Game Scores and Notes

Week Four Game Results

Olathe North 28, Olathe East 14 (All Star Video Sports Highlight Video)
Trailing 14-0 with minutes left before halftime, Olathe East's Hayden Groves sprang loose for a 64 yard run, which led to a Hawk touchdown with 29 second remaining in the half. Olathe North on the other hand would not faulter, and went on to outscore Olathe East 14-7 again in the second half for their fourth win of the season. The Eagles were led by none other than James Franklin, who rushed for 218 yards on 25 carries, and scored two touchdowns. Tre Walker chipped in 80 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles, with his last score putting the cap on a victory over their crosstown rival.

Lawrence Free State 22, SM West 15
Despite being outgained 362 to 210 in terms of total offense, SM West was in position to make another comeback againt Free State on Saturday. A long pass from DJ Balazs to Kevin Webster put SM West in position to tie things up with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, but ultimately the Free State defense held for the victory. Free State was led by Kirk Resseguie who rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

SM Northwest 34, Leavenworth 0
For the third week in a row Leavenworth failed to score any points. But the true story of the game was dominance of SM Northwest seniors John Hauk and Matt Nowak. Nowak completed 10 of 13 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns, and Hauk carried the ball 17 times for 77 yards and two touchdown of his own. The combo accounted for all of SM Northwest's touchdowns and helped the team to a 20-0 halftime lead, before adding two second
half touchdowns.

SM East 25, Lawrence 7
The fourth straight loss for Lawrence High turned out to be downright ugly. A plethora of first half turnovers and mistakes helped SM East to build a 19-0 lead. In the second half both teams scored a touchdown keeping the deficit of loss at 19 for Lawrence. Tyrae Jenkins' (below) 20 carries for 104 yards were little solace for the Chesty Lions who now, along with Leavenworth, remain winless on the season.


Olathe South 35, SM North 28
SM North gained a 21-7 lead at the half after a Kendall Kelly touchdown run, and two Ryan Goodburn touchdown passes but the 14 point cushion wasn't enough. Olathe South used their big play ability in the second half to outscore the Indians 28-7. Tanner Dutton put in two passing touchdowns and a rushing score for the Falcons, who improved to 2-2 on the season.

Olathe Northwest 17, SM South 7
Things looked good early for the SM South. After thwarting a promising Olathe Northwest drive, the Raiders completed an 81 yard drive of their own, highlighted by a 79 yards pass from Nick Johnson to Ricky Ashley, and capped off with a four yard run by Johannes Swanepoel. But the seven early points proved to be all the Raiders would manage. Olathe Northwest quarterback Josh Lemke used his ground abilities to add 79 yards and two touchdowns. A Nick Prologo field goal also contributed to the Raven victory.

Friday Morning Report

Thursday Night Results

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

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


**Due to weekend conflicts, I won't be able to make my next post until Sunday night.

Week One Review

Three Up

1. Olathe North
Any questions as to whether or not Olathe North was worthy of the hype they had received over the summer were answered in their 71-6 trouncing of Leavenworth. Granted, Leavenworth has been a perennial cellar-dweller in the Sunflower Conference, but dropping 71 points on any team is impressive. James Franklin and Tre Walker combined for five rushing touchdowns--the combo of those two is probably going to be a common thread throughout the season.

2. SM North
For the first time in head coach Ryan Majors five years at the helm, the Indians won the opening game of the season. A nice victory on the road at Lawrence should instill quite a bit of confidence in the group, and with Leavenworth on the schedule for Week Two, the Indians could be looking at their first 2-0 start in years.

3. Olathe East (below)
No Derahn Williams, Rick Settle, or Jake Woten? No problem. The Hawks made a big statement in Week One by taking down last season's 6A State-Runner Up in Lawrence Free State. It doesn't seem to matter who graduates from Olathe East, the program continues to reload. Now the true question is whether or not the Hawks can maintain the success throughout the season.

Three Down

1. Lawrence Free State
Maybe the Firebirds are just slow starters. With the exception of the 2006 season, Lawrence Free State has never been a team that starts the season real hot. Regardless, the Firebird's loss to Olathe East on Friday was a flat out let down. Their five turnovers certainly didn't help, and it makes you wonder how much the loss of Chucky Hunter is going to hurt the team.

