Week Eight Game Previews

SM North's Mason Perez (#2 above in black) has outrun
defenders to the endzone all season long.  Photo courtesy
the Shawnee Dispatch.

Wyandotte at SM North at SM North District Stadium

By all means SM North should be able to end their six-game losing streak this week when they host Wyandotte. Last week Leavenworth destroyed the Bulldogs 42-0... SM North should be able to do at least that much damage.  More importantly, a win here would prepare the Indians for their week nine game against Leavenworth which will likely decide their playoff fate.

Blue Valley North at SM South at SM South District Stadium

These two clubs have a combined record of 1-13 on the season so this game isn't exactly earning front cover press, but I could see it being a pretty good battle. BV North actually showed some life last week, when they only lost by 18 points against a strongly favored SM East team. SM South has been playing tough football all season long but they just haven't had many bounces go their way.

Leavenworth at SM Northwest at SM North District Stadium

The winner of this matchup will basically seal a playoff victory, which is crazy considering both teams went a combined 1-11 in pre-district play.  Nevertheless, it's a big game for both teams.  SM Northwest appears to have the horses to come away with the victory, but you never know what kind of fight Leavenworth is going to show especially considering the circumstances.

Olathe Northwest at Lawrence at Lawrence High School

Olathe Northwest's magical season (on the offensive side of the ball, that is) is quickly running short on time.  If the Ravens don't beat Lawrence in this game they will be eliminated from the playoffs.  Lawrence on the other hand is in good position to make the playoffs, and a win in this game virtually seals a playoff victory.  One element that will surely change the dimension of this game is whether or not Olathe Northwest's quarterback Dalton Rook is back in the starting lineup. Without him, the chances of a Raven victory are slim.

Olathe North at Lawrence Free State at Lawrence Free State High School

I'm sure Olathe North hasn't even let the idea of a loss enter their their minds all week, because we all know what that would mean... but realistically they're not in the position you want to be in with an 0-1 record in district play.  Free State has been playing good football and behind quarterback Kyle McFarland they've reeled off wins in five of their last six games.  On top of that, Olathe North has to travel to on the road to play under the dim and spooky lights of Free State.

Blue Valley Northwest at Olathe East at CBAC

Two teams playing some of the best football in East Kansas will be clashing in this one, and we should expect a dandy.  Olathe East has reeled off six straight wins while BV Northwest is sitting at a very respectable 4-3 coming off a near upset of Blue Valley and a sound defeat of Olathe South in consecutive weeks.  The BV Northwest passing attack versus the Olathe East secondary will be fun to watch.  Olathe East has two of the Sunflower League's premier defensive backs in Junior Williams and Marcus Banks, who have combined for six interceptions this year.  On the other side of the ball, BV Northwest quarterback Garrett Fugate has a knack for finding creases in defenses and scoring touchdowns through the air and on the ground.

Olathe South at Blue Valley West at Blue Valley High School

It's never fun to go through six weeks of play undefeated only to lose the first game that actually counts towards making the playoffs.  That is where Olathe South is at right now, and anything less than a 13-point win here against the Jaguars could basically eliminate Olathe South from playoff contention.  Olathe East handled BV West last week, and Olathe South should be able to follow suit, but they must control and dictate this game from the start.

Game of the Week
SM West at SM East at SM South District Stadium

Last year SM East was able to break a losing streak against the Vikings that had spanned over a decade.  This time around, both teams are sitting at 4-3 and they look fairly comparable on paper.  The alleged return of the formerly injured Lancer quarterback Dakota Collins could have significant importance in this game, especially considering how well SM East did with Collins at the helm in the early portion of the season. 

SM West hasn't been a real exciting team statistically, but they've gritted their teeth and managed to pull out four wins thus far.  Another point of added suspense--if SM West wins this games they'll likely make win out and make the playoffs at 6-3, guaranteeing an eighth straight winning season for the program.  A loss here and a 5-5 non-winning record may very well be the way the Vikings close out the 2011 season, breaking the streak of winning records.

Week Seven Review

Three Up

Lawrence High's Tyrone Jenkins.  Photo courtesy the
Lawrence Journal World.

