58-game streak crashes: Hanover shocks Kansas powerhouse Axtell

Junior QB Kadrick Cohorst scores four touchdowns as Hanover ends one of Kansas’ most dominant high school football runs

Hanover shocked Axtell in a Kansas high school football clash Friday evening. / MIKE COPPER/ERIE TIMES-NEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When the Axtell Eagles picked up their 58th straight win with a 56-0 result Oct. 10 at St. Paul, they showed no signs of slowing down.

The Kansas state record of 79 consecutive wins - held by Smith Center from 2004 to 2009 - often came up in conversations around the powerhouse 8-man program that kept rolling with each victory. The Eagles had hammered every opponent in 2025, just like they had since their last loss Nov. 6, 2020.

But Smith Center woke up Saturday breathing a sigh of relief. Axtell’s streak was over.

Hanover Flips the Script

Hanover stunned everyone with a 26-18 victory.

It was only fitting that Hanover snapped the streak. Six years ago, on Oct. 11, 2019, on this same field, Axtell ended Hanover’s 43-game winning streak in a 28-26 finish.

What a difference a year makes. Just last season the Wildcats traveled to Axtell and got thumped 58-12, which marked the Eagles’ 45th straight win.

Hanover wasn’t letting that happen again.

Cohorst Takes Over

Junior quarterback Kadrick Cohorst had a monster night for the Wildcats, scoring four touchdowns. He struck first on a 1-yard run on 4th-and-goal - needing a second effort to get in - with 4:07 left in the first quarter to make it 6-0.

And that could be the dagger. Kadrick Cohorst with 4th TD run of night, a 7-yarder. Conversion pass good.
No. 3 Hanover 26
No. 1 Axtell 6
6:42 4thQ#KSHSAACovered pic.twitter.com/YIaYSSFrep

— Brent Maycock (@BrentKSHSAA) October 18, 2025

Axtell tied it 6-6 on a 3-yard run by Wyatt Detweiler in the first minute of the second quarter, but Cohorst answered with a 16-yard run with 9:49 left in the half to make it 12-6. His third TD came two plays after an Eagles fumble - a 13-yard run that pushed the lead to 18-6.

Cohorst’s fourth score made the upset feel inevitable. His 7-yard run with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter made it 26-6.

Eagles Make It Interesting Late

Axtell didn’t go quietly. Detweiler returned the ensuing kickoff 78 yards to make it 26-12 with 6:28 remaining, then the Eagles recovered an onside kick and scored again on a 1-yard run by Joe Lybarger to cut it to 26-18 with 3:29 left.

Axtell got a stop and the ball back with a chance to tie in the final minute, but a long pass on fourth down was swatted away with 25 seconds remaining.

Hanover knocks down 4th down pass and Wildcats will end Axtell’s 58-game winning streak.
Final
No. 3 Hanover 26
No. 1 Axtell 18#KSHSAACovered pic.twitter.com/gSO9R3ysUR

— Brent Maycock (@BrentKSHSAA) October 18, 2025

A Rematch Could Be Coming

Now 7-0 after going 11-2 in 2024, the Wildcats - like Axtell - have steamrolled opponents. They’ve outscored teams 325-38, with wins over Eli-Saline 32-8, Clifton-Clyde 56-6, Washington County 60-0, Frankfort 50-0, Blue Valley 48-0 and Wakefield 53-6.

Axtell (6-1) has outscored opponents 328-40. The Eagles beat Linn 52-6, Washington County 48-0, Chase County 54-0, Blue Valley 54-8, Wakefield 46-0 and St. Paul 56-0.

There’s a strong chance the two could meet again later this season. Until then, Hanover heads to Linn on Friday, and Axtell is set to host Frankfort at 7 p.m. Friday.

A Historic Run Ends

Despite coming up short of the record, Axtell’s run will go down in history. Since that loss Nov. 6, 2020, the Eagles have outscored opponents 3,324-524. Since the start of the 2023 season, they have outscored opponents 1,834-212.

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