The Central Plains High School football team is knee-deep in district play with a 4-0 record to place it on top of the Eight-Man Division-I district standings.
Lincoln, the Oilers competition on Friday, is right behind them in the standings at 3-0 in district play.
Both teams are 5-1 overall this season. Other teams in the district are Little River, Solomon, Canton-Galva, Peabody-Burns and Goessel.
Oilers head coach Chris Steiner said that their district has many teams that have to be accounted for.
“We prepare the same way every week,” Steiner said. “We treat everybody like they’re the best team we face. Our kids know the importance of (this week’s game). It’s no secret that this is likely for the district, but every week is important in this district.
“We could win this week, but then we have Solomon to worry about. You have to play every week or else, you’re in trouble.”
Lincoln has a balanced attack led by quarterback Dayton Walter, who has completed 59 of 97 passes for 1,025 yards, 20 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Walter also has 433 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Leading the ground game is Sean Ussrey, who has 520 yards and six scores.
The Oilers rely on a potent rushing attack spearheaded by senior Benn Kirmer.
Kirmer has carried the ball 47 times for 772 yards, averaging 16.43 yards per carry. He has 16 TDs.
“He averages over 16 yards per carry,” Steiner said of his running back. “It helps having two or three other guys who can step in to give you a rest. Benn just rips off a large gain, and then comes out and the others step in. We have four other backs over 100 yards this season.
“Last year, teams had to prepare for Benn. This year, they have to prepare for everybody.”
Second on the list of rushers is Nick Schepmann, who has 262 yards and eight touchdowns.

Macksville (6-0)
at Kiowa County (3-3)
Macksville remains undefeated, including a 3-0 Eight-Man D-II district record.
The Mustangs have three remaining district games starting with Kiowa County Friday night.
The Mavericks average 44 points per game while allowing 35.5 points per game.
Mustangs quarterback Seth Filbert has thrown for 1,257 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Pretty Prairie (5-1)
at St. John (5-1)
St. John is 3-0 in its Eight-Man D-II district, placing it in second in the standings behind Macksville due to the Mustangs undefeated overall record.
This week, the Tigers host a team that is tied for third place, Pretty Prairie.
Pretty Prairie averages 42 points per game while only allowing 17.

Bucklin (0-5) at Otis-Bison (5-1)
Otis-Bison is 2-0 in district play with Bucklin and Stafford left on its district schedule.
Winless Bucklin lies at the bottom of the district standings at 0-2. It allows 55.6 points per game while scoring 17.
Cougars running back Dylan Wissman averages 115.4 yards per game and has nine TDs.
Quarterback Trevor Keller has completed 43 of 66 passes for 592 yards and eight touchdowns. He has struggled with turnovers, throwing five interceptions.

Hoisington (4-2) at Lyons (1-5)
Hoisington eases into Class 3A district play on Friday night at Lyons.
Of the four teams in its district (Lyons, Hoisington, Ellsworth and Sterling), Lyons is the only team that isn’t 4-2 this season.
The Lions last win was Sept. 16 against Haven. Since then, they have been on a three-game losing streak.
Last week, Lyons lost to Nickerson 34-0.
Running back Hagan Hanzlick remains the Cardinals’ workhorse. He has carried the ball 143 times for 907 yards and seven touchdowns this season, averaging 6.34 yards per carry.

Ellinwood (1-5) at Plainville (6-0)
Ellinwood has another tough matchup in Week 7 against an unbeaten team.
Plainville averages 37.3 points per game while allowing 13.6 points per game.
Plainville is at the top of the Eagles’ 2A district. Ellinwood is 0-1 in district play, placing it ahead of Inman, which is 0-2.

Hugoton (3-3) at Larned (0-6)
Larned will begin 4A district play at home against Hugoton.
The Eagles have a two-headed monster in the backfield with Cordell Barnes leading in rushing yards with 579 and one touchdown and Miguel Degollado leading in rushing touchdowns with seven and 396 yards.
Larned has found some success moving the ball with a balanced attack of running the ball with Chad Wallace, who has 509 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and Brady Keith, who has 212 yards and three TDs.
Quarterback Easton Palmer has completed 49 of 111 passes for the Indians, throwing for 695 yards and nine touchdowns. Palmer has thrown 10 interceptions as well.

Stafford (2-4) — open
Stafford is 1-1 in its Eight-Man D-II district with Otis-Bison and Chase, the two teams ahead of it in the standings, remaining on its schedule.
The open date in its schedule is due to Haviland and Pawnee Heights no longer having football teams. both schools were originally in Stafford’s district.