Here is the RE/MAX Big 3 Preview Video for Week 13.
There are just a few weeks remaining in the season. There is nothing but great games left so let’s take a look at this week’s RE/MAX Big 3.
We start in Kansas where it is semifinal week with all the winners advancing to the state championship game thanksgiving weekend. Our first game is the Class 6A semifinal at Gardner-Edgerton where the Trailblazers host Blue Valley. The Tigers have turned an 4-4 regular season into three straight wins in the postseason to advance to the semifinal round for the first time since 2019. The defense has led the way tossing a shutout over Olathe East two weeks ago and holding high powered Olathe North to 21 points last week. Blue Valley will need that defense to play well against a Trailblazers’ squad that has been held under 30 points only three times this season. Gardner-Edgerton was in the state championship game last year and is motivated to get back and earn their first ever title while Blue Valley is looking to get back to its first title game since 2016.
The next Kansas RE/MAX Big 3 game is Blue Valley Southwest hosting 4-time defending champ Mill Valley in the 5A East semifinal. The Jaguars are looking for another title in a rematch of last year’s semifinals. This year Mill Valley has relied on its defense and used a run-oriented offense that looks to take time off the clock. The Jaguars hung 72 points on Topeka Seaman last week and they made need another offensive outburst to beat a Southwest team that has scored 42 points or more in seven of its 10 wins. This game comes down to the experience of Mill Valley versus the hunger of Southwest looking to get to its first ever state championship game.
The final RE/MAX Big 3 Game on the Kansas side is Tonganoxie hosting St. Thomas Aquinas in the 4A semifinal. The Saints have turned a late season slide that saw them lose three of their last four games into a three-game winning streak in the playoffs. Aquinas’s offense has been solid, but the defense has allowed just 28 points in the postseason including holding both Bishop Miege and Basehor-Linwood to 7 points each. The Chieftains are on a streak of their own winning their final three regular season games followed by three more in the postseason. Tonganoxie knocked off No. 1 seed undefeated Atchison last week and will look to advance to the state championship game for the first time in school history. No matter what happens none of the top four seeds will be representing the East as these two teams have laid waste to the bracket.
The first RE/MAX Big 3 Game on the Missouri side is a Northland showdown as Liberty North hosts Oak Park in a Class 6 quarterfinal game. The Northmen are having one of the best seasons in school history winning their first 11 games including a tight 17-14 win over Park Hill in last week’s district title game. Oak Park has been living on the edge winning three of its last four games by one score including wins over Staley and St. Joseph Central where it trailed in the fourth quarter. Liberty North has been dominant for most of the season except for the first quarter of the district semifinals where it trailed 21-0 before outscoring the Wildcats 71-10 the rest of the way. Both teams have strong defenses and want to run the ball so this should be strength against strength with the semifinals on the line.
The next RE/MAX Big 3 game is at Kearney where the Bulldogs host Nevada in a Class 4 quarterfinal. Nevada has been strong all season and had a 9-2 record with win only losses to state power Lamar and an undefeated Class 3 Seneca. The Tigers will be taking on a Kearney team that has been playing its best football of the season. After starting the year 1-2 including a week 3 loss to rival Smithville, Kearney has won 9 straight. Last week they handled Smithville 29-13 to earn its first district title since 2016 when the Bulldogs advanced to their second straight Class 4 title game before losing to Harrisonville. This could be another deep run for Kearney, but it will have to get past a talented Nevada squad to keep its season going.
The final Big 3 game is St. Pius X hosting Odessa in a Class 3 quarterfinal. The Bulldogs hit the road with another district title looking to get back to the state semis for the first time since its undefeated run to the title in 2019. Odessa can score and has put up 101 points in its two district wins. The Bulldogs will need that offense against Pius who has six straight including three postseason games where the Warriors outscored their opponents 149-19 including an impressive 41-13 win at Maryville last week. Pius is also looking to again go deep in the postseason after advancing to the Class 2 title game in 2020 and the Class 3 championship game in 2021. Two teams with championship pedigrees should put on a great show in the quarterfinal round.
Remember you can find the RE/MAX Big 3 each week on PrepsKC.com and the PrepsKC YouTube channel.
