TOPEKA — It was a wild week of high school football around Shawnee County. Week 5 action provided fireworks once again. Washburn Rural earned a big win over rival Topeka High. Shawnee Heights’ Aiden Scott went off despite a loss while there are no remaining undefeated teams in the Topeka-area.
Here’s what we learned in Week 5 high school football play from the capital city.
Washburn Rural back on track
Last few weeks were frustrating for the Junior Blues. They lost three straight games to great Kansas City-area programs. Washburn Rural (2-3) needed to bounce back and they do so with a big 49-21 win over Topeka High .
Running back TJ Minikwu rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the win. John Hoytal threw two touchdown passes to Kellan Roth while the defense forced two turnovers. The Junior Blues were everywhere and thoroughly deserved the win over their Centennial League foe.
Washburn Rural are the reigning conference champions. They are looking to repeat with the final three games of the season against conference opponents. While it seemed nothing could go right in the last few weeks, Friday’s win proved that Washburn Rural’s goals are still in front of them and they can still be achieved.
Washburn Rural football: Grabs emphatic rivalry win over Topeka High
Undefeated teams go down in Week 5
It was a tough week for the two remaining undefeated teams in the capital city. Topeka High (4-1) suffered their first loss of the year to Washburn Rural.
It was a difficult start to the game as the Trojans couldn’t convert on 4th and 1 on their opening drive. A few minutes later, the Junior Blues scored taking the momentum away from the home team. Topeka High couldn’t keep pace with Washburn Rural, but running back Tevante Ewing scored two touchdowns in the defeat. Jayden Norman also secured an interception in the first half for a highlight.
Highland Park (4-1) had their first test of the season as they went on the road to Class 6A Wichita East. The Scots did not allow a single point through the first four games of the season. They struggled to keep the Blues Aces away from the end zone as Highland Park lost 74-6.
The lone touchdown for Highland Park came in the first quarter. The Scots allowed a long rushing touchdown and on the ensuing kick-off, Jamon Wilson brought it back to the house for the score. Wilson’s kick-return for a touchdown marked the fifth straight game that he has scored via special teams.
Hayden, Rossville, Silver Lake shutout opponents
After suffering their first loss of the year in Week 4, the Hayden Wildcats bounced back with a 49-0 win over Hiawatha.
Hayden (4-1) set the tone early with Kade Mitchell scoring on the opening kick-off. Mitchell would score three rushing touchdowns, too. Broderick Desch also provided some big highlights as he scored on the ground twice and in the passing game once from quarterback Jett Wahlmeier. Hayden’s defense was everywhere as they forced sacks and tackles for a loss in the win.
Rossville (2-3) did not play in Week 4 . They did not skip a beat in their Week 5 43-0 win over Mission Valley.
It was the Conner Bush show as he was all over the field. Bush caught a 4-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Tayson Horak in the first quarter. Bush went the distance for a 74-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. A few minutes later, Bush snagged an interception and took it to the house for the 30-yard pick-six.
Horak ended the game with two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Andre Johnson scored the first touchdown on a 1-yard score to help Rossville win their game on the gridiron.
Silver Lake (4-1) earned another big win as they went on the road and took down Baldwin 50-0.
Baldwin moved the ball well on their opening drive until a tipped pass fell into Dayne Johnson’s hands. He went 75-yards on the interception for a touchdown which gave the Eagles all of the momentum.
Dysen Schooler threw two touchdowns and rushed for one in the win. Bryson Burgos added two rushing touchdowns while Allen Lees also scored on a short rushing touchdown, too.
Offensive showdown expected for Week 6 matchup
Next week, Seaman (4-1) will go on the road to face Shawnee Heights (1-4).
Both teams have shown that they can score with the best of them. Their Week 6 game is going to come down to who has the ball last or which defense can make a stop.
Despite their record, Shawnee Heights has consistently been able to light up a scoreboard. They lost 69-57 to De Soto on Friday in an offensive bonanza.
Quarterback Aiden Scott threw seven touchdowns and rushed for one, too. He threw three touchdowns to Parker Busenitz and three to AJ Gallegos. Scott has thrown 16 touchdowns in five games played this year.
While Scott has been throwing the ball well, so has Seaman’s Max Huston. The senior quarterback helped the Vikings (4-1) defeat Lansing 43-22 in a contest that pitted two 3-1 records against each other.
Huston threw three touchdowns and over 300 yards in the win. His main target was, of course, Bryer Finley. The two have been a proficient duo all season. Finley caught all three touchdown passes in the win.
Seaman is averaging 37.4 points per game this season. Shawnee Heights has scored an average of 38.4 points per game through the first five games, too. Next week’s game between the two United Kansas Conference rivals should be an offensive explosion.
Topeka area high school football Week 5 results
- Basehor-Linwood 59, Topeka West 6
- De Soto 69, Shawnee Heights 57
- Hayden 49, Hiawatha 0
- Rossville 43, Mission Valley 0
- Seaman 43, Lansing 22
- Silver Lake 50, Baldwin 0
- Wabaunsee 40, Cair Paravel 24
- Washburn Rural 49, Topeka High 21
- Wichita East 74, Highland Park 6
Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@ g annett.co m
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Touchdowns, shutouts and more: Breaking down Week 5 HS football action from Shawnee County
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