Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Thursday Report

Lawrence Free State's Kyle McFarland.  Photo courtesy
the Lawrence Journal World.
Week Two Matchups
All game times 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted

Olathe Northwest (1-0) at SM South (0-1) (Thursday Night Game) at SM South District Stadium

Olathe Northwest had one of their most impressive offensive performances in school history last week, highlighted by Willie Cauley's four touchdown receptions and Connor Middleton's 187 rushing yards (good for tops in the league in rushing).  The Ravens will try to keep their offensive prowess going against SM South who is coming off of a six-point loss that went down to the wire.

Leavenworth (0-1) at Lawrence Free State (0-1) at Lawrence Free State

Neither of these teams could have been happy with their week one performances as both were handily defeated.  Free State juggled quarterbacks in week one, trading off between Joe Dineen and Kyle McFarland.  The two combined for 142 passing yards and two touchdowns, but neither one necessarily outperformed the other, which means we'll probably see another quarterback rotation in week two.  As for Leavenworth, the team really has nothing to lose.  Judson Cole performed well in week one but it's going to take a team effort for the Pioneers to start winning. 

SM North (1-0) at Olathe North (1-0) at ODAC

Olathe North, once again, looks like the proverbial top dog in the Sunflower League.  In week one the Eagles rushed for 357 yards on 53 carries, and totalled 462 yards of total offense in a 29-14 victory over Olathe East.  The Eagles did give up 198 yards passing on defense, however, and if SM North has a shot in this game it's going to be through the air.  Last week SM North's quarterback, Ryan Theis, passed for 169 yards and three touchdowns.

Lawrence (1-0) at Olathe South (1-0) at CBAC

This game should be a fun one to watch.  Both team's confidence levels are sky high as both played very well in week one.  All eyes will be focused on Lawrence's quarterback Brad Strauss to see if he can continue the dominance he displayed in last week against SM West when he combined for 311 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.  Meanwhile, Olathe South's offensive combo of Jordan Ward and Teddy Colbert will be working to make a name for themselves as one of the Sunflower League's top one-two punches.

SM West (0-1) at SM Northwest (0-1) at SM North District Stadium

You could probably say these two clubs, based on their program's history and expectations, had the two most forgettable week one performances.  SM West was wiped out by Lawrence, 35-12, while SM Northwest displayed one of their most anemic performances in the last few years in a 28-3 loss to SM East.  SM West will especially be hungry for a victory, as they head to play at Olathe North in week three, and a potential 0-3 start to the season in nearly unheard of in Viking country.

Game of the Week
Olathe East (0-1) at SM East (1-0) at SM South District Stadium

After looking fairly pedestrian in week one, Olathe East will be looking to bounce back against the team that took their slot in the Power Rankings.  The Hawks cringe at the thought of an 0-2 start, but due to the most challenging two-game strech of any team in the Sunflower League, it remains a possibility.  SM East has loads of confidence heading into this game after they dominated SM Northwest 28-3 last Thursday.  Dakota Collins' transition into the Lancer's starting quarterback position went smoothly as he passed for 261 yards and two touchdowns--but this will be Collins first big test as the starter.