Sunflower League Elite Eleven Teams - 2011

Before you jump into my second addition of the Sunflower League Elite Eleven, there are a few things to take note of.  First off, I expanded the list to two teams this year.  The Elite Eleven is sort of my First Team, and the Second Eleven is like my Second Team.  It was hard narrowing it down to my top 22 players, let alone the top 11 the way I did last season.

Secondly, I expanded to included defensive lineman on this list, however, I once again did not include offensive lineman.  The reason?  Quite honestly there's too much effort that would have to go into evaluating offensive lineman to come up with a fair and objective group that would fit into these two teams. 

Like I've always said, the best way to evaluate the top offensive lineman in the league is to look at the Coaches All-Sunflower League Team.  The coaches are the ones who evaluate the lineman on a weekly basis and their knowledge of who's best is going to be more accurate that anything you could pick up from going to the games on Friday nights or watching reruns on Metro Sports. 

And lastly, the players are not listed in any particular order, so throw that out if you thought you were on to something.  The Coach of the Year is also listed at the bottom of the Elite Eleven team.

The Elite Eleven

Sunflower League Most Valuable Player

Jordan Ward, Senior – Olathe South

Rushing Stats: 201 carries, 1,740 yards, 23 TDs

Talk about coming out of nowhere and going out with a bang. Ward’s final carry as a high school football player was a 41-yard touchdown run on a dive play that gave Olathe South the lead in the 6A state championship game with just under a minute left. Olathe South held on for the victory, and Ward will forever be remembered for that play.  His offensive line opened up a running lane for the first ten yards, but the next 31 were all on Ward, as he cut back across the middle of the field before dragging a defender for five yards in to the endzone.

Ward’s final five game this season could go down as some of the best numbers we’ve seen in league history. His rushing totals, from week nine through the state championship in week 13 were as follows: 232, 107, 290, 233 and 263 yards, respectively, and his touchdown totals in each of those games were 3, 1, 5, 3 and 4, respectively. That means in the final five games of the year Ward combined to rush for 1,125 yards and 16 touchdowns—against the best competition Class 6A had to offer.

He would have been a shoe-in to break the 2,000 yard rushing barrier had an early season injury not kept him out of several games, as he averaged 9.5 yards per carry for crying out loud. Standing 5-foot-9 and weighing 180 pounds, Ward didn’t necessarily stand out walking off the bus, but he proved his worth with his late explosion—and his game-winning play late against Wichita Heights will go down forever in Olathe South lore.

Offensive Player of the Year

Brad Strauss, Junior – Lawrence

Passing Stats: 117-of-178, 1,554 yards, 11 TDs
Rushing Stats: 85 carries, 707 yards, 11 TDs
Return Stats: 1 Kick Return TD

In his seven and half games of action, Strauss accomplished more statistically than most players do in a career. Not only did he lead the Sunflower League in combined offense with 2,261 yards, but the fact that he accomplished it in so few games is incredible. Just in case you don’t know the story, Strauss started on offense, defense and special teams throughout the season, and push finally came to shove in week eight when he suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter against Olathe Northwest. He didn’t play in week nine, and he only played for a quarter against Olathe South in the Regional Round of the playoffs.

Nevertheless, he had an outstanding season—one of the best we’ve ever season from one player. In each of the seven games in which he was healthy he put up at least 254 yards of total offense. While he didn’t finish out the season the way he would have wanted to, he’ll be back at the helm for the Chesty Lions in 2012, and with a loaded roster returning it could be another brilliant season for Strauss.

Defensive Player of the Year

Remington Whitley, Junior – Olathe South

Defensive Stats: 162 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Nearly every state championship team has a player that you can point to as the heart and soul of the defense. For Olathe South that was Whitley. He converted to the middle linebacker position this past offseason after having played outside linebacker previously.

The move inside worked well, as he led the Sunflower League in tackles from start to finish, not to mention helping Olathe South claim the state title. Whitley was excellent in run support, and his pass defense skills weren’t far behind. His four interceptions tied him for fourth place among league leaders in the category. The scary thing is that Whitley (like Strauss) is only a junior and he’ll be back as an even more improved player in 2012.

Willie Cauley, Senior – Olathe Northwest

Receiving Stats: 64 catches, 1,265 yards, 15 TDs

I had heard rumors in the off-season that Cauley was going out for football but I was a bit skeptical of how well a skinny 6-foot-10 basketball player turned wide receiver would do. Was he fast enough? Did he have good hands? How would he handle getting jarred by defenders? Well, Cauley answered all of those questions by putting up arguably the best season we’ve seen out of a Sunflower League receiver in the last decade.

It all started in week one when he recorded 122 receiving yards and four touchdowns against Leavenworth. From there on out the kid was a machine putting up big receiving totals week in and week out. In a year in which we saw a general shift from league teams to the pass, it was Cauley who stood out as the league’s most consistent receiving threat. Cauley committed to play basketball at Kentucky in week eight, so his dominant senior season on the gridiron won’t be the last we see of the rare 6-foot-10 athlete.

Kendall Kelly, Senior – Olathe East

Rushing Stats: 212 carries, 1,222 yards, 22 TDs
Defensive Stats: 53 tackles, 1 fumble recovery

Kelly really experienced a resurgence in his senior year of football. We had high hopes for the talented running back/defensive back after he capped off a tremendous sophomore season at SM North. However, as a junior, he had a forgettable season for the Indians and more or less fell off the map.

Kelly transferred to Olathe East and it was probably the best thing for him. After a relatively slow start to the season, he picked up steam and became the Hawks go to back in redzone situations, evidence by his 22 rushing touchdowns. He was also a valuable piece of the Hawks’ talented secondary. For Kelly, we always knew he had the talent to be among the league’s best, but it just took the right setting for that to happen.

Junior Williams, Senior – Olathe East

Defensive Stats: 66 tackles, 7 interceptions, 1 forced fumble
Return Stats: 1 Kick Return TD

It’s fair to say that Junior Williams lived up to the standards laid before him by his two older brothers, former Olathe East greats Dorian and Derahn. Junior was arguably the league’s top cornerback this year, and his best game came against Olathe Northwest in the Regional Round of the playoffs. Junior had the challenging task of covering Willie Cauley, Olathe Northwest’s 6-foot-10 behemoth wide receiver who led the league in receiving. Junior picked off three passes and held Cauley to one of his least productive games of the season.

Kyle McFarland, Junior – Lawrence Free State

Passing Stats: 88-of-162, 1,265 yards, 12 TDs

Rushing Stats: 135 carries, 783 yards, 7 TDs

Defensive Stats: 20 tackles, 3 interceptions

Most people didn’t know about McFarland heading into this season—and rightfully so. He hadn’t done much on varsity as a sophomore, and he hadn’t even won the starting quarterback job. It would take a few weeks, but the talented junior finally took the reins of the Free State offense full-time in week three.

He lived up to the standards of the past four Free State quarterbacks admirably, combining for over 2,000 yards of total offense, 19 touchdowns and even gaining a reputation as one of the top defensive backs in the league. We’ll get to see and hear about McFarland all of next season since he is just a junior, but the kid has one heck of a season to reflect back on in his first year as the starting quarterback.

Tanner Gentry, Senior – Olathe North

Receiving Stats: 35 catches, 677 yards, 12 TDs
Return Stats: 1 Punt Return TD
Defensive Stats: 36 tackles, 4 sacks

The one thing Olathe North seemed to lack this season was consistency. They began the season 5-0 and ended it 0-4. If you watched them statistically, it was literally a roller coaster ride on a week-to-week basis. However, the one thing that did stay consistent at Olathe North was the talented Gentry. Before the season Gentry’s name was being thrown around quite a bit due to the stellar junior season he had as a defensive end. While he had another impressive year on the defensive side of the ball, it was his receiving efforts that really gained everyone’s attention.

He started things off with a three-touchdown night against Olathe East in week one and those types of efforts continued as the season went along. While things didn’t shake out the way Gentry and his teammates would have wanted regarding making the playoffs, it certainly wasn’t because of a lack of production from Gentry.

