KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There’s a whole new level of excitement for Kansas City area high school football teams this Friday night. It’s the first week of playoffs. Every team’s season is on the line. Here are Five Games to Watch:
1. Olathe East at Lawrence Free State
This matchup features a district champ and a team that had to work hard to make the playoffs. Lawrence Free State won the district crown after knocking off Olathe Northwest 35-14 last week. Olathe East made the playoffs after its 20-13 win against Shawnee Mission South and Blue Valley Northwest’s victory against Blue Valley North. So does Lawrence Free State head coach Bob Lisher think his team’s home playoff game against Olathe East will be close? “Absolutely,” Lisher said. “They’re a quality football team. They’re coached well. Our guys understand they’re a darn good team.”
Olathe East’s Hayden Groves ran for two touchdowns to help the Hawks continue their season last week. “They have two running backs that are really good and a receiver with 42 catches,” Lisher said.
Lawrence Free State features quarterback Cameron Torneden. He made first team all-league last year. They also have running back Kirk Resseguie, who’s rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season.
Both Olathe East and Lawrence Free State have similar records. Olathe East is 6-3 and Lawrence Free State is 7-2. But one of Lawrence Free State’s losses came against Olathe East. The Hawks beat the Firebirds 29-20 in the opening game of the season at Olathe East. “We want to prove that we can hold on to the ball and be a pretty good team,” Lisher said. “We need to block better and tackle better than the last time we played them.”
Lisher’s team turned it over five times in its loss against Olathe East. Lawrence Free State’s only other loss came against Olathe North. The Firebirds fell 38-20 against Olathe North and if they beat Olathe East Friday night, they could face Olathe North again in the second round of the playoffs.
Lawrence Free State was the runner-up at state last year. It lost to Junction City in the finals. “This year, it goes through Olathe North,” Lisher said. “They will be the odds on favorite.”
2. St. Thomas Aquinas at Mill Valley
Gardner-Edgerton managed to beat St. Thomas Aquinas during districts. Will Mill Valley be able to do the same thing in the playoffs? Home field advantage will be on Mill Valley’s side when it hosts Aquinas Friday night. “I think we’re pleased that we’re playing at home,” Mill Valley head coach George Radell said. “We’ve played hard in our last few games at home. We’ve had success. We’re excited.”
Mill Valley is 6-3, while Aquinas is 8-1. Mill Valley is on a roll. It completed a perfect district after beating Lansing last week, 31-28. Aquinas lost its district title to Gardner-Edgerton. But the Saints rebounded last week with a 39-13 victory against Pittsburg. “We recognize the challenge that they present,” Radell said. “The opportunity to be in the playoffs and to host a first round game is something that gets all of our players excited. They’re eager to get on the field.”
The teams last met two years ago when Aquinas won the game. “Defensively, we’re going to have to play well,” Radell said. “We probably don’t want to get into a track meet with them. If we can hold on to the ball and take of the football, we’ll give ourselves a better chance to be successful.”
Mill Valley has a strong offensive line. The Jaguars will be going against a team that has plenty of athleticism. Aquinas features quarterback Richard Davila. “His athleticism is impressive. That alone isn’t the only concern. They have a good running back in Dagan Reed. They have a receiver in Shane Nachbar that is fast. And he’s not the only receiver that catches balls.”
The winner of this game will play either Turner or Shawnee Heights in the second round of the playoffs.
3. Liberty at Rockhurst
Liberty lost a big district game against Blue Springs this season. But the Blue Jays have another chance to collect a huge victory when they play Rockhurst. If Liberty can eliminate Rockhurst from the playoffs, that would be enormous. When you look at the records, it appears to be an even game. Both teams enter the contest at 8-2. Rockhurst’s schedule, though, has been extremely difficult this season.
The Blue Jays bounced back nicely last week after falling to Blue Springs. The Blue Jays knocked off Blue Springs South 42-28. Rockhurst breezed through district play. The Hawkletts are coming off a 49-19 victory against Joplin.
Head coach Tony Severino, who’s in his 27th year of coaching Rockhurst, knows Liberty will be a challenge. “I think they’re one of the top two or three teams in the city that we’ve seen,” Severino said. “They have a core of seniors. This time of year, that’s invaluable to have.”
