Kansas Football Game Preview: Olathe North Eagles at Gardner-Edgerton Trailblazers
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
Despite the coronavirus creating chaos among high football programs and schedules, both teams are heading into this matchup undefeated on the young season. Olathe North is currently 3-0 with their last win coming on Sept. 25 against Olathe West (21-17). They have also defeated Olathe South (41-0) and Lawrence Free State (35-9). Gardner-Edgerton has won both of their games thus far with victories coming over Olathe South (31-24) and Mill Valley (28-26). It will be exciting to see which team continues to be undefeated after this massive matchup in Gardner.
Olathe North Eagles
The Eagles are led on offense by junior quarterback Noah Palmer (5’11”, 170) and junior running back Jacob Parish (5’10”, 165). Palmer has 184 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air and leads the team with 420 yards and four rushing scores while managing Olathe North’s run-heavy offense. Parish has contributed with 213 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground while snagging six passes for 119 receiving and one more score at the wide receiver position. Another offensive weapon is junior running Aquantez Love (6’0”, 185) who is second on the team with 217 rushing yards and tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns.
Olathe North ATH Jacob Parish
Parrish is not only a player to watch on offense but also on defense as he has 25 total tackles and two interceptions. Junior linebacker Alexavier King (6’1”, 205) is another leader on defense as he has 14 total tackles including two for a loss and a fumble recovery. Two other players to watch on defense are sophomore DL Devan Lowe and senior linebacker Abram Phillips (6’0”, 185). Lowe has eight tackles and three sacks while Phillips has 21 total tackles including one for a loss and one sack thus far in 2020
Gardner-Edgerton Trailblazers
In last week’s win over Mill Valley, the Trailblazers were led to victory by sophomore quarterback Asher Weiner (6’2”, 170). Weiner completed 15-of-27 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. All three touchdown passes were caught by senior Ethan Reynolds who finished with five catches for 120 receiving yards. Reynolds also had an interception and six tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Another star who contributes on both offense and defense is senior DaVonte Pritchard (6’1”, 200). Pritchard, a Kansas State commit, had 89 rushing yards to go along with six tackles and an interception. Sophomore Conner Elder (6’1”, 160) led Gardner-Edgerton in rushing Friday night as he had 96 yards on five carries and 29 receiving yards. Junior Jake McClure led the team in tackles in the win with six including one for a loss and one sack. The Trailblazers also have another Kansas State commit, Austin Weiner (6’7”, 235) who is featured at tight end and defensive end.
Photo credit: Twitter; Gardner-Edgerton ATH DaVonte Pritchard
Photo credit: Twitter.com; Olathe North ATH Jacob Parish