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| Austin Chambers and SM West will look to extend their winning streak to 13 games against Olathe South on Friday. Photo David Compton. |
Olathe South (1-0) at
SM West (1-0)
at SM South District Stadium
TV: KC Metro Sports Hy-Vee High School Game of the Week
Oddly enough, this is the only week two matchup pitting teams who both won in the opening week of the season. Coincidentally, it's also a matchup of the past two Class 6A state champions. Since 2011, Olathe South and SM West have gone 18-5, and 20-5, respectively, which accounts for the two highest win totals among league teams in that span.
Last fall the Falcons learned first-hand how difficult it was having a target on their backs in each game, and SM West is coming to terms with a similar reality this year. There's no telling how this game will go (based on week one), but if Olathe South puts together as solid of a performance as they did last week in their 33-20 win against Lawrence, they have a very good chance of winning and snapping SM West's winning-streak. For the Vikings, they have the talent to beat any team in the state -- it's just a matter of execution and attention to detail, which didn't come so easily last week.
Finally, keep an eye on the battle in the trenches. The league's top two lineman will square off when Olathe South's Braden Smith (6-7, 290) and SM West's Austin Chambers (6-5, 300) battle on both offense and defense. We've been waiting to see those two go up against each other for a year now, and it should be fun to watch.
SM North (0-1) at Leavenworth (0-1) at Pioneer Stadium (Thursday Night Game)
TV: KC Metro Sports Thursday Game
Good news for the Pioneers -- the best medicine for a bad loss is usually playing the team ranked #12 in the Power Rankings the following week. Not to mention this game is also being played at Leavenworth's home stadium. If Leavenworth takes care of business (the way they're expected to) they can develop some positive momentum going forward. But a loss would be devastating. For SM North there are no expectations, and nothing to lose. And a team with nothing to lose has everything to gain.
SM East (1-0) at Lawrence (0-1) at Lawrence High Stadium
The general consensus heading into the season was that SM East was going to take some time to develop in their new flexbone offense. Wrong. At least based on their week one victory. The Lancers now travel to Lawrence with the hopes of another stellar all-around performance, but the Chesty Lions won't roll over on their home turf. Last week Lawrence was tied at 13 at halftime, only to run out of gas down the stretch (injuries didn't help) and lose by 13. Lawrence High Stadium is not an easy place to play, and the Lancers better be prepared for a dogfight if they want to push their record to 2-0.
Lawrence Free State (1-0) at SM Northwest (0-1) at SM North District Stadium
If SM Northwest's offense takes another week off then Free State will run them out of town. Last week the Firebirds blasted SM North by 40 points. SM Northwest, ranked #11 in the Power Rankings, is better than SM North, but they still don't appear to have the horses to take down Free State. If they do it would be a monumental turnaround from the way the Cougars played against Olathe Northwest last week.
Olathe Northwest (1-0) at Olathe East (0-1) at CBAC
The Battle for CBAC has ended in Olathe East's favor every time these teams have played. Does that change this year? While the Ravens did show some excellent grit down the stretch against SM Northwest, they're going to have to take their game to another level to knock off Olathe East (who mind you is still steaming from letting a late lead slip away in last week's loss to Olathe North). This one could be all Olathe East, but if Olathe Northwest can make things interesting, or even win the game, watch out for the Ravens going forward.
SM South (0-1) at Olathe North (1-0) at ODAC
Olathe North is favored in this game, but the Eagles must tread with caution. Last week SM South put the clamps down on an explosive SM West team, and came close to tying the game late. If that Raider defense shows up on Friday there won't be a ton of running lanes for Venus Triplett or Cole Murphy to exploit. Really, this could be a statement game for either team. If Olathe North wins comfortably they can say "look at how much better we performed against SM South than SM West." If SM South picks up the win there will be no doubt the Raiders are a legitimate contender for the league crown and beyond.