Connor Middleton, Senior - Olathe Northwest

Rushing Stats: 204 carries, 1,275 yards, 21 TDs

Receiving Stats: 23 catches, 200 yards, 2 TDs
Defensive Stats: 99 tackles

Elite wrestlers translate well on the football field. Just take a look at how past Sunflower League greats Justin Dyer of Olathe South, and Josh Carroll and Lucas Vincent of Olathe North did on the gridiron after dominating the mats. You can add Middleton to the list.

While short in stature, Middleton was anything but short in ability. He scored more touchdowns than any player in the league during the regular season and he had an uncanny ability to fill a stat sheet. Middleton’s highlight moment came in week nine when he carried the ball 29 times for 332 yards and six touchdowns, in addition to passing for one score. He scored four consecutive touchdowns in the second half and his efforts helped Olathe Northwest to beat the highly favored Olathe North in the game.

Mason Perez, Senior – SM North

Receiving Stats: 24 catches, 607 yards, 12 TDs
Return Stats: 3 Kick Return TDs, 1 Punt Return TD
Defensive Statistics: 54 tackles, 1 interception

If you were looking for a game breaker you had to look no further than SM North’s Perez. After leading the Sunflower League in interceptions as a junior with six, Perez came back as one of the league’s top returning defensive players, but it was actually his offensive game that earned him the most attention as a senior.

Not only did Perez combine for 16 touchdowns, but seven of those touchdowns came on plays of 40 yards or longer. His defensive game wasn’t anything to look past either. Teams rarely threw the ball his way, and he was excellent in run support recording over 50 tackles.

Gabe Guild, Junior– SM South

Rushing Stats: 199 carries, 1,641 yards, 12 TDs

Receiving Stats: 18 catches, 216 yards, 2 TDs
Defensive Stats: 22 tackles, 1 interception

Guild was a workhorse back for SM South in his junior season. Not only did he lead the Sunflower League in rushing yards during the regular season, but he also made contributions as a receiver out of the backfield and on defense.

Guild’s highlight of the season was in week five when he toted the rock 30 times for 342 yards and three touchdowns. It was the most rushing yards a running back had put up in the league in years and it embodied Guild’s work effort and determination as much as anything.  SM South didn't win many games, but Guild seemed to produce no matter the circumstances.

Coach of the Year

Jeff Gourley, Olathe South

This was one of the easiest choices of any of the picks I had to make.  Gourley coached Olathe South to a 12-1 record and the 6A state championship, the first state title in the program's history.  The Falcons also won the Sunflower League outright for the first time in school history. 

In his first year at the helm at Olathe South in 2008, Gourley won just three games.  The following year the team won four games.  Last season Olathe South made a late run and finished with seven wins.  This year, Gourley's fourth at the helm, the program reached heights that had not yet been seen in its history (no pun intended).  What's more, Olathe South returns a loaded roster in 2012, and Gourley and Co. will be the favorites in Class 6A to repeat as champions. 

The Second Eleven

Elliot Faerber, Senior – SM East

Faerber would have made a much larger impact for SM East had he not been forced to juggle catching passes from different starting quarterbacks or had to deal with several nagging injuries. He still had a solid year catching 60 passes for 764 yards and six touchdowns.

Connor Rellihan, Junior – SM East

Rellihan had an outstanding year catching 48 passes for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’ll be one one of the top returning Sunflower League wide receivers in 2012, and the SM East offense will certainly cater to his abilities.

Dalton Rook, Senior – Olathe Northwest

Sure, it helped he had Willie Cauley to throw to, but Rook did outstanding in his one year as the starting quarterback. In the nine games he started he completed 157 of 253 passes for 1,968 yards and 19 touchdowns—leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns.

John Kelsh, Senior – Olathe East

After a decent junior season, Kelsh came back as a stud senior for Olathe East, rushing 170 times for 1,269 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 7.5 yards per carry average wasn’t too shabby either. He was key in Olathe East’s second consecutive Sub-State appearance.

Orange Mooney, Senior – Olathe North

Say what you want, but Mooney was one of the top running backs in the league this season. He carried the ball 162 times for 978 yards and 11 touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. Mooney could have benefited from another year in Olathe North’s system but he put up great numbers in his one year as an Eagle.

Teddy Colbert, Senior – Olathe South

In open field Colbert may have been the fastest play in the Sunflower League.  He carried the ball 97 times for 1,126 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he also caught six passes for 114 yards.  Colbert's rushing average of 11.6 yards per carry meant he averaged a first down, and then some, every time he took a handoff.

Matt Elliott, Junior – Olathe South

Elliot was a multi-purpose nightmare and he’ll be returning to wreak havoc next year. He carried the ball 66 times for 389 yards and three touchdowns, caught 24 passes for 561 yards and three touchdowns, and defensively he recorded 33 tackles and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Frankie Seurer, Junior – Olathe South

I took some crap for doing a Player Spotlight on Seurer in the preseason, but he sure made me look good. Seuerer passed for 1,634 yards and 12 touchdowns, not to mention going 4-of-5 for 183 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown pass to Drew Johnson in the 6A state title game, which Olathe South won.

Matthew Baltimore, Senior – Olathe East

Baltimore earned much more attention from offenses following his impressive junior year and commitment to play at Northern Illinois, but he still did very well. He totaled 63 tackles, 10 quarterback hurries, four sacks and four fumble recoveries and he was a defensive stalwart for the Hawks.

Jason Randall, Sophomore– Leavenworth

Randall was Leavenworth’s top player, toting the ball 145 times for 833 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 26 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns. Randall will return in 2012 as Leavenworth’s top player.

Alex Forslund, Senior – SM South

Forslund was an outstanding player for SM South on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he completed 36 of 96 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns, and he carried the ball 137 times for 548 yards and 12 touchdowns. On defense he made 89 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and forced two fumbles.

Stats courtesy Mid-Statesports.com

Sunflower League Extra

Lawrence's Brad Strauss went down with an ankle injury
on Friday and his team wasn't quite able to make the
proper adjustments to overcome his loss.  Photo courtesy
the Lawrence Journal World.

Top 5 Player Ratings

1. Brad Strauss, Quarterback, Lawrence
Week Eight Stats: 4-of-6 passing, 53 yards

Strauss was forced to leave the game midway through the first half after he suffered what appeared to be a fairly bad ankle injury.  His absence from the Chesty Lions' lineup was perhaps the most sincere way of showing his value to the team--they scored just three points without him in the game.

2. Willie Cauley, Wide Receiver, Olathe Northwest
Week Eight Stats: 7 receptions, 173 yards, 1 TD

Cauley broke the 1,000 yard receiving mark on the season with his latest performance.  It's my understanding that he also leads the state of Kansas in reception yardage.  He certainly has been a fun player to cover this season and if basketball doesn't work out he's not too shabby at football... just saying.

3. Gabe Guild, Running Back, SM South
Week Eight Stats: 24 carries, 284 yards, 2 TDs

Not only is Guild the only player in the league with over 1,000 yards rushing but he also paces the league's leaders in rushing yardage by 567 yards.  SM South is going to need another one of these performances from him against SM East this week.

4. Kyle McFarland, Quarterback, Lawrence Free State
Week Eight Stats: 21-of-38 passing, 277 yards, 2 TDs; 17 carries, 30 yards

McFarland put together another solid outing in leading his team to an upset over Olathe North.  When he's playing well Free State is a tough team to beat and it will be interesting to see how far he and the rest of the Firebirds will go this season, assuming they make the playoffs.

5. Mason Perez, SM North, Wide Receiver
Week Eight Stats: 6 receptions, 113 yards, 4 TDs; 1 punt return TD

Perez gets the proverbial "cup of coffee" after scoring five touchdowns and accumulating just under 150 yards of total offense in the first half against Wyandotte.  For the season, Perez has the highest yards-per-catch average in the league at 25 yards, and he also leads the league in kick and punt returns for touchdowns with a combined three.

Honorable Mention: Tanner Gentry, Olathe North; Kendall Kelly, Olathe East; Dalton Rook, Olathe Northwest; Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest; Elliott Faerber, SM East; Jordan Ward, Olathe South; John Kelsh, Olathe East, Frankie Seurer, Olathe South.