Leavenworth
The Pioneers captured their first win of the season in a 42-0 route of Wyandotte.  With the win, Leavenworth kept their playoff hopes alive.

Lawrence Free State
The Firebirds won't be favored in their next two games, so it was important that they were able to claim a victory against Olathe Northwest in the opening round of district play.  If they can pull an upset in week eight or nine they'll have a good shot at the playoffs.

Lawrence
After taking down Olathe North on Friday, Lawrence pushed their own record to 5-2.  The five wins are more than Lawrence had accumulated throughout 2009 and 2010 combined (4) and the team looks like they're peaking at the right time.

Three Down

Olathe South
After losing by more than 13 points in week one, the Falcons will be in a dogfight to make the playoffs.  First off, they'll have to win out against Blue Valley West and Olathe East.  On top of that, the point system will have to work in their favor which is always a tricky matter.

Olathe North
It's not often that Olathe North loses a game, let alone two in a row.  The Eagles have come out flat in the past few games and it's not the way you want to be playing at this juncture of the season.

Olathe Northwest
There was perhaps no game that the Ravens could have used quarterback Dalton Rook in as much as their game last Friday against Free State.  Olathe Northwest looked out of sync on offense and ultimately lost, virtually eliminating themselves from playoff contention.

Week Seven Players of the Week

Jason Randall, Leavenworth:  Granted, Randall's efforts came against a pretty bad Wyandotte team, but he's been a solid player for the Pioneers all year and his efforts finally shown through.  Randall toted the rock 11 times for 189 yards and three rushing touchdowns, on top of a 37-yard pass reception touchdown.

Brad Strauss, Lawrence: Strauss had his way with the Olathe North defense the way no individual player has since Wichita Height's Dreamius Smith torched the Eagles last November in the 6A state championship game.  Strauss passed for 194 yards and three touchdowns, on top of rushing for 50 yards and one score.

Week Eight Power Rankings

1. Olathe East (6-1): The Hawks have the longest winning streak in the Sunflower League at six games, but they may face their stiffest test of October this week when they face former Olathe East assistant coach Mike Zegunis and BV Northwest.

2. Lawrence (5-2): The Chesty Lions will be favored to close out the season with two more wins... and a 9-2 mark would be the school's best regular season record since 2005.

3. Olathe South (6-1): Call it the Olathe North hangover effect or maybe BV Northwest is just really underrated, but the Falcons are suddenly in a must win situation to make the playoffs.

4. Olathe North (5-2): This is the lowest Olathe North has ever slipped in the three year's of my weekly Power Rankings.  The Eagles are as good as anyone, they just need to get their run game going again in addition to playing better defense.

5. SM East (4-3): Former starting quarterback Dakota Collins appears to be back in uniform and starting after an ankle injury put him on the sidelines for the better half of the last five weeks. 

6. Lawrence Free State (5-2): Free State pulled out another victory against Olathe Northwest, but that victory, like their other four, have come against teams ranked in the last five slots of the Power Rankings.  Their efforts this week at home against Olathe North will really tell us about their actual ability.

7. SM West (4-3): Well Vikings, this is your chance to make up for your early season woes.  A win in the heated Nut Cup rivalry game against SM East would all but secure a playoff berth for SM West. 

8. Olathe Northwest (3-4): The Ravens are going to have to beat Lawrence and Olathe North in consecutive weeks to make the playoffs--that's a tall order.  They might as well going crazy on the offensive side of the ball, because there's no sense in hold anything back now.

9. SM Northwest (2-5): The Cougars should be breathing a sigh of relief after escaping with a win in overtime against SM North.  They should win their next two games, but it's hard to expect much after that in the playoffs.

10. SM North (1-6): When SM North gets the ball in the hands of their top playmaker, Mason Perez, good things tend to happen.  He should be the focal point of their offense in these last two regular season weeks of play.

11. SM South (1-6): SM South can keep their playoff hopes alive with a win against BV North, and it would really help them if they could win by more than 13 points.

