The best Round 1 high school playoff football games in the Wichita area

WICHITA, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) – This is the moment we've all been waiting for. And it's not just a single moment — it's many moments that last weeks and culminate in some 214 teams in Kansas being crowned football state champions.

Okay, there aren't quite that many. But let's just say there are enough divisions in Kansas that it won't be difficult to find (at least) five games in this area to highlight each playoff week.

But before we can get to those nine soccer teams collecting trophies and keeping every metals company in the tri-state area profitable for the next 12 months, we have to get through Round 1. There's a lot of inconsistency in the opening round, and half of Kansas' teams' seasons end this week. But there are also some games we want to highlight, so let's get started.

Topeka Washburn Rural (3-5) at Maize (4-4), Class 6A

Remember how every week of Friday Five during the regular season featured teams on winning streaks or teams that rarely lost? Well, that won't be the case this week. But it will be the first appearance of Maize, a team we really wanted to talk about.

Since an 0-4 start, Maize has rattled off four straight wins, with the Eagles outscoring their opponents 221-44. That's a lot of points compared to not very many points, for those still figuring out how the math plays a role in this column.

Despite these lopsided results, there isn't a player in Maize that would statistically overwhelm you. Three runners are averaging between 47 and 51 rushing yards, their leading receiver, Bryson Hayes, is under 500 yards, and quarterback Brayden Myovela has thrown just eight touchdowns.

What the Eagles do well is keep coming at you with an active defense and enough weapons to give themselves options with the ball.

At the other end of the spectrum is Washburn Rural, which doesn't come away with an overwhelming win, but does suffer some loss in quality, if such a thing even exists. The teams that handed Rural five losses have a combined record of 24-9. The Junior Blues enter the postseason with back-to-back losses, including a 56-14 loss to Manhattan last week.

Hays (4-4) at Andover (4-4), Class 5A

This feels like a game that could be decided by half a point if that were possible.

Hays has played with some of the best teams in the state, with a 34-30 loss to Manhattan in a Week 3 game decided in the final seconds and a 20-19 loss to Liberal last week. These teams are a combined 14-2.

Andover, meanwhile, bounced back from a winless 2023 with a solid season that could have been much better. The Trojans lost by seven to Kapaun Mount Carmel, by one to Goddard and by four to Goddard Eisenhower.

We're told a team has to win this game, but it's probably going to be a heartbreaking game either way. If you're a fan of either team, pace yourself.

The last time these teams met was in the 2021 postseason, where Hays went 18-6 and ended Andover's 7-3 season. The Trojans lost 14 of their next 17 games before turning things around this year. They will face a challenge in a Hays defense that includes Slade Salmans, Tanner Geist and Kamani Jones.