This season hasn't been kind to The Blue Valley North Mustangs, who are still winless after their eighth game. They lost to St. James Academy at home by a decisive 26-7 margin on Friday. Blue Valley North was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as St. James Academy apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in October of 2022.
When it comes to explaining why Blue Valley North lost, one person who can't be blamed is Malakai Moala. Despite the final result, he picked up 99 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Among those leading the charge was Ben Wheeler, who threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground.
Another reason for the win was St. James Academy's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. Leading the way was Max Requet and his two sacks.
Blue Valley North's defeat was their ninth straight at home (dating back to last season), which dropped their overall record down to 0-9. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 8-1 Blue Valley Southwest and 11-2 Bishop Miege (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 59.5% over those games). As for St. James Academy, their win bumped their record up to 2-7.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Blue Valley North will challenge Gardner-Edgerton at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Gardner-Edgerton presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Blue Valley North in Kansas (Gardner-Edgerton is ranked second, while Blue Valley North is ranked 70th). As for St. James Academy, they will head out on the road to face off against Bishop Miege at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bishop Miege will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
