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Author Archives: mcgonagl@pld.com
Rankings September 18, 2023
Super Top 10 All-Classes
1. Mill Valley
2. Manhattan
3. Gardner-Edgerton
4. Wichita NW
5. Bishop Miege
6. St Thomas Aquinas
7. Olathe North
8. Kapaun
9. Andale
10. Washburn Rural
11. Derby
12. Lawrence
6A
1. Manhattan
2. Gardner-Edgerton
3. Wichita NW
4. Olathe North
5. Washburn Rural
Others: Lawrence, Derby
5A
1. Mill Valley
2. Kapaun
3. Blue Valley SW
4. Goddard Eisenhower
5. Hays
Others: Spring Hill
4A
1. Bishop Miege
2. Aquinas
3. Andover Central
4. Louisburg
5. Eudora
Others: none
3A
1. Andale
2. Cheney
3. Hayden
4. Collegiate
5. Clay Center
Others: none
2A
1. Nemaha Central
2. Sabetha
3. Hoisington
4. Ellsworth
5. SE of Saline
Others: Norton
1A
1. St Marys Colgan
2. Centralia
3. Marion
4. Jefferson Co North
5. Smith Center
Others: Jackson Hts
8-man D-I
1. Wichita Co-Leoti
2. Lyndon
3. Meade
4. Burlingame
5. Moundridge
Others: none
8-man D-II
1. Axtell
2. Kingsley
3. Minneola
4. Victoria
5. Central Plains
Others: Sylvan/Lucas
6-man
1. Cheylin
2. Ashland
3. Cunningham
4. N. Valley
5. Waverly
Others: none
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
This is High School Football
Rankings September 11, 2023
For years, I have encouraged teams to pray before games for the safety of the players. I knew that standing on the sidelines, you can be injured also, but never heard of someone dying from a hit on the sidelines until this week.
A photographer was hit on the sidelines during a JV game in Wichita and hit her head on some concrete and died several days later at the hospital. What a sad situation. Our thoughts are with the family and the two teams who were involved and anyone who was at the game or knew the photographer.
Our gracious heavenly Father, we pray for no major life changing injuries during the games or as we drive to the games and no matter where we are at the games, Oh Lord we pray. Amen.
Super Top 10 All-Classes
1. Mill Valley
2. Manhattan
3. Gardner-Edgerton
4. Wichita NW
5. Bishop Miege
6. St Thomas Aquinas
7. Kapaun
8. Olathe North
9. Hays
10. Andale
11. Derby
12. Blue Valley NW
13. Washburn Rural
14. Lawrence
15.
6A
1. Manhattan
2. Gardner-Edgerton
3. Wichita NW
4. Olathe North
5. Washburn Rural
Others: Lawrence, Blue Valley NW
5A
1. Mill Valley
2. Kapaun
3. Hays
4. Blue Valley SW
5. Maize South
Others: Bishop Carroll, Goddard Eisenhower
4A
1. Bishop Miege
2. Aquinas
3. Eudora
4. Andover Central
5. St James
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. SE of Saline
5. Ellsworth
Others: Norton
1A
1. St Marys Colgan
2. Centralia
3. Sedgwick
4. Marion
5. Smith Center
Others: Wabaunsee Co, Jeff Co North
8-man D-I
1. Wichita Co-Leoti
2. Lyndon
3. Meade
4. Little River
5. West Elk
Others: Clifton-Clyde, Hoxie, Quinter
8-man D-II
1. Axtell
2. Osborne
3. Kingsley
4. Frankfort
5. Minneola
Others: Bucklin, Victoria
6-man
1. Ashland
2. Cheylin
3. Cunningham
4. N. Valley
5. Waverly
Others: Ingalls
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 Wich
Photographer dies when injured at Wichita JV game
Sad story of a photographer that dies after being injured at a JV game in Wichita. The story is here
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Best States for High School Football
Kansas Pregame Magazine 2023
Kansas Pregame Magazine 2023 link to here
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.”