Hovpen Football Rankings Released

With the movement of Hutchinson and their 37 straight wins down to the Class 5A ranks in Kansas, Class 6A domination is now up for grabs. A host of teams are looking to compete for the top class title in Kansas although it is our opinion that Hutchinson is still the team to beat in any class in the state. There is no doubt in our minds that Hutch is the No. 1 team overall in Kansas and unlike some national rankings people, we absolutely refuse to say that a 2A team even as powerful as Smith Center is, is the No. 1 team overall in Kansas. In our opinion, they aren't even in the top 10 overall, but in their own class, and maybe as high as 4A, against most teams, would do very well. So who is the team to beat in 6A? Our pre-season rankings here at the Rivals.com affiliate for High Schools in Kansas is going to go with the Olathe East Hawks based on several factors. First off, they return a total of 15 starters for a team which went 9-2 last season, losing to playoff finalist Olathe South 21-17 in the quarterfinals. Among others, East returns probably the only really experienced quarterback in the Sunflower league in Rick Settle, and running back JaVon Williams who rushed for over 1500 yards as a junior picking up first team honors in the league. East also returns first team lineman Jake Woten, who at 6-4 and 240 will anchor a veteran line. In the backfield on defense, look out for Derahn Williams, one of several defensive players returning in the league with first team honors in his position a year ago. East will open the season with our number two pick in Olathe North so someone is going to drop right off the bat. North has one of the more highly recruited linemen this season with Kevin Young, a recent University of Kansas commitment. Junior running back James Franklin who ran for 1140 yards plus a year ago as a sophomore returns looking to make a name for himself. Junction City starts the season third ranked after winning their playoff game last season and returning several top players off that team including quarterback Ty Zimmerman along with one of his top receivers in Anthony Caine. Junction City also returns one of the top linemen in Kansas and the Midwest in 6-5, 290 pound offensive tackle Justin Aumen along with several younger linemen who will get better as the season progresses. Blue Valley will still be strong in spite of moving up from 5A for this cycle. A strong tradition has been established with this team. It doesn't hurt that they have a 6-4, 300 pound linemen to run behind either in the form of Ryan Miller. Two 6A teams out of Wichita are looking good this pre-season. Which one comes out on top will probably be decided in the first three weeks as they play each other, plus 5A teams Bishop Carroll and Kapaun both of whom will put strong teams on the field this year. We gave the nod at the No. 5 position to Northwest as they return a majority of their line from a year ago including a strong offensive tackle in Colby Duranleau along with one of the top junior running backs in Kansas in DeMarcus Roberson who rushed for over 1100 yards a year ago in the same backfield as Chris Harper and TJ Shine. Wichita Heights comes in at No. 6 with strong numbers and will be anchored by three star defensive end Ian Knight along with two sport star Dorian Roberts in the defensive backfield. Look for Free State to weigh in at No. 7 as one of the Lawrence teams always has something to say about who gets to the big game. As long as Chucky Hunter is running the ball, they are always a threat to score. Especially is big Graham Saunders is clearing the path. Shawnee Mission Northwest, Derby, and Olathe South round out our rankings and if completely honest, could probably be interchanged with a few other teams. Northwest however, finished 9-2 last year and returns one of the top backs in the KC area in senior Bryce Atagi. Derby has what is probably one of the top five quarterbacks this season in the state, and our No. 1 preseason based on numbers from a year ago in 6A with the return of Jake Snodgrass. They also have a strong running back coming back in Aaron Wilson who was just short of 1,000 yards a year ago with 933, a excellent receiver and defensive back in Devin Hedgepeth and a strong kicking game with the No. 8 ranked kicker in the nation in Evan Engwall. While Olathe South lost a lot last season, along with their coach, they do return one of the top backs in Kansas in Jake Byrd who will run behind tradition. Others will contend and include Wichita East behind top 10 nationally ranked Bryce Brown with quarterback Matt Byers who will get a D-1 scholarship with his arm although we have yet to see what he can do on the football field. Byers qualified for the World Junior Olympics javelin championships to be held in Poland later this summer although he will be unable to attend by finishing second nationally. If he can take defenses out of the box and take the pressure off Brown, look out for the Aces. Garden City and Dodge City both lost tremendous quarterbacks out west and we expect them to be in a rebuilding phase. Manhattan, Blue Valley West, Wichita Southeast, Goddard and Maize could also find themselves as contenders. Whatever, with the moving of Hutchinson, 6A promises to be a very competitive field. At top of page, see rankings for all classes in Kansas, provided by Hovpen Sports.