I'm back at my home away from home in Kansas City, the Marriott at Kansas City International Airport, watching Monk and winding down from tonight's game.
It wasn't a contest. Shawnee Mission East rolled to a 30-7 victory over Olathe North, scoring 27 unanswered points after the Eagles took a 7-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter. The Lancers scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to lead by nine at halftime, and the second half was all SME.
It wasn't that long ago Olathe North was a powerhouse. The Eagles won four consecutive Class 6A state championships from 2000 through 2003, won another in 2009, and played in the championship game in 2010. But last year, the Eagles stumbled badly, going 5-4 while Olathe South won the 6A title and Olathe East and Olathe Northwest both made the playoffs. The poor (relatively speaking) season cost North coach Pete Flood his job.
Gene Wier, who coached at North from 1981 through 2002 and won six state championships in his final seven seasons, was brought back in an attempt to bring the program back to its lofty perch. However, tonight's game showed the Eagles have a long way to go to get back in the upper crust of the Sunflower League, much less win a state championship.
SME is going to give opposing teams fits, but I don't know if they have enough of a running game to control the clock against elite teams like Olathe South, Olathe East and the Lawrence schools. The Lancers' passing game is excellent, with quarterback Jordan Darling able to throw to a variety of receivers using a variety of patterns. He threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns against North, including a 70-yard catch and run by Connor Relihan.
The Lancers caught a break in district, with three other Shawnee Mission schools--Northwest, West and North. West is traditionally strong, but they are a little down this year, and Northwest and North have been in the bottom half of the Sunflower League as of late. There's no reason SME should not reach the playoffs.
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