Through two weeks, two teams in Kansas have stood out from the rest and they’re on a collision course in a couple of weeks to see who reigns supreme.
Mill Valley and Lawrence have dominated their competition. Mill Valley has outscored opponents 120-35, while Lawrence has hung 109 points and have given up only one touchdown.
From a strength of schedule standpoint, the edge goes to Mill Valley after defeating then No. 1 6A Derby and then No. 5 5A DeSoto. And the Jaguars don’t get a reprieve this week either as they host Arkansas Class 7A Bentonville, which is ranked No. 3 by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Bentonville knocked off Rockhurst in Week 1.
Lawrence has beaten up on two Topeka schools – Shawnee Heights and Washburn Rural – that will most likely lose more games than they win. They’ll get their first true test this week against Olathe West.
Assuming both teams win this week to set up an undefeated showdown of No. 1 in 5A vs. No. 1 in 6A, I’m intrigued with the match up of Lawrence’s offensive line versus Mill Valley’s defensive line.
More specifically, can the Lions get the push needed to allow running back Devin Neal to terrorize the defense. The Kansas commit is one of the two best backs in the state – along with St. Thomas Aquinas’ Tank Young – and has the ability to take over games. He’ll be able to open up the passing game for Jackson Dooley, who has thrown for nearly 500 yards.
However, Lawrence hasn’t seen a team with Mill Valley’s size since last year, and the Jaguars are quick to get into the backfield and disrupt offensive flow. And its secondary is suffocating.
Hopefully the matchup of 5A and 6A No. 1s is more competitive than the first one we saw this year.
