SM West Wins, Claims Playoff Berth

SM West 34, Blue Valley North 10
It was a scary start for the Vikings. Blue Valley North successfully pulled off a flee-flicker on their opening possession that resulted in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Danny Dolen to Michael Widgrig to give the Mustangs a 7-0 advantage. SM West answered the score with a 51-yard touchdown run from Will Livingston on their next possession. The Vikings added two Mark Whitrock field goals as well as a five-yard touchdown run from Cordi Pascal to head to halftime up 20-10. In the third quarter Armani Williams found DeAndre Graves on a 24-yard touchdown pass to basically ice the game. A one-yard touchdown run from Danny Dowling in the fourth quarter gave the Vikings the 34-10 edge. With the victory, SM West qualified for the 6A state playoffs and closed out the regular season with a record of 7-2. It's the seventh year in a row that SM West has had a winning regular season record.

Top Returning Units

Here's a look at the top preseason units that will be roaming the Sunflower League this season.

Quaterback

SM East - John Schrock, Robby Moriarty

The Lancers two returning quarterbacks split time last season and combined to pass for over 1,300 yards. Schrock received the nod as starter, but Moriarty will be the best backup quarterback in the league and the Lancers won't miss a beat if Moriarty is put in the game.

Offensive Backfield

SM West - Drew Humphreys, Will Livingston, Cordi Pascal, Jordan Chapman, Danny Dowling

Livingston and Pascal (right) combined to rush for over 1,300 yards last season, and the duo looks primed for another big year. Dowling is back as the lead blocker, and Humphreys should be featured running the option quite a bit this year.

Receivers

Olathe South - Kendal Harland, Stephen King

While no team has an outstanding returning core of receivers, Olathe South has the most experience. Harland caught 39 passes for 401 yards last season, and King returns after some decent playing time last year.

Offensive Line

Olathe South - Joe Brown, Matt Kleinsorge, Scott Gourley, Alex Howard, Kameron Bickford

Brown (right) and Kleinsorge have received a good deal of hype this offseason and they should help greatly in Olathe South's transition to a run-based offense. The group has great experience, phenomenal size, and a solid backfield to open holes for.

Defensive Line

Olathe North - Josh Finley, Kyle Swartz

This is perhaps the most depleted area in all of the Sunflower League. None of the first or second team All-Sunflower League members from last season return, with the exception of SM Northwest's Drew Goodger. Josh Finley should be a big time performer for the Eagles on defense, and a walked-up Kyle Swartz will have as big of effect as any defensive lineman in the league.

Linebackers

Olathe East - Adam Fulson, Will Hammer, Vince Gerstner

Fulson returns after a 125-tackle junior campaign, and Hammer and Gerstner should also be among the top linebackers in the league. Olathe East's defensive schemes are set up for the linebackers to produce big numbers (last year three Hawks had over 70 tackles), and this unit should do the same.

Secondary

Olathe North - Adonis Saunders, Victor Simmons, Dominick Wilson (right)

All three of these players have sub-4.5 speed, and Division One talent. None of the three, however, ranked among the top of the league in interceptions last season. With a year of experience playing together the unit should be tops in the league in 2010 and their interception totals could go up quite a bit.

Special Teams

Olathe Northwest - Nick Bandy, Nick Prologo

Bandy is arguable the league's best return man, and he also handles punting duties for the Ravens. Prologo, the kicker, is a kid that returns with a good deal of experience and has the ability to impact close games.

2010 Player Spotlights: Will Livingston

Will Livingston
SM West

Position: Running Back
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 165lbs.
Class: Senior

Stat to Note
Last season as a junior, Livingston split carries in the SM West backfield and still managed to churn out 706 rushing yards on 105 carries, producing an impressive average of 6.7 yards per carry.

Scouting Report
Livingston's game, in many ways, is very similar to that of former SM West running back DJ Barnett. Barnett was short in size and stature, but he had an incredible burst and was always capable of taking a carry the distance. Livingston runs with a similar burst and may even possess better speed overall.

Barnett put out 1,900 yards carrying the workload for SM West as a senior in 2004, and while Livingston may be capable of totalling that many yards, he probably won't have to. Livingston will likely split carries again in the Viking's backfield with fellow senior Cordi Pascal. This dual running back system seemed to keep both backs fresher, longer, last season for SM West, and it should be just as effective in 2010.

