Photo Credit: Chris DuderstadtThe eight-game regular season for Kansas high school football always feels like it flies by. But each year, there’s always at least one regular season game that has the feel of a state semifinal or state quarterfinal matchup. Last Friday’s game between Gardner-Edgerton and Olathe North felt like one of those matchups. The Trailblazers edged the Eagles, 21-14, which kept Gardner-Edgerton undefeated and marked Olathe North’s first loss.
Prior to Friday’s Sunflower League contest, I’d seen Olathe North upend Shawnee Mission North, but hadn’t seen Gardner-Edgerton play in person since the Trailblazers fell to Manhattan in last year’s 6A state title game. I knew Gardner-Edgerton would be a top contender to get back to the state championship game, and the Trailblazers’ dominating 49-10 win over Mill Valley in Week 4 confirmed that.
One thing about any sport, though, is that you can never let your emotions get too high for too long after a huge win or too low for too long after a deflating loss. So, I was really curious to see how Gardner-Edgerton would perform against Olathe North after a big win over Mill Valley and it being Homecoming. Olathe North isn’t an opponent that any team can overlook. Gardner-Edgerton found that out on Friday.
After jumping out to a 35-3 halftime lead over Mill Valley, Gardner-Edgerton’s offense scuffled out of the gates against Olathe North with fumbles on its first two possessions. However, a 74-yard touchdown pass from Bravin Powell to Colton Hawkinson and then an Isaiah Williams fumble recovery for a touchdown within the span of a minute and six seconds of game time suddenly put the Trailblazers up 14-0.
While Aiden Bruce’s 37-yard touchdown run cut Gardner-Edgerton’s lead to 14-7 midway through the second quarter, the Trailblazers had a golden opportunity to take a 14-point edge into the half. The Trailblazers were a yard away from doing so, but another fumble proved to be costly. This one resulted in a 99-yard scoop and score by Jeremiah Rhoades to tie it up.
With a huge momentum swing just before the break, how would each team respond? In the end, each team had just one offensive touchdown in the first half. While offense can get a lot of the headlines, defense and special teams can be huge difference makers come playoff time. Gardner-Edgerton and Olathe North check the boxes in both those categories.
Things did get a bit chippy as the game went on, and it resulted in some penalties that could've been costly. I expect both teams put on emphasis on controlling their emotions, especially in big moments, as the season goes on.
Bravin Powell’s 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter accounted for the lone points of the second half. I expect both offenses to get rolling again—especially if Olathe North can get running back TJ Porter healthy. But whether it was Gardner-Edgerton defensive lineman Mark Debiak closing the game with two sacks and a QB pressure on Olathe North’s final drive or Olathe North quarterback/punter Jamo Sarver pinning the Trailblazers at the 1-yard line twice, there were players coming up with big plays all night long in various phases of the game.
So, when players and coaches were telling each other after the game, “See you in November,” it’s hard not to believe it. Right now, they’re the top two teams in the 6A East standings. We’ll be in for a treat if we get to see a rematch between the Trailblazers and Eagles, but it will also be a lot of fun to see the other 14 teams in the 6A East trying to prevent that. While I’m sure the last three weeks of the regular season will also fly by, it’s still plenty of time for teams to make some moves for playoff seed positioning. It should be a blast to see how it all plays out.
