CENTRAL PLAINS, FRANKFORT —
The Oilers won two state titles (2018, 2019) and Frankfort owns state championships in 1973 and 2012.
Frankfort —
Central Plains —
FRANKFORT (18-6) (FHG 3 FT TP)—Colvin, Anderson, Smith, Loiseau, Olson, Rosquist, Chase Stallbaumer, Totals
CENYTRAL PLAINS (17-4) (FG 3 FT TP)—Crites (), Hekele (), Grubb, Stiles (), Dody Siemsen, Daniels, Totals
1A DIV. 1 BOYS 3-13—Olpe 20-2 vs. Little River 15-7, 2; Central Plains 17-4 vs. Frankfort 18-6, 4; South Central 20-2 vs. Clifton Clyde 16-6, 6; South Gray 18-4 vs. Quinter 16-6, 8
CENTRAL PLAINS (17-4)
Coach: Michael Ryan
Sub-state results: beat Ellis, 43-23; beat Greeley County, 56-50
Quarterfinal: vs. Frankfort (5: 18-6), 4 p.m. Thursday
Key players: Brodie Crites, so., G; Aiden Hekele, sr., F; Camden Stiles, so., G; Peyton Dody, so., G; Landon Daniels, jr., C; Rylan Siemsen, jr., G; Logan Stroede, sr., C; Ethan Grubb, sr., G.
NOTES--Central Plains has qualified for state six of the past 11 seasons, but trip is first for Ryan, who is in third year as head coach of his alma mater. … Last state appearance came I 2022. … Oilers won a Class 2A state title in 2018 and then the Class 1A Division I state title in 2019 for back-to-back crowns, the lone championships for the program. … Oilers went 5-2 in Central Prairie League play, suffering lone league losses to St. John and Macksville, splitting with the Mustangs after beating them in a non-league counting game. … Another loss came to 2A qualifier Sterling and the other to Sunrise Christian. … Oilers also beat fellow 1A I qualifier Little River by 22 points. … Oilers finished runner-up at both the Amos Morris Classic in Russell and the St. John Mid-Winter Classic … Crites averages 15.5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3.5 steals per game. … Hekele adds 12.5 points and 7 rebounds per contest. … Stiles adds 9 points per game and Siemsen comes off bench for 6.5 points per game. … Dody and Daniels each average 4 rebounds per game. … Bulk of squad helped Oilers to runner-up finish in Eight-Player Division I football this season.
FRANKFORT (18-6)
Coach: Adam Schreiner
Sub-state results: beat Onaga, 64-31; beat Seabury Academy, 73-70; beat Blue Valley-Randolph, 44-36
Quarterfinal vs. Central Plains (4: 18-4), 4 p.m. Thursday
Key players: Wes Anderson, jr.; Ty Smith, sr.; Lane Loiseau, sr.; Carter Olson, sr.; Fred Rosquist, jr.; Porter Colvin, jr.; Chase Stallbaumer, sr.
NOTES--Wildcats return to state tournament for the first time since 2020 and trip is 14th overall. … Wildcats have reached semifinals in 10 of previous 13 trips and made the championship game five times. … Frankfort has two state titles, winning in 2012 and 1973. … Wildcats lost to Clifton-Clyde in sub-state finals last year. … Wildcats upset Seabury Academy in sub-state semifinals this season with the Seahawks coming off a state runner-up finish last year. … Three of five losses came to state qualifying teams, 1A I Clifton-Clyde, 1A II Hanover and 1A II Axtell. … Wildcats also lost to Centralia twice. … Frankfort won the Wabaunsee Tournament for the first time. … Bulk of squad helped football team to state semifinals each of the last two seasons.
OLPE (20-2)
Coach: Chris Schmidt
Sub-state results: beat Canton-Galva, 71-46; beat Central-Burden, 64-33
Quarterfinal: vs. Little River (8: 15-7), 2 p.m. Thursday
Key players: Dexton Hoelting, sr., G; Brecken McGuire, so., G; Abbott Bailey, so., G; Brayden Lienemann, jr., F; Cade Whitmore, jr., F; Ko’Rrel Robinson, jr., G; Jaiden Kurzen, jr., F; Eli Markowitz, jr., G.
