Eli's First and Ten1. The smack talk between the Olathe South and Olathe North folks has been pretty intense ... it would be interesting to see what level it would be at if Olathe North plays Olathe East (right) in the Sub-State round.
2. You can call SM Northwest this year's darkhorse. Who would of thought the Cougs would make Sectionals after their disappointing 0-3 start to the season?
3. The Sunflower League's top three rushing offenses still remain in the playoffs--this doesn't seem like a coincidence to me.
4. Adonis Saunders and Victor Simmons combined to rush for 339 yards and five touchdowns on 27 carries. Those totals equate to 12.5 yards per carry. Sickening numbers, regardless of the defense.
5. If this year's Sectional matchups look familiar there's a reason for it. In 2007 the Sectionals featured the exact same four teams. Olathe East, Olathe North, and SM Northwest all sat at 9-1, while Olathe South was 7-3. Who came out on top? The team with the worst record--the Olathe South Falcons who went on to lose to Hutchinson in the state championship game.
6. With their Regional victory Olathe East claimed their ninth win of the season. The nine wins marks the sixth time the Hawks have reached that win total in the past eight years, which is more than any other Sunflower League team during that stretch.
7. We're nearing the announcement of the 2010 Simone Award candidates. While Gardner-Edgerton's Bubba Starling seems to be the clear favorite at this point in time, watch out for a Sunflower League invite or two. Brandon Willingham (1,617 rushing yards and 21 TDs) will most certainly be in the discussion.
8. The player with the ability to impact a game the most? Perhaps that title belongs to SM Northwest's Kenny Mings. His prowess on offense, defense, and special teams made him a nightmare for SM West last week, and he could cause similar headaches for Olathe East.
9. During the summer Olathe South head coach Jeff Gourley predicted that Nick Sands would rush for 2,000 yards. Sands currently sits at 1,470 yards rushing (147 ypg), 530 yards short of that plateau. It's highly unlikely Sands will reach those numbers unless Olathe South makes it to the state title game--but we'll keep it in mind just in case.
10. The team with the most pressure to perform? It's either Olathe East or Olathe North. The Hawks hold the top seed and are playing a four-loss SM Northwest team, while Olathe North is working on defending a state title.
Stat Leaders (among those still playing)
Passing Yards
Stephen Mangelsdorf, SM Northwest: 1,345
Frankie Suerer, Olathe South: 424
Trent Kuhl, Olathe East: 376
Victor Simmons, Olathe North: 299
Rushing Yards
Brandon Willingham, Olathe East: 1,617
Nick Sands, Olathe South: 1,470
Adonis Saunders, Olathe North: 1,413
Victor Simmons, Olathe North: 1,268
Austin Fulson, Olathe East: 749
Jake Crist, Olathe South: 676
Receiving Yards
Kenny Mings, SM Northwest: 413
AJ Spencer, SM Northwest: 296
Tanner Gentry, Olathe North: 276
Tackles
Tanner Ginavan, Olathe South: 112
Kyle Swartz, Olathe North: 96
Dylan Hanson, Olathe South: 93
Sam Todd, Olathe North: 79
Dylan DeVries, Olathe South: 77
Vince Gerstner, Olathe East: 76
Austin Fulson, Olathe East: 74
Greg Fry, Olathe South: 68
Interceptions
Kenny Mings, SM Northwest: 4
Taylor Sheffield, Olathe South: 3
Derec Olson, SM Northwest: 2
*SM Northwest player statistics do not include last week's game
Stats courtesy Mid-Statesports.com
Photo courtesy the Kansas City Star