In the final regular season game of the 2009 season against SM East, Livingston scored touchdowns on runs of six, 47, and 90 yards--the last of which crushed the Lancer's chances of an upset. Livingston's strong finish to last season is perhaps a snapshot of what we should expect from him in 2010.

2010 Player Spotlights: Drew Humphreys

Drew Humphreys
SM West

Positions: Quarterback/Safety
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185lbs.
Class: Senior

Stat to Note
Humpreys (on the right making a tackle as a sophomore in 2008) played the entire 2009 season with a knee injury before getting it surgically repaired in the offseason. Despite this, he still came away with Second Team All-Sunflower League honors as a defensive back.

Scouting Report
Humphreys has started on defense for the Vikings since his sophomore year, and in 2010 it appears he will be adding the quarterback position to his duties. Humphreys will be playing a similar role for the Vikings as to what Blake Lawrence did for the team in 2006.

While Humphreys isn't as big of a defender, or as polished of a quarterback as Lawrence was, he has similar athleticism and range. Humphreys was excellent in run support from the seconday in 2009, and the team will be looking forward to similar contributions in 2010.

With running backs Will Livingston and Cordi Pascal returning in the backfield for the Vikings, Humphreys won't be facing a ton of pressure to make the big play offensively and it should help him to settle in at quarterback early in the season. After that, watch out.

Game Scores and Notes

Week Seven Game Results

Olathe North 49, Blue Valley 35

The glaring difference in victories for both teams was basically thrown out in this contest. In similar fashion to last season the game proved to be an offensive showcase. Olathe North only led the one-win Tigers by a touchdown at the half, but scored four touchdowns in the second half to pad the lead. James Franklin once again led the Eagles with 241 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 29 carries. Olathe North quarterback Victor Simmons also had a great game, rushing for four touchdowns.

Lawrence Free State 55, Leavenworth 0

It appeared as though Free State was able to take out a bit of their frustration from last week's loss to Olathe North on Leavenworth. Free State's Kirk Resseguie (below) scored touchdowns on runs of 1, 3, and 10 yards, but the big stat man was Camren Torneden. The senior quarterback rushed for three scores, passed for another, and returned a punt 71 yards for his fifth touchdown. The Firebirds will be focused on keeping their crosstown rival Lawrence High winless this upcoming Friday.

SM West 20, SM Northwest 8

Although the game was anything but flashy, SM West established their run game early and never looked back. The defining moment was a 69 yard touchdown burst by DJ Balazs which put the Vikings ahead 13-0. Cordi Pascal also added two rushing scores for the Vikings who shutout the Cougars up until the last few minutes.

Blue Valley Northwest 27, Olathe East 21

Olathe East starts district play 0-1 after a disappointing loss at the hands of one of their former assistants, Mike Zegunis, and his Blue Valley Northwest Huskies. The star of the game was Husky receiver Matt Ornduff (arguably the top receiver in Johnson County), who had touchdown receptions of 37, and 85 yards. Olathe East was down 27-7 at one point in the third quarter, but made a valiant effort to get back into the game. Two Carter McEntee touchdown passes got the Hawks within six, but they weren't able to collect another score.

Blue Valley West 15, Olathe South 14 (All Star Video Sports Highlights)

The Falcons of Olathe South rolled up colossal offensive numbers--both good and bad--in their district opener. Despite gaining 443 yards of total offense the Falcons turned the ball over six times. Blue Valley West was able to capitalize on the mistakes in the form of two touchdowns, one coming in the fourth quarter that put the Jaguars up a point for good. Falcon quarterback Tanner Dutton completed 29 of 45 passes for 342 yards, but recorded no touchdowns.

Blue Valley North 21, SM South 3

SM South jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a field goal, but the Raiders weren't able to anything more offensively. The Mustangs from Blue Valley North added three touchdowns--one in the second quarter and two in the fourth--to deny the Raiders a winning record through seven games.

SM East 20, SM North 13

No official box score of the game has been released, but what is known is that SM North lost its fifth straight game, while SM East pushed its record to 3-4. One of the SMSD Nut Cups was awarded to the Lancers for their win.

