Two dominant backs in Colton Brusven and Quinton Harding are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Tonganoxie Chieftains will square off against the Chanute Blue Comets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Tonganoxie entered their tilt with Ottawa with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Tonganoxie took their game at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 45-10 victory over Ottawa. Given Tonganoxie's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked 32nd, while Ottawa is ranked 102nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tonganoxie's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brusven led the charge by rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Trevor McGraw, who threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns on only 17 passes.
Meanwhile, Chanute entered their tilt with Schlagle with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. Chanute claimed a resounding 46-10 victory over Schlagle at home.
Harding was his usual excellent self, rushing for 280 yards and four touchdowns on only 11 carries. Harding's longest rush was for an incredible 70 yards. Kris Harding ii was another key contributor, throwing for 194 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 passes.
Tonganoxie's win bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Chanute, their victory was their fifth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 8-1.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as the two teams have no problem gaining yardage. Tonganoxie has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 420.7 total yards per game. However, it's not like Chanute struggles in that department as they've been averaging 389.7 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Tonganoxie strolled past Chanute in their previous meeting back in September by a score of 38-21. The rematch might be a little tougher for Tonganoxie since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
