After Olathe North and Blue Valley earned one-point victories last week in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A playoffs, Friday’s matchup on paper figured to be another nail-biter to determine who would advance to the state title game.
The Eagles had other thoughts, though, as they built a 21-point lead in the first 15 minutes en route to a 28-7 win.
“It’s crazy. It just feels great,” Olathe North Chris McCartney said. “Our kids worked so hard. They’ve earned it. They got better every week and took a lot of stuff from the coaches. I’m really happy for our kids.”
Olathe North (10-2) scored touchdowns on its first two drives. Even after punting it away on its third possession, the Eagles got on the scoreboard a few minutes later with a 32-yard pick six by sophomore Noah Palmer. The Eagles’ 21-0 lead held for the first three quarters.
“The guy just came across the middle and I went there and got it,” Palmer said. “I cut back a couple times and got to the end zone.”
The Olathe North offense was firing on all cylinders early under the direction of junior Arland Bruce IV. He has split time between quarterback and running back this season but was under center for every snap in the first half. After sophomore Jacob Parrish broke the scoreless tie with a 28-yard touchdown run, Bruce IV found junior Dale Stout over the middle for a 45-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the Eagles’ second possession.
“We had a drought of not going to state for nine years,” Bruce IV said. “Being able to bring that back in the best feeling I’ve ever had here at Olathe North.”
Blue Valley (8-4) didn’t fold after coming out of the locker room but couldn’t break up the shutout in the third quarter despite two drives into Olathe North territory. Parrish picked off Blue Valley junior quarterback Jake Wolff at the Eagles 32-yard line with 7:21 to go in the third. Wolff, who completed 17 of 34 passes for 170 yards, led the Tigers right back down the field later in the quarter, but Blue Valley turned it over on downs at the Olathe North 23-yard line.
The Eagles picked off Wolff for a third time when junior Mario Sanchez corralled a deep pass down the sideline for an interception with 11:01 to go. However, the Blue Valley defense responded with a stop, and momentum swung in an instant when senior Mason Richman blocked a punt and senior Beau Palmer scooped it up and ran it in for a touchdown with 8:33 remaining.
“Those two have made big plays for us in their careers numerous times. They weren’t going to quit,” Blue Valley coach Allen Terrell said. “They weren’t going to stop fighting. They were just trying to give us a spark.”
It was too little, too little for the Tigers, though. Bruce IV put the nail in the coffin with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:50 remaining. The quarterback sneak accounted for Bruce IV’s 40th touchdown run of the season. Bruce IV logged 29 carries for 110 yards and completed 2 of his 4 passes for 59 yards.
“I just give credit to all my guys up front. I couldn’t do it without them,” Bruce IV said. “They open up wide holes for me to run through and I make some moves. They make it pretty easy for me.”
Bruce IV and the Eagles will have a big test in the 6A state title game, as they’ll meet defending champion Derby (12-0). The Panthers defeated Topeka, 63-35, in the other semifinal and have won four state titles in the last six years.
“They’re going to be well-coached, I just know that. You don’t get to where they’ve been like Derby has without being coached well,” McCartney said. “I know that coach (Brandon Clark) and he’s done a heck of a job. They’ve got a great program.”
Kickoff between the Eagles and Panthers is scheduled for 1 p.m. on November 30 at Emporia State’s Welch Stadium.
