By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When Highland Park football coach Jermaine Monroe was approached with the possibility of renewing the Scots' rivalry with fellow USD 501 school Topeka High this season it was one of the easiest decisions he'll ever make.
"There were four different schools that were possibilities and when it was presented to me at the time and I saw the first name was Topeka High, I said, 'It's got to be that,' '' Monroe said. "I don't even remember who the other three schools were, but it's something that we always have to play each other.
"I do believe the leagues that we're in are fit for us, but we have to always play each other.''
Topeka High coach Jason Filbeck is also excited for the renewal of the rivalry, which will open the 2026 season at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hummer Sports Park.
"I'm not from here, but I know what it means,'' Filbeck said. "Everywhere I've been there's been a crosstown rival and I think the kids are very excited to play them. Some of them are their friends from middle school because of the way Topeka is built, so the kids are pumped up.''
Highland Park returns a strong nucleus of players from last year's team that went 5-1 on the field, with G'Honi Montgomery and JoJo Kingcannon headlining a 19-member senior class
The Scots return 10 three-year starters and two four-year starters.
G'Honi Montgomery returns for his senior season at Highland Park after earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last season. [File photo/TSN]
A 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back, Montgomery earned All-Shawnee County and All-Meadowlark Conference first-team honors last fall.
Montgomery carried the ball 69 times for 704 yards (10.2 yards per carry) as a junior, caught 10 passes for 128 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns while compiling 1,268 all-purpose yards.
Senior JoJo Kingcannon will take over as Highland Park's starting quarterback this fall after starring in a variety of roles as a junior. [File photo/TSN]
Kingcannon, a 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback/defensive back, played receiver, running back and quarterback as a junior, scoring from all three positions, and will be the Scots' starting quarterback this fall.
Kingcannon received All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the Scots in 2025, catching 10 passes for 338 yards and rushing for 408 yards on 32 attempts.
Seniors Tayseaun Rouser, Tavion Johnson and Shawnee Heights transfer Zyhir Foster will be counted on to anchor Highland Park's offensive line while Jaiden Smith, Ka'Sioun Drew and Lorenzo Sullivan-Sowell are top receivers.
Defensively, senior Rayshon Pollard is a four-year starter in the defensive backfield and is joined by veterans Drew, Montgomery and Kingcannon.
A three-time all-league honoree, Pollard was in on 22 tackles last season with three sacks and two interceptions.
Topeka High's Courtney Sanders, a senior wide receiver, was a second-team All-Centennial League selection for the second straight season and received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last fall for the Trojans.
Senior Courtney Sanders is a top returner for Topeka High, earning second-team All-Centennial League recognition the past two seasons. [File photo/TSN]
A junior running back, Ricardo Dowd was a second-team All-Centennial League selection last season as a sophomore while also receiving All-Shawnee County honorable mention.
Trey Lutz, a senior defensive lineman, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the second straight season and also received All-Centennial League honorable mention last season.
Other top returners for Topeka High include seniors Isaac Roman-Chavez, Art Jones and Devin Ponte and juniors Jones Erby and Marion Collins.
Senior Asher Filbeck, the coach's son, and sophomore Kadyn Lucas have been battling it out in preseason for the starting quarterback spot after the graduation of Zane Smith.
FRIDAY'S GAMES
PIPER at TOPEKA WEST
At Hummer Sports Park
A 5-foot-9, 160-pound junior running back/linebacker, Nas Williams-Brown was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference honoree for 1-8 Topeka West last fall as an all-purpose player and was a second-team All-Shawnee County pick. Williams-Brown rushed for 647 yards on 66 attempts and scored six touchdowns. Damon Webb enters his fourth season as a varsity running back for the Chargers and carried the ball 88 times for 372 yards and two touchdowns in seven games. Prince Lassiter, a 6-foot-6 senior tight end/defensive end, earned All-Shawnee County first-team honors in basketball but has also received considerable recruiting interest from Division I and Division II schools in football. Senior Nasir Helton received All-UKC and all-county honorable mention in 2025. Game time has been pushed back to 7:30 p.m.
TURNER at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
Senior Will Skaggs, a three-year starter on the offensive line and a two-time second-team All-United Kansas Conference pick, will be counted on to be a leader for the T-Birds, 4-5 last season. The T-Birds also return senior wide receivers Dallas Owens and Javon Williams and senior lineman Evan Jones on offense while defensive backs Williams and senior Brody Daniels and senior outside linebacker Christian Labrador are top returners on defense. Owens caught 48 passes for 619 yards and four touchdowns a year ago while Williams had 29 catches for 332 yards and five TDs. Defensively, Labrador was in on 76 tackles and earned All-UKC honorable mention while Daniels was in on 35 tackles and Williams was in on 30 stops and picked off four passes. Senior Kolby Kutscher takes over as Shawnee Heights' starting quarterback this fall while senior running back Trone Purvis carried the ball 95 times for 376 yards and five TDs last season. Game time has been pushed back to 7:30 p.m.
