By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
There's always a certain amount of excitement surrounding a season-opener.
And the fact that Topeka High football got to kick off 2026 against USD 501 rival Highland Park, renewing a long-standing rivalry after an absence of several seasons, made Thursday night even more special for the Trojans.
Senior Courtney Sanders scored three touchdowns Thursday night to power Topeka High to a 33-6 season-opening win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
And High took full advantage of its opportunity, opening up a 26-0 halftime lead on the way to a 33-6 win over the Scots at Hummer Sports Park.
"We had alumni coming out here and everybody else coming out to support us on both sides,'' said High senior standout Courtney Sanders, who scored three touchdowns on a run, a pass reception and a punt return to power the Trojans. "A 501 school, a rivalry game, I had to show out, I had to.''
Topeka High senior lineman Devin Ponte agreed that it was a special night for the Trojans.
"With all the talk leading up to it I was just excited to show that we were truly the better team tonight,'' Ponte said.
Junior Marion Collins scored Topeka High's first touchdown in Thursday's 33-6 season-opening win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High recovered a fumble on Highland Park's first play from scrimmage and went ahead to stay at the 9:38 mark of the opening quarter on a 6-yard run from junior Marion Collins (kick failed).
High coach Jason Filbeck credited the Trojan defense for setting the tone for the night.
"Our defense does that and they did it last year, too,'' Filbeck said. "They get us good field position and give us opportunities, so credit to the defense.''
The rest of the half belonged to Sanders, who made the score 13-0 on an 18-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Asher Filbeck (Saamir Triplett kick) with 3:42 left in the opening half.
Sanders scored on a 40-yard run with two minutes left in the half (kick failed) and turned in the most exciting play of the night when he returned a 60-yard punt from Highland Park's JoJo Kingcannon 94 yards for a touchdown with 1:11 remaining (Triplett kick) to give the Trojans their 26-0 halftime advantage.
"He (JoJo Kingcannon) had a good punt right there and it just went over my head, but I went and go it,'' Sanders said. "It was too close to the end zone and I didn't want to put my team in that particular situation so I had to at least get some yards.
"I didn't know I was going to get the touchdown, but it was open and I cashed it in.''
"He's electric,'' Jason Filbeck said of Sanders. "If the kid was 200 pounds I'd have every school in the world calling me. He's unbelievably talented with the ball.''
Topeka High got an 8-yard touchdown run from junior Ricardo Dowd on the Trojans' first drive of the second half (Triplett kick) to put the Trojans in front 33-0 after Asher Filbeck broke loose for a 64-yard run to set up the score.
Senior quarterback Asher Filbeck (left) rushed for 128 yards on seven carries in his first career start and also threw for a TD in Topeka High's 33-6 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Filbeck, who was making his first career start, finished the night with a game-high 128 rushing yards on just seven attempts while his lone pass completion went for the TD to Sanders.
"On that first play, I felt my hands jitter a little bit, but I just like to play football, so after that I kind of settled into the game,'' Filbeck said. "We've got tons of good players and I've just got to get them the ball.
"That's my job, to get the playmakers the ball and just let them work.''
Highland Park scored its lone touchdown with 9:27 left in the third quarter, with Kingcannon hitting senior G'Honi Montgomery for a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Highland Park senior JoJo Kingcannon (3) rushed for 60 yards and threw for the Scots' lone TD in Thursday's 33-6 loss to Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Kingcannon rushed for 60 yards on 15 carries and he passed for 66 yards and the TD.
Topeka High will be back at Hummer next Thursday to host Dodge City while Highland Park will host Kansas City-Washington at Hummer next Friday.
TOPEKA HIGH 33, HIGHLAND PARK 6
Highland Park (0-1) 0 0 6 0 -- 6
Topeka High (1-0) 6 20 7 0 -- 33
Topeka High -- Marion Collins 6 run (kick failed)
Topeka High -- Courtney Sanders 18 pass from Asher Filbeck (Saamir Triplett kick)
Topeka High -- Courtney Sanders 40 run (kick failed)
Topeka High -- Courtney Sanders 94 punt return (Saamir Triplett kick)
Topeka High -- Ricardo Dowd 8 run (Saamir Triplett kick)
Highland Park -- G'Honi Montgomery 27 pass from Kingcannon (run failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing -- Highland Park: JoJo Kingcannon 15-60, G'Honi Montgomery 11-37, Je'raevion King Grant 2-11, Nasir Baker 1-7, Marren Belton 1-5, Ka'Sioun Drew 1-1. Topeka High: Asher Filbeck 7-128, Courtney Sanders 3-44, Ricardo Dowd 7-40, Marion Collins 7-23, Cooper Rush 3-18, Caden Bauch 2-14, Drake Arnold 2-13, DeMarquis McCoy 1-13, Gabe Neff 4-9, Theo Meredith 2-9, Evan Ruiz 1-0, Manny Llamas 1-0, Elias Filbeck 2-(minus)-10.
Passing -- Highland Park: JoJo Kingcannon 5-12-0, 67 yards; Marren Belton 0-1-1, 0. Topeka High: Asher Filbeck 1-5-0, 18.
Receiving -- Highland Park: Ka'Sioun Drew 2-33, G'Honi Montgomery 1-27, Je'raevion King Grant 2-6. Topeka High: Courtney Sanders 1-18.
