With the opening of the playoffs, rematches await

As soon as the final shot rang in Friday's 49-30 loss at Prairie View, the Iola High Mustangs began strategizing their game plan for the immediate return game.

The Mustangs (4-4) are the 13th seed in the Kansas Class 3A playoffs on the east side of the state and travel back to LaCygne on Friday to once again defeat the Buffalos, 6-2.

Other schools don't have to go far back into their databases to find out more about their playoff opponents.

Marmaton Valley, Crest and Southern Coffey County will all open their postseason against teams they faced in the 2023 season.

The Wildcats (7-1) host Hartford (1-7) on Thursday night to open the Class Eight Man-Division II playoffs. The Wildcats defeated Hartford 80-22 last season and 52-46 in the shootout in 2022.

Crest (5-3) also gets a home game to open the postseason thanks to its second-place finish in its district and hosts Lebo (6-2), which finished third in its district. The last time the two teams met in 2023, Lebo had the upper hand and won 60:12.

Southern Coffey County is coming off a forfeit win over Burrton to open the Kansas Six Man Playoffs and will not play until November 8th in Cunningham. Cunningham went 52-0 against the Titans when they met in 2023.

THE ONLY ONE The exception to the playoff rematch trend is in Humboldt, which will host the undefeated Cubs Atchinson County (2-6) in Class 2A. The teams have never played on the gridiron before.

Yates Center (0-8) didn't qualify for the playoffs but has another chance to win after falling two points behind Flinthills in a 22-20 setback last week.

The Wildcats will close out the 2024 season with a home game on Thursday against winless Arma-Northeast. The teams' last game was in 2019, when Northeast came home with a 36-0 win.