Sunflower League Extra

Top 5 Player Ratings
Player Ratings are subject to change on a week-to-week basis

1. Victor Simmons, Quarterback, Olathe North
Week Two: 19 carries, 156 yards, 1 TD; 4-of-8 passing for 85 yards

Simmons gets the promotion to the #1 spot after another stellar game. The Kansas commit highlighted his team's 30-7 victory with a 80-yard touchdown run in the second half of the game. Simmons also had the best passing day of his career, and we should see more of it down the road.

2. Adonis Saunders, Running Back, Olathe North
Week Two: 16 carries, 124 yards, 2 TDs

Saunders broke loose for another long run on Olathe North's first offensive play of the game--this time it was a 79-yarder . The run marks the third touchdown run of over 70 yards that Saunders has had this season. It would be interesting to see if Saunders or Simmons is faster in pads.

3. Brandon Willingham (right), Running Back, Olathe East
Week Two: 31 carries, 123 yards

Willingham slips two spots mostly due to the emergence of fellow running back Austin Fulson. In this weekend's game it was Fulson who scored all three of Olathe East's touchdowns, and Willingham's average of 3.9 yards per carry was below what we've come to expect from the talented senior. A big game in week three against Olathe North could shoot Willingham back up the list.

4. Will Livingston, Running Back, SM West
Week Two: 20 carries, 126 yards, 2 TDS

Livingston has become the go-to-man for SM West. He recorded his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the season against SM Northwest--one of which came on a 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. His rushing totals aren't great (97.5 yards rushing per game) but his scoring production is.

5. Dylan Perry, Quarterback, Lawrence Free State
Week Two: 10 carries, 104 yards, 2 TDs; 4-of-10 passing, 57 yards, 1 TD; 91-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown

Perry scored four touchdowns in a whirlwind victory over Leavenworth. Perhaps the most impressive of the four was when Free State's Preston Schenck (who is knocking at the door of the Top 5 Player Ratings) blocked a Leavenworth field goal attempt and Perry scooped the fumble up and took it back 91 yards for a Free State touchdown.

Honorable Mention: Preston Schenck, John Schrock, Austin Fulson

Week Three Power Rankings
*Power Rankings are subject to change on a week-to-week basis
**See previous post for commentary on Rankings

1. Olathe North (2-0)
2. Olathe East (2-0)
3. SM West (1-1)
4. SM East (2-0)
5. Lawrence Free State (2-0)
6. Olathe South (0-2)
7. SM Northwest (0-2)
8. Olathe Northwest (1-1)
9. Lawrence (1-1)
10. SM South (1-1)
11. SM North (0-2)
12. Leavenworth (0-2)

Eli's Week Three Q and A
Submit your Sunflower League questions to Eli at eunder@ku.edu

Q: Which team(s) has been the most surprising thus far, good or bad?

A: If you were to have asked me three weeks ago if I thought Olathe South and SM Northwest would be battling it out for their first wins of the season in week three, I would have said no way. Yet, in week three both teams are on their heels looking for their first "W." That's been a huge surprise.

Lawrence Free State has also been a surprise. The team has literally not missed a beat at the quarterback position from last year. Dylan Perry's successes have been very impressive so far, especially for a first year starter at the position. Preston Schenck (right) has also been a huge surprise--probably not to the Free State faithful, but to the rest of us.

Q: Is SM East for real?

A: It's way too early to decide that, but I feel the Lancers have alot of things going for them that would point to an eventual yes. First off, SM East's head coach Chip Sherman is one of the best in the business, and you can never question a guy who has three state championship rings. Their strong start is much the product of the productive offseason Sherman put the team through. The Lancer's quarterback John Schrock looks like the real deal, and the team seems to be feeding off his playmaking ability. It's not a stretch to call Schrock the best passing quarterback in the league. The Lancer fanbase is also getting excited about the team, and I can't stress how much good a strong fanbase does for a program.

