Thursday, Oct. 18
Olathe East 33, Blue Valley Northwest 3
SM South 21, Blue Valley North 19
Friday, Oct. 19
SM West 31, SM East 14
Lawrence Free State 47, Leavenworth 14
Lawrence 57, Wyandotte 16
Gardner-Edgerton 59, Olathe North 28
Olathe South 34, Olathe Northwest 31
SM Northwest 42, SM North 14
Eli Underwood's musings on high school football in the Sunflower League
42 comments:
District 3 standings:
OE 2-0 +26
SMS 1-1 -5
BVNW 1-1 -6
BVN 0-2 -15
Scenarios where SMS makes playoffs:
1. Beat OE by any margin and BVNW loses, SMS is district champ on head to head
2. Beat OE by 13 or more and BVNW wins by any margin, district runner up on tie breaks
3. Beat OE by less than 13, BVNW wins by same margin or less, district r/u on tiebreaks
4. Lose to OE and BVNW loses to BVN by the same or a larger margin but not by more than 5 (or BVN gets in on tie breaks), district r/u on tiebreaks (3 teams at 1-2)
Clear as muc?
MS Recap -- Not a pretty game but SMS did win 21-19. SMS was without Preuter (QB), Abdul(QB/RB/S), Erickson(T,LB), and Gabe Guild only ran part of the first offensive series -- maybe 3 carries for 15 yards before his ankle was apparently reinjured. SMS first score was set up by an Interception (don't remember who) and a short field (30 yard line ish). Chase Allen threw a 4 yard touchdown. Jawann Stennis(sorry if spelling is wrong) had a 40-50ish yard touchdown on an option pitch for the second touchdown. Then I believe BVN scored to make 14-7 where the half ended. SMS wasn't moving ball in 3rd quarter. Sometime BVN scored on a 30ish yard run but then missed the extra point to make it 14-13. SMS put together a nice drive with Dalton Lewallen at tailback. He did almost all the work but Allen snook the ball in from the 1/2 yard line to go up 21-13 in 4th.
Here's where it gets interesting. With about 4 minutes left, BVN used up all their timeouts hoping to get the ball back. SMS had a 3rd and 3 and then jumped offsides at their own 25. They failed to convert on a 3rd down and went back to punt. For some reason (I don't believe it was the coaches call), the punter tried to run for the first down and BVN got the ball on the South 30 yard line with 2 minutes to play -- down by 8. BVN scored on a pass play (about 4 missed tackles) with a little over a minute left. BVN went for 2 but SMS stopped the running back on the 1/2 yard line. BVN did an onisde kick - it went off one SMS players hands into another SMS players hands who dropped to the grown. When the refs undid the pile, they gave the ball to BVN. Fortunately, SMS was able to get some pressure on BVN QB for about the first time all night and after intentional grounding, a sack, and a couple of incomplete passes they got the ball back. I have to admit, I took a deep breath and prayed they didn't botch the snap on the neal down (There were a few bad exchanges during this game as in all games this season)
On the bright side, SMS is 4-4 on the year and guaranteed of their best record this century (I believe 2000 is last centurey). If they could win next week (doesn't look likely at present) by more than BVNW wins, I guess they could still make the playoffs. I sure would love to see them play a mistake free game with all their players healthy.
I'm just going to sit back and watch the SMW-SME game tomorrow. Should be a good one. I'm not emotionally invested in either team so it should be relaxing. Still trying to relax from the end of tonight's SMS-BVN game. My BP must have hit the stroke zone!
I'm not looking forward to the Olathe East game next week given the way they are starting to play, but, hey, its high school football so who knows what will happen.
I'm still waiting for the day the KSHSAA joins the 21st Century and goes to 8-team districts.
It seems like the districts have been more evenly balanced this year, but in years past (like last year) when we had a 2-7 team making the playoffs over a 6-3 team, I just had to shake my head.
At the end of the day it shouldn't come down to your last three games--it should be the body of work over the course of the season.
Yeah SMS won with there JV QB and RB in. Hopefully are players will be healthy next week vs Olathe East or it could get ugly.
sms has had a great run this year, despite the bumps in the road w/ turnover play with the offense. should be much improved even as 2013 rolls around. Lonergan has done a good job writing a ship that has spent the last decade 01-10 +/- in a complete disaster. best of luck to ya against oe, should be a high intense game for both schools!
