What's At Stake (Feb. 8)

This is another feature that I would like to introduce every Game Day to do exactly what the title says: show what's at stake in every game concerning City League and AV-CTL teams.

Friday has a great slate of games, including three that I will be following in particular with huge ramifications for not only league races but also seeding for the sub-state tournament. Those games are the following:

North (13-2, 10-1 CL) @ Kapaun Mt. Carmel (11-4, 8-3 CL)
A North win: All but guarantees North its first City League title since 1974, as it would have a 3-game lead over Kapaun and East, with season sweeps over both, with 4 games to play. Of course, wins on Friday and Saturday (at Southeast) can officially wrap up the title.
A Kapaun win: Keeps the slim hopes of the Crusaders for a shared title alive, as it would chop North's lead down to 1 game with 4 to go. Of course, Kapaun would need one additional slip-up by North and I'm not sure that's likely. But KMC is a perfect 6-0 at home this season and a win here, after a thrilling win at Southeast on Tuesday, could be the jump start to its 5A title defense.

Derby (13-3, 7-1 AVCTL D1) @ Salina Central (10-5, 6-1 AVCTL D1)
A Derby win: Avenges its only loss in the AV-CTL Div. 1 in two years under coach Brett Flory and gives the Panthers a 1.5-game lead with three more to play. Derby could also keep its undefeated record on the road (5-0) in tact, as well as take another step toward repeating as league champs.
A Salina Central win: Doesn't guarantee anything for the Mustangs, although it would make their lead nearly insurmountable as they would hold a 0.5-game lead over Derby with a season sweep worth a tiebreaker. That means Central has wiggle room to lose one of its final four games and it can still win the title. The game is also crucial for sub-state seeding, as Central is locked into a battle with Hays, also 10-5, for the No. 1 seed in the Newton sub-state.

McPherson (13-2, 5-0 AVCTL D3) @ El Dorado (11-4, 4-1 AVCTL D3)
A McPherson win: Doesn't win it the league championship yet, but McPherson will have passed its most difficult test and have a 2-game lead on El Dorado (and likely Mulvane) with the tiebreaker and only 4 games to play. The Bullpups also need to keep pace in an ultra-competitive race for a top seed in the Abilene sub-state, as the top three teams all have only two losses.
A El Dorado win: Automatically become the signature win the Wildcats lack and legitimize them as a serious contender in 4A. It also would create a tie atop the league standings and avenge the 25-point thumping El Dorado took in the Roundhouse in January. The Wildcats are also in a super-competitive sub-state, as it is currently in a 4-way battle for the top seed as only two games separate the four teams.

Click the jump to read about the rest of Friday's slate of games.


Heights (7-8, 4-7 CL) @ East (9-6, 7-4 CL)
A Heights win: First and foremost, put an end to the Falcons' 4-game post-tournament losing slide. They have struggled on the road all season (1-5) and a win at East, a quality 6A team, would be a nice bounce-back performance. It would also help Heights escape the bottom of the league standings and jockey for position in a sub-state where the No. 2 and No. 6 seed are separated by just two games.
A East win: Would end its own personal slide. East has lost two straight for the first time all season, but gets a favorable schedule down the stretch with the bottom 5 teams in the league and four of five of them at home. Chances of a league title are non-existent, but East can still finish second and it needs a win to remain as the No. 2 seed in its sub-state with two teams a game or less back.

Collegiate (8-6, 3-2 AVCTL D4) @ Clearwater (11-4, 3-2 AVCTL D4)
A Collegiate win: Would ease the mind of coach Mitch Fiegel. You have to think a turnaround is looming with the Spartans having lost 6 of its last 8 games, but knocking off Clearwater on the road is going to be a difficult proposition. This is the only way Collegiate can keep its league title hopes alive, as well as keep up with a sub-state where four teams are ahead of it currently all by less than 2.5 games.
A Clearwater win: Sweeps the games that matter (Clearwater did lose to Collegiate by 29 in an early-season tournament). A win keeps Clearwater's league title chances alive and also keeps it in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in a very competitive sub-state that includes Collegiate (it's looking possible they might meet 4 times this year).

