Another crack has formed in the Centennial League’s football structure, and its ripple effects will be felt by Manhattan High.
Emporia High football will leave the Centennial League following the 2027 season, opting to compete as an independent beginning in 2028, Manhattan High athletics director Mike Marsh confirmed to The Mercury on Friday.
The Spartans will remain Centennial League members in all other sports. Emporia Public Schools cited declining enrollment as the driving force behind the decision, noting that shrinking roster sizes have forced younger players into varsity roles earlier than intended.
Emporia football, a 5A football program, has lost 20 straight Centennial League games dating back to 2021, including 11 consecutive losses to Manhattan High, with the Spartans’ last win over the Indians coming in 2012.
For Manhattan High, Emporia’s departure further destabilizes a league that has struggled to maintain consistent football membership for nearly a decade.
As it stands for the 2028 season, the Centennial League’s football-playing members would be reduced to four schools: Junction City, Manhattan, Topeka High and Washburn Rural. Emporia and Hayden would remain league members in other sports but not participate in Centennial League football, leaving scheduling gaps and renewed uncertainty for programs still competing in the conference.
The Centennial League once stood as one of Kansas’ largest and most competitive conferences, featuring 10 schools as recently as 2018. Since then, multiple departures have reshaped the league’s identity. Shawnee Heights left in 2017, followed by Seaman and Topeka West departing for the United Kansas Conference, while Highland Park moved to the Kansas City-Atchison League.
Manhattan High previously explored alternative conference options as the league’s football numbers dwindled. In 2020, MHS administrators formally sought entry into the Sunflower League, a conference composed primarily of Shawnee Mission and Olathe schools, citing concerns over scheduling stability and travel created by a shrinking Centennial League.
That request was ultimately denied, with travel logistics cited as a major obstacle, leaving Manhattan committed to remaining in the Centennial League while attempting to navigate a reduced conference slate.
Currently, Manhattan High football schedules four of each league and non-league contests each year. That number will shift to three league games, and five out of conference starting in 2028.
In the 2024-25 schedule cycle, Manhattan High reached agreements to play with Garden City, Lawrence Free State, Hays and Wichita Northwest. For the next two seasons, Mill Valley has announced it and Manhattan will compete in 2026 and 2027. Manhattan’s remaining three opponents have not been announced.