12. Leavenworth (1-6): Maybe the Wyandotte game was what Leavenworth needed to start clicking? We'll find out when they play SM Northwest this week.

Sunflower League Extra

Lawrence High's Brad Strauss.  Photo courtesy
the Lawrence Journal World.

Top 5 Player Ratings  
Player ratings are subject to change on a week-to-week basis

1. Brad Strauss, Quarterback, Lawrence
Week Two Stats: 25-of-38 passing, 314 yards; 17 carries, 39 yards

Strauss struggled a bit in week two throwing two interceptions and recording zero touchdowns, but he still accounted for  over 75% of the Chesty Lions' offensive production, and he leads the Sunflower League in total offense with 669 yards.

2. Orange Mooney, Running Back, Olathe North
Week Two Stats: 19 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD

Mooney didn't have a huge week two performance but he didn't need one with Olathe North winning by 38 points.  Mooney's 268 rushing yards ranks him third in the league in that category, but we're still waiting for a breakout performance.

3. Elliot Faerber, Wide Receiver, SM East
Week Two Stats: 3 receptions, 33 yards

In all fairness to Faerber, he faced double and triple-team coverage all game against Olathe East and so naturally he wasn't going to get many passes thrown his way.  That's rare treatment for any receiver and a testament to his incredible abilities. 

4. Willie Cauley, Wide Receiver, Olathe Northwest
Week Two Stats: 7 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TDs

Cauley had another huge game on Thursday and received a bump in the ratings for his performance.  He's now had over 100 yards receiving in back-to-back games, and his six reception touchdowns are tops in the league.  Olathe Northwest's next opponent, SM Northwest, is giving up 206 yards per game through the air so another big performance from Cauley could be on tap.

5. Gabe Guild, Running Back, SM South
Week Two Stats: 19 carries, 210 yards, 2 TDs; 4 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD

Guild slips into the five slot after a stellar performance in his team's overtime loss to Olathe Northwest.  Guild leads the league in rushing with 344 yards, and he ranks third in the league in total offense with a combined 457 yards rushing and receiving, and five touchdowns.

Honorable Mention: Dalton Rook, Olathe Northwest; Treshawn Root, Olathe North; Charles Jackson, Lawrence; Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest; Tanner Gentry, Olathe North; Alex Forslund, SM South

Stat Check

Passing Yards
Dalton Rook, Olathe Northwest: 530, 7 TDs
Brad Strauss, Lawrence: 511, 2 TDs
Dakota Collins, SM East: 418, 3 TDs
Ryan Theis, SM North: 288, 4 TDs
Jordan Bruce, Olathe North: 279, 4 TDs
Kyle McFarland, Free State: 279, 2 TDs
John Blazevic, Olathe East: 225, 2 TDs
Frank Seurer, Olathe South: 201, 1 TD
Armani Williams, SM West: 195, 2 TDs
Joe Dineen, Free State: 176, 2 TDs

Rushing Yards
Gabe Guild, SM South: 344, 3 TDs
Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest: 304, 4 TDs
Orange Mooney, Olathe North: 268, 3 TDs
Treshawn Root, Olathe North: 245, 1 TD
Charles Jackson, Lawrence: 218, 3 TDs
John Kelsh, Olathe East: 187, 3 TDs
Jordan Ward, Olathe South: 181, 2 TDs
Alex Forslund, SM South: 167, 4 TDs
Teddy Colbert, Olathe South: 162, 2 TDs
Danny Manning, SM Northwest: 160, 2 TDs

Receiving Yards
Willie Cauley, Olathe Northwest: 248, 6 TDs
Mason Perez, SM North: 196, 3 TDs
Chad Johnson, Olathe East: 182, 2 TDs
Erick Mayo, Lawrence: 180, 1 TD
Ryan Patterson, Free State: 178, 1 TD
Connor Rellihan, SM East: 171, 1 TD
Tanner Gentry, Olathe North: 155, 3 TDs
Elliot Faerber, SM East: 153, 2 TDs
Anthony Buffalomeat, Lawrence: 135
Drake Hofer, Lawrence: 119, 1 TD

