Having the opportunity to report on high school football games each fall is one of the things I’ve been very thankful to do for the better part of the past eight years now. As I look over the schedule of Week 1 games for the Kansas side that’s coming up in the first week of September, it’s hard not to get really excited for some high-octane matchups—many of them also being rivalry games.
However, before I give a quick rundown of those games, let’s not forget the situation we were in at this time last year due to the pandemic. There were a few teams that sadly had their seasons canceled completely. For several other teams, their seasons appeared to be in doubt with practices being canceled and their first game or two being postponed. And just when some teams appeared to be coasting along and avoiding COVID-19, all of a sudden they had a game or two canceled or had their season come to an excruciating end because of a positive COVID-19 test(s).
While it’s certainly discouraging that the pandemic isn’t completely behind us, I am thankful that there is more clarity about the high school football season this fall and that there are more measures (specifically vaccines) that can offer greater protection from COVID-19 to players, coaches, officials, administrators, trainers, parents, fans, cheerleaders/dance team members, band members, reporters and anyone else who wants to enjoy some Friday Night Lights.
I really felt for athletic directors and coaches last year who had to schedule games on the fly whenever their originally scheduled opponent would have to go into quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 test(s). That being said, one of the highlights of last season was the unexpected luxury of scheduling some non-league games that went on to be instant classics. With the regular season only being eight games and some leagues having more than eight teams, there likely won’t be as many impromptu non-league games this season (I hope this is the case so athletic directors can keep their sanity, but it would be fun to see more opportunities for non-league and even out-of-state games in the future).
Anyway, enough what future seasons could look like—let’s take a look at some of the big games slated for Week 1 on the Kansas side. First, the two local defending state championship teams will aim to avenge losses from the 2020 regular season. St. James will begin the defense of its 4A crown and try to claim its first ever win against St. Thomas Aquinas. Mill Valley will start its quest for a 5A three-peat against with a road tilt against Gardner-Edgerton.
The Blue Valley schools got to see plenty of each other last year, as they only played each other during the regular season. Week 1 features more of the same with a showdown between Blue Valley and Blue Valley Northwest and a matchup between Blue Valley West and Blue Valley Southwest. Blue Valley North—the fifth and final Blue Valley school—finds itself in a massive marquee matchup with Bishop Miege.
Week 1 in the Sunflower League also features a pair of district foes squaring off. Olathe Northwest will take on Olathe West, while Shawnee Mission East will play Shawnee Mission North. Rounding out the Sunflower League season openers will be Lawrence Free State against Shawnee Mission Northwest, Olathe East at Lawrence High, Olathe North at Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission West against Olathe South and the aforementioned contest between Mill Valley and Gardner-Edgerton.
Two of 4A’s perennial powers will meet in an interleague tilt when Basehor-Linwood of the United Kansas Conference tangles with Tonganoxie of the Frontier League. The rest of the Week 1 Frontier League slate has Baldwin traveling to Eudora, Louisburg heading to Spring Hill, Paola hosting Bonner Springs and Piper welcoming Ottawa.
In the remaining UKC league games, De Soto will travel to Turner and Leavenworth will go on the road to Shawnee Heights. Lansing will open its season with a non-league matchup against Schlagle of the Kansas City Atchison League.
The lone KCAL in-league matchup in Week 1 will feature Washington against Harmon. Sumner will take on Bishop Ward, Atchison will play St. Joseph Lafayette and Wyandotte will travel to Hogan Prep to round out the rest of the Week 1 games for the KCAL.