NOTES--Eagles have been a fixture at the 1A state tournament, qualifying each of the past four seasons, which have all finished with top-four finishes. … Olpe took third last year and fourth in 2023 after capturing back-to-back state championships in 2021 and 2022. … Trip to state is 17th overall for Eagles, who also took second in 2A in 2002 and has three third-place state finishes as well. … Eagles swept the Lyon County League Tournament and regular season titles for the fourth straight year and suffered only losses to St. Marys in the season opener and Nemaha Central in the next-to-last regular season game. … Eagles finished regular season with 78-66 win over quarterfinal foe Little River and won 17 games in between their two losses, only two of those decided by single digits. … Hoelting missed all of last season with injury but has returned this year to average 13 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2 steals per game. … McGuire has led Eagles in scoring each of his first two seasons, averaging 18.1 points per game this year. … He also has 3 assists, 3.5 steals and 4.5 rebounds per game. … Bailey missed six games with a football injury but has averaged 10.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in his return. … Robinson adds 8.1 points per game and Whitemore adds 6 points and 6 rebounds per game. … Eagles hold opponents to just 35.3 points per game. … Schmidt won his 500th game in the sub-state finals and is 500-146 in his 27 years as head coach.
LITTLE RIVER (15-7)
Coach: Erik Base
Sub-state results: beat Goessel, 65-29; beat Colony-Crest, 48-39; beat Oxford, 59-53
Quarterfinal vs. Olpe (1: 21-2), 2 p.m
Key players: Logan Renken, sr.; Jaxson Konen, jr.; Jaren Garrison, so.; Logan Schubert, so.; Blayne Baldetti, so.; Ty Janette, jr.; Lincoln Raleigh, fr.; Jhet Ewertt, so.
NOTES--Redskins end short two-year state absence after qualifying back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021. … Little River made Forever Four in 2020 and took third in 2021. … State appearance is 11th overall for the program. … Redskins have one state championship in program history, coming in 1974, and also have finished as state runner-up four times – 1999, 1975, 1972 and 1970. … Redskins were Wheat State League runners-up to 1A Division II qualifier Elyria Christian, pushing the Eagles to overtime in one of their two losses to them. … Redskins also have losses to fellow 1A I qualifiers Central Plains and Olpe as well as 2A qualifier Sterling. … Team is young with Renken the lone senior and only two juniors in rotation as well. … Garrison leads team in scoring at 11.2 points per game and is younger brother of former All-Stater Jayden Garrison. … Konen averages 10.5 points and Renken 10.2 points per game with Renken matching Garrison at 5 rebounds per game.
SOUTH GRAY (18-4)
Coach: Mark Applegate
Sub-state results: beat Pretty Prairie, 56-32; beat Spearville, 62-47
Quarterfinal: vs. Quinter (6: 17-6), 8 p.m. Thursday
Key players: Sam Moore, sr., G; Gavin Wahl, jr., F; Dyson Winfrey, sr., G; Asa Briscoe, jr., F; Zac Hendrickson, sr., G; Cameron Wahl, sr., G; Daxton Hendrickson, so., G; Jesus Marques, sr., F.
NOTES--After posting top-three finishes each of its previous three trips to state, South Gray reached the top once again, capturing the Class 1A Division I state title last year with a 76-63 win over Seabury Academy in the championship game. … That capped a 24-2 season for the Rebels, who now have five state championships in program history with the others coming in 1997, 2007, 2008 and 2018. … Rebels also took second to Olpe in 2021 and 2022. … Trip to state is 20th all-time for the program since the formation of South Gray 34 years ago. … Rebels splith with fellow 1A I qualifier South Central, winning on the Timberwolves’ home court after losing to them in the SPIAA League Tournament championship game. … Rebels also split with Kiowa County, the league regular-season champion. … Other two losses came to Macksville and Stanton County. … Applegate won his 800th career game this season and is 812-234 in his career. … Gavin Wahl averages a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. … Briscoe is close to a double-double average as well with 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. … Moore averages 10.3 points, 4 assists and 3 steals per game. … Winfrey averages 8 points and 5 rebounds and Zac Hendrickson 6 points and 3 rebounds per game.