PERRY-LECOMPTON at ROSSVILLE
Rossville, 11-2 last season and the Class 1A state runnerup, returns 2025 Shawnee County defensive newcomer of the year Charlie Chance, a senior offensive lineman/defensive end, and senior all-county honorable mention honorees Cael Horgan (running back/linebacker) and Easton Webb (offensive/defensive line) and junior honorable mention picks Cale Horak (wide receiver/defensive back) and Landen Lewis (quarterback/linebacker). Other top returners include senior wide receiver/defensive back Kelton Lacock and junior offensive lineman Cooper Meyer and junior offensive/defensive lineman Jordan Martinek.
SILVER LAKE at ST. MARYS
Myles Fisher, a senior offensive/defensive lineman, received second-team All-Shawnee County honors and All-Big East League honorable mention last season for 7-3 Silver Lake while recording 73 tackles for the Eagles. Sophomore quarterback Kipton Kruger was named the Shawnee County offensive newcomer of the year last fall after completing 178 of 252 passes for 2,158 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Eagles. Kruger was a second-team All-Shawnee County pick and received All-Big East honorable mention. Kendrick Vande Velde, a junior offensive/defensive lineman, also earned All-Shawnee County second-team recognition last season and was an All-Big East League first-team pick. Junior running back Dom Monhollon carried the ball 83 times for 444 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore. Starting time for Friday has been pushed back to 7:30 p.m.
HAYDEN at EUDORA
Hayden went 12-1 last season on the way to its third straight Class 3A state championship game. Headlining the list of Wildcat returners are senior running back/defensive back/kicker Mason Becker, an All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick last season, senior running back/defensive back Logan Power, senior offensive tackle/defensive tackle Mar Barnett, senior halfback/inside linebacker Jace Wolff, senior offensive guard Andrew Droge and junior fullback/inside linebacker Evan Huntley. Becker was a perfect 100 percent on extra-point kicks last season, was two of two on field goals, carried the ball 32 times for 438 yards, caught 13 passes for 224 yards, scored nine touchdowns and had five pass interceptions. Other top returners include junior quarterback Ryker Tetuan and sophomore free safety Jairus Todwong. Starting time for Friday has been pushed back to 8 p.m.
SEAMAN at DE SOTO
Seaman, looking to bounce back from an injury-riddled 3-6 season, has several frontline returners, including All-Shawnee County Second 22 senior receivers Coy Barta and Josh Brown and senior quarterback Cale Ketter, senior honorable mention linebacker Alex Huston, junior running back Quentin Moravec and standout offensive lineman Henry Reichert. Ketter completed 136 of 231 pass attempts for 2,013 yards and 23 touchdowns in eight games. Barta caught 38 passes for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior while Brown caught 40 passes for 627 yards and eight touchdowns. Moravec carried the ball 161 times for 879 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt while Huston was in on 106 tackles as a junior, including 61 solo stops. Game time has been pushed back to 7:30 p.m.
CAIR PARAVEL LATIN at ERIE
Cair Paravel will be moving back to the Eight-Man ranks this fall after two seasons in 11-man and will be doing so under new head coach Randall Bond, a former CPLS assistant who takes over for Doug Bonura. After posting a 9-3 record and advancing to the Eight-Man Division I state semifinals in 2023, Cair Paravel Latin is coming off back-to-back two-win 11-man campaigns, including a 2-6 mark a year ago. Top senior returners for the Lions include running back/linebacker Cole Haubauld, offensive lineman/defensive lineman Jackson Kaberline, linebacker/defensive end Cole Stafford and tight end/defensive end Sammy Lichte. Cair Paravel also returns junior quarterback/linebacker/defensive back Chase Hastert and sophomore running back/wide receiver/defensive back Matteo Gossard.
WASHBURN RURAL at KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
At Stryker Sports Complex, Wichita
Washburn Rural's returning cast is led by senior running back Jadyn Baum, who earned All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial first-team recognition last fall for the 6-4 Junior Blues. Baum carried the ball 139 times for 1,262 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall while averaging 9.1 yards per attempt. Senior Gavin Vantuyl takes over starting quarterback this fall after seeing time backing up John Hoytal and playing wide receiver last season. Vantuyl was also the All-Centennial League first-team punter last fall and received All-Shawnee County honorable mention. A senior defensive end, Steven Cantrell earned first-team All-Centennial League recognition as a junior and also received All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Amir Jones, a senior linebacker, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season while the Junior Blues also return senior Cade Danielson and junior Isaiah Whiteside at outside linebacker.
