Rankings September 5, 2023

If feels good to finally have the 2023 football season underway!

Last years champion, in each classification, is still the top team, except in Class 1A and Class 6-man. St Marys Colgan has received the votes to be the top team in Class 1A. Where in Class 6-man, Ashland has received the number one position.

The only teams receiving all number one votes from the polling team are as follows: Mill Valley, Andale, Axtell and Ashland.

The closest race for number one is between Manhattan and Gardner-Edgerton. They were tied for the number one slot, but I gave that position to last years champions.

The second closest race is between Nemaha Central and Sabetha. Only two points separate those two. Only 14.74 miles between these two towns of Seneca and Sabetha as the crow flies also. What a game that will be, the 8th week of the season!

Super Top 10 All-Classes
1.   Mill Valley
2.   Gardner-Edgerton
3.   Wichita Northwest
4.   Manhattan
5.   Bishop Miege
6.   Blue Valley SW
7.   Olathe North
8.   Andale
9.   Kapaun
10. St Thomas Aquinas
11. Blue Valley NW
12. Lawrence
13. Derby
14. Hays
15. DeSoto

6A
1. Manhattan
2. Gardner-Edgerton
3. Wichita NW
4. Blue Valley NW
5. Olathe North
Others: Washburn Rural, Lawrence, Derby

5A
1. Mill Valley
2. Blue Valley SW
3. Kapaun
4. DeSoto
5. Hays
Others: Bishop Carroll, Maize, Salina Central, Great Bend, Shawnee Hts

www.kansasprepfootball.com/

4A 
1. Bishop Miege
2. Aquinas
3. St James
4. Eudora
5. Andover Central
Others: Abilene, Louisburg

3A
1. Andale
2. Cheney
3. Collegiate
4. Hayden
5. Clay Center
Others: Scott City

2A
1. Nemaha Central
2. Sabetha
3. Hoisington
4. Silver Lake
5. Ellsworth
Others: Rossville, SE of Saline, Kingman

www.kansasprepfootball.com/

1A
1. St Marys Colgan
2. Smith Center
3. St Marys
4. Sedgwick
5. Marion
Others: Centralia, Olpe, Conway Springs, Jeff Co North

8-man D-I
1. Wichita Co-Leoti
2. Lyndon
3. Meade
4. West Elk
5. Little River
Others: Clifton-Clyde, Hill City, Hoxie, Burlingame, Quinter

www.kansasprepfootball.com/

8-man D-II
1. Axtell
2. Osborne
3. Dighton
4. Kingsley
5. Wallace Co
Others: Frankfort, Minneola, Canton-Galva, Hodgeman Co, Thunder Ridge, Victoria, Sylvan-Lucas

6-man
1. Ashland
2. Cheylin
3. Cunningham
4. N. Valley
5. Waverly
Others: Ingalls, Tescott

Long time Ranking team members
Rich Epp OpenSpacesSports Colby
Dusty Deines KDNS Beloit
Conor Nichol Sunflower Sports SolutionsHays
Jim Misunas Great Bend Tribune Great Bend
Adam Kadavy KSKL Scott City/Garden City
Brock Kappelmann KSCB Liberal
Tim McGonagle KSKL Scott City/Garden City
Rocky Downing KFRM 550 AM
Pat Strathman ESPN Wichita 

Preseason Rankings 2023

These are my personal rankings to begin the year. What I have done is put the target on the number one team in each classification. Also my rankings are just what I call a WAG. That is a Wild Ass Guess of who I think might be the top 5 in each class. Every team looks great on paper in preseason. Most of my preseason information comes from the Kansas Pregame magazine, which I helped start 18 years ago.

Preseason and Pregame is an exciting time. Don’t know about you all, but I have been highly anticipating another great season of high school football, let the games begin.

Oh, one other thing, may we pray in pregame that there will be no major life changing injuries in any game, anywhere during the entire season, Amen.

