It wasn’t the start to the season that Blue Valley West wanted. 

The Jaguars opened their season against Blue Valley and lost a tough double overtime match. It was a frustrating setback early in the season, but it was one that didn’t linger.  

Blue Valley West responded with as good of a week as it could have asked for. The Jags reeled off three straight wins in their home Fat Cat Tournament held Antioch District Sports Complex.  

It ended with a 1-0 victory over Lee’s Summit North on Saturday in the championship match and it was a result that gave them their first tournament title since 2023. The Jaguars have made the finals the last four seasons. 

“The guys have been working really hard,” Blue Valley West coach Kyle Conley said. “Consistency has been our biggest thing and playing the right way for a full 80 minutes. We play high intensity soccer, play high pressure and spend a lot energy flying all over the place. We have plenty of things to work on, but with the competition in this tournament, it was nice to come out on top. It was solid because we had some pretty good teams here. It is always a good feeling to win it and a good sense of accomplishment. Goal number one is down and now we have to worry about EKL play.” 

The Jaguars didn’t waste much time getting on the board against Lee’s Summit North as they got a goal 14 minutes into the match. Blue Valley West hit a shot across the box, and after a couple richoets, junior Brady Eden headed it into the back of the net and it would be the only goal the Jaguars would need. 

“We talk about keep attacking as much as we can and Brady saw it come off the crossbar and just attacked it and was a perfect job and he did exactly what we ask our players to do,” Conley said. “He got the game-winner, which was awesome.” 

 

Despite a few scares early in the match, the Jaguars’ back line held firm, which was led senior defender Finn Persaud, along with Roger Li, Griffin Muhlbach, Rowan Cunningham and Alec Beckley. Goalie Brody Hefner earned the shuout. 

It was a back end that played well the whole tournament as they gave up one goal in the three games, which was in a 5-1 victory over Blue Springs. The Jaguars also shutout St. James Academy last Wednesday in the semifinals, 3-0. 

“They are pretty strong and consistent,” Conley said. “They are like bulldogs back there. We just go 1-on-1 and lock in. Our outside backs are good, Hepner did a great job controlling the box and all our guys back there do a great job.” 

“St. James is super good and Mark (Twellman) is one of the best coaches in the state. We were fortunate to get on them pretty early and change the way the game was played a little bit. They are a good side and we were fortunate to find the net three times.” 

David Font and Nate Berman each had two goals in tournament action to lead the Jaguars, while Cunningham, Tristan Coates, Jackson Gagel, Colsen Odgers and Eden also found the back of the net.  
 

Hefner had two shutouts to lead the Jaguar defense, while Cunningham, Berman, Gagel, Odgers, Eden and Ben Gifford each tallied an assist in the three games. 

It was the perfect end to a tournament that had a talented field that included Blue Valley Northwest, St. James, Manhattan, Mill Valley and Shawnee Mission West. 

“We’ve recently added some high-talented teams with some different styles and really good coaches and that is the best part,” Conley said. “We have eight unbelieveable coaches in this tournament that coach their teams the right way and it was good to watch this past week. This tournament has been going on for awhile and we have been fortunate to be in the finals the last four years. It is crazy to have three games in a week like this early in the season, but we have good teams playing really hard.” 

The Jaguars didn’t have much have a letdown from tournament action as they traveled to Washburn Rural on Tuesday and came away with a comeback win over a team that finished third at the state tournament a year ago. 

Blue Valley West found itself down two goals in the first half, but rebounded in a big way to force overtime. The Jags eventually came away with a 3-2 win in double overtime on a goal from Gagel. 

Berman cut the deficit in half to get the Jags back in it and then Gifford had the equalizer on an assist from Muhlbach. The win also improved West’s record to 4-1 on the season. 

It is the start of what Conley and Jaguars hope is a special season. 

“We are pretty reslient and pretty tough team,” Conley said. “They have big lofty goals and I am going to coach and push them hard every day. Even if we are up 3-0, I am going to continue to keep pushing them. They want to accomplish something that is pretty special, so to do that, we can’t have days off and can’t have lapses. Every game matters because of seeding and there are no off days. The boys want that and they have good attitudes. They are a good group to work with.” 

FAT CAT ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM 

Finn Persaud, Defender, Blue Valley West 

Colsen Odgers, Midfielder, Blue Valley West 

Ben Gifford, Midfielder, Blue Valley West 

Griffin Muhlbach, Defender, Blue Valley West 

Nate Berman, Forward, Blue Valley West 

Tre Paulding, Lee’s Summit North, Goalkeeper 

Josh Griffin, Lee’s Summit North, Defender 

Max Mathews, Lee’s Summit North, Midfielder 

TJ Sisler, Lee’s Summit North, Forward 

Evan Rangel, Blue Valley Northwest, Midfielder 

Jake Banyas, Blue Valley Northwest, Defender 

Rogen Anderson, Blue Valley Northwest, Midfielder 

Jaxon Wright, St. James Academy, Defender 

Liam Hall, St. James Academy, Midfielder 

Landon Vincent, Mill Valley, Defender 

Zane Hodson, Mill Valley, Goalkeeper 

Manny Hernandez, Shawnee Mission West, Midfielder 

Josh Medina, Shawnee Mission West, Midfielder 

Ralphie Muga, Blue Springs, Midfielder 

Colby Taylor, Manhattan, Midfielder 

BASEHOR-LINWOOD OFF TO GOOD START AFTER WINLESS 2024 

It was a rough 2024 season for Basehor-Linwood after the Bobcats went 0-16, and to make matters worse, scored just two goals the entire year. 

In 2025, the Bobcats exceeded those marks in just the first three matches of the season and one of them was a big one. On Sept. 4, Basehor-Linwood knocked off Spring Hill in a 3-2 overtime win in its home opener under new head coach Justin Gripka. 

"This has been such a great group to get to know, and we’re really starting to unlock some talent across the roster," Gripka said. "With a brand new coaching staff and a major culture shift, the players are learning to trust each other, buy into their new roles, and embrace a completely different style of play.
 

Senior striker James Veerkamp recorded the hat trick against the Broncos, which included the game-winner on a penalty kick in the extra period. Senior Frankie Wonka also recorded an assist. 

"We’ve had midfielders transition to defense and even moved a three-year center back (James Veerkamp) into the striker position and he’s off to an incredible start with 8 goals in our first 4 games," Gripka said. "While we’re still battling through a few old habits, the team has embraced film study and is working hard to understand our new formation and tactics. For many, this is the first time playing in these positions, but they are buying in and helping create a strong culture while rebuilding the program quickly.

"Already this year, we’ve scored 10 goals in 4 games, battled through two overtime games in the same week, and even fought back from a 3-goal halftime deficit to tie the match before narrowly falling on a well-placed corner kick."

In its opener, the Bobcats traveled to Shawnee Mission North in a 5-1 loss. Basehor then went to Louisburg on Sept. 2 and left with a 1-1 tie against the Wildcats as they took part in two overtime matches that week. 

Basehor continued its scoring output Tuesday against Bonner Springs at home with five goals, but the Braves handed the Bobcats their first loss of the season, 6-5. The Bobcats are now 1-2-1 to start the season.