Stat Check

Passing Yards
Dalton Rook, Olathe Northwest: 1,602, 17 TDs
Brad Strauss, Lawrence: 1,554, 11 TDs
Kyle McFarland, Free State: 1,253, 12 TDs
Jordan Bruce, Olathe North: 1,189, 15 TDs
Frank Seurer, Olathe South: 1,045, 8 TDs
Armani Williams, SM West: 926, 6 TDs
Nick Pirotte, SM East: 850, 5 TDs
Dakota Collins, SM East: 804, 5 TDs
Ryan Theis, SM North: 695, 12 TDs

Rushing Yards
Gabe Guild, SM South: 1,535, 12 TDs
Orange Mooney, Olathe North: 968, 10 TDs
Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest: 883, 13 TDs
Treshawn Root, Olathe North: 878, 5 TDs
John Kelsh, Olathe East: 859, 8 TDs
Kyle McFarland, Free State: 803, 7 TDs
Kendall Kelly, Olathe East: 799, 15 TDs
Brad Strauss, Lawrence: 707, 11 TDs
Danny Manning, SM Northwest: 706, 7 TDs
Jason Randall, Leavenworth: 612, 7 TDs

Receiving Yards
Willie Cauley, Olathe Northwest: 1,064, 13 TDs
Tanner Gentry, Olathe North: 677, 12 TDs
Connor Rellihan, SM East: 643, 8 TDs
Ryan Patterson, Free State: 590, 5 TDs
Elliot Faerber, SM East: 571, 2 TDs
Mason Perez, SM North: 545, 11 TDs
Chad Johnson, Olathe East: 506, 6 TDs
Anthony Buffalomeat, Lawrence: 503, 5 TDs
Erick Mayo, Lawrence: 451, 3 TDs
Drew Johnson, Olathe South: 439, 4 TDs

Tackles
Alex Anthony, Olathe Northwest: 101
Remington Whitley, Olathe South: 100
Austin Jackson, Leavenworth: 82
Jeramie Fischer, SM South: 81
Alex Forslund, SM South: 76
Alex Waugh, Leavenworth: 76
Dylan DeVries, Olathe South: 74
Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest: 74
Joe Dineen, Free State: 73
Colin McCarty, SM North: 71

Interceptions (Based on return yardage)
Calloway Schmidt, Free State: 5
Tim Mayes, Olathe Northwest: 5 (1 TD)
Marcus Banks, Olathe East: 4
Isaiah Ross, Leavenworth: 4
Junior Williams, Olathe East: 4

Kick Return/Punt Return Touchdowns
Teddy Colbert, Olathe South: 1 KR TD
Tanner Gentry, Olathe North: 1 PR TD
Matt Elliott, Olathe South: 1 KR TD, 1 PR TD
Andy Hiett, SM East: 1 PR TD
Jake Horner, SM Northwest: 2 KR TD
Quint Kelby, SM Northwest: 1 PR TD
Avery Parker, Olathe Northwest: 1 KR TD
Mason Perez, SM North: 2 KR TD, 1 PR TD
Taylor Sheffield, Olathe South: 1 KR TD
Brad Strauss, Lawrence: 1 KR TD
Troy Wilkins, SM East: 1 KR TD
Junior Williams, Olathe East: 1 KR TD

Field Goals
Mark Whitrock, SM West: (6/8)
Anthony Rosen, Lawrence: (4/5)
Jorge Rivero, Olathe North: (3/7)
Dainan Swoope, SM South: (2/2)
Jared Douglas, Olathe South: (2/3)

Stats courtesy Mid-Statesports.com

Week Eight Review

Olathe East's Kendall Kelly scored four touchdowns
on Friday,  helping Olathe East to their seventh straight
 victory.  Photo courtesy the Kansas City Star.

Three Up

SM West
The Vikings are finally showing some semblance of a being a good football team.  Their victory over SM East was their third straight, and in doing so SM West clinched a playoff berth and a district championship.

Lawrence Free State
As we've grown accustomed to with Bob Lisher's teams, the Firebirds have continued to develop as a team at an incredible rate.  Let's be honest, after Free State struggled to beat Leavenworth 23-12 in week two, did anyone think they would be capable of beating Olathe North 19-14 just six weeks later?

Olathe East
The Hawks used a smashmouth attack to claim their seventh straight victory, this one coming over BV Northwest.  They face Olathe South on Friday and a win will earn the Hawks a share of the Sunflower League Championship, and guarantee a district championship.

Three Down

Olathe North
No one is really sure what's wrong with Olathe North right now, but they don't look good.  By way of a miracle, the Eagles still haven't been eliminated from the playoffs and they have a chance to sneak in with a big win Friday against Olathe Northwest.

Lawrence
Quarterback Brad Strauss went down with an injury and the Chesty Lions proceeded to put up a mere three total points in the game.  Simply put, without Strauss Lawrence is a completely different team.  There is no official word on the severity of his injury.

SM East
The Lancers didn't help their chances when they decided to go on a turnover spree against SM West.  With the loss, the Lancers are now 4-4 and in a must-win situation against SM South if they want to make the playoffs.

Week Eight Players of the Week

Mason Perez, SM North: Perez played one his best games of the season on Friday, making sure his Indian's would stay in contention for a playoff berth.  Perez caught six passes for 113 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to returning a punt 28 yards for a score.  He scored the first five touchdowns of the game for SM North.

Elliot Faerber, SM East: Faerber has had some tough breaks on the season.  A few injuries, combined with rotating starting quarterbacks hasn't helped the cause, but Friday night he finally looked to be back in his normal form.  His team lost, but Faerber wasn't to blame as he caught 16 passes for 241 yards.  A healthy Faerber, with a healthy Dakota Collins to throw to him could make for a dangerous late-season combo if the Lancers can make the playoffs.

Week Nine Power Rankings

1. Olathe East (7-1): Stop the Hawks three-headed rushing attack and you have a chance at a win; the problem is, only one team (Olathe North) has been able to do that, and that was in early September.

2. Olathe South (7-1): The Falcons can make everyone forget about their loss to BV Northwest, win the Sunflower League title outright, and roll into the playoffs with good momentum with a win Friday against Olathe East.

3. Lawrence Free State (6-2): Who would have thought the Firebirds would already have more regular season wins that they had in all of 2010?  Due to a uber-quick maturity of some new starters that's where Free State is at, and they're looking good.

4. Lawrence (5-3): Lawrence was decimated by injuries in 2010, and if Strauss' injury is as bad as it looked, 2011 could be a repeat.  Losing running back Charles Jackson was tough, but they were able to overcome it.  Not having Strauss against Free State could be a killer.

5. Olathe North (5-3): The Eagles have slipped fast, but their playoff hopes are still alive if Free State beats Lawrence, and they take care of business against Olathe Northwest, and have the point totals work in their favor.

6. SM West (5-3): After a nice victory against SM East, the Vikings have a very solid chance at finishing the season with a better-than-expected record of 6-3.  Perhaps, if the prognostications turn out as expected, the Vikes would be able to return some much needed revenge to an EKL foe come playoff time.

7. SM East (4-4): SM East has certainly painted themselves as being a better team than SM South, but as we arrive at week nine that disparity doesn't look too great.  The Lancers are still the favorite, but another off week and they're out of the playoffs with a 4-5 record.

8. Olathe Northwest (4-4): Sure the Ravens benefited from not facing a Strauss-led Lawrence team for an entire game, but you could also point out that they very well could have beat Free State with a healthy Dalton Rook the previous week.  A win against Olathe North would be colossal for the program.

9. SM Northwest (3-5): SM Northwest can be very thankful for their district.  After barely beating SM North and Leavenworth the past two weeks, they take on a pitiful Wyandotte team, and we can all but book a 4-5 regular season for the Cougars.

10. SM North (2-6): The 63-point victory was nice, and now it's time for the Indians to play well in a meaningful game.  They were in this same position last season... we'll see if it translates to this year.

11. SM South (2-6): The Raiders control their own destiny at this point in time which is always good heading into the final week of district play.  There's been some bad blood between SM South and SM East in recent years and this game, which will determine who gets the district's final playoff berth, will be a good one.

