Photo Credit: Nick Smith/PrepsKC 
After putting up 49 points against a stout Mill Valley defense last week, there was a lot of hype around the Gardner-Edgerton offense leading up to another matchup of unbeatens Friday night. And deserving so. The Trailblazers were averaging nearly 48 points per game heading into their Homecoming game against Olathe North.
However, the big matchup between the Trailblazers and Eagles proved to be a defensive battle. The Gardner-Edgerton defense rose to the occasion down the stretch, helping the Trailblazers edge the Eagles, 21-14. Gardner-Edgerton had only allowed 17 points through its first four games, and head coach Jesse Owen was thrilled with the defense’s performance again on Friday.
“Our defense was tremendous. Our offense put them in a bind by turning the football over,” Owen said. “Our defense has just been really consistent. They read their keys well.”
Gardner-Edgerton (5-0) struggled to get rolling on offense—fumbling it away on its first two possessions. It didn’t look like the third possession would be the charm for the Trailblazers either. They were pinned at their own 1 following an Olathe North punt but got two first downs to get a little bit of breathing room to operate offensively. Bravin Powell then connected with Colton Hawkinson for a 74-yard touchdown pass to put the Trailblazers on the board first.
The Eagles (4-1) found themselves with their backs against the wall on the ensuing possession. After going three and out, the Eagles tried to punt it out of their own end zone, but a mishandled punt led to an Isaiah Williams fumble recovery in the end zone for the Trailblazers. Suddenly, the Trailblazers were up 14-0 early in the second quarter. The Eagles weren’t about to let the game to away from them, though.
With starting running back TJ Porter out due to injury, the Eagles needed someone to come up with a big play to spark their offense. Enter Aiden Bruce. The Olathe North wide receiver has been used a lot in the Eagles run game this year. Bruce’s 37-yard touchdown run with 5:23 to go in the second quarter cut the Eagles’ deficit in half.
“If it was an emergency, we might have stuck TJ in there, but it wasn’t worth losing him for possibly the entire season. We need him to get healthy,” Olathe North coach Chris McCartney said. “The guys that stepped in—Blaise (Adger) and Aiden did a great job.”
The Trailblazers appeared to be in prime position to push their lead back to 14 in the closing seconds of the first half, but Olathe North defensive back Jeremiah Rhoades had other ideas. Rhoades tied the game up at 14-14 with a 99-yard scoop and score with 19 seconds to go in the half.
Both teams had issues with putting the ball on the ground throughout the contest. An Olathe North fumble with at their own 31-yard line to set Gardner-Edgerton up with a short field. Powell made the Eagles pay when he scored on a 4-yard run eight plays later. His touchdown came with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter, and it accounted for the only points of the second half.
The Eagles had three chances to tie the game back up. Their best chance came on the ensuing drive when they turned it over on downs at the Gardner-Edgerton 21-yard line. Olathe North nearly kept the drive alive, but the ball went off the fingertips of Vincent Valdez on fourth down.
The Eagles got the ball right back after forcing a three-and-out for Gardner-Edgerton. After getting a couple of first downs, the drive stalled, but they pinned the Trailblazers at the 1-yard line again with 7:40 to play. And again, the Trailblazers were able to avoid disaster. The Trailblazers ate up four minutes of clock before punting it back to the Eagles.
The Gardner-Edgerton senior duo of Mark Debiak and Eli Porter sealed it for the Trailblazers. Debiak had back-to-back sacks to force a fourth-and-long and then got a QB pressure on the next play that resulted in a Porter interception.
“The team needed me and I had to close out the game,” Debiak said. “That felt great.”
The Trailblazers will put their perfect record on the line again at 7 p.m. Friday at Lawrence High. The Eagles will try to bounce back at 7 p.m. Thursday against Shawnee Mission West.
