For high school football, Week 9 of the regular season has three types of team situations.
One: teams needing a win in order to move on to the postseason.
Two: teams that have already clinched a postseason berth and are using the game as a tune-up.
Three: teams that have already been eliminated and are playing to end the season on a good note.
Hoisington is in the first category.
The Cardinals host Thomas More Prep Marian tonight at 7.
Hoisington is 3-4 overall. TMP is 2-6 overall.
Both teams are 1-1 in Class 3A District 15.
With Scott City already holding the district title, both teams are playing for a chance to play next week.
Cardinals running back Nolan McCurry leads his team with 881 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Senior Avery Urban adds 490 yards and seven TDs.
The Monarchs average 16.75 points per game, while allowing 32.5.
Larned (6-2) at Pratt (2-6)
Larned is also in the first category, needing a win over Pratt to guarantee a chance to move on.
Larned is 1-1 in Class 4A District 14.
Pratt is 0-2 in the district, but Hugoton is 1-1.
If Hugoton defeats Ulysses and Larned beats Pratt, both teams with be 2-1. Both teams have zero tiebreaker points.
If Pratt wins and Hugoton loses, all three teams will be 1-2 with Ulysses winning the district title at 3-0.
Pratt is minus-41 in tiebreaker points.
Sylvan-Lucas (3-5)
at Otis-Bison (2-6)
Otis-Bison is in the first category, though it gets more complicated than just needing a win.
There are three teams vying for the Eight-Man Division-II District 7 runner-up spot on the standings with Victoria, which is 8-0 overall, and 4-0 in district play, already holding the title.
Sylvan-Lucas leads with a 3-1 record. Dighton and Otis-Bison are both at 2-2.
The Cougars need to beat the Mustangs to tie them in the standings.
Dighton can force a three-way tie with a win over Western Plains (1-7 overall).
Then things go to the tiebreaker points system.
Sylvan-Lucas has 27 points, Dighton has 16 points and Otis-Bison is even at zero.
Any one game can account for a 21-point swing, meaning if Otis-Bison defeats Sylvan-Lucas by 21 points or more, the Cougars will gain 21 tiebreaker points and the Mustangs will lose 21 tiebreaker points.
In order to pass Sylvan-Lucas in points, the Cougars need to win by no less than 14.
That would leave Dighton. If it defeats Western Plains by more than five points, than Otis-Bison does not have a chance at a postseason berth because the Hornets would have more than 21 points.
Little River (4-4)
at Central Plains (7-1)
Central Plains is in the second category.
Last week, the Oilers throttled Solomon, essentially guaranteeing them the Eight-Man D-I District 5 title.
Quarterback Braeden Crites has cruised through the regular season, putting up massive numbers with the Oilers offense, inlcuding 86 points last week against Solomon.
Crites has completed 81 of 144 passes (56.3 percent) for 1,853 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.
Layne Bieberle has been the top receiver for the Oilers for most of the season. He has 940 yards and 19 scores.
Sunrise Christian (6-2)
at Stafford (6-2)
Stafford is in the second category as well, having clinched the runners-up in District 4 of Eight-Man D-II.
The Trojans’s winning record is largely thanks to a two-pronged running attack.
Junior Ethan Johnson leads Stafford with 1,227 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.
Senior Tristin Paulsen has rushed for 1,002 yards and 16 scores.
Sunrise is led by quarterback Antonio Kitt, who has 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns on 81 of 143 passes. He has thrown 12 interceptions.
Fairfield (6-2)
at Macksville (1-7)
Macksville is in the final category, having been eliminated from a postseason berth.
Senior quarterback Tanner Tranbarger has rushed and passed for more than 1,000 yards for the second straight season for the Mustangs.
Tranbarger has completed 86 of 122 passes (70.5 percent) for 1,050 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 1,074 yards and 20 scores.
Macksville has four receivers over 100 yards this season, with Simon Miller leading with 412 yards and seven TDs.
Fairfield averages 45.75 points per game, while allowing 17.5. It has three shutouts this season.
Kiowa County (8-0)
at St. John-Hudson (2-6)
Senior tailback Schuyler Brown leads St. John with 898 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Tigers are also playing for pride, one more win on their record and maybe to see Brown reach 1,000 yards this season.
It won’t be the simplest of tasks for St. John. Kiowa County is the Eight-Man D-I District 6 champions.
The Mavericks are led by senior Trevor Powell has rushed for 1,734 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Ellinwood (0-8) at Inman (5-3)
Ellinwood’s offense has struggled to put up points this season, but over the last two games, the Eagles have averaged 32 points.
Ellinwood quarterback Marc Waite has completed 31 of 80 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns.
Colton Churchill leads the Eagles with 452 rushing yards and three TDs.
Kaleb Schartz has added 291 rushing yards and four scores.
Inman is led by senior Tyler Cottam with 491 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