12. Leavenworth (1-7): The Pioneers surely remember how painful it was losing to SM North and not qualifying for the playoffs last season.  This time around they can reverse that feeling.  We'll see if they have the horses to do it.

Week Eight Game Recaps

Lawrence Free State's Shawn Knighton
was key in the Firebird's 19-14 win over
Olathe North on Friday.  Photo courtesy
the Lawrence Journal World.

Lawrence Free State 19, Olathe North 14

Two losses in a row from Olathe North was shocking, but three seems inexplicable.  Free State struck first in the second quarter when Kyle McFarland finished off a drive with a one-yard touchdown run after Shawn Knighton had taken a carry 97-yards to set up the score.  Later in the quarter, McFarland found Ryan Patterson on a 38-yard touchdown pass to make things 13-0, Free State at the half.  Orange Mooney added the next two scores of the game for Olathe North, scoring first on a four-yard run then on a 23-yard catch from Jordan Bruce, which gave the Eagles a 14-13 advantage.  Free State regained possession with 3:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and drove 80 yards, scoring on a seven-yard touchdown pass from McFarland to Patterson to win the game.

Olathe Northwest 21, Lawrence 3

Olathe Northwest's first momentum boost came on a seven-yard run from Avery Parker in the first quarter which put them up 7-0.  There second was when Lawrence quarterback Brad Strauss went down with an injury at the start of the second quarter--he did not return.  Lawrence's second-string quarterback had been injured during the week in practice, so receiver Drake Hofer was thrown into the quarterback position.  While he played well given the circumstances, it wasn't Strauss out there.  Lawrence managed one score on a field goal from Anthony Rosen, but they were shutout besides that.  Olathe Northwest's next two scores came on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Dalton Rook to Cody Sestrich and an 88-yard pass from Rook to Willie Cauley.

Olathe East 48, Blue Valley Northwest 27

It didn't matter what Blue Valley Northwest did, they weren't able to shut down Olathe East's dominant rushing attack.  The Hawks scored seven rushing touchdown in the game, en route to their 21-point statement victory over the Huskies.  Kendall Kelly scored four touchdowns on runs of three, two, three and nine yards.  John Kelsh added touchdowns on runs of 17 and 87 yards.  Austin Frazier completed the scoring trio of scoring with six-yard touchdown run.

SM South 35, Blue Valley North 18

SM South jumped to a comfortable 21-12 lead at halftime, and finished off the game with two second half touchdowns.  In the first half Gabe Guild scored on runs of 46 and 64 yards.  Alex Forslund added a 15-yard touchdown pass to Nick Oliver for the third touchdown.  SM South's two second half touchdowns came on a 25-yard run from Ra'Keim Abdul and an eight-yard run from Forslund.  With their victory the Raiders set up a win-or-go-home scenario with SM East to cap off the regular season.

SM Northwest 24, Leavenworth 22

This was a pretty evenly matched game after all.  SM Northwest scored twice in first half--once on a 41-yard field goal from Alex Allen and then again on a seven-yard run from Austin Vanderpool.  Leavenworth's first half score came on a 38-yard pass from Jason Randall to Judson Cole.  In the second half SM Northwest scored twice, first on a four-yard run from Vanderpool, and later on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Colton Dirks to Jake Horner.  Cole added a 32-yard touchdown run, and Randall scored on a 14-yarder late in the fourth quarter.

Olathe South 46, Blue Valley West 29

This game was hardly a defensive struggle, but Olathe South managed to win by more than 13 points, keeping their playoff hopes alive.  Olathe South's first half scores came on a 69-yard punt return by Matt Elliott, an eight-yard run from Teddy Colbert and a one-yard run from Frankie Seurer.  They led 21-13 at the half.  In the second half the Falcons added four touchdowns on a 14-yard run from Colbert, an 89-yard pass from Seurer to Drew Johnson, and runs of six and 13 yards from Jordan Ward.

SM West 30, SM East 25

A big second quarter combined with a turnover-ridden SM East club turned out to be enough from SM West to win a district championship, and regain the Nut Cup.  After surrendering a safety early on, SM West scored on a 31-yard field goal from Mark Whitrock, a 75-yard touchdown pass from Armani Williams to Ben Lake and a 20-yard touchdown run from Brett Sterbach.  The Vikings led 17-2 at the half. 

SM East had a big third quarter, scoring touchdowns on a run from Jeff Cole and a 53-yard pass from Dakota Collins to Connor Rellihan.  SM West's lone third quarter score came on a 37-yard Whitrock field goal.  The Vikings led 20-17 heading into the final quarter of play.  SM East started things off with another safety, before SM West's Whitrock added his third field goal of the day from 37 yards out.  On SM East's next possession Robert Rice picked off a Collins pass and took it 63-yards for a touchdown.  The two scrores gave SM West a 30-17 lead.  SM East 's final stab came on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Collins to Rellihan. 

SM North 69, Wyandotte 6

SM North's 69 points were the most scored in a single game from a Sunflower League team all season.  The player of the game, without a doubt was SM North's Mason Perez.  He scored the first five touchdowns of the game on receptions of 25, 25, 34 and 29 yards, then a 28-yard punt return.  With the win, the Indians boosted their record to 2-6, and with a win on Friday over Leavenworth they'll qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

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.

Sunflower League Extra

Free State's Kyle McFarland (right) was able to come down
with the game sealing interception over Olathe Northwest's
Willie Cauley (behind) in helping Free State to a 20-14 win.
Photo courtesy the Lawrence Journal World.

Top 5 Player Ratings

1. Brad Strauss, Quarterback, Lawrence
Week Seven Stats: 15-of-23 passing, 194 yards, 3 TDs; 10 rushes, 50 yards, 1 TD

No one player means more to his team that Strauss.  He boosted Lawrence to one of their biggest victories in the last five years when they took down Olathe North on Friday.  More importantly, Strauss has returned Lawrence High football to respectability, and then some.  And how is this for a stat: the lowest offensive yardage total Strauss has put up this season was his 249 combined rushing and passing yards in week six against SM South.

2. Willie Cauley, Wide Receiver, Olathe Northwest
Week Seven Stats: 4 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

Cauley had his worst game of the season with several miscues, including three dropped passes, coming in the second half of Olathe Northwest's six-point loss against Free State.  We'll give him the benefit of the doubt, considering the Raven's normal starting quarterback, Dalton Rook, was injured and wasn't throwing the passes.

3. Gabe Guild, Running Back, SM South
Week Seven Stats: 22 carries, 160 yards, 1 TD

Guild continues to be the main bright-spot for SM South.  His yards per carry average is up to 8.18, and he's running away with the regular season rushing title, sitting 334 yards ahead of the number two rusher in the league.

4. Tanner Gentry, Wide Receiver, Olathe North
Week Seven Stats: 9 receptions, 163 yards, 3 TDs

Gentry is due for some love.  His efforts certainly haven't been the cause of Olathe North's struggles the past two weeks--in fact, Gentry has amassed 233 receiving yards and three reception touchdowns in that time span, perhaps his most productive two week stretch of the season thus far.

5. Kyle McFarland, Quarterback, Lawrence Free State
Week Seven Stats: 14-of-20 passing, 145 yards, 1 TD; 18 carries, 73 yards; 1 defensive interception

McFarland sealed the deal against Olathe Northwest with a four quarter interception against Cauley, a receiver who had seven inches on McFarland.  After winning the starting quarterback job following the second week of the season McFarland has produced impressive numbers for Free State (he ranks fourth in the league in passing and fifth in rushing), including helping the team to wins in five of their last six games.

Honorable Mention: Remington Whitley, Olathe South; Orange Mooney, Olathe North; Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest; Treshawn Root, Olathe North; John Kelsh, Olathe East; Kendall Kelly, Olathe East; Dalton Rook, Olathe Northwest; Jordan Bruce, Olathe North

First and Ten

1. An honest rating of the talent level across the Sunflower League this season on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best?  I would go with a 5.  Players like Brad Strauss and Willie Cauley would have been dominant in any season the past 10 years, but overall I've found that it's hard finding the top five talents in the league every week because the consistency just hasn't been there--normally the hard part is deciding who doesn't get on the list each week, but not this season.

