Monday, September 19, 2011

Week Three Review

Three Up
Olathe East's John Kelsh.  Photo courtesy
the Lawrence Journal World.

Olathe East
The Hawks began the season against three of the best teams in the league--Olathe North, SM East, and Lawrence--and came away with a 2-1 record.  Two out of three isn't bad in that stretch as they strive for a second 10-win season in a row.

SM Northwest
The Cougars avoided starting the season 0-3 for the second time in a row with some late-game heroics.  They also did a good job of curtailing Willie Cauley's overall impact on the game.

Olathe North
It probably gets lonely at the top, but the Eagles don't seem to mind.  Sometimes we take for granted the way Olathe North consistently dominates their opponents (see their 48-21 win over SM West on Thursday) but all-in-all the Eagles are 3-0, dominating, and worthy of some recognition.

Three Down

Olathe Northwest
Whenever it seems like the Ravens are over the hump they go and lose a game like they did on Friday.  After jumping out to a comfortable 20-6 lead, they let SM Northwest back into the game and lost when the Cougars made a last-second field goal.

Lawrence
Unfortunately for the 1-2 Chesty Lions, the bulk of their schedule is not yet over.  They still have SM East, Olathe North, and their crosstown rival Free State remaining--all of which will be challenging games.  That's not to mention contests against SM South and Olathe Northwest, both of whom have played well through week three.

SM North
The Indians have been outscored 87-14 in their last two games after starting the season with a victory over SM South.  The team's lone bright spot has been Mason Perez who continues to put up touchdowns despite SM North's poor performances overall.

Week Three Players of the Week

Kyle McFarland, Lawrence Free State: McFarland completed 10 of 18 passes for 206 yards and four touchdowns, carried the ball 13 times for 84 yards, and made the game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter to help Free State to their second win of the year.  With his efforts, McFarland likely established himself as the heir-apparent to last season's quarterback, Dylan Perry.

Treshawn Root, Olathe North: Root sliced through the SM West defense en route to 195 rushing yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries.  His average of 17.7 yards per carry was ridiculous and he looked like the league's top running back with the efforts.

Week Four Power Rankings

1. Olathe North (3-0): The Eagles have outscored their opponents 122-42 and are sitting pretty with their 3-0 record.

2. Olathe South (3-0): Olathe South has taken care of business as well as anyone, and now they face their second true test of the season in a road trip to SM East.

3. Olathe East (2-1): Watch out, the Hawks are gaining momentum.  After a dismal week one performance they've strung together two wins in a row against good teams.

4. SM East (2-1): After laying an egg against Olathe East in week two the Lancers have a chance to redeem themselves versus a quality opponent in Olathe South this Saturday.

5. Lawrence (1-2): The Chesty Lions' schedule hasn't treated them well thus far and their 1-2 record is not an accurate reflection of the talent the team possesses.

6. Lawrence Free State (2-1): The Firebirds pulled out a nice victory late against SM South, and in a season with as much parody as this one experience like that will be huge come district and playoff time.

7. SM West (1-2): The Vikings are playing hard but it's not making much of a difference in the win column.  They can gain some confidence this week against SM North before facing Olathe East in week five.

8. SM Northwest (1-2): The Cougars' win on Friday was huge for their confidence, and five of their next six games could very likely result in Ws.

9. Olathe Northwest (2-1): The Ravens failed to close down SM Northwest and their two wins against Leavenworth and SM South (who are a combined 0-6) is looking not-so-impressive. 

10. SM North (1-2): The Indians don't play a team ranked in the top five of this week's Power Rankings the rest of the season and an easy district should result in at least a three-win regular season.

11. SM South (0-3): I can't remember the last time a team not only had three straight games decided on the final possession, but also came up short in all three instances.

12. Leavenworth (0-3): Hopefully the Pioneers' 31-point loss doesn't stop the team from competing hard the way early blowouts have in the past with the program.

No comments: