Game Scores and Notes

Week Nine Review

Lawerence Free State 42, Lawrence 20

This matchup definitely lived up to the hype in the first half--but the second belonged to the Firebirds from Free State. Lawrence was able to match Free State's two first half touchdowns with two of their own from running back Charles Jackson. The game was tied 14 all at halftime. The Firebirds were able to blow the game open with 28 straight points in the second half. The scores included a 5-yard touchown run from Dylan Perry, which was set up by a 76-yard run from Preston Schenck (right), as well as a fumble return for a touchdown by Henry Vaeono. Schenck also ran a fumble back for a touchdown, this time in the fourth quarter, ultimately finishing the game off. Lawrence Free State has now won five straight games in the series.

Olathe East 35, Olathe South 14

Early on this game had the makings of a good one. Brandon Willingham put Olathe East on the board in first quarter with a 20-yard touchdown run to give the Hawks a 7-0 advantage. Olathe South matched that when Nick Sands put the final touches on a drive with a five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Olathe East was able to drive and score another touchdown on a one-yard run from Willingham, and the Hawks took a 14-7 lead to halftime. The real game changer proved to be Olathe East's Austin Fulson. Early in the third quarter Fulson scooped up an Olathe South fumble and ran it back 26 yards for a touchdown. On Olathe East's next possession Fulson took a handoff 55 yards for another touchdown, to give Olathe East a 28-7 lead. Olathe South quarterback Frankie Seurer took a keeper 13 yards for a touchdown later in the third quarter to pull the Falcons within 14, but they weren't able to get any closer. Willingham added a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.

Olathe North 35, Olathe Northwest 6

Olathe North used a swarming defensive effort to manhandle Olathe Northwest in the final game of the season. The Eagles got on the board first when Victor Simmons scored on a 17-yard touchdown run. They added another touchdown in the second quarter when Adonis Saunders completed a long drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Saunders, along with Dominick Wilson and Trey Geiger recorded interceptions during the game, and Connor Mashek blocked an Olathe Northwest punt in the fourth quarter which led to an easy one-yard touchdown run from Wilson.

SM Northwest 41, Wyandotte 14

A big first quarter was all it took for SM Northwest to ensure a victory. Antoine Smith first scored on a thee-yard touchdown run. Next, James Gregory added a 42-yard score. Smith chipped in a nine-yard touchdown run, and AJ Spencer returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown to give SM Northwest a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. SM Northwest's starters played sparingly throughout the rest of the game, with Gregory adding a one-yard touchdown run, and senior KC Waterman scoring on a two-yard run in the third quarter.

SM North 28, Leavenworth 24

Despite these teams only having a combined two wins on the season, the game turned out to be a thriller. Leavenworth opened the game with two touchdowns in the first quarter. The first came on a 14-yard from Anthony Powell, and the second on a eight-yard pass from Judson Cole to Alec Zeck. SM North then responded with three unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter. Kendall Kelly scored on a 10-yard run, Mitch Paden added a one-yard touchdown run, and Kelly added another 18-yard running score before the half. In the third quarter Leavenworth tied the game, 21 all, on a 25-yard touchdown run from Powell. The Pioneers reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter on a 26-yard field goal from Cole. Trailing 24-21, Kelly broke loose on perhaps the biggest play of the season for the Indians. Kelly took a carry 69-yards for a touchdown to put SM North up 28-24, which turned out being the final score.

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.

SM East 28, SM South 12

Since no official box score was reported for this game there is no official script of the scoring that took place in the game. What we do know--SM East claimed a share of the Sunflower League title, won their district, and set the record for wins in school history with eight. The Lancers play Olathe South next week in the Regional Round of the playoffs. For SM South, the team would have liked to at least match last season's three game win total, but overall the Raiders did have their bright spots on the season.

Photo courtesy the Lawrence Journal-World

Thursday Report

Week Eight Matchups

All game times 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted

Olathe East (6-1) at Blue Valley Northwest (1-6) (Thursday Night Game)

Olathe East didn't put on their best performance of the season last week, and it was a similar lapse to their loss against Lawrence earlier in the season. The Hawks can't afford any more of those from here on out. Blue Valley Northwest is a team known for throwing together late-season heroics, and they were fairly competitive last week in their loss to Olathe South.

Lawrence Free State (4-3) at Olathe North (6-1) (Thursday Night Game)

Olathe North has had the luxury of playing their most competitive opponents at home this season, and that trend continues this week as they host Lawrence Free State. The Firebirds' offense (with the help of Henry Vaeono, above) had its way with Olathe Northwest last week, but Olathe North's defense is at another level--and the Eagles match up speed-wise with the Firebirds. The Free State offense has also proven ineffective against top defenses (combining for a mere 20 points against SM West and Olathe East). This game will be a huge confidence booster for the winner as playoff time nears.

SM Northwest (3-4) at Leavenworth (1-6)

Can Leavenworth make it two in a row? And just how long can Stephen Mangelsdorf continue his hot streak for SM Northwest? We'll get answers for both questions in this matchup between the two District 1 teams with 1-0 records. The crazy thing is that if Leavenworth were to somehow pull an upset in this game they would basically be guaranteed a playoff spot.

SM South (2-5) at Blue Valley North (2-5)

Both of these teams need a victory or else their playoff hopes for 2010 will be flushed down the toilet. With that being said, expect both coaches to pull out all the stops in attempt to claim a victory. SM South was competitive against SM West last week and it could be a good sign for the Raiders as they take on an opponent that is equal record wise.

Lawrence (3-4) at Olathe Northwest (2-5)

Much like the aforementioned game, the loser of this contest will not make the playoffs. If Lawrence wins they will be facing Free State in week nine with playoff implications on the line--which would make the rivalry more meaningful than it has been in years. Olathe Northwest has a tall order, should they beat Lawrence. They would have to play at Olathe North in week nine and win to keep their playoff chances intact.

SM North (0-7) at Wyandotte (2-5)

Leavenworth collected their first win of the season against Wyandotte last week, and there's no reason why SM North shouldn't do the same this week. SM North is starving for a victory (they currently hold a 14-game losing streak). A win would satisfy that need, and probably also set up a week nine matchup against Leavenworth for a spot in the playoffs.

Blue Valley West (1-6) at Olathe South (5-2)

Blue Valley West gave Olathe East a scare last week, and now they will travel to Olathe South to see if they can close out a victory. The Falcon's have quietly churned out five-straight wins and look to be right on target for making the playoffs--that is, assuming they don't take Blue Valley West lightly. Also, the game is being played at ODAC, an unfamiliar field for Blue Valley West, and so that may give the Falcons an added edge.

Game of the Week

SM East (6-1) at SM West (6-1)

There is no high school football archive on the web that goes back far enough to tell us the last time SM East beat SM West. We know it hasn't happened since 1998, which is about as far back as any archives go. Even in years when SM East was the favorite--like 2001 when the Lancers went 6-5 and the Vikings went 3-6--SM West has managed to claim victory. The rivalry trophy, the "Nut Cup" hasn't graced SM East's campus in so many years that most Lancers don't even know it exists. This year's game is perhaps the most evenly matched contest we've seen between the two teams in the past decade, and it should be a great game. Metro Sports will be broadcasting the game live to the metro on Friday night.

Photo courtesy the Lawrence Journal-World