2. The most pleasantly surprising players this season have been, in no particular order, Cauley, Gabe Guild, Treshawn Root, Dalton Rook, Kyle McFarland, Remington Whitley, and Jordan Ward.  Most of these guys were hardly even on the radar in week one.

3. This could be the first time in, well, decades, that the 6A East representative is not from the Sunflower League.  BV Northwest handled Olathe South last week, and they're as hot as any team in Kansas right now.  The Huskies most highly touted teams of recent years (2004 and 2005) bowed out early in the playoffs, so we'll see if they buck that trend this time around.

4. Despite having lost two straight games, I still fully expect Olathe North to make a run through the playoffs to the state championship game.  Heck, they've made it to at least the Sub-State round in 12 of the last 16 years!

5. Speaking of the number 12, with their six wins, Olathe East has guaranteed themselves a 12th straight winning season.  Jeff Meyers reloads his talent as well as anyone, and that's a fact.

6. Two teams remain in the running for the Sunflower League crown.  In odd years league records are based on the first seven SL opponents for each team.  Right now, the standings for the two contenders are Olathe South at 6-0 and Olathe East at 5-1.  Olathe South has already clinched a share of the title, but Olathe East can get in on a share of the league title if they defeat Olathe South in week nine.  League championships don't mean a thing in Kansas, but players do earn a "Sunflower League Champions" patch on their letter jackets (and who's going to complain about that?).

7. The SL may be void of division one offensive lineman this season, but keep an eye out in the next two years.  Olathe South sophomore Braden "Gigantor" Smith stands 6-foot-6 and weighs in at around 275 pounds.  He benches 380 pounds and he's only 15.  He's been a focal point of Olathe South's successes this season and I can only anticipate him getting bigger, stronger, and meaner in the seasons to come.  To the north, SM West sophomore Austin Chambers checks in at 6-foot-5 and weighs 290 pounds.  He too has been a focal point of his team's success.  Often times the main reason lineman don't go division one has to do with their lack of size.  Size isn't an issue with either of these kids--and clearly the talent is there or else they wouldn't be starting as sophomores.  It also helps that both play (and do very well) in other sports when they're not on the gridiron, which just goes to show their athletic versatility.

8. Two of the more underrated playmakers in the league include SM North's Mason Perez and SM Northwest's Jake Horner.  Perez has recorded nine touchdowns this season, and six of those have come on plays of 40 yards or longer.  Horner has returned two kicks for touchdowns, not to mention a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown in week two against SM West that nearly propelled his team to victory.  He's also averaging 33.4 yards per return on kickoffs.  While neither player is on a stellar team, both are stellar athletes that have a knack for making big plays.

9.  Last year the three of the four teams from the Sunflower League who made the the Sectional round of the playoffs led the league in rushing yards per game during the course of the year.  This year's top four?  Olathe North, Olathe East and SM South at 313, 283, and 277 yards per game, respectively.

10. With McFarland finding his way into this week's Top Five Player Ratings, it poses the great question of whether Free State quarterbacks are simply a product of the system?  If you remember back to the glory days of Mike Leach at Texas Tech, literally every year he would have another quarterback who would pass for 4,000 or more yards and 40 or so touchdowns.  It didn't matter who the quarterback was, they just all seemed to produce.  None of those quarterbacks had success in the NFL and basically their great collegiate stats were attributable to Leach's pass happy system.  In the SL, Free State has produced three quarterbacks since 2006 who have passed and rushed for over 1,000 yards in a single season, and McFarland could easily become the fourth in a couple weeks.  Are the Free State quarterbacks that talented, or has Bob Lisher created a fool-proof offensive system for quarterbacks to produce gaudy yardage in? 

Stat Check

Passing Yards
Brad Strauss, Lawrence: 1,501, 11 TDs
Dalton Rook, Olathe Northwest: 1,364, 15 TDs
Jordan Bruce, Olathe North: 1,084, 14 TDs
Kyle McFarland, Free State: 976, 10 TDs
Nick Pirotte, SM East: 850, 5 TDs
Frank Seurer, Olathe South: 839, 7 TDs
Armani Williams, SM West: 816, 5 TDs
John Blazevic, Olathe East: 612, 7 TDs
Mark Dabeck, Leavenworth: 586, 4 TDs
Ryan Theis, SM North: 582, 8 TDs

Rushing Yards
Gabe Guild, SM South: 1,251, 10 TDs
Orange Mooney, Olathe North: 917, 9 TDs
Treshawn Root, Olathe North: 834, 5 TDs
Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest: 775, 13 TDs
Kyle McFarland, Free State: 773, 6 TDs
Brad Strauss, Lawrence: 705, 11 TDs
John Kelsh, Olathe East: 689, 6 TDs
Danny Manning, SM Northwest: 681, 7 TDs
Kendall Kelly, Olathe East: 652, 11 TDs
Shawn Knighton, Free State: 538, 5 TDs

Receiving Yards
Willie Cauley, Olathe Northwest: 891, 12 TDs
Tanner Gentry, Olathe North: 664, 12 TDs
Connor Rellihan, SM East: 548, 6 TDs
Anthony Buffalomeat, Lawrence: 479, 5 TDs
Ryan Patterson, Free State: 468, 3 TDs
Chad Johnson, Olathe East: 461, 6 TDs
Erick Mayo, Lawrence: 439, 3 TDs
Mason Perez, SM North: 432, 7 TDs
Drake Hofer, Lawrence: 392, 3 TDs
Joel Spiller, SM West: 335, 2 TDs

Tackles
Remington Whitley, Olathe South: 100
Alex Anthony, Olathe Northwest: 95
Jeramie Fischer, SM South: 75
Austin Jackson, Leavenworth: 70
Gage Smoots, Olathe North: 70
Tony Wagner, Olathe North: 70
Colin McCarty, SM North: 68
Alex Waugh, Leavenworth: 68
Connor Middleton, Olathe Northwest: 67
Alex Forslund, SM South: 66

Interceptions (Based on return yardage)
Calloway Schmidt, Free State: 5
Tim Mayes, Olathe Northwest: 4 (1 TD)
Isaiah Ross, Leavenworth: 4
Marcus Banks, Olathe East: 3
Kyle McFarland, Free State: 3
Remington Whitley, Olathe South: 3
Sean Wilkes, SM North: 3
Junior Williams, Olathe East: 3

Kick Return/Punt Return Touchdowns
Teddy Colbert, Olathe South: 1 KR TD
Tanner Gentry, Olathe North: 1 PR TD
Matt Elliott, Olathe South: 1 KR TD
Andy Hiett, SM East: 1 PR TD
Jake Horner, SM Northwest: 2 KR TD
Quint Kelby, SM Northwest: 1 PR TD
Avery Parker, Olathe Northwest: 1 KR TD
Mason Perez, SM North: 2 KR TD
Taylor Sheffield, Olathe South: 1 KR TD
Brad Strauss, Lawrence: 1 KR TD
Troy Wilkins, SM East: 1 KR TD
Junior Williams, Olathe East: 1 KR TD

Field Goals
Anthony Rosen, Lawrence: (3/4)
Mark Whitrock, SM West: (3/4)
Jorge Rivero, Olathe North: (3/7)
Dainan Swoope, SM South: (2/2)

Stats courtesy Mid-Statesports.com

Week Seven Game Recaps

Lawrence 28, Olathe North 19

Lawrence High's Anthony Buffalomeat.  Photo courtesy
the Lawrence Journal World.

For the first time since 2006 Olathe North has suffered consecutive losses.  This week their loss came at the hands of a red-hot Lawrence High.  In the first quarter Olathe North looked to be in control.  They shut out LHS and scored a touchdown on a 36-yard pass from Jordan Bruce to Tanner Gentry.  A missed PAT gave the Eagles a 6-0 advantage heading into the second quarter.  From there, LHS took control of the game.