Liberty features wide receiver Marcus Lucas. But Severino says there’s more to Liberty and Lucas. “They have three or four weapons that we have to be aware of,” Severino said. “Marcus Lucas is their big playmaker, but they have a good quarterback and running back. You can’t just concentrate on Lucas. We have to neutralize all three of them.”
Rockhurst features quarterback Frank Arbanas and running back Sal Belfonte. “Frank has become more consistent,” Severino said. “His decision making has gotten better throughout the year. We have to ride Sal in the playoffs. We’ll go as far as he’ll take us.”
Belfonte doesn’t just play running back for the Hawkletts. They use him at linebacker, safety and other positions. Rockhurst lost in the quarterfinals to Blue Springs South last year. “Our goal is to always get to this point,” Severino said. “Anything can happen. Going into the year, if anyone thought we’d be in this position, people would have said they’re crazy. To be 8-2 after the schedule we had, that’s been rewarding. Now, it’s up in the air.”
Liberty and Rockhurst haven’t played each other since 2007. Rockhurst won that matchup 47-21. But Severino expects a much closer game this year. “They’re a tough matchup for us,” he said. “It’s going to be a heck of a ball game. They have a lot of weapons. They’ll be one of the better teams we’ve played.”
4. Blue Valley vs. Shawnee Mission West at Shawnee Mission South
It’s been a while since these two teams played each other. You have to go back to 1986. That’s when Shawnee Mission West beat Blue Valley in overtime. It could be another close game this year. The Blue Valley Tigers are heating up at just the right time. “Anytime you’re still playing in November, you’re pleased,” Blue Valley head coach Steve Rampy said. We’re happy being 2-1 in our last three games. That’s all that matters.”
Blue Valley struggled to win games for most of the year. But that’s changed. The Tigers have a 3-6 record and have won two games in a row. That includes a 42-14 win against Olathe South and a 42-21 victory against Blue Valley West. That win against Blue Valley West last week qualified Blue Valley for the playoffs.
Shawnee Mission West, on the other hand, is 8-1. The Vikings won their district. They beat Shawnee Mission Northwest 20-8, blew out Shawnee Mission North 49-7 and knocked off Shawnee Mission East 28-12. “We have our hands full,’” Rampy said. “They are a very good football team. They have two great running backs and a quarterback that’s good. It will take our best effort to stay in the game.”
The Vikings feature running backs William Livingston and Cordi Pascal. “Our defense against the run has been good all year,” Rampy said. “I feel good about our chances.”
Shawnee Mission West’s only lost this year came against Lawrence Free State. Blue Valley is trying to advance far in the playoffs, just like it did last year. The Tigers made the state semifinals last season before losing to those Lawrence Free State Firebirds.
5. Sumner Academy at Topeka-Seaman
When you look at the records, one might think Sumner Academy has an advantage over Topeka-Seaman in this first round playoff matchup. Sumner is 6-3, while Topeka-Seaman is 5-4. “Don’t be fooled by their record,” Sumner head coach Todd Wassmann said. “They probably play in the toughest league in the state. They play Emporia, Junction City and Holton. They are battled tested. They’re really good. They will be the best team we play all year.”
Sumner features quarterback Armond Brisbane. He’s thrown for 1,500 yards and ran for 500 yards this season. The first year junior quarterback has scored 28 touchdowns. The Sabres also have tall receivers and playmakers, such as tight end Vernon Vaughn.
Wassmann is impressed Topeka-Seaman’s talent. “They run a lot of misdirection,” he said. “They throw all kinds of setups at you. They’re not real big. They just fly around and have speed.”
Sumner is focusing on all several keys to earn a victory. “I think we can’t turn the ball over,” Wassmann said. “That’s a big deal. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They’re completely sound. You can’t tell their players from one to the next. They’re a bunch of robots. For us to do well, we’ll have to play pretty mistake free football.”
This is the third straight year Sumner has made the playoffs. But the Sabres have never won a Kansas Class 5-A playoff game in school history. So what would a win against Topeka-Seaman mean to them? “It would be school history,” Wassmann said. “It would be great. We would be really excited.”
