Hayden, McPherson among new Tonganoxie football foes
Jim Mitchell
Tonganoxie High defenders swarm to an Ottawa football player during Friday’s Frontier League contest at OHS. Tonganoxie fell, 14-10, and ends the regular season with a 4-4 record.Tonganoxie has been playing geographical and former Kaw Valley League rivals Basehor-Linwood and Lansing in recent years, but Spring Hill’s move to the United Kansas Conference, which includes BLHS and LHS, has prompted some changes to the schedule for 2026.
Spring Hill has been a Frontier League staple for years, but announced last year it was leaving Tonganoxie’s current league for the UKC. Those schools now will all play each other in the regular season, which means no extra dates for non-conference foes.
That means Tonganoxie will have three new opponents in 2026: Hayden Catholic on Sept. 11 at THS, Rock Creek on Oct. 2 on the road at RCHS near St. George and McPherson on Oct. 16 at McPherson Stadium.
Hayden and Tonganoxie haven’t met in football since the two met in the Class 4A playoffs in 2004 and 2005. Hayden won both of those contests, 27-14 in 2004 and 41-0 in 2005. Hayden leads the all-time series, 6-0. Hayden also won four games in the 1980s: 13-7 in 1986, 14-6 in 1985, 27-0 in 1984 and 14-0 in 1983.
The Wildcats went 12-1 last year and were Class 3A runner-up to Andale after losing in the championship, 38-6.
McPherson went 5-4 in 2025 and finished the season with a loss in the Week 9 playoff game to Augusta, 33-20. The clash on Oct. 16 will be the first between the Bullpups and Chieftains in football.
Rock Creek went 11-1 last season and, like Hayden, went undefeated until facing Andale in the playoffs. Andale won, 41-7, in the substate round and then defeated Hayden the next week.
This year’s game will mark the first meeting between the Mustangs and Chieftains in football.
Tonganoxie finished the 2025 campaign at 5-5. THS defeated Fort Scott, 45-0, in the Week 9 playoff game and then fell to Bishop Miege, 30-6, in the next round of the playoffs.
The rest of the schedule will be against Frontier League foes: Sept. 4 at Louisburg, Sept. 18 against Eudora, Sept. 25 against Paola, Oct. 9 against Bonner Springs and Oct. 23 against Ottawa. In total, THS will have five home games and three on the road.