Seconds into the second quarter Brad Strauss found Anthony Buffalomeat on a six-yard touchdown pass to make things 7-6, LHS. Strauss found receiver Drake Hofer on a 15-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter, before completing a yet another touchdown pass--a 21-yarder to Erick Mayo--to give the Chesty Lions a 21-6 lead.  Olathe North kept things honest with another Bruce to Gentry touchdown pass with just seconds remaining in the second quarter.  A failed conversion made things 21-12 in favor of Lawrence.

Olathe North pulled within two points when Bruce hit Gentry on 19-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter, but Lawrence responded with a drive that was capped off with a 31-yard touchdown run from Strauss to make things 28-19.

Blue Valley Northwest 49, Olathe South 34

At the half, with Olathe South leading 21-20, it looked like this game could come down to the wire.  However, a strong close to the third quarter, and dominating fourth by BV Northwest, left Olathe South with their first loss of the season, and questions surrounding their shot at making the playoffs.

BV Northwest jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a six-yard touchdown run from Austin Swailes and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Fugate.  Olathe South matched that with two touchdowns on a one-yard run from Jordan Ward and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Frankie Seurer to Justin Maggot.  BV Northwest came back with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Fugate, but failed to convert the PAT.  They led 20-14.  Olathe South was able to chip in one more touchdown before the half on a three-yard run from Ward, to make things 21-20 in favor of the Falcons.

Fugate gave the Huskies the lead again in the third quarter when he ran in a touchdown from six yards out.  After a successful two-point conversion, BV Northwest led 28-21.  Olathe South added a 79-yard touchdown run from Teddy Colbert before BV Northwest seperated themselves.  Fugate found Swailes on touchdown passes of 37 and 31 yards to give the Huskies a 42-28 lead.  Olathe South was able to find the endzone one more time on a 20-yard pass from Suerer to Drew Johnson to make things 42-34, but Fugate capped off the game with a 12-yard touchdown run, his sixth touchdown of the day, to close out things at 49-34.

Lawrence Free State 20, Olathe Northwest 14

In the year of the missed PAT in the Sunflower League, perhaps this game will go down as the case study.  Free State scored first when Shawn Knighton took a carry 20 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.  A miss PAT gave the Firebirds a 6-0 edge.  Knighton added a one-yard touchdown run in the second, and following a successful two-point conversion, Free State led 14-0.  Olathe Northwest quarterback Cole Dahlquist, starting in place of the injured Dalton Rook, connected with Willie Cauley on a 22-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter.  After a failed PAT, Olathe Northwest trailed 14-6. 

The Ravens added another scoring drive that was capped off with a one-yard touchdown run from Connor Middleton, which they combined with a successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 14.  The last score of the second quarter proved to be the last of the game when Kyle McFarland found Kyle Joice on a 12-yard touchdown pass... which was followed up by a missed PAT.

Olathe East 34, Blue Valley West 14

No game report available.  

Leavenworth 49, Wyandotte 0

For once it was the Pioneers from Leavenworth engineering a dominant first half and eventual victory.  In the first quarter alone Leavenworth posted 35 points.  The first two scores came on touchdown runs of 12 and one yard from Jason Randall.  Eric Harris took an interception back 14 yards for a score to make things 21-0.  Judson Cole then found Eli Keppler on an eight-yard touchdown pass to make things 28-0.  Just before the end of the first quarter Cole added another touchdown pass on a 37-yarder to Randall.  In the second quarter Leavenworth scored touchdowns on runs of 38 and five yards from Randall.

SM East 21, Blue Valley North 3

BV North actually scored first in this game, chipping in a 19-yard field goal from McClain Sharp in the first quarter of play, but that was all the damage the 0-7 Mustangs would do.  Nick Pirotte was able to complete a 52-yard touchdown pass to Connor Rellihan later in the quarter to make things 7-3.  Jeff Cole added a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter which gave the Lancers a 14-3 halftime lead.  SM East's final score came in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run from Pirotte.


SM Northwest 41, SM North 34 OT

It doesn't seem to matter how poorly SM Northwest is playing, they always find a way to claim a "W" in the Hula Bowl.  The Cougars dominated the first quarter by a score of 20-0.  Their three touchdowns came on a 25-yard run from Colton Dirks, a 30-yard punt return by Kelby Quint, and a one-yard run by Danny Manning.

SM North first got on the board with a 44-yard run from Henry Bell in the third quarter to make things 20-7.  SM Northwest answered with a drive and eventual seven-yard touchdown run from Dirks to go up 27-7.  From there SM North kicked things into another gear, scoring four straight touchdowns.  First Ryan Theis found Mason Perez on a 54-yard touchdown pass, which was followed by a 37-yard touchdown run from Bell.  Theis found Perez again, this time on a 43-yard touchdown pass, before Armando Contreras hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass from Theis.

That score gave SM North a 34-27 lead, but it didn't last.  Late in the game Luke Fields caught a flee-flicker pass that went 30-yards for a touchdown for SM Northwest to tie the game, and force overtime.  In overtime SM Northwest scored first on a four-yard touchdown run from Manning.  SM North was unable to score a touchdown resulting in a loss.

SM West 33, SM South 17

In the fist quarter SM West put up 10 points, scoring a touchdown on a four-yard run from Brett Sterbach and adding a 26-yard field goal from Mark Whitrock.  SM South matched the 10 points in the second quarter on a 29-yard field goal from Dainan Swoope and a three-yard touchdown run from Alex Forslund.

The game was tied 10-10 at the half, but the second period of play belonged to the Vikings.  Armani Williams started the scoring on a 57-yard touchdown run to give SM West a 17-10 lead.  In the fourth quarter Tre Burt scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to give SM West a 24-10 lead.  Gabe Guild found the endzone for the Raiders on a 30-yard run to make the score 24-17 early in the fourth quarter.  SM West came back with a 19-yard field goal from Whitrock and an 11-yard interception return for a touchdown by Tori Powell to close out the game.

Week Six Review

Lawrence Free State's Kyle McFarland was bottled
up for much of the game against SM East.  Photo
courtesy the Lawrence Journal World.

Three Up

Olathe South
The results say it all for the Falcons.  At 6-0 they're off to their best start since 2005, when they finished the season 9-2.  The only downside for the Falcons is that they won't be able to claim the league title or gain bragging rights over all of Olathe, until they face Olathe East in week nine.

SM East
The Lancers lost ugly last week, but won ugly this week.  Given the injuries suffered, SM East will take being 3-3 heading into districts.  On paper they'll be favored to go 3-0 to close out the season.

Olathe Northwest
After a decent victory on Friday the Ravens are sitting at .500 heading into district play.  If only they could develop something resembling a defense (they've given up 40 or more points four times in six games) they might be able to pull out a couple victories and make the playoffs.

Three Down

Olathe North
We saw this same sort of thing happen last year when Olathe East downed Olathe North 25-0 in late September--and it really didn't make a difference down the stretch.  The only thing is, outside of Olathe East, Olathe North really hasn't beat many good teams.

Lawrence Free State
Overshadowing Free State's last-minute 97-yard touchdown drive was the fact that the team wasn't able to convert a game tying two-point conversion late, or that they missed a PAT earlier which forced them to go for the two-point conversion.  It's little miscues like those that have haunted Free State for years.

SM South
After a solid first half effort the Raiders weren't able to come away with any points in the second half of their 42-17 loss at Lawrence.  If SM South has a shot at making the playoffs it's going to have to come with consistent scoring from their offense--because the defense hasn't bailed them out at all this year.

Week Six Players of the Week

Brad Strauss, Lawrence: In the mold of fomer Sunflower League greats like Derek Miller and Dustin Moomau, Strauss is playing offense, defense, and special teams, and dominating.  He scored six touchdowns on Friday.  One came on a kickoff return, four were on rushing scores, and one was on a pass.

Armani Williams, SM West: Williams has taken quite a few shots from the media and fans alike, and, to be honest, he came into a situation with pretty high standards for the Vikings.  His predecessors included Tyler Lawrence (a 20-game winner who played at KU), Blake Lawrence (a Simone finalist who was offered to play quarterback at Missouri) and DJ Balazs (a 21-game winner).  Williams finally played a great game, tossing three touchdowns passes and running for another in SM West's 28-point win Friday night. 

