Great Week One Games of the Past

Ryan Torain had a quiet junior season in
2002 at SM Northwest, but he broke out in
week one of the 2003 season and went on to
rush for over 1,900 yards.  He then starred at
Arizona State, and now he plays for the
Washington Redskins.

Sure the first week of the season doesn't hold playoff implications, but many times it is a tremendous gauge for the new star players and top teams of the Sunflower League.  Here is a look back through the decade at some of the top games and performances from week one games (this year's first Friday of play is September 2).

2003 - SM Northwest 36, Lawrence Free State 15, at SM North District Stadium

SM Northwest's Ryan Torain, currently a running back with the Washington Redskins, truly welcomed himself to the Sunflower League with a monster game in which he rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns on runs of 73, 31, eight and 25 yards.  He added a fifth touchdown on a 95-yard kickoff return.

2003 - SM North 7, Olathe North 6, at ODAC

Did this game prove to be such a bad omen for Olathe North? No, they still claimed the 2003 6A state title after battling through a three-loss season, but it certainly showed the Eagles, and the league, that things were going to be different without Gene Wier.  Olathe North added two early field goals and maintained a 6-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.  SM North was able to put together a drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mack Brown to Brooks Faddis.  SM North added the extra point and held on to end Olathe North's 38-game winning streak.

2004 - SM West 19, SM South 14, at SM South District Stadium

To most SM West faithful this was the sort of "turning point" in the program in the mid-2000s.  SM South scored an early touchdown to jump up 7-0.  SM West responded with a touchdown of their own, but they botched the extra point.  Next, SM South's Eric Monroe scooped up a fumble (one of six SM West fumbles that day) and took it 53 yards for a touchdown midway through the game to put SM South up again, 14-6.  SM West responded with two touchdowns, one of which came in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter, to claim the lead and the victory.  SM West would reel off wins in eight of their next 11 games in 2004.

2005 - Olathe South 21, Olathe North 14, at ODAC

Olathe North had waxed the floor with Olathe South in 2004, winning 31-7 in a blowout.  Olathe North lost quite a bit of talent (and their head coach John McCall) but most felt the Eagles would reload as usual--that proved to be quite wrong.  Olathe South was able to hold off the Eagles by a touchdown, much because of senior running back Devin Cummings who had rushing scores of 47 and nine yards that day.  Olathe North went on to lose their first three games and finish a lowly 6-5 (lowly by Olathe North standards that is).  Olathe South put together a very solid 9-2 season, losing in Sectionals to Lawrence.

Olathe South got off to a good start in 2007 with their
opening game win against Free State.  The team finished
the regular season with a 6-3 record, but won three games
in the playoffs to reach the state title game.  The finished
the season with a 9-4 record as the 6A state runner-up.

2007 - Olathe South 34, Lawrence Free State 27, at Haskell Stadium

Olathe South might have generated more hype prior to the 2007 season than just about any team I've seen.  The Falcons were wizards in 7-on-7 during the summer months and they even won a national tournament hosted at the University of Nebraska.  The Falcons were the unanimous choice as the top team in the league by the coaches. 

In this game they looked the part--quarterback Mike Keese passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns and the best part was that the Falcon defense didn't even have to show up and they still won!  That turned out to be the team's achilles heel as they lost three regular season games that year, all three times allowing 20 or more points.  They got their act together in the playoffs and fought their way to the title game where they fell short against Hutchinson.  One thing's for sure--this team was an juggernaut when it came to passing the football.

2009 - Olathe North 71, Leavenworth 6, at Abeles Field

Unlike most of the previous games this one wasn't even close.  However, this game was kind of the moment where the SL collectively realized that Olathe North was going to be good... really good.  Simone Award winner James Franklin had his most modest stat line of the season in this game rushing for a mere 132 yards and two touchdowns, and current K-State linebacker Tre Walker added three rushing touchdowns of his own.  This was the start of Olathe North run to a perfect 13-0 record and 6A state championship crown.

Thursday Report

Week Nine Matchups

All games times 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted

Leavenworth (1-7) at SM North (1-7)

Last season the "Toilet Bowl" featured two 0-8 clubs, Leavenworth and Lawrence, squaring off in a week nine battle for supremacy of the cellar. It's ironic that this season the two teams with the worst records in the Sunflower League would be playing eachother in week nine once again. Fortunately both teams were able to collect wins against Wyandotte, so neither team will go out winless. The crazy thing it that due to the wacky district playoff qualifications, the winner of the game will make the playoffs. SM North head coach Dennis Grayless (above) could really make folks forget about the team's 0-7 start if he could will the team to a victory.

SM South (2-7) at SM East (7-1)

Senior Robby Moriarty will be making his first start at quarterback for SM East this season following the injury to starter John Schrock in last week's game. Don't expect much of a drop off though. Moriarty passed for 765 yards last season and was SM East's starter for much of the year. The Lancers need to watch out for a letdown as well. Last week's big win over SM West was huge for the program, but a loss to SM South would be equally disappointing.

Wyandotte (2-6) at SM Northwest (4-4)

SM Northwest had their way with SM North and Leavenworth, and this one should be no different at their home stadium. The Cougars can match last season's win total of five games with a win in this game, but more importantly the team is in the playoffs and this game will be a great opportunity for a tune-up before the playoffs begin.

