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Olathe South's Drew Johnson collected a tackle against Olathe East's Chad Johnson on Friday. Both teams advanced to the playoffs. Photo courtesy the Kansas City Star. |
Olathe South
The Falcons claimed the Sunflower League title, qualified for the playoffs, and won the battle for Olathe with their win against Olathe East.
Olathe Northwest
By virtue of head-to-head contests, Olathe Northwest finished third amongst the four Olathes, ahead of Olathe North. Their incredible second half was quite the statement.
Leavenworth
Let's be honest, Leavenworth football has a pretty poor stigma around the league. The Pioneers playoff berth is the first in years for the program, and they beat a closely matched team in SM North to qualify.
Three Down
Olathe North
Hard to say what happened here. To my knowledge the Eagles didn't suffer any major season-ending injuries that would have justified four straight losses. It will be a long offseason for the Olathe North program.
Lawrence Free State
The Firebirds played like champions through two weeks of district play. Against Lawrence, it was quite the contrary. Turnovers and poor decision making cost the Firebirds a playoff berth.
SM North
The Indians snatched defeat from the claws of victory after losing to Leavenworth. What should have been an easy road the playoffs turned out to be quite the opposite.
Week Nine Players of the Week
Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest: Middleton had one of the best individual efforts of any player from the league this season on Friday against Olathe North. He carried the ball 29 times for 332 yards and six touchdowns, not to mention a 57-yard halfback pass to Willie Cauley, which gave Middleton seven touchdowns on the day.
Tyrone Jenkins, Lawence: Jenkins, a running back, filled in for the injured Brad Strauss at quarterback and did well. He carried the ball 37 times for 122 yards and a touchdown, and completed 3 of 4 passes for 94 yards and another touchdown. His efforts helped the Chesty Lions to their first playoff appearance since 2008.
Final Power Rankings
1. Olathe South (8-1): The Falcons claimed the Sunflower League title outright, won more games than any team in the league and look primed for a playoff run.
2. Olathe East (7-2): The Hawks seven-game winning streak was snapped against Olathe South, but it wouldn't surprise me to see those two meet up again in the Sub-State round of the playoffs.
3. Lawrence (6-3): The Chesty Lions have been hampered again by major injuries this season, and last week played without their starting quarterback, running back, and center. Despite all this, they continue to battle.
4. Lawrence Free State (6-3): Free State got the short end of the stick, missing out on the playoffs after two district victories. It just goes to show that if you're going to lose in district play, it's better to lose early on.
5. SM West (6-3): Are the Vikings as good as their six wins would suggest? It's hard to say. They have won four straight games, and they have a good shot at making that five this Friday when they face Leavenworth in the opening round of the playoffs.
6. Olathe Northwest (5-4): Props to the Ravens. After losing their first district game without starting quarterback Dalton Rook, they responded by winning their next two games, including a major beatdown of Olathe North.
7. SM East (5-4): The Lancers, however, are starting to click and now that Dakota Collins, Elliot Faerber and Adam Lowe are finally at full health, watch out.
8. Olathe North (5-4): Misery likes company, so for this I offer Olathe North the story of the 2007 SM West squad. Coming off a state championship runner-up finish, the Vikings began the 2007 season 5-0 before losing their next four and missing the playoffs at 5-4. Sound familiar, Eagles?
9. SM Northwest (4-5): The Cougars didn't to anything spectacular until the Regional Round of the playoffs last season, so maybe we'll see that same awakening this time around.
10. SM South (2-7): While the Raiders only came away with two wins on the season they were able to establish an identity with their strong rushing attack. The program has a high ceiling heading into 2012.
11. Leavenworth (2-7): This is the first time the Pioneers have made the playoffs since... well, the record books go back to 1998 and in the time span the team has never made the playoffs.
12. SM North (2-7): The Indians had a poor showing in their most important game of the season this past Friday.