Kansas Week 5 football picks: SM East, Bishop Miege will try to stay undefeated

There are only a few undefeated teams left on the Kansas side and a few of them could be tested on Friday night. Watch for Lawrence Free State to challenge Shawnee Mission East and Blue Valley West to be an obstacle for Bishop Miege.

Week 3 record: 5-0

Overall record: 13-7

SM East (4-0) at Lawrence Free State (2-2)

SM East allowed a season-high 19 points against SM West last week, but still cruised to a double-digit victory. The Lancers are still the team to beat in the Sunflower League. Free State struggled last week against Leavenworth, but are still one of SM East’s top competitors.

Prediction: SM East 42, Lawrence Free State 21

Olathe North (4-0) at Leavenworth (2-2)

Olathe North won by a combined 13 points in the first three weeks, but their explosive offense finally broke free for a 49-0 shutout against SM South last Friday. North could be an interesting matchup for the Pioneers, who are coming off a 35-21 victory against Lawrence Free State.

Prediction: Olathe North 35, Leavenworth 14

SM West (1-3) at Olathe South (3-1)

SM West will try to bounce back from a 23-point rivalry game loss to SM East and improve its record in the Sunflower League. However, that will be a tough task against the Falcons, who have lost just once. They are coming off a 35-14 victory against Olathe Northwest

Prediction: Olathe South 24, Shawnee Mission West 14

Blue Valley West (3-1) at Bishop Miege (4-0)

Outside Blue Valley, this may be Blue Valley West’s biggest game of the season. Bishop Miege is undefeated and has rolled through Eastern Kansas League play, most recently defeating rival St. Thomas Aquinas 37-20. Prior to that, Bishop Miege defeated Blue Valley 42-2. That might not bode well for Blue Valley West.

Prediction: Bishop Miege 42, Blue Valley West 28

St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1) at Gardner Edgerton (0-4)

On paper, it looks like this could be a good bounce-back game for Aquinas, which lost to Bishop Miege last week. However, Gardner Edgerton has been steadily improving and the 0-4 record might be deceiving. The Trailblazers were shut out the first two weeks, but have scored 25 and 21 points in the last two.

Prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas 34, Gardner Edgerton 21

This story was originally published October 3, 2014 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Kansas Week 5 football picks: SM East, Bishop Miege will try to stay undefeated."