Need to get props out to sms players I didn't mention in my recap. Ian Roberts had the sms interception and Devin Martin caught the 4 yard td pass for the first score. Also, Stennis's run was a 65 yard td.
Nice article in the Star about Robert Rice today. Go Vikes!
Thank you Eli! Well said. I have never been able to figure out how KSHSAA thinks 4-team districts are a good thing when year after year losing teams slip in and winning teams are left out! WAKE UP KSHSAA!!!!!!!!
i told everybody no chance! go vikes! i think we found a passing game.
Congrats SMW.
What's up with east's running back? He's been the same size since the 7th grade!! I was planning on talking trash about darling but he is the nicest guy! Relihan is over rated. Thats what happens when you play a top team!!!!
Vikes have the best D in the league hands down. 5 sacks and 2 picks vs. Darling. Look out for Verdini to Maloney, something you'll hear about 100 times next season I think. Surely no one can rank SMW any lower than #2 in the power rankings now...we beat SME, we beat LAW. Time for some respect.
District 1:
LAW 2-0 +26
LFS 2-0 +26
WYAN 0-2 26
LV 0-2 -26
District 2:
SMW 2-0 +26
SME 1-1 0
SMNW 1-1 0
SMN 0-2 -26
District 3:
OE 2-0 +26
SMS 1-1 -5
BVNW 1-1 -6
BVN 0-2 -15
District 4:
GE 2-0 +26
ON 1-1 0
OS 1-1 -10
ONW 0-2 -16
WE DEMAND RESPECT
I'm relatively new to Sunflower League Football. Can someone please explain the "Nut Cup" and the "Hula Bowl"?
One of the SM West coaches, back in the day (1960s or 1970s), was a woods teacher and he had some of his students design a small, wooden trophy to be awarded to the winner of the SM West vs. SM East game on an annual basis.
When I was at West each of the players on varsity gathered an acorn from one of the Oak trees near the practice fields and placed it in the cup before the Nut Cup Game, symbolizing their commitment.
I have no idea on the origin of the Hula Bowl.
I think it would be cool if a few other teams in the league came up with trophies to sort of add some flare to their rivalry games.
Congrats SMW... Solid win.
SME and SMN also have a cup or something... Can't remember we didn't play north when I was in HS
Lawrence vs. Free State on the 26th! So much more at stake than just bragging rights. Maybe the most hyped game in Sunflower League history?
Buscuit- North and East also play for a "Nutcup" it's basically the same trophy that Eli was talking about with the West/East rivalry.
Eli, Do you know how the playoff matchups are selected? Which district 1 plays the other district 2 etc.?
Play off scenarios:
If LAW wins:
(1) SMW
BVNW/SMS/BVN
(2) LAW
OS/ON
(3) OE
SME
(4) GE
LFS
If LFS wins:
(1) LFS
BVNW/SMS/BVN
(2) SMW
OS/ON
(3) OE
LAW
(4) GE
SME
These are assuming now bizarre upsets like SMS over OE or SMNW over SMW etc. OE gets the 3 seed over GE based on more wins vs. 6a opponents (5 vs. 4) even though they have the same overall record. SMW gets the 1 seed over LAW on head to head, LFS gets the one seed over SMW on head to head. Very big game for LFS this week means the difference between playing at GE or hosting BVNW/SMS/BVN.
Assuming we don't see any upsets in week nine, it looks like this year's East 6A bracket is going to be stout, top to bottom.
The #8 seed will most likely feature a 5-4 team, which is a huge step up from what we've seen in the past. Simply put, whoever makes their to the state championship from this side of the state will have truly earned it. There's no easy paths.
Side Note: SM East may in a weird way have benefited themselves by losing last night. They'll likely face either OE or GE, two teams which love to run the football. SM East's run defense is the best in the league (they held Sterbach to 91 yards on 28 carries last night) and they would be well-suited to play one of those two in Regionals.
Just trying to figure this out from TheImpalers first post. Is Olathe East the district champion in their district unless both they lose and BVNW loses?
Yes OE can only lose district championship if they lose to SMS AND BVNW loses. OE has clinched any 3 way tiebreak on point differential, the only was they lose is in a two way tie with SMS in which case they still make the playoffs as runner up. I can conceive of no scenario where OE does not make the playoffs now.
What would give SME the 5 over Law if FS beats Lawrence???!
