After a huge win on Homecoming against a top 5 team in Gardner-Edgerton, the schedule for the Owls didn’t get much easier as the Owls had to go on the road at Mill Valley. To add even more stakes into the game, Mill Valley was the subject of “Friday Morning Huddle” on the TODAY show.That Friday morning, the Jaguars were shown off across the country, and it was up to the Owls to play spoiler and cause the massive upset.
Throughout the first half, both teams traded punches. The Owls’ scores came via touchdown runs by seniors Brody Hale and Josh Foland. The Owls ran for 352 yards (their most as a team since 2022) against the extremely talented and usually stout Jaguar defense.
In the third quarter, the Owls dominated. A 73-yard touchdown from Hale to junior Cash Warren and a 43-yard touchdown run from senior Sam Krzykowski put the Owls up 31-14, and the deficit became insurmountable for the Jags, and with a big fumble recovery by the Owls’ defense, the game was basically over.
Touchdown runs by Hale and Warren, as well as a touchdown catch by junior Cabe Roberson gave the Owl 52 points against the Jaguars, the most points Mill Valley has allowed in a game since Oct. 6, 2017 against Bishop Miege. Touchdowns late in the fourth quarter against the Owls’ reserve defense made the game a little closer, but the lead was never in danger. When the clock hit triple zero’s the Owls had pulled off the 52-36 win for Mill Valley’s first home loss since 2023.
This win firmly established the Owls as contenders in the race for the first seed in 6A East, as well as keeping the Owls in contention for the Sunflower League, something that West has never done in school history.
In order to continue their momentum, the Owls had to defend home-field the next week, as the Shawnee Mission East Lancers came to town. Coming into the matchup, the Lancers were enjoying a very successful 5-1 season, in which their only loss came in a 56-21 blowout to Mill Valley.
During the opening coin toss, the tone was set. When the coin fell onto the turf as tails, Hale made the shocking choice to receive the opening kickoff. After a quick drive, Hale found Roberson for the junior’s second touchdown of the season. After a defensive stop and an injury to the Lancer’s quarterback, Hale linked up with Krzykowski to take a 14-0 lead against the Lancers.
The Lancer offense started to find its footing, but the Owls’ offense was firing on all cylinders in the first half. A four-yard rushing touchdown by Foland gave the Owls a 21-7 lead. Shortly before halftime, the Owls were facing fourth down around midfield. After a little deliberation, head coach Jon Wiemers sent the punting unit out on the field to pin the Lancers deep in their own territory. However, the punting unit was a disguise. After a little flailing by senior punter Dylan Wiman, Cash Warren got the direct snap and ran 20 yards to keep the drive alive. With under a minute left, Hale found junior Weston Voight from 15 yards out to take a 14-point lead at the half.
The offense faltered in the second half, and the Lancers started to claw back into the game. With less than four minutes left and the Lancers driving, the Owls were on the verge of giving up the lead. As the Lancers’ quarterback rolled out of the pocket, the tight end drifted open downfield. Right before the ball could reach its intended target however, senior Brody Butler swooped in and intercepted the pass for his team-leading fourth interception of the season.
After a long run by Foland and a touchdown run by Hale to extend the lead to 37-28, Butler once again got an interception to secure the Owls’ win.
The most important result of the week didn’t even occur at CBAC. At Free State, the Firebirds were tied 14-14 with Olathe North when a lightning delay was called Friday night. After two hours of delays, the game was postponed to Saturday afternoon. It was all Eagles on Saturday, and Olathe North ended up grabbing the 35-14 win against the Firebirds.
With the loss, Free State entered into a three-way tie for first place in the Sunflower League, leaving the Owls alone at the top of the 6A East standings. With a win on Friday, Oct. 24. against their hated rivals in Olathe Northwest, the Owls would clinch a share of the Sunflower League championship, as well as the top seed in the playoffs.
So, the stage is set. Senior Night, Olathe West vs Olathe Northwest. If the Owls come out with a W, it would cap off a magical run of wins, some of the biggest the school has ever seen. None of those results could be as big as the one ahead, but the Ravens are no pushover. Olathe Northwest is 5-2 on the season, but are coming off a 63-28 loss to Mill Valley. Their other loss came in their season opener to Shawnee Mission East.
Whatever happens in the game on Friday, the Owls have already clinched a home game in the 6A playoffs. This week won’t be the last home game for the seniors, but it perhaps may be the biggest home game that they’ve ever played in.
Top Performers- 10/17 Vs Mill Valley
Passing: SR Brody Hale 15/23 207 YD’s 2 TD’s 1 INT
Rushing: SR Josh Foland 12 Carries 147 YD’s 12.3 AVG 1 TD
Receiving: JR Cabe Roberson 7 REC 71 YD’s 1 TD
Defense
Tackles: JR Cash Warren 11 Tackles
TFL’s: Tracy, Maffit, Ables, Warren (2 each)
Turnovers: SR Vaughn Overton 1 FR
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Stat Leaders – 10/17 Vs Shawnee Mission East
Passing: SR Brody Hale 13/25 120 YD’s 3 TD’s
Rushing: SR Josh Foland 13 Carries 106 YD’s 8.2 AVG 1 TD
Receiving: SR Sam Krzykowski 3 REC 33 YD’s 1 TD
Defense
Tackles: SR Jake Ables 13 Tackles
TFL’s: Ables/Warren (1 Each)
Turnovers: SR Brody Butler 2 INT’s