SM East should take care of SM North in the Nut Bowl in week three, and be 3-0 when they travel to take on Olathe North. That game, and the week after when SM East travels to play Lawrence Free State will be good measuring sticks for where the program is at.

Q: Which will end sooner, Olathe North's 15-game winning streak or Leavenworth's 17-game losing streak?

A: This is a tough one. Leavenworth plays a home game against Wyandotte (currently 0-2) in week seven, and I'll make the bold prediction that the Pioneers will end their losing streak that night, if they haven't already. Olathe North has two games that appear to pose a decent threat, as of right now in week three. Their home game this week against Olathe East won't be easy, and their week eight contest with Lawrence Free state should be a challenge.

Stat Check

Passing Yards
John Schrock, SM East: 538, 4 TDs
Brad Strauss, Lawrence: 267, 2 TDs
Dylan Perry, Lawrence Free State: 207, 1 TD
Ryan Lundgren (right), Olathe Northwest: 203, 3 TDs
Armani Williams, SM West: 197, 2 TDs
Stephen Mangelsdorf, SM Northwest: 193, 1 TD
Trent Kuhl, Olathe East: 131, 1 TD
Kyle Goodburn, SM North: 123
Victor Simmons, Olathe North: 104
Alex Forslund, SM South: 99

Rushing Yards
Adonis Saunders, Olathe North: 284, 4 TDs
Austin Fulson, Olathe East: 279, 5 TDs
Victor Simmons, Olathe North: 274, 2 TDs
Brandon Willingham, Olathe East: 250, 1 TD
Dylan Perry, Lawrence Free State: 236, 2 TDs
Alex Forslund, SM South: 199, 1 TD
Preston Schenck, Lawrence Free State: 196, 4 TDs
Will Livingston, SM West: 195, 4 TDs
Justin Pamatmat, Olathe Northwest: 166, 1 TD
Kendall Kelly, SM North: 139

Receiving Yards
Elliot Faerber, SM East: 209, 2 TDs
Krey Bradley, SM East: 157, 1 TD
Austin Flory, Lawrence: 113, 1 TD
Grant Ellis, SM East: 101, 1 TD
Nick Bandy, Olathe Northwest: 85, 2 TDs
Kenny Mings, SM Northwest: 81
Leonard Parks, Olathe Northwest: 81, 1 TD
Tucker Fritzel, Lawrence Free State: 77
Will Livingston, SM West: 75, 1 TD
Danny Dowling, SM West: 67, 1 TD

Tackles
Tristan Opie, Olathe Northwest: 22
Denzell Simpson, SM West: 21
Brock Burrows, SM North: 19
RJ Boyle, SM South: 18
Seth Hartman, SM East: 16
Josh Mais, SM East: 16
Drew Boyce, Olathe Northwest: 14
Matt Denmark, SM North: 14
Greg Overmohle, SM West: 14
Mike Eichenberg, Olathe Northwest: 13

Interceptions
Preston Schenck, Lawrence Free State: 2, (2 TDs)
Kenny Mings, SM Northwest: 2
DeAndre Graves, SM West: 2
Dylan Perry, Lawrence Free State: 1
JaQuan Brunt, SM East: 1, (1 TD)
Kendall Kelly, SM North: 1
Ryan Theis, SM North: 1
Junior Williams, Olathe East: 1
Treshawn Root, Olathe East: 1
Colin Becker, Lawrence Free State: 1

Kickoff/Punt Return Touchdowns
Preston Schenck, Lawrence Free State: 1 KR TD, 2 PR TDs
JaQuan Brunt, SM East: 1 KR TD

Field Goals Made/Attempted
Daniel Gutierrez, Olathe North: 2/3
Jared Douglas, Olathe South: 1/1
Kyle Goodburn, SM North: 1/3
Sean Jones, SM West: 1/1
Anthony Rosen, Lawrence: 1/1
Chase Woofter, SM East: 1/2

Stats courtesy Mid-Statesports.com

Photos courtesy (from top) the Kansas City Star, the Lawrence Journal World, the Kansas City Star