The non-district winners are not seeded per se. The are split into the opposite half of the bracket from their district winner and only then seeded. So if West is the 2 seed, East cannot play in the 2/3 side of the bracket. Thus East plays the lower seed in the 1/4 side of the bracket. Yes, it's a stupid system but that's the rules.
As good a time as any for my annual 'how stupid can it be' rant on the KSHSAA playoff system. As Eli said this appears to be one year where the system basically works (other than two of the top four teams having to play their first game on the road)...not that there's still not things that could go very wrong in week 9. Unless SMS beats OE or BVN or SMNW somehow miracle their way in, it looks like no losing team will make the playoffs this year and the seeding will make some sort of sense. Unlike last year when SMW was the 1 seed at 6-3 because the first criteria in seeding is DISTRICT record not overall record and O South's 8-1 included a district loss. And LV got in at 2-7 while much better teams sat home. Then there's the ridiculous home field rules where the first criteria is the team with the fewest home games in previous rounds gets home, not the highest seed. So last year you had #1 SMW playing their second game at unseeded OE who won their first game as a 'road' game on their home field so they essentially got two straight home games as an unseeded team.
And remember if SMW were to lose to SMNW but still win their district (not a gaurantee...techincally the vikes have not even clinched a playoff spot yet) they would fall to the 4 seed at 7-2 because of the district loss. One can only hope some year the old boys club at the KSHSAA will wake up and realize how stupid some of these rules are.
Congrats to West on a really good win last night. Great, close game until well into 4th quarter when darling threw a very ill-advised pass.
@nordic_nasties, hard to take you seriously when you call the leading receiver in the league (by nearly 200 yards) over-rated. Even more so when you dog on the East running back for being undersized.
I kshsaa went to 8 team division they could go to a 10 game season(7 in div. 3 out div.). Then seed top 16 for playoffs. This IMO, would help elevate KS high football. It sure could not hurt teams like smnw and smn.
Oops, If kshsaa
Gardner is 5-3, Olathe East is 4-4. I believe the 6A win tie breaker is after the overall record, thus making it a non issue. Gardner will be the 3 seed and Olathe East the 4. This will change the bottom half of the bracket due to district teams not being able to play until the finals.
copied and pasted from KSHAA Football Handbook:
3 .B Seeding Criteria (Class 6A-5A only)
The winners of Districts 1 through 4 will be seeded and the winners of Districts 5 through 8 will be seeded. Seeds for Dis- trict winners for Class 6A and 5A will be based on the following criteria and in the order listed:
1. Won-loss percentage in district games
2. Won-loss percentage in all games
3. Won-loss percentage in non-district games
4. Head to head games if all teams tied for seed played each other during the season. 5. Total number of wins against teams within their class and the next higher class. 6. Won-loss percentage against teams within their class and the next higher class. 7. Total number of wins against teams within their class
KSHSAA Football Manual 19
8. Won-loss percentage against teams within their class
9. Drawn by lot (name drawn from a hat)
Based on the criteria in the prior post
If Lawrence wins: If Free State wins:
1)SMW 1)FS
2)LAW 2)SMW
3)GE 3)GE
4)OE 4)OE
5)FS 5)SME
6)SME 6)LAW
7)SMS or BVNW (pts) 7)SMS or BVNW (pts)
8)ON/OS winner 8)ON/OS winner
district 3 by some scoring margins and upsets could change but the district winner will be the 4 seed and the runner up will be the 7 seed
And as a side note, while the East side of the state just MAY work out reasonably well this year, just take a look at district 7 in the west. 5-3, 1-7, 1-7 and 0-8. And if you look at the scores and comparative scores througout the season, there is a REAL chance 0-8 Wichita North could win their last game and win the points tiebreaker and get into the playoffs at 1-8. I'm not sure if that's ever happened before. What a mess.
Rev Carnahan. What do pastors know about football anyway?
Sorry, rev, you're right. GE is 5-3, I thought the lost to BVW.
Good to see you've joined the comments section, Rev.
Curiously prepskc states flatly tha SMW has clinched a playoff spot. By my reckoning this is not quite true. IF SMW were to lose by 13+ to SMNW (year right) and SME wins by 13+ then SMNW, SMW and SME would all be 2-1 and +13 and I believe tied in all respects so it would come down to random draw. Nitpicking maybe but I don't think the Vikes have actually clinched anything yet. Anyone else have another take on this?
Eli,
I always read, just don't comment much! Love your blog though and tell everyone about it! Thanks for all of your effort to keep it up and for letting so many participate through it.
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