Olathe North (Kan.) at East (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)
Cole Murphy, Olathe North
Photo by Sam Soliday
At least on paper, the winner of this semifinal game will advance into next weekend's state championship game as the clear favorite. That's because Friday night's showdown matches Kansas' last two unbeaten Class 6A teams – teams that have been ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in state media polls all season. Last week, Olathe North (11-0) advanced with a 27-14 win over Blue Valley (Stilwell) that featured a key fumble recovery and touchdown reception in the fourth quarter by Kansas-committed tight end/defensive end
Josh Moore. On the other hand, Shawnee Mission East's quarterfinal victory was much more decisive – a 41-0 rout of West (Shawnee Mission). It was the Lancers' 10th win by 28 or more points this season.
Follow live scoring of this game on Qwixcore Just the facts: Though Olathe North and Shawnee Mission East are both members of the Sunflower League, the teams did not meet during the regular season and ended up sharing the conference championship. … Olathe North is seeking its 11th state championship appearance and ninth title in the last 19 seasons. Shawnee Mission East finished runner-up last season, and that was its only state finals appearance in school history.
Mitch Stephens: Olathe North 24, Shawnee Mission East 14
Kevin Askeland: Shawnee Mission East 32, Olathe North 14
Jamie DeMoney: Olathe North 23, Shawnee Mission East 20
Stephen Spiewak: Shawnee Mission East 20, Olathe North 17
Leland Gordon: Shawnee Mission East 43, Olathe North 35
Colin Ward-Henninger: Olathe North 30, Shawnee Mission East 28
Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for the past 20 seasons. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and compiles the National Prep Poll (PrepNation) for World Features Syndicate.
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