Tackles
Tony Wagner, Olathe North: 31
Colin McCarty, SM North: 28
Remington Whitley, Olathe South: 28
Jeramie Fischer, SM South: 26
Alex Anthony, Olathe Northwest: 24
Alex Forslund, SM South: 24
Gage Smoots, Olathe North: 24
Justin Bartlett, Olathe North: 23
Rob Rice, SM West: 22
Max Bullard, SM West: 21

Interceptions
Tim Mayes, Olathe Northwest: 2 (1 TD)
Joe Dineen, Free State: 2
Calloway Schmidt, Free State: 2
Joel Spiller, SM West: 1 (1 TD)
Greg Fry, Olathe South: 1
Scott Gourley, Olathe South: 1 (1 TD)
Gabe Guild, SM South: 1
Tyler Berry, Olathe North: 1
Alex Forslund, SM South: 1
Max Bullard, SM West: 1

Kick Return/Punt Return Touchdowns
Tanner Gentry, Olathe North: 1 PR TD
Andy Hiett, SM East: 1 PR TD
Jake Horner, SM Northwest: 1 KR TD
Troy Wilkins, SM East: 1 KR TD

Stats courtesy Mid-Statesports.com

Week Two Review

Olathe South is one of thee undefeated teams
remaining the Sunflower League.  Photo courtesy
the Kansas City Star.

Three Up

Olathe South
Besides Olathe North, no team is playing better than the Falcons.  Olathe South has averaged 323 rushing yards in each of their first two games and they're looking like one of the league's elite.

Olathe East
After a poor performance in week one the Hawks bounced back with an impressive eight point victory over SM East.  Not only did their run game produce (five rushing touchdowns) but they also did a good job slowing the SM East passing attack.

Olathe Northwest
The Ravens two wins have come against teams ranked eleventh and twelfth in the Power Rankings, but they've looked good so far, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  They rank second in the Sunflower League on offense at 448.5 yards per game.

Three Down

SM East
The Lancer's offense played a decent game, despite that fact that they lost their starting quarterback Dakota Collins in the first half.  The problem was their defense.  Olathe East ran the ball at will and the Lancers must improve defensively or it will continue to be a major liability.

Lawrence
The Lawrence offense looked great--in the first half.  Their inability to muster any points in the second half prevented them from putting pressure on Olathe South and potentially pulling out a victory, and they also lost their starting center Brady Murrish in the process.  Lawrence's defense also needs work, as they've allowed a touchdown run of 60 or more yards in consecutive weeks.

SM Northwest
It looked like the Cougars were going to complete a major comeback victory when Jake Horner ran back a SM West fumble 45 yards for a touchdown.  But a defensive letdown by the Cougars allowed SM West to score a long touchdown and force overtime, where the Cougars came up short. 

Week Two Players of the Week

Russell White, Olathe South: An injury to starting running back Jordan Ward threw White into the mix early and he responded beautifully rushing for three touchdowns and killing the will of the Lawrence defense.  It remains to be seen how serious Ward's injury was, but what we do know is that the Falcon's have a another top notch running back in their stable.

Dalton Rook, Olathe Northwest: Rook has benefited from not playing against any of the top ranked defenses in the league, but it's hard to argue his success.  On Thursday he completed 15 of 39 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns, and he also added a rushing touchdown in overtime.  Rook and the Ravens play SM Northwest next week, a team with a susceptible pass defense, and Rook could be in for another big game.

Jake Horner, SM Northwest: Despite his team's 0-2 record, Horner is quickly establishing himself as one of the top playmakers in the Sunflower League.  On Friday he totaled 146 return yards including a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter which brought his average yards per kickoff return to 54.33.  He also returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter which gave the Cougars a temporary lead.

Week Three Power Rankings

1. Olathe North (2-0): The Eagles' last road win against SM West was in 2003, but they are a heavy favorite to change that come this Thursday, in a game which will be televised on KC Metro Sports.

2. Olathe South (2-0): The Falcons leapfrog Olathe East and should have no problem pushing their record to 3-0 against Leavenworth.

