To say it has been an interesting start to the year is an understatement. We’ve seen some great individual and team performances along with some historic wins in the first three weeks of the football year.
There are always some teams that jump out early grab a few wins and look like they are ready to take the big step forward. That sometimes happens but other times, its schedule driven, and those same teams will struggle when the competition gets stiffer.
A few teams that have caught my eye are North Kansas City, Gardner-Edgerton and Shawnee Mission South. Those three teams combined for a total of six wins all last season. Each has yet to lose and they total seven so far this year.
Which one looks like the most likely to continue this trend? Well each has a tougher middle part of their schedule, but it looks like all three have a chance to end with winning seasons.
North Kansas City will face its toughest test of the season when it travels to Fort Osage on Friday. The Hornets have been putting up monster offensive numbers running back Clyde Price has 825 yards and 10 touchdowns in just three games. He has been a workhorse for the Hornets. North Kansas City is a running team attempting just a handful of passes each week. If the Hornets can keep that going against a tough Indians defense this could be a special season.
South is in a similar situation. The Raiders play Lansing this week and then get a back to back test with Olathe South and Shawnee Mission East. South will need a defense that has allowed just six points in two games to again be stout over the next couple of weeks.
Gardner-Edgerton gets Lawrence and Olathe East the next two weeks. Their new flex-bone offense under new coach Ryan Cornelson has looked good the first two weeks and the Trailblazers will need that side of the ball to be strong the rest of the season.
All three of these teams look like a winning season is in their grasp. That being said going from winning just a few to finishing with a winning record is not easy. There is a reason we see some of the same programs going deep year in year out. When a team plays deeper in the postseason they get that many more weeks of practice for everyone from senior to freshman. That adds up over time.
While it may be hard it’s good to see some fresh faces making big impacts. Let’s hope this trend continues.
