BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST AT ST. JAMES ACADEMY The reigning champs in Class 6A and Class 4A will battle it out to kick off the start of the 2022 season. Blue Valley Northwest looks to replace a majority of its starters while St. James Academy returns a majority of its starters.

Blue Valley Northwest went 12-1 last year after winning a total of nine games during Clint Rider’s first four years with the program. The reigning Class 6A state champs will have a lot of work to do if the Huskies want to show that last year is the new standard. Blue Valley Northwest will need to replace 15 starters, including dynamic dual-threat quarterback Mikey Pauley, with senior Connor White stepping into his place. White will not have the receiving trio of Steven Whitter, Nick Cusick or Max Muehlberger, but he’ll still have senior running back Grant Stubblefield in the backfield. Stubblefield enters his third season as the starting back with nearly 2,700 all-purpose yards for the Huskies. 

St. James Academy will also need to replace its starting quarterback and a few other skills position, but the Thunder return nearly as many starters as Blue Valley Northwest lost to graduation. Former quarterback Jackson House did transfer to play his senior season in Louisiana, but junior Ben Wheeler is ready to step into his place. As his last name suggests, Wheeler is a mobile quarterback who can make plays with his legs. He will not have the luxury of playing next to running back Tiave Watts or throwing to wideout Ty Claiborne after those two graduated, but he still has options down the field. Senior wide receiver John Niesen led the Thunder in receiving yards last year with 1,275 and had eight touchdown receptions while averaging 19.9 yards per catch. Senior Finn Burritt and Callahan Huston are expected to step into bigger roles this year to keep coach Tom Radke’s pistol offense churning yards up the field.

Blue Valley Northwest took its first victory in this series last season when the Huskies defeated St. James Academy 47-10. The Thunder won the previous four clashes between 2016-19.


BLUE VALLEY WEST AT AQUINAS This is a battle between two 7-5 teams that reached the state semifinals a season ago, although those results meant much different things for these two programs.

Blue Valley West surprised folks in the postseason when the 4-4 Jaguars rattled off four straight wins to reach the state semis, before losing to eventual Class 6A state champ Blue Valley Northwest. The team will need to replace quarterback Gage Roach and senior wideouts Charlie Johnson and Braxton Symonds, but otherwise returns a bulk of the key playmakers from a season ago. Junior running back Sage Huffman returns after racking up 1,457 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns a season ago. Senior wideout Jack Schneider also returns after producing 517 receiving yards and seven touchdowns receptions.

Zach Darche and Lake Ryan give the Jaguars defense its top two tacklers from last year. Ryan also led the team with four interceptions. The defensive front will need a few new faces to step up after Jaden Mayfield, Brooks Lowe, Joey Curtis graduated and took with them over 50% of the team’s tackles for loss from last season.

Aquinas makes the move down to Class 4A, losing its chance to dethrone Class 5A juggernaut Mill Valley after three straight seasons of the Jaguars winning the state title. The Saints also lost senior quarterback Maxxwell Ford and senior defensive lineman Sa’o Siavi’i as transfers to Lee’s Summit North in Missouri. Sean Carroll racked up over 1,600 rushing yards last season and scored 23 rushing touchdowns, putting him at 2,352 yards and 30 rushing scores for his career. Aquinas looks for its first state title since winning the Class 5A state championship in 2018.

Blue Valley West beat Aquinas 31-7 last season, earning the Jaguars their first victory over the Saints since 2007. Schneider filled in for Roach at quarterback in that game, completing 6 of 9 passes for 176 to go along with 94 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns as the Jaguars won 31-7. Aquinas holds a 19-4 advantage in the series since 2001.


GIRARD AT COLUMBUS Girard wants to repeat the team’s success from last year’s perfect regular season. Columbus wants to prove that last year’s losing record was a fluke and not a trend.

Girard returns the core from its 10-1 campaign. Senior quarterback Luke Niggemann and senior running back Alex Coester return behind an experienced O-line. Niggemann threw for 1,078 yards and 19 touchdowns last season while Coester racked up 648 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Coester is also the top returner in tackler and interceptions for the Trojans, recording 25 stops and two picks as a linebacker.