Olathe Northwest 49, Lawrence 6

Olathe Northwest had good reason to celebrate on Friday. Their 49 points set a school record for points in a game and they also look primed to make the playoffs with lowly Leavenworth coming up next week. The 49-6 victory was best characterized by the Raven's Cullen Phillips, who carries the ball 20 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

Week Five Review

Three Up

1. Lawrence Free State

The Firebirds roasted SM Northwest 42-0 on Friday and their running back Kirk Resseguie is making people forget about Chucky Hunter. Camren Torneden has hit his mid-season stride and is playing at a Simone level once again. All in all, it looks like Free State is about as prepared as they can be for their showdown with Olathe North Friday.

2. SM West

The hangover from the Vikings loss last week carried throughout the first half, as they were tied at six all with SM South. In the second half the Vikings finally put it all together and outscored SM South 31-8. Also, it looks like the running back combination of Cordi Pascal and Will Livingston is getting stronger ever week.

3. Olathe North

The Eagles are in control of their own destiny when it comes to winning the Sunflower League crown. Their showdown at Lawrence Free State this Friday may be the game of the year in the conference, and with a victory it looks like Olathe North will have a fairly simple route to an undefeated regular season.

Three Down

1. SM Northwest

Just when it looked like the Cougars were hitting on all cylinders they go and lose by 42 points to Lawrence Free State. SM Northwest's efforts against their two toughest opponents have been unimpressive to say the least (they lost to Olathe North 41-12 in week two).

2. Olathe Northwest

For another season, Olathe Northwest (below) will be the lowest on the Olathe school totem pole. Although their defensive effort against Olathe East was impressive on Friday their offense left quite a bit to be desired. The Ravens 0-3 mark against fellow Olathe schools is a sour note on what was looking to be a decent season.

3. SM North

Early on it looked like SM North might be primed for their best season in years. But the last three weeks have exposed the Indians. The Indians two wins have come against teams that are a combined 0-10, and the 42 point loss to Olathe North on Friday was not a great sign.

Individual Highlights

**Lawrence Free State's Camren Torneden rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown, in addition to a 52 yard punt return for a touchdown.

**In addition to Torneden's totals, Free State running back Kirk Resseguie totalled 201 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. In his last three games he has rushed for 503 yards and nine touchdowns.

**Olathe North's James Franklin ran the ball 23 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a mere three quarters of work.

**SM West's DJ Balazs completed 12 of 20 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown, and collected his 17th career victory as a starter--tops among active quarterbacks in the Sunflower League.

Lawrence Free State's new stadium (above) will be the site of the big clash this Friday.

Week Six Power Rankings

1. Olathe North (5-0): The Eagles face their biggest test of the regular season this Friday.

2. Lawrence Free State (4-1): See Olathe North

3. SM West (4-1): The Vikings still haven't peaked, but did look impressive following their week four stumble.

4. Olathe East (3-2): The Hawks may be primed to run the table on the rest of the regular season.

5. Olathe South (3-2): This time around it was Olathe South who made a big comeback to win the game.

6. SM Northwest (3-2): Cougars latest performance leaves much to be desired; especially with SM West coming up in two weeks.

7. Olathe Northwest (2-3): The Ravens once again sit as the low-team on the Olathe school totem pole but amendments can always be made come playoff time.

8. SM North (2-3): The Indians have a good chance of getting back on track with school district rivals SM East and SM South coming up the next two weeks.

9. SM South (2-3): The Raiders fell apart after a solid first half against SM West.

10. SM East (2-3): The Lancers two victories have come against winless Lawrence and Leavenworth, but perhaps the momentum will carry.

11. Lawrence (0-5): Lawrence came close to beating Olathe South Friday but they still weren't able to get it all together.

12. Leavenworth (0-5): The Pioneers held SM East scoreless in the first quarter of their game Friday before the Lancers took off.

Game Scores and Notes

Week Five Game Results

Olathe North 42, SM North 0

While Olathe North kept it's title as the lone undefeated team in the Sunflower League, the Indians from SM North lost their third straight game. The contest might as well have been called the James Franklin show. He ran the ball 23 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns in just three quarters of work. Olathe North will now begin preparing for their upcoming showdown with the red-hot Free State Firebirds--a game that has stood out on the Sunflower League calendar for weeks.

Olathe South 26, Lawrence 23

Despite playing their best game yet, the Lawrence Lions were unable to notch a victory against Olathe South's spread attack. Lawrence jumped out to a 15-0 lead on touchdown runs from Tyrae Jenkins and Christopher Gaston, but the lead would not hold. Olathe South scored 26 unanswered points before the Lawrence chipped in a fourth quarter score.

Olathe East 7, Olathe Northwest 0

Olathe East's Brooks Smith punched in an 11 yard touchdown run in the first quarter for the Hawks, and that would turn out to be all she wrote. The Sunflower League's lowest scoring affair thus far was the epitome of smashmouth football. Olathe East's Brandon Willingham rushed for 168 yards on 19 carries, while Olathe Northwest's Brandon Bouvilom led the Ravens with 63 yards rushing on 15 carries. Ultimately, Olathe East's opening drive score was the game winner.

Lawrence Free State 42, SM Northwest 0

Everyone knows that Lawrence Free State has been playing well lately, but their clobbering of SM Northwest really put an exclamation point on the idea. The Firebirds rushed for 445 yards in the game, 201 coming from running back Kirk Resseguie (below), and 152 coming from Camren Torneden. SM Northwest quarterback Matt Nowak's 76 yards passing and 15 yards rushing weren't nearly enough to keep the Cougars competitive in the game.

SM West 37, SM South 14

After a less-than-impressive first half, SM West outscored SM South 21-0 in the third quarter to grasp control of the game. Leading the Vikings were DJ Balazs who completed 12 of 20 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown, and running back Cordi Pascal who ran the ball 16 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

SM East 34, Leavenworth 7

Leavenworth, like Lawrence, displayed their best for parts of their game Friday. The Pioneers were able to hold SM East scoreless in the first quarter before the Lancers took off en route to 34 points. Leavenworth's lone score came in the fourth quarter on a three yard run by Cody Frazee. SM East on the other hand has won its last two games after beginning the season 0-3.

Game Scores and Notes

Week Two Game Results

Olathe North 41, SM Northwest 12
SM Northwest gained the lead on the opening kickoff with a 98 yard return for a touchdown by Chris Mansker. Olathe North's Adonis Saunders responded on the ensuing kickoff with a 99 yard touchdown return of his own. After that, it was all Olathe North. Eagle running back James Franklin rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns, on runs of 7, 27, and 28 yards. Meanwhile, Tre Walker led the Olathe North defense with two sacks and an interception. In total, SM Northwest was held to a mere 135 yards of total offense.


SM West 17, Olathe East 14
For the second week in a row SM West was down two touchdowns early, and for the second straight week the Vikings fought back to win. Olathe East quarterback Carter McEntee found Chris Fields and Aaron Johnson for touchdown passes to build a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. However, that would be all the scoring the Hawks would come up with. SM West running back Cordi Pascal scored on a 15 yard run in the second quarter to bring the Vikings to within seven. After a field goal had closed the gap to three points, SM West quarterback DJ Balazs found Keifer Holliman for a 12 yard touchdown pass to put the Vikings up for good in the fourth quarter.


Olathe South 24, Olathe Northwest 17
This week Olathe South quarterback Tanner Dutton only passed the ball 30 times. He connected on 19 of those passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Despite a 17-0 lead at halftime, Olathe South had to do all in their power in the second half to prevent Olathe Northwest from coming back and winning the game. Olathe Northwest's Cullen Phillips scored on a four yard touchdown run with 9:51 remaining in the fourth quarter to get the score within seven points at 24-17, but the Ravens weren't able to get on the scoreboard again.


SM North 41, Leavenworth 0
For the first time in Ryan Majors time at the helm at SM North, the Indians are 2-0. An early 41 yard touchdown run by Arthur Rucker set the tone for the game, as SM North went on to score five more unanswered touchdowns.


Lawrence Free State 36, SM East 3 (Thursday Night Game)
On Thursday night the Firebirds of Lawrence Free State showed off the talent they possess in a thorough domination of SM East. Free State's Camren Torneden (below) carried the ball 16 times for 167 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to a 68 yard punt return for a touchdown. Free State running back Kirk Resseguie complimented Torneden with 19 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, SM East was only able to put out 149 yards of total offense.





SM South 28, Lawrence 7 (Thursday Night Game)
The start to the 2009 season is not going well for Lawrence High. On Thursday night they were soundly defeated by the Raiders of SM South. Lawrence scored first, gaining a 7-0 advantage before SM South took control. The Raider's Grant Hilton scored 3 touchdowns, while fellow teammate Johann Swanepoel added 117 rushing yards on 19 carries. On the other side of the ball Lawrence's Tyrae Jenkins was only able to come away with 50 rushing yards on 15 carries.