Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only The Olathe North Eagles walked away with it. They put the hurt on Blue Valley West with a sharp 35-14 victory on Friday. The result was nothing new for Olathe North, who have now won six matchups by 21 points or more so far this season.
Tj Porter was his usual excellent self, rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry, and also picking up 39 receiving yards. Porter hasn't dropped below two rushing touchdowns for four straight games.
Another reason for the win was Olathe North's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Nate Gunderson and his two sacks.
Blue Valley West's loss came despite strong showings from Crew Myers and Tate Nagy. Myers picked up 219 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Nagy threw for 267 yards and a touchdown.
The win was the fifth in a row for Olathe North, bringing their record for this year to 9-1. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-9 Shawnee Mission West and 0-9 Shawnee Mission West (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 38% over those games). As for Blue Valley West, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-6 record this season.
Olathe North will take on Blue Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Kansas (Blue Valley is ranked 17th, while Olathe North is ranked tenth). Blue Valley West does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
