By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Just 24 11-man football teams around Kansas are still active for week 12 of the season. Two of those teams come from Barton County. And two more come from Salina County. The two counties will clash in a pair of state semifinal contests as Great Bend (11-0) takes on Salina Central (10-1) in Class 5A. In Class 3A, perennial powers Southeast of Salina (11-0) and Hoisington (10-0) meet in a battle of unbeatens.
Class 5A
Salina Central at Great Bend
Top-ranked Great Bend has dominated teams throughout the season, including a 43-19 regular-season win against Hays, and another 29-22 win against the top-five Indians in the state quarterfinals. The Panthers also have wins over 4A powers McPherson and Buhler, and defeated previously unbeaten Liberal 55-6 in week five of the regular season.
The once-powerful Salina Central has returned to prestige under head coach Mark Sandbo. The Mustangs have just one loss to Andover in 2025, with eight wins this season coming by 29 or more points.
The Panthers have several weapons offensively. Senior quarterback Daxton Minton already has the school record for career touchdowns. He enters Friday’s game with 1,660 yards, 26 touchdowns, and three interceptions on 106-of-156 (68 percent) passing. Minton also sits at 843 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on just 79 carries.
Senior Ian Premer leads the Panther receivers with 719 yards and 14 touchdowns on 37 receptions. The Notre Dame-commit has another 543 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 46 carries. Senior Conner Holladay has added 725 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 86 carries. Junior Cooper Ohnmacht has caught 47 passes for 609 yards and six scores.
Defensively, senior Trent Kern and junior Kale Kern continue to stand out at linebacker. Kale leads the 2025 squad with 120 tackles, followed by Trent with 110. Senior Jacob Hall has 52 tackles on the season.
Ohnmacht has scored a variety of ways with two interception returns for scores and a punt and kick return for touchdowns. Premer and junior Luke Wondra have combined for three pick-sixes. Freshman kicker Giovanni Cruz has booted through 37 of 40 PAT tries this season.
Salina Central has a 2-headed monster of its own. Junior quarterback Griffin Hall has thrown for 1,604 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just two interceptions on 121-of-179 passing (68 percent). He’s rushed for another 826 yards and eight scores on 114 carries. Senior Cooper Reves leads the Mustang ground attack with 2,410 yards and 26 touchdowns on 242 carries. No Central receiver has more than 400 yards this season, but three have at least 370 yards and a combined 21 touchdowns.
Class 3A
Hoisington at SE of Saline (Gypsum)A weather-cancelled game against Scott City may be the lone
difference in Hoisington’s win total against top-ranked Southeast of Saline. The
Cardinals have handled top opponents all season with a 34-8 win over Pratt, a 39-23
win against Hesston, and a 36-7 win over Garden Plain last Friday. The Trojans
have yet to play a close game with the closest 36-point margin coming in a 52-16
win against Hillsboro in early October.Senior Mason Martin heads the Cardinal offense under center,
with senior running back Taylen Morales picking up serious yardage behind him,
including a 253-yard playoff performance against Halstead. He rushed for 174
yards and three scores a week later against Hillsboro. Through 11 games,
Morales leads the Cards with 1,390 yards and 21 touchdowns on 154 carries. CJ
Bryant has added 626 yards and 10 scores on 56 touches, and senior Brody
Pfannenstiel has 326 yards and six touchdowns on just 27 carries.
Martin has completed 63 of 114 pass attempts for 1,279 yards and 23 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Pfannenstiel has been the favorite target with 430 yards and six scores on just 16 receptions. Senior Carson Mason has caught 14 balls for 339 yards and six touchdowns, and Morales has 13 receptions for 141 yards and a score.
Junior Corbyn Holinde leads the Cardinal offense with 58 tackles, followed junior Brody Corbett with 48, and Pfannenstiel with 47. Juniors Logan Cossel and Kolter Hahn each have two interceptions.
Southeast of Saline is led offensively by senior running back Grady Gebhardt, who enters Friday night with 1,779 yards and 32 touchdowns on 158 carries. Senior Gannon Jacobson was doing big things at quarterback with 1,028 passing yards and 15 touchdowns before going down with an injury in week six of the season. Junior Tiernan Ptacek has filled the gap nicely, throwing for 943 yards and 11 touchdowns with two interceptions on 57-of-85 passing.
Gebhardt also leads the Trojan receiving corps with 587 yards and 10 touchdowns on 26 receptions. Five other SES receivers have at least 200 yards with a combined 14 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Trojans have four seniors with at least 60 tackles, including Gebhardt’s 62, and a team-high 67 from Killian Vaughan and Brody Chambers. The Trojans have recorded 20 sacks this season. Senior Malachi Hopkins leads the secondary with four interceptions, followed by two from Ptracek.