West (6-8, 4-6 CL) @ Southeast (7-7, 5-5 CL)
A West win: Keeps the good times rolling, as a win would make it 6 wins in the last 8 games. It would also break a winless streak on the road this season (0-4), as well as keep the Pioneers in the conversation for a finish as high as 4th in the league and a possible No. 5 seed in its sub-state.
A Southeast win: Continues the momentum from Tuesday's loss to Kapaun, which Southeast erased a 19-point 1st quarter deficit to take a 1-point lead with 15 seconds only to lose on a last-second shot. The Buffaloes stay in the conversation for a 4th place finish in the league as well as the No. 4 seed in a sub-state where the No. 4, 5 and 6 teams are separated by a single game.

Rose Hill (6-9, 1-4 AVCTL D3) @ Mulvane (10-5, 3-2 AVCTL D3)
A Rose Hill win: Prolongs a sneaky good run where the Rockets would have won 4 of their last 5 games and build a winning streak of 3 games. A 3rd place finish in the league would become a possibility and a win would boost Rose Hill's chance as it is in a straight-up battle with Augusta, also 6-9, for the No. 6 seed in the sub-state.
A Mulvane win: Secures its first winning record since the 2007-2008 season and potentially keep its league title hopes alive depending on the outcome of the McPherson-El Dorado game. The Wildcats are 4-1 at home this season and defending that would also keep them in play for the No. 1 seed in its own sub-state. Right now Mulvane is sitting at No. 3 but is only a game back of the top seed.

Hutchinson (7-8, 5-3 AVCTL D1) @ Salina South (6-9, 3-4 AVCTL D1)
A Hutchinson win: Keeps a very slim margin of hope for a league title alive and keep Hutch among the top three teams in the league. It would also complete the season sweep of the Cougars and be only the second road win of the season for the Salthawks, who need a win for sub-state seeding. Hutch currently sits at No. 4 but has a chance to move up (1.5 games behind) or down (0.5 game ahead) a seed.
A Salina South win: Maintains steady play ever since early January, as the Cougars would be 6-3 in their last nine games. A win would practically forge a 3-way tie for 3rd place with Hutch and Maize and keep the Cougars' hopes of a .500 season a top-3 finish in league alive. South is also needs a win for its sub-state, where only a game separates them from moving up to as high as No. 3 or as low as No. 7.

Campus (2-13, 0-8 AVCTL D1) @ Maize (4-11, 4-4 AVCTL D1)
A Campus win: Gives coach Russell Herman his first win in league play all season and snaps a 3-game losing streak. One of Campus's wins actually came on the road earlier in the season, so its capable. A win gives the Colts a glimmer of hope of escaping the bottom of the league standings and would also break the tie with Wichita South for the last seed in sub-state and also draw them one game within Maize for the No. 6 seed.
A Maize win: Would push its league record to above .500 at 5-4, despite double-digit losses already on the season. The Eagles would keep alive their hopes of finishing 3rd in the league and guarantee them no worse than a No. 6 seed in the sub-state with a distant chance of moving up to No. 5.

Maize South (7-8, 1-6 AVCTL D2) @ Ark City (2-13, 0-8 AVCTL D2)
A Maize South win: Gives it a season sweep over Ark City, a .500 record , its only second league win and only second road win of the season. It's a must-win for the Mavericks if they want to finish with a .500 record and would likely move them within a 0.5 game of Goddard for 5th place in league. A win also maintains Maize South in sub-state, as it would stay in the No. 3 slot.
An Ark City win: Would be a shocker, frankly, considering the Bulldogs have lost all 8 leagues games and by an average margin of 16 points. It would be the first home win of the season for Ark City, where it is being outscored by nearly 22 points. A win would create a tie for 6th place in the league standings and likely a tie for 7th place in sub-state with Goddard (who the Bulldogs get at home still).

