The Smith Center Redmen had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 38.4 points), and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They came out on top against Valley Heights by a score of 34-22. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Smith Center also won the last time the pair played back in October of 2022.
Leading Smith Center to victory were Jason Desbien and Luke Franklin. Desbien rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns, while Franklin rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Franklin is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last three games he's played.
Valley Heights' loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performance. Perhaps the best among them was Carson Spoonts, who threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith Center's win was their fifth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 7-1. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-8 Republic County and 2-6 Oakley (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 37.5% over those games). As for Valley Heights, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 6-2.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Smith Center will take on Belle Plaine at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Belle Plaine will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Kansas Rankings (they are ranked 204th, while Smith Center is ranked 70th). As for Valley Heights, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Remington at 7:00 p.m.
