On a frigid night, Olathe North leaned on its physicality to lead them to a 24-21 win over Shawnee Mission East on Friday night at Shawnee Mission North High School.
The win, which advanced the Eagles to the Kansas Class 6A semifinals, avenged an earlier season loss to the Lancers and set up a showdown with Blue Valley North next week.
"My head's spinning, I'm so proud of this team," North head coach Chris McCartney said. "I knew it would be tough, I was hoping we could stay close, They (SM East) are very good team and well coached. We've had some ups and down all season, but we really believe in each other."
A turnover led to the first score of the game as North came up with an interception at midfield. The Eagles went ahead 7-0 on a TD run by Arland Bruce with 6:59 left in the first.
North pushed the lead to double digits in the second quarter on a field goal with 9:02 to play in the half.
After struggling to get their offense going in the first half, East put together a much-needed scoring drive to end the second.
A 97-yard drive punctuated by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Andy Maddox to Trey Echols made it 10-7, in favor of the Eagles at halftime.
The Lancers opened the second half like they finished the first. The East defense turned North over on downs and took their first lead of the game less than three minutes later.
Deonte Carroll’s touchdown reception with 5:40 to go in the third gave the Lancers a 14-10 advantage.
But, North took the lead right back on the very next drive.
Bruce’s second rushing score of the game put the Eagles on top 17-14 with 1:34 left in the third quarter.
The back-and-forth continued with East scoring on its next drive and the lead changed hands again. With 9:13 left in the game, Tony Friends dove into the end zone and the Lancers led 21-17.
That lead didn’t last long, just 12 seconds to be exact. Daymonn Sanchez busted free for 72 yards to give the lead back to the Eagles at 24-21. The Eagles' third rushing touchdown of the game proved to be the game-winner as North's defense got a late stop which allowed their punishing ground game to run out the clock and secure the win.
