Atchison shines in win over Pleasant Ridge
By Randy Speer The St. Joseph News-Press WyKeen Gill took it upon himself to make sure Atchison won its season opener. Gill scored five touchdowns to help lift the Redmen to a 42-30 victory over Pleasant Ridge. The senior quarterback racked up 420 yards of offense, throwing three touchdowns and rushing for another two. After a scoreless first half, Gill found fellow senior Bryce Enzbrenner for a 90-yard touchdown strike a minute into the second quarter. The Redmen (1-0) were backed up into the shadow of their own field goal posts after recovering a Ram fumble at the 10-yard line. Pleasant Ridge (0-1) held the ball for most of the first half using a grinding rushing attack to keep the Atchison offense off the field. The Rams found the end zone after a 7 minute drive lead by the backfield duo of quarterback Nick Holmes and running back Jager Haack. The Rams’ drive nearly stalled out, but they converted a fourth-and-18 to keep the drive alive, eventually scoring to put Pleasant Ridge up 8-7 with 50 seconds remaining in the half. “They just grinded away at us,” Atchison coach Jim Smith said. “They run a very patient offense and they did a good job executing.” Atchison had a chance to take the lead in the final second of the half, but sophomore Austin Bonnel missed the 25-yard field goal. The Rams struck first in the second half, with Holmes finding Haack wide open for a 26-yard touchdown pass, one of only four passes completed by Holmes on the night. The Redmen responded with four straight touchdowns.
![]()
Trinity
Springfield Central Rich Hill Tigers Warrensburg Tigers Blue Springs South Jaguars Lafayette County Huskers Leavenworth-Immaculata Raiders St. Joseph Lafayette Fighting Irish Bentonville, Ark. King City Santa Fe Trail Chargers Tipton Middle Tennessee Christian Iola Mustangs Eldon Jefferson West Tigers St. Joseph Benton Cardinals Orrick Bearcats Harrisonville Wildcats Frontenac Raiders Hiawatha Redhawks Missouri All-Stars Wamego Smithville Warriors Oak Park Northmen |