2018 CIK preseason high school football rankings

Catch it Kansas released its 2018 preseason football rankings on Monday.

The rankings are comprised of heavy hitters from a season ago, such as Free-State, Blue Valley and Derby from in Class 6A and Bishop Miege in Class 4A. McPherson comes in at No. 2 in Class 4A with Buhler cracking the list at No. 10 despite returning zero starters on both sides of the ball.

That's what the respect of Buhler Crusaders' head coach Steve Warner warrants.

Hesston arrives No. 4 in Class 3A with Scott Community, Smoky Valley, Halsted and Pratt also making the list. The Central Plains Oilers remains a stalwart in 8-man Division I.

The most surprising snub is Central Christian in 8-Man Division II. The Lee Smith coached team lost the ultimate all-purpose quarterback Nate Heneha, but returns a bevy a talent in Richie Oswalt and Marshall Walton. Deonis Coon is a breakout star to watch for the Cougars.

An argument can also be made for the Nickerson Panthers to earn a spot in the Class 4A preseason rankings.

CIK preseason rankings

CLASS 6A

1. Lawrence Free State

2. Blue Valley

3. Derby

4. Blue Valley North

5. Manhattan

6. Topeka

7. Junction City

8. Olathe North

9. Washburn Rural

10. Garden City

CLASS 5A

1. Wichita Northwest

2. St. Thomas Aquinas

3. Mill Valley

4. Bishop Carroll

5. Wichita Heights

6. Maize South

7. Kapaun-Mt. Carmel

8. Andover

9. Goddard-Eisenhower

10. Great Bend

CLASS 4A

1. Bishop Miege

2. McPherson

3. Pittsburg

4. Goddard

5. Labette County

6. Fort Scott

7. Louisburg

8. Basehor-Linwood

9. Paola

10. Buhler

CLASS 3A

1. Andale

2. Sabetha

3. Scott City

4. Hesston

5. Topeka Hayden

6. Pratt

7. Holton

8. Galena

9. Halstead

10. Smoky Valley

CLASS 2A

1. Phillipsburg

2. Silver Lake

3. Conway Springs

4. Nemaha Central

5. Anthony/Harper-Chaparral

6. Hoisington

7. Humboldt

8. Lakin

9. Atchison-Maur Hill

10. Riley County

CLASS 1A

1. Smith Center

2. Pittsburg-St. Mary’s-Colgan

3. Centralia

4. Elkhart

5. Jackson Heights

6. Plainville

7. Brookville-Ell-Saline

8. Olpe

9. Sedgwick

10. Pleasanton

CLASS 8M Div I

1. Claflin-Central Plains

2. Hoxie

3. Coldwater-South Central

4. Solomon

5. Clifton-Clyde

6. Burlingame

7. Jetmore-Hodgeman County

8. Victoria

9. St. Francis

10. Macksville

CLASS 8M Div II

1. Hanover

2. Mankato-Rock Hills

3. Osborne

4. Otis-Bison

5. Kiowa-South Barber

6. Centre-Lost Springs

7. Satanta

8. Axtell

9. Waverly

10. St. Paul