Atchison is on a six-game streak of home wins, while Tonganoxie is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Atchison Phoenix will take on the Tonganoxie Chieftains at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Atchison's favor is that they have now posted big point totals every time they've taken the field this season.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Atchison walked away with it. They put the hurt on Eudora with a sharp 50-27 win on Friday. The result was nothing new for Atchison, who have now won nine contests by 23 points or more so far this season.
Atchison's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Trey Carter led the charge by rushing for 132 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries, while also throwing for 266 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 passes. Another player making a difference was Jaden Carter, who rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Tonganoxie beat Chanute 28-21 on Friday.
Colton Brusven was his usual excellent self, rushing for 208 yards and three touchdowns. Tonganoxie also got help from Isaiah Holthaus who showed off his sure hands for 84 receiving yards.
Their wins bumped Atchison to 10-0 and Tonganoxie to 8-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Atchison has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 204.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Tonganoxie struggles in that department as they've been even better at 229.2 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Atchison was dealt a bruising 49-0 defeat at the hands of Tonganoxie in their previous meeting back in October of 2017. Thankfully for Atchison, Dalton Bock (who rushed for 251 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.0 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