2. Lawrence
The Chesty Lions had a great chance to break in their new stadium with a victory against the Indians of SM North--but an anemic effort on the offensive side of the ball made their first game at their new stadium a snooze fest. The Chesty Lions lost 17-14.

3. SM East
Obviously the Lancer's new head coach Chip Sherman has a proven track record and a great coach, and his influence on the program should take hold soon--but just not yet. The Lancers came out flat and were beat down by Olathe Northwest in a 29-7 loss.

Individual Highlights

**Olathe South quarterback Tanner Dutton passed for 315 yards and one touchdown against SM West, but despite the lofty number the Falcons lost, 29-23.

**Olathe North's Jason Peete returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown, while also helping the Eagles to a defensive domination of Leavenworth. After a dominate junior season, Peete looks on track to being one of the Sunflower League's top defenders again in 2009.

**SM West's Alex Snook returned a late interception for a touchdown to put SM West up on Olathe South for good. Snook's efforts were the bright spot on an otherwise unimpressive effort from the Viking's defensive coverage on Friday.

**The combined effort of Josh Lemke and Brandon Bouvilom helped Olathe Northwest to a very impressive defeat of SM East. The Ravens showed off an intensity they had lacked in years past.

**Despite his team's loss, Lawrence running back Tyrae Jenkins (below) rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries.

Week Two Power Rankings

1. Olathe North (1-0): Eagles out to prove they belong with North teams of the late 90s and early 2000s.

2. SM West (1-0): Vikings grit out a tough win with their typical dosage of hard nosed running and big plays defensively.

3. Olathe East (1-0): I've said it before--2009 could potentially be Jeff Meyers best body of coaching work ever. His inexperienced squad defeated a seasoned Lawrence Free State team in impressive fashion in Week One.

4. Lawrence Free State (0-1): We'll assume the Firebirds are off to another slow start.

5. SM Northwest (1-0): Although an eight point win against SM South isn't real impressive, the fact that they did it without two of their best athletes is.

6. Olathe South (0-1): It appears that head coach Jeff Gourley will be implementing alot of passing in 2009.

7. Olathe Northwest (1-0): Olathe Northwest is above .500 for the first time ever in school history.

8. SM North (1-0): Impressive Week One win by the Indians. A 2-0 start is also achievable.

9. Lawrence (0-1): The Chesty Lions ran the ball 41 times Friday, and appeared hesitant to throw the football.

10. SM East (0-1): Chip Sherman is denied is 200th career win in a disappointing start to the season for the Lancers.

11. SM South (0-1): On a positive note, the Raiders were within eight points of beating SM Northwest.

12. Leavenworth (0-1): Not a good start to the season. The Pioneers may not buck their poor tradition anytime soon.

Pre-Season Power Rankings

1. Olathe North
The last time the Eagles had this much talent was 2004, when players like Dustin Moomau, Justin Gore, and Randy Shepherd roamed the field. That squad went 12-1 before losing the 5A State Championship game to Salina South. The five years since that season have been a rollercoaster ride for the Olathe North program, but it appears that the Eagles have finally put it all together again and are once again the team to beat for the 6A title ... at least on paper.
James Franklin can probably be penciled in for a 2,000+ yard rushing season after dominate junior and sophomore seasons. What's more, Lucas Vincent and Tre Walker will lead a nasty defense loaded with speed. Also keep an eye on the Eagles offensive line--Oliver Venegas and Zach Maggard are as good as any lineman in the conference. In addition to all of that, the Eagles should see a decent amount of contribution from junior-to-be Adonis Saunders (above), who won the 6A 100 Meter Dash crown this past year as a sophomore.


2. Lawrence Free State
For years, the knock on Bob Lisher and the Lawrence Free State football program was their inability to make in-game adjustments to win big games. That all changed last season when Free State went on a tear in the 6A state playoffs, beating a 7-2 SM Northwest, an 8-2 Olathe North, and then a 10-1 Blue Valley team to make the 6A title game. Camren Torneden is back at quarterback for Free State, and he should make significant improvements with one year at quarterback under his belt. Running back Kirk Ressiguie, and receiver Keene Niemack will add another dimension of speed and quickness to the offense to compliment Torneden. The Firebirds also have the coach's son, Michael Lisher, back for another season on the offensive line.