Week Seven Power Rankings

1. Olathe South (6-0): The Falcons' latest performance was easily their most impressive of the season.  The team's seemingly endless stable of running backs makes them a preparation headache for any school.

2. Olathe North (5-1): In some ways the Eagles may benefit from their loss to Olathe South.  They won't have as much pressure as the top dog, and you know what they say about how hard it is to beat a good team twice--assuming they meet up again with Olathe South in the playoffs.

3. Olathe East (5-1): With all the attention given to their neighbors to the North and South, Olathe East has quietly snuck up at 5-1, with an offensive attack that gets stronger every week.

4. Lawrence (4-2): Lawrence's district poses a good challenge, but regardless of how well they do, be sure to keep an eye on Brad Strauss.  You don't see kids putting up his type of numbers very often in the Sunflower League.

5. SM East (3-3): The Lancers can make up for some of their early season losses by sweeping their district and rolling into the playoffs at a very respectable 6-3... but we've seen what the expectation bug has done to the team in the past.

6. Lawrence Free State (4-2): As has been the case for the last six years, Bob Lisher found an athlete, stuck him at quarterback (Kyle McFarland being the athlete this year), and now has a team with one of the best offenses in the league.

7. SM West (3-3): We'll see if the Vikings can finally string together a two-game winning streak.  They'll be favored against SM South, but they also haven't faced an opponent whose head coach has as intricate of a knowledge of their own strengths and weaknesses as SM South's Ryan Lonergan.

8. Olathe Northwest (3-3): This is Todd Dain's eighth year at Olathe Northwest, and you could make the case that this is his best team yet.  Their district doesn't do them any favors, but to be among the best you have to beat the best.

9. SM Northwest (1-5): You can open your eyes now, Cougars.  The non-district stretch of your season is over.  Awaiting you in your district are three teams with a combined record of 3-15.

10. SM North (1-5): While they did lose to Olathe Northwest, the Indian's showed alot of fight and came within a touchdown of tying the game up in the fourth quarter.  Mason Perez is also a bigtime playmaker that would be getting mentioned among the league's best if he played for a better team.

11. SM South (1-5):  The Raiders should close out the season with at least one more win.  However, despite their poor record, I think things are boding well for the program now and into the future.

12. Leavenworth (0-6): It's do or die time for the Pioneers.  Hopefully they can beat Wyandotte this week and claim at least one victory on the season.  Heck, they may even pull an upset out in one of their next two games and make the playoffs.

Week Three Review

Three Up

Olathe East's John Kelsh.  Photo courtesy
the Lawrence Journal World.

Olathe East
The Hawks began the season against three of the best teams in the league--Olathe North, SM East, and Lawrence--and came away with a 2-1 record.  Two out of three isn't bad in that stretch as they strive for a second 10-win season in a row.

SM Northwest
The Cougars avoided starting the season 0-3 for the second time in a row with some late-game heroics.  They also did a good job of curtailing Willie Cauley's overall impact on the game.

Olathe North
It probably gets lonely at the top, but the Eagles don't seem to mind.  Sometimes we take for granted the way Olathe North consistently dominates their opponents (see their 48-21 win over SM West on Thursday) but all-in-all the Eagles are 3-0, dominating, and worthy of some recognition.

Three Down

Olathe Northwest
Whenever it seems like the Ravens are over the hump they go and lose a game like they did on Friday.  After jumping out to a comfortable 20-6 lead, they let SM Northwest back into the game and lost when the Cougars made a last-second field goal.

Lawrence
Unfortunately for the 1-2 Chesty Lions, the bulk of their schedule is not yet over.  They still have SM East, Olathe North, and their crosstown rival Free State remaining--all of which will be challenging games.  That's not to mention contests against SM South and Olathe Northwest, both of whom have played well through week three.

SM North
The Indians have been outscored 87-14 in their last two games after starting the season with a victory over SM South.  The team's lone bright spot has been Mason Perez who continues to put up touchdowns despite SM North's poor performances overall.

Week Three Players of the Week

Kyle McFarland, Lawrence Free State: McFarland completed 10 of 18 passes for 206 yards and four touchdowns, carried the ball 13 times for 84 yards, and made the game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter to help Free State to their second win of the year.  With his efforts, McFarland likely established himself as the heir-apparent to last season's quarterback, Dylan Perry.

Treshawn Root, Olathe North: Root sliced through the SM West defense en route to 195 rushing yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries.  His average of 17.7 yards per carry was ridiculous and he looked like the league's top running back with the efforts.

Week Four Power Rankings

1. Olathe North (3-0): The Eagles have outscored their opponents 122-42 and are sitting pretty with their 3-0 record.

2. Olathe South (3-0): Olathe South has taken care of business as well as anyone, and now they face their second true test of the season in a road trip to SM East.

3. Olathe East (2-1): Watch out, the Hawks are gaining momentum.  After a dismal week one performance they've strung together two wins in a row against good teams.

4. SM East (2-1): After laying an egg against Olathe East in week two the Lancers have a chance to redeem themselves versus a quality opponent in Olathe South this Saturday.

5. Lawrence (1-2): The Chesty Lions' schedule hasn't treated them well thus far and their 1-2 record is not an accurate reflection of the talent the team possesses.

6. Lawrence Free State (2-1): The Firebirds pulled out a nice victory late against SM South, and in a season with as much parody as this one experience like that will be huge come district and playoff time.

7. SM West (1-2): The Vikings are playing hard but it's not making much of a difference in the win column.  They can gain some confidence this week against SM North before facing Olathe East in week five.

8. SM Northwest (1-2): The Cougars' win on Friday was huge for their confidence, and five of their next six games could very likely result in Ws.

9. Olathe Northwest (2-1): The Ravens failed to close down SM Northwest and their two wins against Leavenworth and SM South (who are a combined 0-6) is looking not-so-impressive. 

10. SM North (1-2): The Indians don't play a team ranked in the top five of this week's Power Rankings the rest of the season and an easy district should result in at least a three-win regular season.

11. SM South (0-3): I can't remember the last time a team not only had three straight games decided on the final possession, but also came up short in all three instances.

12. Leavenworth (0-3): Hopefully the Pioneers' 31-point loss doesn't stop the team from competing hard the way early blowouts have in the past with the program.

Week Three Game Recaps

Lawrence Free State's Kyle
McFarland.  Photo courtesy
the Lawrence Journal World.

Lawrence Free State 26, SM South 21

Eventually SM South is going to come out on the winning side of a close game, but that wasn't the case this past Friday when they hosted Free State.  Kyle McFarland (who may have established himself once and for all as the Firebird's full-time quarterback with his performance) connected with Sam Hearnen on an 11-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to give Free State a 6-0 lead.  SM South came back with a seven-yard touchdown run from Alex Forslund, and a PAT conversion, to go up 7-6.

McFarland hit Ty Hughes on an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to give Free State a 12-7 edge.  SM South came back with a one-yard touchdown run from Forslund to regain the lead, 14-12.  The Raiders also started the second half off with a score on a 79-yard touchdown run from Gabe Guild to push the lead to 21-12.  From there it was all Free State.

McFarland found wide receiver Ryan Patterson on a 67-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter.  The Firebirds converted the two-point conversion and pulled to within one, at 21-20.  Late in the fourth quarter with just over a minute left, McFarland connected with Calloway Schmidt on a 28-yard touchdown pass to gain the lead, 26-21.  SM South had one last drive for an attempt at a score, but their chances were thwarted when Free State's McFarland picked off a Forslund pass with 25 seconds remaining.

Olathe East 21, Lawrence 20

Lawrence made a bold decision trying for a late two-point conversion, which would have put them up one point with just over a minute left, but the attempt failed and the Chesty Lions fell to 1-2 on the season.  Olathe East used their usual smash-mouth style of play to jump out to a 21-7 lead at halftime.  Lawrence came back in the second with a touchdown pass from Brad Strauss to Anthony Buffalomeat, which made the score 21-14 late in the third quarter.

The Chesty Lions failed on several close scoring attempts before they compiled their last touchdown drive, which went for 82 yards and concluded with a 15-yard touchdown from Strauss.  Down 21-20, Lawrence had the option to try for two, or attempt the PAT and hope for an overtime victory.  They chose the former and came up short.  As for Olathe East, the Hawks are now 2-1 after completing the most challenging three-game stretch to start the season of any team in the league. 

