Third-quarter surge leads Shawnee Mission East to win

Regardless of where he has coached over the years, success has followed Chip Sherman with some rather wealthy returns. Take his 20-year stint at Platte County for example.

Sherman-coached teams at the Suburban Small 6 school won 52 straight games from 2000-02, while claiming three straight Class 3 state football titles. The Pirates also earned 10 league titles and 12 district championships during his 191-37 tenure at the school.

In 2008, Sherman hit the road and took over the head-coaching job at South (Salina). Battling the likes of Derby, Hutchinson and Salina Central in the brutal Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail (Division 1) League, the Cougars rebounded from a 2-7 mark in 2007 to finish Sherman's first and only season at the school with an 8-3 record after falling to the Salt Hawks 28-0 in the Class 5A quarterfinals.

A year ago, Sherman took over a struggling football program at East (Shawnee Mission). The Lancers had won six games collectively in 2007 and 2008. After three straight losses to begin the 2009 season, Sherman guided the Lancers to four wins in the Sunflower League school's next five games, securing a Class 6A postseason berth.

Sherman has the Lancers off to a fast start in 2010. Friday's 28-21 win at Lawrence Free State marked Shawnee Mission East's fourth win in five tries this season, allowing the Lancers to bounce back following a 24-13 loss to defending Class 6A champion Olathe North.

"That was gigantic…gigantic," Sherman said of his team's ability to rebound from a loss, despite playing against a very good football team. "It solidifies everything we are trying to teach here. The mood has been upbeat and positive here. It just goes to show that when you work hard and do everything the right way, like we try to do, good things often happen."

The Lancers scored first in Friday's thrilling win, but trailed 7-6 at halftime. However, a 15-point outburst in the third quarter allowed the Lancers to carry a 21-7 advantage into the final quarter following Matt Cole's 2-yard scoring run. Cole opened the game's scoring in the second quarter with a 1-yard plunge. Lancer quarterback John Schrock scored from a yard out in the third quarter.

Lawrence Free State tried to rally in the final 12 minutes, cutting its deficit to seven points twice. Dylan Perry, who scored on a 19-yard run in the second quarter, cut the gap to 21-14 after he raced to paydirt from 64 yards out. Following Schrock's 4-yard scamper into the end zone, Henry Vaeono scored on a 5-yard run to pull the Firebirds to within 28-21.

But Shawnee Mission East scored a first down on its next possession, and ran out the clock.

"That was big. To come out and have success right away was crucial for us," Sherman said of his team's 15 third quarter points. "The kids feed off of that. And then it was important to answer. Anytime you answer like that, you deflate the other team."

Schrock completed 15 of 20 passes for 169 yards in the win, while Adam Lowe led a Lancer rushing attack that gained 215 yards on the night, with 141 yards of his own on 13 carries. Perry rushed for 176 yards and threw for 101 more in the loss.

The win over the Firebirds allows Shawnee Mission East to climb two spots in the latest Class 6A poll, while Free State falls out after climbing into the No. 9 slot a week ago. Check out this week's rankings below.

FIRST WIN
After falling behind 35-14 to Blue Valley West Friday, Blue Valley Southwest scored the game's final 22 points to rally for the first-year school's first win, 36-35.

"It means a lot to the kids and it means a lot to the school, too," Timberwolf athletic director Gary Howard told the Kansas City Star. "For them to get the first win was totally unexpected. It was great for those kids' morale, confidence and it was good for the climate of the school because it changed a little bit."

Going into the game, the Timberwolves were outscored 197-21. Blue Valley Southwest (1-4) goes for win No. 2 Friday at Blue Valley North.

KANSAS’ TOP PERFORMERS
RUSHING
Ross Binford of Kiowa County rushed for 508 yards and six touchdowns on 40 carries in a 58-42 win over South Central… Solomon's John Aylward rushed for 387 yards and four touchdowns on 40 carries in an 84-60 win over Goessel… Andrew Westerfield of Sunrise Christian Academy rushed for 330 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries in a 52-40 win over McLouth… Nemaha Valley's Keegan McKernan rushed for 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 16 carries in a 28-12 win over Sabetha…Tanner Fisher of Buhler rushed for 274 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries in a 46-33 win over Mulvane… Sedgwick's Dylan Todd rushed for 261 yards and a pair of scores on 23 carries in a 35-16 win over Marion… Alex Courtney of McLouth rushed for 254 yards on 29 carries in a 31-13 win over Jefferson North… Olpe's Linden Stueve rushed for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22 carries in a 32-7 win over Lyndon.