Super Top 10 All-Classes
1.   Mill Valley
2.   Manhattan
3.   Gardner-Edgerton
4.   Derby
5.   Bishop Miege
6.   Hutchinson
7.   Andale
8.   Wichita Northwest
9.   St Thomas Aquinas
10. Bishop Carroll
11. Kapaun
12. Goddard
13. Washburn Rural
14. Cheney
15. Sabetha

6A
1. Manhattan
2. Gardner-Edgerton
3. Derby
4. Wichita NW
5. Washburn Rural
Others: none

5A
1. Mill Valley
2. Hutchinson
3. Bishop Carroll
4. Kapaun
5. Goddard
Others: none

www.kansasprepfootball.com/

4A 
1. Bishop Miege
2. Aquinas
3. St James
4. Eudora
5. Wamego
Others: none

3A
1. Andale
2. Cheney
3. Collegiate
4. Clay Center
5. Hayden
Others: none

2A
1. Sabetha
2. Nemaha Central
3. Hoisington
4. Beloit
5. Ellsworth
Others: none

www.kansasprepfootball.com/

1A
1. St Marys Colgan
2. Olpe
3. Centralia
4. St Mary’s
5. Smith Center
Others: none

8-man D-I
1. Lyndon
2. Wichita Co-Leoti
3. Hill City
4. Quinter
5. Clifton-Clyde
Others: none

www.kansasprepfootball.com/

8-man D-II
1. Axtell
2. Osborne
3. Thunder Ridge
4. Victoria
5. Frankfort
Others: none

6-man
1. Ashland
2. Cunningham
3. Cheylin
4. Waverly
5. Greeley Co
Others: none

Long time Ranking team members
Rich Epp OpenSpacesSports Colby
Dusty Deines KDNS Beloit
Conor Nichol Sunflower Sports Solutions Hays
Jim Misunas Great Bend Tribune Great Bend
Adam Kadavy KSKL Scott City/Garden City
Brock Kappelmann KSCB Liberal
Tim McGonagle KSKL Scott City/Garden City
Rocky Downing KFRM 550 AM
Pat Strathman ESPN Wichita 

Why me?

During my 8th grade year of school in P.E. class, we sat on benches in the locker room in alphabetical order, after we had dressed in our gym clothes. To my left was Mike and to my right was Pat. Both Mike and Pat were two of our best athletes in school and were involved in football, basketball and track.

Everyday I would say, “How you doing Mike?” He would always answer, “Good and you?” I would turn towards Pat and he would say something like, “Screw you McGonagle.” Once in awhile, I would answer like this, “Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed?” I liked both guys, they just had different personalities.

Several years later, I was having an adult beverage in a local establishment; Pat comes in the door and sits by some guy at the other end of the building. About three minutes later they were throwing punches at each other. As the owner was throwing Pat out of the building, he was saying, “Why me?”

Pat died at the age of 45. Mike died during our 8th grade year of school. Both of those guys at some point in their lives probably said, “Why me?” I know I have said that to myself many times. Why did Mike die so young? Why did Pat die so early? Why has God kept me around and those two had to go so early?

1 Peter 1:6-8 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer in grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

If you are or have been suffering in grief or any other kind of trials, know that you are not alone. Years ago I saw a sign on the back of the football stadium that said, “It isn’t the life that matters, it is the courage you bring to it.”

Excorcist and Satan

One of my freshman English classes at college was taught by a Marine Corp officer, combat veteran of Vietnam. The only text book I remember from that class was the book The Exorcist by William Blatty. The Exorcist is a book about demonic possession and the attempted exorcism of the young girl who was possessed. It is a novel based on a true story.

The book was read aloud in class and we were to read at home also. We discussed the book endlessly through out the semester. The movie came out that year and it was an assignment. The teacher took a roll call outside the theatre and we sat together. The movie, the book, the whole thing gave me the creeps. I couldn’t tell you what we were supposed to have learned, but I never forgot the class.

Among Americans, 50% believe that Satan is a living fallen being created by God. About 50% believe Satan is just a symbol of evil. Those percentages depend on which survey you want to read. If we are to believe Jesus was who he says he was and then he talks to Satan in the Bible in several situations, don’t you think we should believe in Satan?

Several years ago I was watching a sermon online from a well known pastor from a mega church in the Midwest. He said, “We have surveyed our membership and a third of you believe in Satan, a third of you don’t and a third of you don’t know what to think and I am not sure either.”

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis was a conversation between two demons. Screwtape tells Wormwood that the most effective thing he can do to bring souls to hell is to convince people that Satan does not exist.

Job 1: 6-7 There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered, “From going to and fro on the earth.”

1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God and the world lies in the power of the evil one.

1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.