KPG FB Rankings presented by Salina Ortho

Check out our football rankings after Week 1 presented by Salina Ortho. With satellite clinics across central and western Kansas, Salina Ortho sets the standard for orthopedic care. Visit SalinaOrtho.com for more info. Rather than ranking a Top 5 or Top 10 in each classification, we're opting to rank the teams we feel most confident will be in state contention come the end of the season. In our estimation some classifications have more, some have less, but remember, it's just our best guess. Fortunately it will all be played out on the field and at the end of the year our rankings will mean very little.

Class 6A
1. Wichita Northwest (1-0)
2. Manhattan (1-0)
3. Blue Valley Northwest (1-0)
4. Lawrence Free State (1-0)
5. Derby (0-1)
6. Gardner-Edgerton (0-1)
7. Wichita East (1-0)
8. Shawnee Mission East (1-0)
(Looks like a lot of balance for a deep classification.)

Class 5A
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (1-0)
2. Mill Valley (1-0)
3. Great Bend (1-0)
4. Hays (1-0)
5. St. James Academy (1-0)
(Started the season thinking it was the top four and everyone else, but SJA shutting out Bishop Miege plants them firmly in the Top 5. Blue Valley, Basehor-Linwood, Hutchinson, Maize South and Salina Central are among the others considered.)

Class 4A
1. Bishop Miege (0-1)
2. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (1-0)
(While Buhler, Wamego, Ottawa, Wellington, Mulvane and Chanute all appear to be among contenders, we have little confidence in the order after the top two in this classification.)

Class 3A
1. Andale (1-0)
2. Topeka Hayden (1-0)
3. Wellsville (1-0)
(The gap between Andale and the rest of this field is likely substantial, but Rock Creek, Holcomb, Frontenac, Prairie View and Hesston all look like contenders and Cheney and Collegiate are still likely to be factors in spite of Week 1 losses.)

Class 2A
1. Southeast of Saline (1-0)
2. Nemaha Central (1-0)
3. Beloit (1-0)
4. Osage City (1-0)
(Great wins this week for Hoisington, Sabetha, Garden Plain and Caney Valley, but that quartet is likely a few points behind the Top 4.)

Class 1A
1. Jackson Heights (1-0)
2. Conway Springs (1-0)
3. St. Mary's Colgan (1-0)
4. Rossville (1-0)
5. Centralia (1-0)
(Sterling looked impressive in their win over Sedgwick, but we need a week or two more to gain confidence in the Black Bears as a contender, along with teams like Moundridge, Inman and Plainville. Valley Heights held its own against Centralia and certainly is in position to make another deep playoff run this season. Yes, Conway Springs struggled with Nickerson, but the Panthers have renewed energy under coach Parker Bruce so we won't ding the Cardinals too much for the eight-point win over the long-struggling, but much larger, Nickerson.)

8-Man I
1. South Central (1-0)
2. Wichita County (0-1)
3. Lincoln (1-0)
4. Central Plains (1-0)
5. Little River (1-0)
(We feel pretty confident about this Top 5 in spite of Wichita County's loss to Colorado power Haxtun, but we do worry if Cashton Young's absence from last week's game is a long-term problem. Lyndon, Sublette and Sylvan-Lucas are intriguing, and probably shouldn't write off Ell-Saline even with the Hanover loss. Still got our eyes on Trego, St. Francis and Decatur Community as well)

8-Man II
1. Axtell (1-0)
2. Hanover (1-0)
3. Victoria (1-0)
(Hodgeman County, Burlingame, Rural Vista, an incredibly young and talented Osborne squad, Central Christian and Waverly are part of a large field of contenders that have work to do to prove they are up to the task presented by the Top 3.)

6-Man
1. Cunningham (1-0)
2. Weskan (0-1)
3. Golden Plains (1-0)
(Impressive win for Tescott over Peabody-Burns in their opener and Otis-Bison and Ingalls could be in the mix as well.)