High School Football Preview: Olathe North Eagles at Lawrence Lions
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
Two of the best teams in the state of Kansas are going to collide in Lawrence this Friday as the Lions of Lawrence High will host the Olathe North Eagles. With both teams entering this contest 5-0, a win is pivotal for both sides with the regular season wrapping up on October 23. Both sidelines will be lined with tremendous talent and this certainly one game fans of high school football will not want to miss.
Olathe North Eagles
Through their first five games of 2020, the Eagles have averaged 35.4 points per game while only giving up on average eight points a game. Olathe West is their only opponent that this defense allowed to get to double-digits (17). Two linebackers to watch on defense are junior Alexavier King and senior Abram Phillips. King has 26 total tackles including two for a loss and one fumble recovery while Phillips has 31 total tackles including three for a loss and a sack.
Olathe North has done most of their damage on the ground as they average over 300 rushing yards per game with 19 of their 26 touchdowns coming in the rushing game. Junior quarterback Noah Palmer is the leader of this offense as he has 355 passing yards, 651 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns this year. Junior athlete Jacob Parrish is another playmaker on offense having 384 rushing yards, 257 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns. Parrish also plays defense where he has 32 tackles and two interceptions. Running back Aquantez Love is one more weapon on offense as he has racked up 361 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
Lawrence Lions
Lawrence RB Devin Neal
The Lions have averaged 45.4 points a game through their first five games this season. Defensively, they’ve given up just 15.2 points per contest. Last week, Lawrence was the first road team to win at St. Thomas Aquinas since 2017. One of the leaders on defense is senior middle linebacker Karson Green who made huge tackles and recovered a fumble last week. Senior defensive end Teagan Flynn is another playmaker who shines on the defensive side of the ball.
The leader of this team is senior running back Devin Neal, a Kansas commit. In the Lions’ game last Friday, Neal racked up 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jackson Dooley also did his part in the win by throwing for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Tre’Sean Jackson is another weapon on offense as he had 62 receiving yards and a touchdown against St. Thomas Aquinas. The offensive line is anchored by junior Noah Smith who is already drawing interest from college.
Photo credit: Lawrence Journal-World; Lawrence RB Devin Neal
Photo credit: Josh Price/Athletic Director Olathe North; Olathe North QB Noah Palmer running in for a touchdown
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