Rankings after Week 5

Our apologies for the delay in this week's rankings release, work on one of our flagship products, our annual Winter Edition previewing the upcoming basketball and wrestling season, was top priority. Now, here's a look at our take on the weekly football rankings with just a few brief notes.

Class 6A

1. Manhattan (5-0)
2. Derby (4-1)
3. Wichita Northwest (4-1)
4. Olathe North (5-0)
5. Junction City (5-1)

Notes: Continues to be the deepest class. Honestly believe anyone in the top half of this classification could beat anyone else in the top half on any given night. Outside of the Top 5 that top half includes teams like Washburn Rural, Gardner-Edgerton, Blue Valley West, Blue Valley Northwest, Lawrence and others. Assuming teams stay healthy it looks like the 6A playoffs could be fun. This week, Derby vs. Maize and Manhattan vs. Junction City have all the makings of two of the biggest games of this season.

Class 5A

1. Mill Valley (5-0)
2. Maize (5-0)
3. Hays (4-1)
4. Bishop Carroll (3-2)
5. Hutchinson (4-1)

Notes: Said it before so might as well say it again, appears to be two tiers here, Mill Valley and Maize firmly entrenched at the top of the list and several others a couple notches further down. Maize at Derby is the marquee matchup of the week with "The Holy War," Bishop Carroll vs. Kapaun at Riverfront Stadium, a close second.

Class 4A

1. Bishop Miege (5-0)
2. St. James Academy (2-3)
3. St. Thomas Aquinas (3-2)
4. Chanute (5-0)
5. Wamego (5-0)

Notes: Not much new to see here. In spite of the loss to Rockhurst coming on the heels of the loss to St. James, Aquinas is still at three and now the Saints get a chance to try to knock Miege from the top spot this week. St. James has a stiff test as well this week in a Blue Valley West team coming off a one-point win over BVNW. Chanute and Wamego appear headed toward unbeaten regular seasons, while Atchison - the other unbeaten in the class - will get tested this week against Meadowlark Conference foe Highland Park. Will be interesting to see how the Red Raiders integrate Hayden Oviatt back into the offense as the regular season winds down, could make the Red Raiders scary.

Class 3A

1. Andale (5-0)
2. Wichita Collegiate (5-0)
3. Topeka Hayden (5-0)
4. Holton (4-1)
5. Rock Creek (4-1)

Notes: Here it is, the game everyone has been waiting for, Andale at Wichita Collegiate. On paper it looks like the Indians are a significant favorite. Will the Spartans reveal any chinks in Andale's armor? Other games of note: Galena vs. Parsons and Holcomb vs. Scott City. Girard and Wellsville appear positioned well to finish the regular season unbeaten.

Class 2A

1. Southeast of Saline (5-0)
2. Nemaha Central (5-0)
3. Kingman (5-0)
4. Sabetha (4-1)
5. Silver Lake (3-2)

Notes: Kingman continues to impress this season, but because their schedule is not quite the level of Southeast of Saline and Nemaha Central the top three will stay intact. The Eagles square off against unbeaten Chaparral this week. From the "we were wrong" category, Silver Lake is still a contender in 2A thanks to QB Tanner Martin and The War on 24 delivered yet again as the Eagles defeated rival Rossville by one-point in an overtime thriller that featured an epic fourth quarter comeback. Council Grove and Ellsworth remain unbeaten and are also in the "we were wrong" column, but both will get an opportunity to prove they are contenders in Week 8 games against quality opponents. Hoisington fell hard to Pratt last week and will try to rebound against an unbeaten Lakin team that has played a schedule which features five teams with a combined five wins. Norton hosts Beloit in a key district matchup after losing a shocker to Goodland in overtime last week.

Class 1A

1. Inman (5-0)
2. Olpe (3-2)
3. St. Mary's Colgan (4-1)
4. St. Marys (3-2)
5. Centralia (5-0)

Notes: Inman got a good win over Hutch-Trinity last week and appears in the driver's seat in 1A. The east side of the bracket feels balanced to us with Olpe, Colgan, St. Marys, Centralia, Troy and Wabaunsee all in the hunt. After a surprising loss to Wabaunsee two weeks ago, Smith Center rebounded with a dominant win over Oakley. Jayhawk Linn's 5-0 start is impressive, but games with Pleasanton and Olpe the next two weeks represent the two toughest games of the regular season.

8-Man I

1. Little River (4-1)
2. Wichita County (5-0)
3. Meade (5-0)
4. Hill City (5-0)
5. Hoxie (4-1)

Notes: Little River will be heavy-favorites in the final three games of the season while Wichita County and Meade face off in a key district battle. Hill City travels to Hoxie in another key district match-up featuring Top 5 teams. Macksville vs. La Crosse, Chase County at Lyndon, South Sumner County at Wichita Independent, and Clifton-Clyde vs. Ell-Saline are a few of the top games this week.

8-Man II

1. Axtell (5-0)
2. Canton-Galva (5-0)
3. Victoria (5-0)
4. Thunder Ridge (4-1)
5. Dighton (5-0)

Notes: Osborne is just outside the Top 5, while unbeatens South Barber, Stafford, and Minneola will get tested before the regular season wraps up.

6-Man

1. Cunningham (5-0)
2. Ashland (4-1)
3. Waverly (5-0)