QUINTER (16-6)
Coach: John Crist
Sub-state results: beat Oberlin, 50-48; beat Lakeside, 67-42
Quarterfinal: vs. South Gray (3: 19-4), 8 p.m. Thursday
Key players: Shea Salyers, sr., G; Hans Deaton, sr., F; Gunner Catura, jr., G; Caedmon Bridges, jr., F; Colt Werth, so., G; Kale Hargitt, jr., G; Cooper Havlas, so., G.
NOTES--Despite graduating six seniors off last year’s team that finished fourth at state, Quinter returns for the second straight year. … Previous trip in 2010 also produced a fourth-place finish for the Bulldogs, who captured a state title in 2004 in Class 2A and had runner-up finishes in 2009 and 1984. … Trip to state is 21st overall for Bulldogs. … Quinter went 5-1 to finish runner-up in the Northwest Kansas League to 1A Division II qualifier Dighton. … Finished season with six straight wins, including beating Oberlin in overtime in finale before taking two-point win against the Red Devils in the sub-state semifinals before knocking off top-seeded Lakeside in the finals. … Quinter has played three overtime games this season and won all three, the stamina provided with several players also part of back-to-back 1A cross country state championships the past two falls. … Salyers was lone returning starter from last year and leads team this year with 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. … Catura averages 9.4 points per game while Bridges and Werth are just under 8.5 points per game. … Bridges also grabs 8.1 rebounds a game. … Catura adds 2.9 assists per game
CLIFTON-CLYDE (16-6)
Coach: Josh Skocny
Sub-state results: beat Rural Vista, 64-33; beat Burlingame, 54-50
Quarterfinal: vs. South Central (2: 21-2), 6 p.m. Thursday
Key players: Jack Skocny, sr., G; Oliver Nobert, sr., G; Brodin Koch, sr., G; Trextin Koch, sr., G; Luke Nobert, jr., F; Kye Chase, sr., C; Ethan Sacco, jr., G; Colt German, so., G; Levi Thrasher, jr., F.
NOTES--Eagles extended state appearance streak to three straight years and fourth time in the last five years, knocking off Burlingame in sub-state finals. … Each of the last two trips have ended in the quarterfinals, last year falling to Olpe 58-50. … Berth is first under Skocny, who took over for Justin Steinbrock this season as head coach. … Eagles finished tied for second in the ultra-tough Twin Valley League, which produced fellow 1A I qualifier Frankfort and 1A II qualifiers Axtell and Hanover. … Clifton-Clyde beat Frankfort in overtime early in the season and split games with Hanover and Centralia this year. … Eagles also lost to 4A qualifier Rock Creek, regular-season 2A unbeaten Sacred Heart and 3A sub-state finalist Council Grove. … Jack Skocny is leading scorer for second straight season, averaging 25 points per game this season. … He also adds 9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game and went over 1,000 career points this season and is 11 rebounds shy of 500. … No other Eagle averages more than 6 points per game with Oliver Nobert leading six players that average between 3.2 and 6 points per game. … Trextin Koch averages 4.7 points and 4 rebounds per game. … Nobert also adds 3.1 assists per game.
SOUTH CENTRAL (20-2)
Coach: Bud Valerius
Sub-state results: beat Meade, 47-46; beat Kiowa County, 62-60
Quarterfinal: vs. Clifton-Clyde (7: 17-6), 6 p.m. Thursday
Key players: Jamie Gardea, sr., PG; Jase Rutherford, sr., F; Jack Herd, jr., G; Easton Huck, so., G; Eli Girk, so., F; Grady Theurer, so., G; Dakota Thronesbery, so., F.
NOTES--Timberwolves returning to state for the first time since finishing third at the Class Division II state tourney in 2023, losing in the semifinals that year to eventual champion Greeley County. … Timberwolves’ only other state appearance as South Central came in 2020 when they made the semifinals before it was canceled for COVID concerns. … South Central lost in overtime in the 1A I sub-state finals last year to eventual state champion South Gray. … Timberwolves won the Mooreland (Okla.) Holiday Classic and then followed with the title at the SPIAA League tournament. … Only two losses were by combined five points and came the week after the league tourney to SPIAA regular season champion Kiowa County and runner-up South Gray. … Timberwolves avenged loss to Kiowa County in sub-state finals and had beaten South Gray for the league tourney title. … Herd leads team in most statistical categories, averaging 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game. … Rutherford averages 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. … Gardea chips in 10.1 points, 3.8 assists and 3 steals per game. … Girk gets 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.