3. Olathe East (1-1): The Hawks will have played the league's most difficult three-game slate to begin the season following their game against Lawrence this Friday.

4. SM East (1-1): No word is out on the severity of Dakota Collins injury, but backup quarterback Nick Pirotte looked solid in relief effort.  The Lancers must also get Elliot Faerber more touches next week.

5. Lawrence (1-1): Quarterback Brad Strauss played okay, but his two interception tosses hurt the Chesty Lions.  He's going to need to cut down on his turnovers as the season progresses.

6. SM West (1-1): After a tremendous first half in which they led 24-7, the Vikings more or less faded in the second, and at one point trailed SM Northwest.  They must develop some consistency.

7. Olathe Northwest (2-0): With a home game against SM Northwest on tap the Ravens have a decent shot at starting the season 3-0 which would be huge for their confidence.

8. Lawrence Free State (1-1): Free State has a very manageable schedule over the course of the next five weeks but they'll have to mature quickly, because Olathe North and Lawrence complete their schedule in October.

9. SM Northwest (0-2): The Cougar's would love to avoid another 0-3 start to the season but unless they get their defense into gear it's going to be a hard thing to do.

10. SM North (1-1): The Indians 38-point loss to Olathe North in week two was ugly and they will be looking to bounce back against SM East in one of the Shawnee Mission School District's "Nut Cup" games.

11. SM South (0-2): Late game heartbreak has struck twice in as many weeks for the Raiders, but despite the losses the team is looking like a unit that has the potential for some upsets down the line.

12. Leavenworth (0-2): Judson Cole and Jason Randall are the building blocks for this Leavenworth program and they have the speed to eventually sneak up on a team or two this season.

Olathe Northwest 48, SM South 47, 2OT

Olathe Northwest's Dalton Rook
completed 15 of 39 passes for 315
yards and three touchdowns in
the victory at SM South.  Photo
courtesy Colleen Psihountas, of
onwravens.net.

After surviving a late comeback Olathe Northwest is 2-0 for the first time in school history.  SM South on the other hand lost for the second week in a row after failing to score on their last possession--this time a two-point conversion attempt.  The game may go down as the best shootout we see in the Sunflower League during the 2011 season.

SM South got on the board first with a four-yard run from Alex Forslund in the first quarter.  Olathe Northwest responded with three consecutive touchdowns, starting with an eight-yard run from Connor Middleton, followed by a 14-yard pass from Dalton Rook to Bryce Grimm, and concluding with another run from Middleton, this time from one yard out.  Down 21-7, SM South punched in another touchdown on a 14-yard run from Forslund to pull to within seven.  Just before the half Olathe Northwest added yet another touchdown on a 17-yard run from Middleton, to put the Ravens up 28-14.

The scoring began in the third quarter when SM South's Gabe Guild ran in a touchdown from 10 yards out.  Olathe Northwest came back with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Rook to Willie Cauley to push the lead to 35-21.  With seconds left in the third quarter Guild broke free once again, taking a carry 43 yards for his second touchdown of the night.  With SM South trailing by seven, they needed a touchdown and defensive stops in the fourth quarter to have a chance to win, and they did just that.  The Raiders were able to add a touchdown on a two-yard run from Forslund, while also shutting out Olathe Northwest for the final 12 minutes of play.  Tied at 35, the game went to overtime.

In the first overtime SM South scored on a two-yard run from Forslund (his fourth rushing touchdown of the night) but botched the extra point try.  Olathe Northwest took possession and eventually scored on a one-yard run from Rook.  A simple PAT make would have ended the game, but the Ravens also botched the kick, extending the game to another overtime period.

To start the second overtime Rook hit Cauley on a 10-yard touchdown pass, and after a successful PAT attempt, the Ravens led 48-41.  SM South responded with a six-yard touchdown pass from Forslund to Guild to pull within one.  Instead of kicking the PAT, the Raiders elected to go for the win, but came up short as they were stopped on a run play.  

Guild carried the ball 19 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders who fell to 0-2.  Leading the Olathe Northwest rushing attack was Middleton, who finished with 113 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 23 carries.