Lawrence Free State (4-4) at Lawrence (3-5)

Despite the presumed disparity between these two programs we find them battling it out in week nine with similar records. Free State who is 1-1 in district play can seal a playoff berth with a win by any margin. Lawrence, 0-2 in district play, can claim a playoff spot if Olathe North beats Olathe Northwest, and they manage to beat Free State. This game is always a heated contest, but this year's playoff implications should add a whole new meaning.

SM West (6-2) at Blue Valley North (3-5)

The last thing SM West wants to become is a poster child for why the KSHSAA should reformat the way they determine playoff qualifiers, but with a loss the Vikings would become just that. SM West will be entering an unfamiliar venue against an unfamiliar team, and those elements have not treated the Vikings well in the past. The team has gone 0-3 since 2007 against Blue Valley opponents, with two of those losses coming in the playoffs. Right now, SM West is focused on just making the playoffs.

Olathe Northwest (3-5) at Olathe North (7-1)

Since Olathe Northwest's inception in 2004 they have a grand total of one win in 20 games against Olathe opponents. While the Ravens have shown flashed of brilliance in 2010, they haven't really ever been in consideration as one of the top six teams in the league. Olathe Northwest could shed quite a bit of frustration with a win against Olathe North, but it certainly won't be easy. The Eagles have been on a roll lately and looked primed for a long playoff run.

Game of the Week

Olathe South (6-2) at Olathe East (7-1)

These two programs have squared off in some pretty heated battles over the last decade. The game that first comes to mind was the 2005 regular season finale between these two. Both teams were 8-0 heading into the game, and there was a great cast of athletes in competition including Olathe South's Brady Croucher, Devin Cummings, and Tony Bryant and Olathe East's Derek Miller, Adam Parks, and Dee Bell. Olathe East jumped out to an early lead on a long Bell touchdown run an never looked back. Despite the Hawk's lead throughout the game it remained a heated contest and neither team let down. This year's game doesn't feature quite the stables of talent, but the matchup of running backs should be fun to watch. The Hawks' Brandon Willingham and Austin Fulson lead what may be the top duo in the Sunflower League, while the Falcons' Nick Sands and Jake Crist have been headliners all season in the running game as well. Both teams have qualified for the playoffs so the game will be for bragging rights more than anything.

Photo courtesy the Shawnee-Dispatch

Biggest Turnarounds

In my pre-season power rankings post, I mentioned that although there are many teams that don't looked poised to have a successful season, the potential is always there--especially in the climate of high school football where anything can happen. Here is a look at some of the bigger turnarounds of the past decade in the Sunflower Conference.

Olathe East 2002
2001 record: 5-4
2002 record: 8-4

From 1998 through 2001, the Hawks won only 15 games. The program was in need of a boost and the 2002 season provided that. Olathe East started the season a mediocre 2-2, before going on a hot streak and advancing to the state semi-finals against the two time defending state champs, Olathe North. The game was defense slugfest, but in the end a botched field goal kept Olathe East from winning. Olathe North won the 2002 state championship the following weekend.

Olathe South 2004
2003 record: 2-7
2004 record: 10-3

Mark Littrell proved to be one of the best young coaches in the Sunflower League in his first four years, winning a combined 33 games in those four years. However, from 2002-2003, the Falcons were terrible going a combined 4-14. 2004 marked the emergence of several dominant Falcon players including Devin Cummings, Tony Bryant, Brady Croucher, and Bryce Morris. The Falcons were a completely different group in 2004, going 10-3, and advancing to the 6A state championship game.

SM West 2004
2003 record: 2-7
2004 record: 9-3

The Viking program had reached a true down point in the early 2000s, having recorded four straight seasons with 3 wins of less up through 2003. In Tim Callahan's second year at the helm for the Vikings, the program experienced a rebirth, going 9-3 before losing to Olathe South in the state-semifinals. Viking senior DJ Barnett (right) was consistently beat up by opposing defenses in 2003, but he exploded for 1,900 yards rushing in 2004 and contributed greatly to the turnaround.


Lawrence 2005
2004 record: 5-6
2005 record: 10-2

Lawrence battled mediocrity in the early and mid 2000s, rarely making a splash in the conference. In 2005, the Lions, led by a strong group of seniors including Brandon Lassiter and Nolan Kellerman had a huge turnaround and ended up compiling a 10-2 record. The Lions lost by one touchdown to Olathe East in the state-semifinals.

Lawrence Free State 2006
2005 record: 4-6
2006 record: 11-1

Lawrence Free State had always had talent, it was just a matter of putting it all together. In 2007 that came true for the Firebirds, resulting in arguably the top offense the Sunflower League has seen the past decade. The Firebirds featured future D1 players Ryan and Brian Murphy, and Christian Ballard, and it showed. Free State went 11-0 before meeting SM West in the state semifinals, where they lost 31-14. Two years later, the Firebirds finally cracked through and made the 6A state championship game.

SM Northwest 2007
2006 record: 4-5

2007 record: 9-2

The loss of big time receiver Chase Mejia to a transfer prior to the 2007 season could have been a major letdown for the Cougars, but it did just the opposite. The team, led by future D1 quarterback Alex Carder (right), started the season 7-0 before suffering a loss in their second district game. After that, SM Northwest won two straight games and advanced to the Sectional Round of the state playoffs.

Photos Courtesy LJWorld, and Flickr.