Sunflower League Regional Round Recaps

Venus Triplett's first quarter touchdown gave Olathe North
an early 7-0 advantage. Photo KC Star.

Olathe North 14, 
Blue Valley Northwest 3

They took a two year hiatus, but Olathe North has advanced to Sectionals for the seventh time in the past 10 years. The Eagles score both of their touchdowns in the first half, them clamped down defensively and held on for the win. Olathe North got on the board first when Venus Triplett capped a drive with a 22-yard touchdown run to give the team a 7-0 advantage. Later on, with under six minutes remaining before halftime, the Eagles put together and 89-yard drive, punctuated when Cole Murphy found Josh Moore on a 41-yard touchdown pass. All told, Olathe North forced five BV Northwest turnovers, allowing a mere second half field goal defensively.

SM East 36, Leavenworth 14

At one point in the second quarter Leavenworth had just scored on a 21-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Ross, and leading 14-12, it looked like the Pioneers might have had the momentum to pull an upset. But SM East put that to rest, scoring 11 unanswered points before the half, and never looking back. The Lancers opened scoring with an early touchdown run from Sam Huffman. Minutes later, Huffman took another carry in from 22 yards out to give SM East a 12-0 lead. Leavenworth answered with a three-yard touchdown run from Jason Randall, then Ross' scored, to jump ahead by two. SM East countered by finishing a drive with a one-yard touchdown run from Luke Taylor, and adding a successful two-point try, to go up 20-14. A late second quarter Pioneer fumble allowed SM East to sneak a field goal in before the half, and they took a 23-14 lead to intermission. In the third quarter SM East scored their first touchdown on a four-yard run from Ryan Carter. Carter went on to add another touchdown run from four yards out in the fourth quarter, to give the Lancers a comfortable 22-point victory. 

Olathe East 19, Gardner-Edgerton 7

For the fourth season in a row (and the 10th time in 12 years) Olathe East has reached Sectionals. And they earned it, to put it lightly. The Hawks limited Gardner-Edgerton running back Traevohn Wrench to 129 yards on 26 carries, which was his second lowest output of the season. Olathe East started with the lead when Jordan Brown found a seam and took a carry 66 yards for an early touchdown. Gardner-Edgerton countered just before halftime with a 90-yard scoring drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Jared Hobby. A Chris Diddle field goal just before halftime gave Olathe East a 10-7 lead. The lead held through the third quarter, then grew to 17-7 midway through the fourth when Jalen Branson took a carry in from five yards out to seal the game.

Lawrence Free State 40, SM Northwest 14

SM Northwest actually jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in this game, temporarily stunning the home Free State crowd, and sending a chilling reminder through the air that anything can happen in November. The Firebirds went on to collect themselves and pull away for the victory, but for a quarter it looked like an upset was brewing. An early botched punt attempt gave SM Northwest fortuitous early field position, and an eight-yard Jake Horner touchdown run gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Gabriel Falcon recovered a Free State fumble and took it 23 yards for a touchdown to make things 14-0, SM Northwest. But just like that, things swung in Free State's favor. A 50-yard touchdown run from Joe Dineen made things 14-7, and a 32-yard touchdown run from Blake Winslow off an option pitch made the game 14 all at halftime. In the third quarter Dineen added a one-yard touchdown run, then found Khadre Lane on touchdown passes of 39 and 34 yards. Leading 34-14, Free State added a touchdown on a two-yard run from Stan Skwarlo in the fourth quarter to close out the game.