HANOVER - Hanover is one of the final eight teams standing in the 2025 KSHSAA DII football postseason field after a second straight extremely efficient and overall dominant performance to begin the 2025 playoffs: in a game that ended after two quarters, the Wildcats (10-0) obliterated Burlingame (6-4) 64-8 on Friday night in Hanover to advance to the sectional round next week. 

The Wildcats established themselves as one of the best teams in this level of football in the state of Kansas by earning a thrilling win over fellow frontrunners Axtell in the second-to-last week of the regular season. But now that the postseason has begun, the Wildcats have further cemented their status as one of the teams to beat in this bracket: they've now outscored their first two playoff opponents - which combined for nine wins in the regular season - 122-12.

The Bearcats ended the Wildcats' season with a two-score win in the regional round last year, but this time around, with Hanover undefeated and playing at home in the postseason, it was a completely different story. Burlingame appeared to attempt an onside kick to begin the night but Hanover recovered just past midfield, and on the very first play from scrimmage Kadrick Cohorst hit Jack Bruna streaking over the middle of the field for a 39-yard touchdown. Eight seconds into the game, Hanover had an eight-point lead.

And that was truly just the beginning of Hanover's beatdown of the Bearcats. Eight days after the Wildcats scored on every possession in the first quarter with every possession ending in fewer than three plays, they followed that same script again Friday night. A minute after their first touchdown of the night, Cohorst threw another one, this one a 28-yard catch and run by Braylon Meyn. Cohorst then ran in a score and threw a 30-yard bomb to Brody Sedlacek, who ran one in shortly after - and just like that, the Wildcats were up 40-0 after the first quarter. 

Rushing touchdowns from Cooper Bruna and Alec Jueneman, who have combined for six touchdowns through two postseason games, made it 56-0 early in the second period. And meanwhile, the Hanover defense was just as deadly. Meyn and Lanxden Stallbaumer each intercepted Burlingame senior quarterback Danny Cain, and the Bearcats' other first-quarter possessions ended in either punts or turnovers on downs. 

Burlingame finally got on the board with less than four minutes to play in the second quarter on a 12-yard rushing score by Cain, who had an excellent senior season and was one of many Burlingame seniors who were part of the team that defeated Hanover in the regional round last year. It looked for a while like Hanover might end their second round game with almost exactly the same result as in their 56-8 first round win over Osborne, but with seconds to go in the quarter, Hanover found the end zone for the eighth time in as many possessions, with underclassmen Hayden Bruna, Ryder Sedlacek and Braden Jueneman engineering the scoring drive. 

With Hanover leading by (a lot) more than 45 at the conclusion of the second quarter, the game was once again ended early, with the Wildcats victorious by a final score of 64-6. Hanover has played in only three games this season that were not ended via the mercy rule en route to this 10-0 record, and up next in the sectional round is one of those schools Hanover needed all four quarter to defeat: Linn, Hanover's local rivals from the same school district but different athletic district. The Bulldogs have dominated their two opponents this postseason as well, defeating Wakefield 68-18 and Lebo 46-0. Next Friday's game will air on 99.5 FM and online at olred995.com.

BURLINGAME (6-4) 6: 0 | 6 | X | X

HANOVER (10-0)  64: 40 | 24 | X | X