3. Shawnee Mission West
The Vikings have become a consistent force under head coach Tim Callaghan, and 2009 should be no different. Returning at quarterback will be DJ Balazs, who will be the first three year starting quarterback for the Vikings since former Kansas quarterback Tyler Lawrence. Balazs has enough experience and leadership ability to make up for the absence the Vikings will be feeling early on without last year's All-State running back, Darron Harvey. Athletes Adam LeBlanc and Drew Humphreys will be two-way starters for the Vikings, and both players have the range and ability to be very effective for SM West. Watch for developing junior-to-be offensive lineman Connor Askren to be a household name by season's end.


4. Olathe East
The Hawks were dealt a big blow when the class of 2009 graduated. All-Sunflower League performers Jake Woten, Rick Settle, JaVon Williams, and Derahn Williams graduated in addition to the rest of their dominate senior class. The program has some catching up to do, but given Olathe East's recent history, a top four finish in the Sunflower League should be expected--regardless of who the team lost. Expect the Hawks lone All-Sunflower League returnee, Aaron Williams, to lead a young team. Also, veteran head coach Jeff Meyers has proven to be one of the best of the last decade, and the 2009 season could be turn out to be his best coaching job yet.


5. Lawrence
Despite finishing the 2008 season with a less-than-spectacular 4-6 record, the Lions look to be on track to have a much improved season in 2009. They return Second Team All-Sunflower League performers in senior lineman Jay Baker, and junior linebacker Darren Sorem--both players epitomize the ideals of smash mouth football, staples of the Lawrence High football program. Add in the ability of Tyrae Jenkins at running back, and it is reasonable to assume the Lions should be a solidly improved team, good enough for a top five finish in the Sunflower League.


6. Shawnee Mission Northwest
SM Northwest, in a similar mode to Olathe East, will be in line for many new starters on both sides of the ball in 2009. The good news is that the Cougars return Matt Nowak at quarterback, along with Chris Mansker at receiver, and Tim Hunt at the tight end position. Also watch out for second team All-Sunflower League performer John Hauk to make his presence felt again in 2009, offensively at running back, and defensively at linebacker.


7. Olathe South
The Falcons should show decent improvement in year number two of head coach Jeff Gourley. Olathe South has a history of producing top talent, and Gourley has a history of steady improvement with his teams (he was 47-40 at Belton H.S. in Belton, MO, but he won 36 of those games in his final five seasons at Belton). The combination of the two should be good enough to elevate Olathe South's win total beyond the 3-6 record they had in 2008.


8. Shawnee Mission East
SM East is known for dominating the country club sports--tennis, golf, swim and dive, etc.--but football has never been a forte on the Prairie Village campus. Fomer head coach John Stonner helped the program to gain a respectable reputation in the KC Metro from 2003 through 2008, but the program never achieved a breakout season. The Lancers new head coach, Chip Sherman, has won three state championships in his career and has as good of a track record as any coach in the state of Kansas. His presence should be significant at SM East.


9. Olathe Northwest
Year six for head coach Todd Dain at Olathe Northwest should prove to be an interesting one. The Ravens return quarterback Josh Lemke (right) along with running backs Devon Boyce and Shawn Smith. The experience of that backfield alone should gain the program a few wins. The question remains whether or not the Ravens will be able gain any ground on the competition in a down year in the Sunflower League.


10. Shawnee Mission North
The 2008 season was a step in the right direction for head coach Ryan Majors and the SM North football program. The three wins weren't awe-inspiring, but they were important to the state of Indian football. Two years starting quarterback Arthur Rucker will make the offensive switch to the slot receiver position, in addition to taking on strong safety duties. An increased focus on a spread offensive look could also play dividends for the Indians.


11. Shawnee Mission South
SM South has been a down program for a long time, and there isn't anything that points to a dramatic turnaround in 2009--although big turnarounds have been known to happen in the Sunflower League. The Raiders lost one of their most dominant players in a long time in quarterback Dustin King to graduation, so addressing the quarterback position will be an immediate point of focus for SM South early on.


12. Leavenworth
Is 2009 the year the Pioneers finally rise from the cellar of the Sunflower League? It remains to be seen, but their head coach Chad Speer is young, full of energy, and is now in his third year as the head coach. The Pioneers also return a big time playmaker in Warren Brown, most notable for his appearance on Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays in October of 2008 after he returned a kick for a touchdown.

Photos Courtesy John Petrovic, TheOlatheNews.com