Homecoming week is packed with events: the pep assemblies, the spirit weeks and the Homecoming votes. All of those events lead up to Thursday night, for the Homecoming football game. This season, the Owls were tasked with the challenge of the Gardner-Edgerton Trailblazers for their Homecoming game on Oct. 2.
The Blazers have been the premier football program in 6A football for the past decade, churning out Division I talent like a football factory, earning state titles along the way. The Blazers have steamrolled their way through the Sunflower League, only losing five league matchups since 2022. However, the Blazers have shown some vulnerabilities during the start of the 2025 season, falling 38-35 to Lawrence Free State in their season opener and sweating one out against St. Pius X in a cross-state game by a score of 34-28.
The Owls had been rolling to start their season, but hadn’t yet picked up a signature win. Sure they had beaten Lawrence, Blue Valley West and Shawnee Mission North, but those teams combined to grab one win through the first four weeks of the season. So when the Owls took the field against the Blazers, they were attempting to make a statement to the Sunflower League, and the state of Kansas to show that they’ve arrived.
The Owls started off on offense and immediately made their presence felt. Surprisingly, the Owls’ offensive line overpowered the Blazers,and Gardner seemed to be missing their typical physicality. Soon after, senior Brody Hale flipped the ball to senior Josh Foland to take a 7-0 lead on the opening drive. After a quick score by the Blazers, Hale found senior Luke Zimmerman on a quick hitch-route along the right hash by the 40-yard line. After a broken tackle, Zimmerman scampered towards the end zone to provide the Owls with a 14-6 advantage.
Hale continued to keep the Blazer defense on their toes throughout the rest of the first half. With 1:15 left in the first, Hale scrambled out of the pocket and found Foland in the flat, which Foland took to the house for an 80-yard score. With that touchdown, the Owls held a 21-6 advantage, and the upset began to look real. Hale notched his third touchdown pass of the first half when he found star senior Sam Krzykowski for a 21-yard touchdown. After a Gardner touchdown, the Owls drove down the field, and Hale found Krzykowski to go up 35-14 and the break.
During halftime, the 2025 Homecoming Court was honored, and the Owls continued the pageantry with more offense to start the second half. Foland found the end zone for his third touchdown of the night, and the game soon grew out of reach for the Blazers. Cash Warren broke a few tackles during a 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the game away for the Owls.
Overall, the Owls dominated the Blazers in every aspect of the game. The typical bite that Gardner had was gone in the first half, and the Blazers couldn’t ever find an answer for the high-octane Owls’ offense.
Now, the attention turns to Mill Valley. If the game against Gardner-Edgerton was big, then the incoming matchup against the Jaguars is much bigger. The Owls will load up their slingshots for another fight with Goliath when they go into “The Swamp” at Mill Valley. The Jags have been dominant for a long time in Kansas football, winning seven state championships in the past decade. The Jags are 4-1, with their only loss to Lee’s Summit North.
Stat Leaders 10/2 Vs Gardner
Passing: Sr Brody Hale 15/18 316 yds 4 TD’s 163.2 QBR
Rushing: Sr Josh Foland 17 Car 87 yds 2 TD’s
Receiving: Sr Sam Krzykowski 8 Rec 120 yds 2 TD’s
Defense:
Tackles: Sr Jake Ables – 15 Tackles
QB Hurries: Ables, Johnson, Tracy, Warren (1 each)
Turnovers: Sr Brody Butler 1 INT
