawnee Mission East final that could see a combined 24 points in the game.
First Round
#1 KC Schlagle over #16 Highland Park
#9 Mill Valley over #8 Seaman
#4 St. James over #13 Lansing
#5 Shawnee Heights over #12 Leavenworth
#2 St. Thomas Aquinas over #15 KC Harmon
#10 Blue Valley Southwest over #7 Bonner Springs
#3 Pittsburg over #14 KC Washington
#6 KC Sumner over #11 KC Turner
#1 Goddard over #16 Salina Central
#9 Andover over #8 Valley Center
#13 Salina South over #4 Liberal
#5 Great Bend over #13 Goddard-Eisenhower
#2 Bishop Carroll over #15 Ark City
#7 Kapaun over #10 Emporia
#3 Maize over #14 Topeka West
#6 Wichita Heights over #11 Newton
Regional
#9 Mill Valley over #1 KC Schlagle
#4 St. James over #5 Shawnee Heights
#2 Aquinas over #10 Blue Valley Southwest
#3 Pittsburg over #6 KC Sumner
#1 Goddard over #9 Andover
#5 Great Bend over #13 Salina South
#2 Bishop Carroll over #7 Kapaun
#6 Wichita Heights over #3 Maize
Sectional
#4 St. James over #9 Mill Valley
#2 Aquinas over #3 Pittsburg
#1 Goddard over #5 Great Bend
#2 Bishop Carroll over #6 Wichita Heights
Sub-State
#2 Aquinas over #4 St. James
#1 Goddard over #2 Bishop Carroll
State Championship
#2 Aquinas over #1 Goddard
Quick hits: Oh, 5A. Extremely wide open this year. Salina South received a pretty good draw, despite a four-hour road trip to Liberal. Eisenhower very well could pull off the win as the Tigers have won three-straight to close out the regular season. KC Schlagle has Ivan Webb, who is a real treat, but Mill Valley has been tested every week. The postseason edition of the Holy War between Bishop Carroll and Kapaun could be special. Goddard might be ranked number one, but if St. Thomas Aquinas is there in the final, the Saints prevail.
Time now for the rankings, sent to Tim McGonagle of Kansas Prep Football.
Super 10
1. Bishop Miege
2. Free State
3. Shawnee Mission East
4. Goddard
5. St. Thomas Aquinas
6. Derby
7. Wichita Northwest
8. Bishop Carroll
9. Manhattan
10. Topeka High
Class 6A – FINAL
1. Free State (8-0) – 24-21 win over Lawrence
2. Shawnee Mission East (7-1) – 63-0 win over SM West
3. Derby (7-1) – 48-20 win over Campus
4. Wichita Northwest (7-1) – 68-8 win over Wichita SE
5. Manhattan (7-1) – 50-22 win over Blue Valley NW
Quick hits: It’s pretty clear that these are the best teams in Class 6A. Free State continues to scrape by, but that’s a quality that should be useful in the postseason. Lookout for Wichita Northwest in the playoffs.
Class 5A – FINAL
1. Goddard (8-0) – 48-14 win over Newton
2. St. Thomas Aquinas (7-1) – 47-20 win over Blue Valley
3. Bishop Carroll (7-1) – 30-22 win over Kapaun
4. Maize (7-1) – 14-13 win over Hutchinson
5. Kapaun (5-3) – 30-22 loss to Bishop Carroll
Quick hits: The top three teams are unquestionably the best squads in this classification. What makes 5A so difficult to judge is the wide variety of records. Wichita Heights and Kapaun are both 5-3, but everyone would agree that the two schools are pretty good. Maize is a solid squad, but maybe the record is a bit misleading. Regardless, it should make for some fun matchups in the postseason.
Class 4A-I
1. Bishop Miege (8-0) – 31-0 win over De Soto
2. Andale (8-0) – 70-7 win over Circle
3. De Soto (7-1) – 31-0 loss to Bishop Miege
4. Maize South (7-1) – 48-14 win over Rose Hill
5. McPherson (7-1) – 47-0 win over Wamego
Quick hits: Bishop Miege is a lock as the best team in the entire state. The issue at hand is how to judge the other squads to round out the poll. I’m not 100 percent convinced on Andale, but hey, the Indians are undefeated with a game to go. Tonagnoxie is also perfect, but the Chieftains are on the outside looking in. That unblemished record is put to the test this week versus Basehor-Linwood.
Class 4A-II
1. Scott City (8-0) – 28-0 win over Goodland
2. Holcomb (7-1) – 19-14 win over Pratt
3. Pratt (7-1) – 19-14 loss to Holcomb
4. Smoky Valley (7-1) – 43-12 win over Chapman
5. Columbus (6-2) – 20-8 loss to Frontenac
Quick hits: No. 2 Pratt took a step back after falling in a terrific game against Holcomb. The Longhorns only loss came at the hands of the Scott City Beavers in week two. Hayden picked up a giant 27-13 win over Holton, but Columbus stays in the top five with two more wins than the Wildcats.
Class 3A
1. Nemaha Central (8-0) – 49-0 win over Riverside
2. Silver Lake (8-0) – 40-35 win over Perry-Lecompton
3. Phillipsburg (8-0) – 56-0 win over Norton
4. Conway Springs (8-0) – 41-0 win over Cheney
5. Galena (8-0) – 57-7 win over Southeast-Cherokee
Quick hits: I know, I know. I’ve been sticking with Silver Lake all year long, but the Eagles hung on to take down the Kaws by five. Meanwhile, the Thunder beat the Kaws two weeks ago 30-13. P-burg continues to impress, blanking Norton in a surprising score.
Class 2-1A
1. Smith Center (7-1) – 70-0 win over Republic County
2. Lyndon (8-0) – 41-0 win over Chase County
3. Jefferson County North (8-0) – 46-0 win over Troy
4. Ell-Saline (7-0) – 28-21 win over Sacred Heart
5. Jackson Heights (8-0) – 36-12 win over Horton
Quick hits: No movement this week, but really, that’s not a surprise. Ell-Saline survived a scare, scoring 21-unanswered to edge Sacred Heart.
8-Man I
1. Burlingame (8-0) – 53-0 win over Rural Vista
2. Spearville (8-0) – 46-0 win over Leoti-Wichita County
3. Osborne (7-1) – 32-16 win over Bennington
4. St. Francis (6-1) – 54-6 win over Quinter
5. Hoxie (7-1) – 52-6 win over Hill City
Quick hits: The Bearcats roll on. St. Francis returned to action after a bye week.
8-Man II
1. Hanover (8-0) – 62-12 win over Wakefield
2. Pike Valley (8-0) – 52-6 win over St. Johns-Tipton
3. Hutchinson Central Christian (8-0) – 74-6 win over Burrton
4. Hodgeman County (7-1) – 46-6 win over Dighton
5. Otis-Bison (7-1) – 64-0 win over Triplains-Brewster
Quick hits: Can we just fast-forward to the playoffs? A Hanover-Pike Valley state championship would be bonkers.
