On Friday, Oct. 11, Football took the field at ODAC for this year’s senior night. 15 football seniors along with Cheer and Dance seniors were honored pregame for their dedication to their respective programs. When the ceremony was finished it was game time for the Owls.
Four plays after the clock started counting down, the Owls were in the endzone for the first of seven touchdowns on the evening. Sophomore quarterback Cameron Kruse threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Kruse also passed for 202 yards and two touchdown passes. Junior running back Josh Foland scored two touchdowns to bring his season total up to seven.
609 all-purpose yards from the offense are the most by an Olathe West team in a game since the offense put up 850 yards on Sept. 29, 2022, against Shawnee Mission North.
Defensively, the Owls put up one of their most successful performances of the season. The defense put pressure on the Raider offense, racking up 10 tackles for loss and six sacks. Seniors James Dorsey and Chase Campbell led the team in sacks with 2 each.
Junior Jake Ables got the only defensive touchdown so far this season, with a 24-yard interception return in the second quarter.
With the game ending 60-27 for an Owls win, the attention turned to the Olathe North Eagles for their matchup on Friday, Oct. 18.
As the sun faded at ODAC and the temperatures began to fall, the bleachers were filled to the last row for the game. Most fans were expecting to see a back-and-forth affair but the game was quite the contrary.
As the game began, the teams were matching each other with stops on defense, but Olathe North began to break through with multiple touchdowns.
Offensively, yards were hard to find, with only 4.6 yards on average per play. There were flashes of great plays, notably a 50-yard rush from junior Josh Foland and a 25-yard touchdown pass by sophomore Cameron Kruse to senior Mason Barnard. The Owls were held to under 100 passing yards, which was the second time that occurred this season.
On the defensive side, it was the same story. The defensive line for the Owls was dominant, led by senior James Dorsey with two sacks. The Eagles were content with slow, methodical drives that wore down the defense. Junior Brody Hale had a great performance, with a sack and two tackles for loss.
The Owls came up short with the score being 28-7 in favor of Olathe North. The Owls moved to 3-4 on the season. They sit tied for fifth in the Sunflower League along with Shawnee Mission East, Lawrence, and Olathe Northwest.
The Owls have a matchup against a Goliath next week. They go on the road to take on the 2023 6A State Champions in the Gardner-Edgerton Blazers on Friday, Oct. 25.
You can find tickets and an athletic pass at https://gofan.co/
