Playoffs are looming: A look at Topeka-area high school football regular season finales

The final week of the high school football regular season is here and playoff seeding is still up for grabs. Let's take a look at the Topeka-area Week 8 matchups, which will be played at 7 p.m. Friday unless noted differently.

Washburn Rural (7-0) at Topeka West (1-5)

The Junior Blues will go on the road to meet Topeka West on Thursday at Hummer Sports Park. The Chargers secured their first win of the season against Turner two weeks ago. Topeka West started strongly against Shawnee Heights last week as it led 6-0 but couldn’t hold the lead and was defeated 62-12.

Washburn Rural entered the final game of the season as the last undefeated team in Class 6A. It has outscored its opponents 122-22 over the past three games. Last week, it dominated Emporia 46-0 for a Week 7 victory.

Topeka High (1-6) at Hays (5-2)

The Trojans go on the road to western Kansas for their regular season finale. Topeka High’s lone win came in Week 4 against Emporia. Since then, the Trojans have lost three straight as they have been outscored 165-22. The clock is ticking to see standout player B.J. Canady one last time in a Topeka High jersey. He can play anywhere on the field and committed to Cal-Berkley earlier this month.

Shawnee Heights (5-2) at Leavenworth (2-5)

The Thunderbirds are ranked sixth in the Class 5A East Division. Shawnee Heights will look for a big win over Leavenworth on Friday night. Shawnee Heights has an average point differential of just 1 point. This tie-breaker will be important for seeding when the playoffs begin. Leavenworth has given up 110 points in its last three games.

Highland Park (6-1) vs. Kansas City-Washington (4-3)

After picking up a win due to an ineligible player, Highland Park now sits in third place in the Class 5A East Division. Last week, the Scots defeated Northeast (Mo.) 36-0 in a much-needed bounce-back victory after losing to Atchison by 56 points the week before.

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Seaman (3-4) vs. Piper (4-3)

The Vikings have had a difficult time on the road this season. They are 0-4 when playing road games and three of those losses have come by one possession. Thankfully, Seaman hosts Piper at home, where the Vikings are outscoring their opponents 191-12 in three home wins.

Hayden (7-0) vs. Hiawatha (1-6)

Hayden is one of three undefeated teams in Class 3A this season. The Wildcats, along with Wellsville and Cheney, hold a perfect record leading into the regular season finale. Hayden has wrapped up the Class 3A District 4 championship no matter the result against Hiawatha. Hiawatha has lost six straight games.

Silver Lake (6-1) vs. Atchison County (4-3)

It’s a Class 2A District 3 showdown between the Eagles and Tigers. After dominating Maur Hill-Mount Academy, Silver Lake will try to defeat the other Atchison-area team. The Tigers have won two of their last three, but a loss to Jackson Heights last week by 20 points was not what Atchison County was seeking. Silver Lake has outscored its opponents 132-59 during home games this season.

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Rossville (4-3) vs. Maur Hill-Mount Academy (0-7)

The Bulldogs will host winless Maur Hill-Mount Academy. After losing three of their first five games, Rossville has settled and won back-to-back outings against Holton and Pleasant Ridge by a combined score of 85-14.

Cair Paravel (5-2) at Maranatha Christian Academy (2-5)

After their biggest win of the season, the Lions hit the road. Cair Paravel topped Chase County by 36 points with an all-around effort last Friday and sits in second place in the Class 8M DI District 2 standings. Leading the division is Lyndon, who defeated Cair Paravel by 28 in Week 4.

Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. You can reach him at Lkeating@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: A look at Topeka-area high school football regular season finales