Columbus returns all 11 of their starting offense, including senior quarterback Brett Hamilton. Last year, Hamilton threw for 653 yards, rushed for 146 yards and scored a total of 12 touchdowns. With his top three receivers back as well, Hamilton hopes to have a breakout season to return Columbus to its winning ways under head coach Blake Burns. Columbus went 16-3 in the previous two seasons under Burns before last year’s stumble. The Titans defense will have senior linebacker Jadyn Hale and senior defensive back Kayden Cox returning after each recorded 48 tackles last season.

Girard won the last matchup between these two CNC League rivals, winning 47-26 in Week 3 of last season. 


GALENA AT RIVERTON In this CNC League clash, two eight-win teams from a season ago face off to open the season.

Galena went 8-2 last year with its season ended when the Bulldogs ran into fellow CNC foe and eventual Class 3A runner-up Frontenac in the regional round of the playoffs. Galena will need replace quarterback Beau Sarwinski after he graduated, but the Bulldogs retain an experienced offensive line and standout tight end Tyler Little.

Riverton went 8-3 last year, reaching the state sectionals before going down against eventual Class 2A champ Rossville. First-year head coach Danny Weaver will take over for Riverton after Johnny Mallett retired in the offseason. The Rams won 18 games over the past three seasons under Mallett. Riverton will rely on senior dual-threat quarterback Walker Terry as the team replaces a majority of its starters from last season.

Galena beat Riverton 42-24 when these teams faced last season. The Bulldogs have won 13 straight games in this series, with Riverton’s last win being a 45-6 victory in 2008.


ST. MARY’S COLGAN AT FRONTENAC Another pair of CNC foes, St. Mary's Colgan prepares itself for a season in Class 1A while Frontenac hopes to overcome significant roster turnover due to graduation after reaching the Class 3A state championship game last season.

St. Mary’s Colgan finished last season 4-5, but looks for a resurgence this year after moving down to Class 1A, where the Panthers have become preseason favorites. The Panthers will need to replace their starting quarterback, but will have junior running back Cooper Simmons and junior wideout Tucker Harrell returning. Simmons rushed for 563 yard and nine rushing touchdowns last season while Harrell hauled in 33 receptions for 486 yards and six touchdown receptions. Both players are stalwarts on the defensive side of the ball as well. Simmons had 94 tackles at linebacker and Harrell had 74 tackles and an interception at defensive back.

Frontenac had 18 seniors graduate from last year’s Class 3A state runner-up team. If the Raiders are going to repeat on the success of a 10-3 season, they will need to rely heavily on senior Mario Menghini. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound running back rushed for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns to go along with his 345 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. 

Frontenac has won the last three match-ups with Colgan, including a 46-12 victory last season. Colgan’s last win in the series was in 2018 when the Panthers won 14-0.


OLATHE WEST VS. FREE STATE Olathe West is looking to build off the most wins in team history as the Owls return a significant portion of the key players from a season ago. Free State on the other hand will need some less experienced players to pick things up quickly as the Firebirds look to replace a majority of their starters from last season.

Olathe West finished the 2021 season with a 7-3 record after losing in the regionals against Shawnee Mission Northwest. Senior quarterback Mason McGavran returns for the Owls. McGavran racked up 1,326 passing yards, 1,232 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns during his junior campaign. The Owls offense lost running back Anthony Favrow and two of its top receivers to graduation, but McGavran will still have senior wideout Jack Scott catching his passes. Olathe West will also have Dylan Birge and Cooper Zwart leading an experienced O-Line.

Free State went 8-3 last season and advanced to the state sectionals before losing to eventual Class 6A runner-up Derby in a one-score game. Free State has to replace most of its offensive production from a year ago, but the new faces at the skill positions will have a lot of support. Senior Calvin Clements heads up an impressive group of offensive lineman for the Firebirds. The team also only has three returner starters on the defensive side of the ball, with senior linebacker/defensive back Colter Berger leading the way.

These two teams have not faced off since 2019, when Free State won 45-19. The Firebirds hold a 2-0 all-time series record.