Olathe South 37, Leavenworth 6
 
It didn't take long for Olathe South to establish their run game, opening the scoring in the first quarter with a 45-yard touchdown run from Teddy Colbert.  Later in the quarter the Falcons finished off a drive with a one-yard touchdown run from Russell White to go up 15-0.  The game hit a stalemate until the third quarter when White added another touchdown run, this time from four yards out to put Olathe South up 23-0 after a successful two-point conversion attempt. 

Olathe South's final two touchdown scores came on a 41-yard pass from Frankie Seurer to Drew Johnson, and a 20-yard pass from Seurer to Matt Elliot, to go up 37-0.  Leavenworth broke the goose egg late with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Mark Dabeck to Michael Coleman.

SM Northwest 23, Olathe Northwest 20

This time around SM Northwest's late comeback worked well enough to garner a victory.  For Olathe Northwest, the loss prevented what would have undoubtedly been the best start in school history.

Olathe Northwest firmly established themselves in the first half, scoring three touchdowns to SM Northwest's one, to go up 20-6 at halftime.  The Ravens' three scores came on a six-yard pass from Dalton Rook to Connor Middleton, a one-yard run from Middleton, and finally a 40-yard pass from Rook to Willie Cauley.  SM Northwest was able to keep things honest with a five-yard touchdown run from Colton Dirks midway through the second quarter.

SM Northwest did all of the scoring in the second half.  Their first touchdown came on a five-yard run from Danny Manning in the third quarter, and their second on a five-yard run from Dirks in the fourth.  The second touchdown pulled the score to a 20-20 tie.  SM Northwest regained possession late in the fourth quarter and made their way to the Olathe Northwest 14-yard line.  With two seconds remaining in the game, Jorn Winklemolen booted a 31-yard field goal through the uprights to give SM Northwest a 23-20 victory--their first of the season.

 SM East 42, SM North 7

In contrast with what we're normally accustomed to seeing from SM East, the Lancers used their run game to fuel an early lead and solid victory over their neighbors from the north.  The Lancers got on the board with two early touchdowns from Jake Libeer on runs of 17 and 39 yards to go up 14-0.  SM North's top playmaker, Mason Perez, answered with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to make things 14-7.  That, however, was as close as the Indians would get to evening the score.  SM East added touchdowns from Jeff Cole and Tyler Nelson to pull ahead 28-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter Adam Lowe scored on an 11-yard run, to give the Lancers a 35-7 advantage.  Their final score came in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard pass from Nick Pirotte to Connor Rellihan.

Week One Game Recaps

Olathe North's Tanner Gentry.  Photo courtesy
the Kansas City Star.

Olathe North 29, Olathe East 14

Olathe North’s first scoring possession was a seven-play drive midway through the first quarter which ended with a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jordan Bruce (the cousin of former Olathe North Simone Award winner Arland Bruce) to wide receiver Tanner Gentry. Gentry caught the pass on a slant route across the middle, eluded several defenders and took the ball to the house. The extra point try was botched, but Bruce was able to run it around the outside for the two-point conversion to give Olathe North an 8-0 advantage.Two possessions later Olathe North scored on a five-yard stretch run from Orange Mooney.

Olathe North forced a three-and-out on the Hawks’ next possession, before getting the ball back again early in the second quarter. The Eagles put together an impressive 12-play, 70-yard drive ending with another touchdown pass from Bruce to Gentry, this time from 25 yards out.

Up 22-0, it looked like Olathe North was about to run away with the game—but Olathe East had something to say about it.

On their second offensive play of the second quarter Olathe East quarterback John Blazevic hit wide receiver Chad Johnson on a 67-yard fly route down the left side of the field for a touchdown. The score pulled the Hawks to within 15 points, 22-7.  Treshawn Root fumbled on Olathe North’s next possession, giving Olathe East the ball back with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. The Hawks took advantage of the turnover and drove to the Olathe North 31-yard line in 10 plays. Facing a 4th down and 18 with less than 20 seconds remaining in the half, Olathe East made one last attempt at a touchdown.

Blazevic fumbled the snap, but recollected it and tossed it to the front right corner of the endzone where Johnson made a miraculous catch over two defenders, hauling in the 31-yard touchdown pass—his second touchdown reception. After converting the extra point, Olathe East went into the half trailing Olathe North 22-15.

The second quarter magic didn’t continue for Olathe East in the second half, however. In the third quarter the closest either team came to scoring was a missed 27-yard field goal attempt by Olathe North.The first score of the second half came at the 5:35 mark of the fourth quarter when Olathe North’s Mooney capped off an 81-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The score and PAT put Olathe North up for good, 29-14.

Lawrence 35, SM West 12

Lawrence's junior quarterback Brad Strauss began the season ranked as the top player in the Sunflower League in my Player Ratings, and he did everything to live up to that hype in week one.  The Chesty Lions got on the board first when Strauss connected with receiver Erick Mayo on a 27-yard touchdown pass.  SM West responded with an 85-yard touchdown end-around run from Ricco Hopkins, but failed to make the extra point.  Lawrence came back with a 4-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Strauss to Drake Hofer.  Early in the second quarter SM West got on the board one last time, when Armani Williams hit Joel Spiller on a 32-yard touchdown pass.  The Vikings were once again unable to convert the extra point. 

From there, Strauss went on to score two touchdowns on runs of four and 23 yards, and then Lawrence running back Charles Jackson pounded in a three-yard touchdown run with under a minute left in the fourth quarter to enforce the victory.

Olathe Northwest 40, Leavenworth 14

Is this the year of the receiver in the Sunflower League?  Olathe Northwest certainly hopes so.  Their 6-foot-10 receiver Willie Cauley had a game for the ages against the Pioneers of Leavenworth, catching four touchdown passes and gaining 122 receiving yards.  Olathe Northwest scored first when quarterback Dalton Rook hit Cauley on a 27-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter.  Leavenworth was able to combat the score with a drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run from Judson Cole. 

From there it was all Olathe Northwest--or more appropriately, all Rooks to Cauley.  The combo hooked up on touchdown passes of 10 and 16 yards to close out the first half, and then connected again in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard touchdown pass.  Cole had chipped in another rushing touchdown from three yards out in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough, as Olathe Northwest finished off the game with a 59-yard touchdown run from Connor Middleton and a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown by Tim Mayes.

Olathe South 35, Lawrence Free State 14

This time around it was the Olathe South offense that jumped out and dominated the game.  Free State scored early on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tye Hughes to Kyle McFarland--but that was the last lead for the Firebirds.  Olathe South scored 35 straight unanswered points.  Jordan Ward scored on a 19-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter, before Scott Gourley intercepted a Free State pass and took it 15 yards to the house.  Olathe South led 14-7 at the half.

In the third quarter Olathe South added two touchdowns on a 66-yard run from Ward and a three-yard touchdown run from Teddy Colbert.  Russell White scored the Falcons' fifth touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run.  Free State scored with under two minutes left when Hughes hit Joe Dineen on a nine-yard touchdown pass.

SM North 26, SM South 22

As usual, the annual contest between SM North and SM South lived up to the billing.  A hard-fought battle came down to the final possession of the game before a winner was decided.  An early 12-yard touchdown pass from SM South quarterback Alex Forslund to receiver Weston Searcey was matched by SM North when their quarterback Ryan Theis hit Mason Perez on a 26-yard touchdown pass.  Gabe Guild caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for SM South before Theis hit Perez again on a long touchdown pass, this time from 58 yards.  SM South led 14-13 at the half. 

SM North reeled off two unanswered touchdowns on a 26-yard pass from Theis to Matthew Maynard and a seven-yard run by Brock Burrows to gain a 26-14 lead.  SM South scored midway through the fourth quarter on an eight-yard run by Guild to pull within four points.  SM South then gained possession one more time with 2:18 left in the game.  The Raiders drove all the way to the SM North 12-yard line, but the drive ended when SM North defensive back Jack Currie jumped in front of a Forslund pass for an interception.