Circle (3-12, 1-4 AVCTL D4) @ Augusta (6-9, 2-3 AVCTL D4)
A Circle win: Would continue the good play as of late, starting with the T-Birds' colossal upset of McPherson at home. The last three games have been decided by a total of 6 points with Circle winning two of them. The T-Birds would likely escape the cellar of the league standings and lock itself into the No. 7 seed of its sub-state.
An Augusta win: Would bring its league record to an even 3-3 and into a tie for 3rd place with the loser of the Collegiate-Clearwater game. The O's could conceivably finish as high as 2nd with a win, but more importantly is seeding in sub-state. Augusta is in a battle with Rose Hill (The O's have the head-to-head tiebreaker), both at 6-9, for the No. 6 seed in the sub-state.

South (2-13, 0-11 CL) @ Northwest (6-8, 4-6 CL)
A South win: Would be the first under first-year coach Kendall Hope and inject some hope into South for the rest of the season. The Titans are winless in the City League and losing by an average of 20 points, so this would be a shock. It doesn't look like they can escape the cellar, but it could be big for sub-state standings as it could break a tie with Campus for the last seed and move South into the No. 7 spot and out of a first-round game against North.
A Northwest win: Is needed if it wants to finish in the top-half of the league standings. There's too possibilities and it's too jumbled in the middle of the City to say where a win would put the Grizzlies, but a win here is almost a must. Northwest would keep in the conversation for a No. 4 seed, as it will be battling Hutchinson (7-8) down the stretch for the 4/5 seed.

Winfield (9-6, 2-3 AVCTL D3) @ Buhler (2-13, 0-5 AVCTL D3)
A Winfield win: Takes another step closer to its second winning season under Troy Lallemand. The Vikings would even their league record to 3-3 and give them an impressive four road wins on the season. Winfield could keep itself within a game of 2nd place in the league standings and a win would be needed in a sub-state where the No. 1 seed and No. 5 seed are separated by only 2.5 games.
A Buhler win: Would make it a winning streak, as Buhler got a very nice road win over Great Bend last week. The Crusaders struggled in the first round, but a win here would potentially bring them into a tie for 4th in the league standings, give them their first league win this season. A win would also be crucial for sub-state play, as it would boost Buhler from the No. 8 seed all the way into a tie for the No. 6 seed possibly.

Goddard (3-12, 3-5 AVCTL D2) @ Andover (11-4, 5-3 AVCTL D2)
A Goddard win: Serves as the first marquee win under coach Kyle Taylor and gives the Lions hope of finishing as high as 3rd in the league. It would also be just the second road win of the season for Goddard and would likely be all that it needs to secure the No. 7 seed in the sub-state, as No. 6 looks a little too far out and No. 8 would likely be 2 games back.
An Andover win: Keeps the frustration poundings going, as the Trojans beat down Ark City by 39 points a game after losing a triple overtime game to Andover Central. Andover's chance of winning league are gone, but it can still hope for a tie with Central for second place (although AC has the tiebreaker). More importantly, Andover keeps pace in its insane sub-state that features 4 teams in 5A's top 10 and the No. 2, 3 and 4 teams all have 4 losses.

Eisenhower (14-1) @ Newton (4-11)
An Eisenhower win: Nearly puts the clamps down on the No. 1 seed in the sub-state, as it would give the Tigers a 3-game lead over Andover Central with only 4 to play and Eisenhower has the tiebreaker. But on the road is where Eisenhower dropped its only game this season and it can extend its winning streak to 11 games.
A Newton win: Would rejuvenate what looked like a promising season until this recent string: losses in 8 of the last 9 games. The Railers are decent at home, so it's possible and they desperately need a win to keep them alive in the sub-state, where they are still only 2 games out of a No. 4 seed.

Wellington (5-10, 1-4 AVCTL D4) @ Andale (13-2, 5-0 AVCTL D4)
A Wellington win: Would shock the league and eliminate the cushion Andale has for the league title, and also avenge a 42-point thumping handed down by the Indians on Wellington's home court in December. The Crusaders could escape the tie for last in the league with Circle and put itself back into the race for the No. 6 seed in sub-state with Augusta and Rose Hill, both 6-9.
An Andale win: Puts it one step closer to an outright league championship, as it would maintain at least a 2-game lead over the winner of the Clearwater-Collegiate game with only 4 games left. It has no impact for its sub-state, as Andale has already clinched the No. 1 seed so the only thing left to play for is hopefully a better seed at the state tournament by keeping its record with only two losses.