PASSING
Dj Bronson of Northern Heights completed 23 of 39 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-19 win over Central Heights… Bishop Miege's Max Shortell completed 18 of 36 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-26 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas… Neal Brubaker of Goessel completed 20 of 37 passes for 367 yards and four touchdowns in an 84-60 loss to Solomon…Chetopa's Dylan Price completed 14 of 24 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-34 loss to Crest… Marcus Irsik of Elkhart completed 21 of 31 passes for 320 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-15 win over Sublette… Mulvane's Gus Strunk completed 22 of 39 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns in a 46-33 loss to Buhler… Nathan Frame of Kinsley completed 11 of 18 passes for 269 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-14 win over Spearville…Hill City's Reggie Jordan completed 14 of 27 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns in a 50-38 loss to Osborne.

RECEIVING
Zach Demars of Southern Cloud caught six passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns in a 66-40 loss to Wakefield… Elkhart's James Kelly caught 10 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-15 win over Sublette… Dylan Anderson of Hill City caught five passes for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 50-38 loss to Osborne…Tre Parmalee of Bishop Miege caught seven passes for 148 yards and a score in a 31-26 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas… Bonner Springs' Steve Williams caught four passes for 137 yards and a couple of touchdowns in a 41-28 win over Tonganoxie… Keenan Sparks of Derby caught five passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in a 38-27 win over Andover… Northern Heights' Casey Atchison caught four passes for 132 yards in a 44-19 win over Central Heights.

KANSAS FOOTBALL RANKINGS
TOP 10
1. Wichita Heights (5-0) 226 128 1
2. Gardner-Edgerton (5-0) 263 68 2
3. Hutchinson (4-1) 263 83 3
4. Blue Valley (5-0) 228 35 5
5. Manhattan (5-0) 192 66 6
6. Junction City (5-0) 181 50 7
7. East (Olathe) (4-1) 171 47 4
8. North (Olathe) (4-1) 159 67 8
9. Aquinas (5-0) 219 74 9
10. West (Shawnee Mission) (4-1) 157 82 10

CLASS 6A
1. Wichita Heights (5-0) 226 128 1
2. Manhattan (5-0) 192 66 3
3. Junction City (5-0) 181 50 4
4. Olathe East (4-1) 171 47 2
5. Olathe North (4-1) 159 67 5
6. Shawnee Mission West (4-1) 157 82 6
7. Dodge City (5-0) 205 64 8
8. Shawnee Mission East (4-1) 140 82 10
9. Washburn Rural (4-1) 200 108 –
10. Topeka (4-1) 174 103 7

CLASS 5A
1. Gardner-Edgerton (5-0) 263 68 1
2. Hutchinson (4-1) 263 83 2
3. Blue Valley (5-0) 228 35 3
4. St. Thomas Aquinas (5-0) 219 74 4
5. McPherson (5-0) 251 81 5
6. Wichita Bishop Carroll (4-1) 188 47 6
7. Wichita Kapaun Mount Carmel (5-0) 216 36 8
8. Hays (5-0) 187 43 9
9. Bishop Miege (2-3) 164 109 7
10. Central (Andover) (4-1) 161 71 10

CLASS 4A
1. Hayden (4-1) 133 68 1
2. Louisburg (5-0) 166 23 2
3. Buhler (5-0) 217 50 3
4. Abilene (5-0) 170 68 4
5. Baldwin (5-0) 207 33 5
6. Holton (4-1) 237 28 6
7. Independence (5-0) 220 86 8
8. Royal Valley (5-0) 198 58 –
9. Concordia (4-1) 148 96 10
10. Basehor-Linwood (5-0) 172 58 –

CLASS 3A
1. Conway Springs (5-0) 298 34 1
2. Scott (5-0) 174 49 2
3. Trinity (5-0) 261 70 3
4. Collegiate (4-1) 189 105 4
5. Norton (5-0) 204 36 5
6. Silver Lake (4-1) 134 49 6
7. Phillipsburg (5-0) 142 49 7
8. Garden Plain (4-1) 249 37 8
9. Atchison County (5-0) 235 54 10
10. Pleasant Ridge (5-0) 208 33 –

CLASS 2-1A
1. St. Mary's-Colgan (5-0) 248 7 1
2. Olpe (5-0) 113 59 2
3. Centralia (4-1) 169 76 3
4. Meade (4-1) 221 56 4
5. Oswego (5-0) 240 45 5
6. LaCrosse (5-0) 247 100 6
7. Elkhart (5-0) 194 65 8
8. Washington County (4-1) 190 52 7
9. Troy (4-1) 134 27 –
10. Wathena (5-0) 153 65 –