Photo Credit: Justin Flor/PrepsKC 
Blue Valley West entered its Kansas Class 6A quarterfinal playoff matchup with Gardner-Edgerton Friday night looking to pull off the upset and keep its magical ride through the postseason going. But it wasn’t to be for the Jaguars as they fell 21-14 in a nailbiter to the Trailblazers.
The Jaguars (5-6) struck first when Josh Kidd recovered a Gardner-Edgerton fumble and returned it 88 yards for the touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Blue Valley West scored again on a Zach Darche to Sage Huffman 3-yard touchdown pass, and just like that, it was 14-0 Jaguars.
Being down two touchdowns must have been a wake-up call for the Trailblazers as they were able to score twice before halftime to take the lead. First, Dawson Kindler scored on a 1-yard run midway through the quarter. After the two-point conversion, Gardner-Edgerton trailed 14-8. Then, Bravin Powell-Brown completed his only, and most important, pass of the game to Kindler for a 17-yard touchdown. The Trailblazers took the lead for good 15-14.
In the fourth quarter, Kindler tacked on one more touchdown on a 1-yard run, giving Gardner-Edgerton the 21-14 win.
The Trailblazers were able to get the job done running the ball while the go-ahead score came ironically through the air. Dylan Butash (171 yards), Kindler (114 yards) and Powell-Brown (92 yards) carried the bulk of the load. Gardner-Edgerton churned out 408 rushing yards on 69 carries.
For West, Darche was 11 of 18 passing for 163 yards and a touchdown, but he did have two interceptions. He connected with four different receivers, each catching at least two passes. Jack Schneider had three for 60 yards, and Josh Kidd had four for 36 yards.
Darche also ran nine times for 53 yards, and he played on defense where he recorded 15 solo tackles. Huffman had 43 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Gardner-Edgerton (8-3) advances to battle the Olathe Northwest Ravens in the Class 6A semifinals next week. The Ravens have won seven straight games after starting the season 1-3.
