Olathe South prevails over Shawnee Mission West

With some shifty moves and well-timed option plays, Olathe South junior running back DaeVonte’ Nance showed fast bursts all night against Shawnee Mission West.

Nance showed flashes of quickness while pounding out some yards, which led to a two-touchdown performance with more than 100 rushing yards on Friday night at the Olathe District Activity Center.

“I had to change it up, because I knew they would be trying to strip at it,” Nance said. “I had to change my play throughout the game.”

Nance and the combination of a solid running game, an efficient passing game and a series of turnovers by SM West led the Falcons to a 31-21 victory.

The Falcons managed an early touchdown with an 11-play, 65-yard drive that ended in Nance’s first touchdown of the evening. After that, Olathe South took advantage of some fumbles by the SM West offense.

The first turnover allowed Falcons quarterback Jake Seurer to make a few defenders miss and heave a touchdown to Johnny Sands for a 35-yard touchdown, making it 14-0.

“I just threw it up there, and he made a great play,” Seurer said.

Seurer, now in his second year as the starting quarterback, also ran the ball effectively out of the option, averaging close to six yards a carry

“He’s just a quiet gem,” Olathe South coach Jeff Gourley said. “Just a calm and cool kid under pressure. He understands the flow of the game really well.”

The Vikings had a few chances to cut the lead in half or get closer, but they fumbled once near the goal line and threw a few critical interceptions.

That allowed the Falcons to keep plugging away on the ground. Their third score of the night came on a Brady Noernberg plunge into the end zone, making it 21-0 halfway through the second quarter.

But the Vikings fought back right before halftime with a drive of their own.

Adam Rellihan redeemed his interception by hitting one of his running backs, Dante’ Lindsey, for a 10-yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead to two touchdowns.

However, the Falcons running attack was not finished. After another solid drive, Olathe South got back on the scoreboard when Nance blasted through a hole with a quick burst for a nine-yard touchdown run, making it 28-7.

His quick step is a key to Nance’s game, something he has been developing with his varsity experience.

“He’s one of the fastest kids on the field, because he can flat out run,” Olathe South coach Jeff Gourley said.

In the third quarter, SM West came storming out the gates. On their first drive, the Vikings drove all the way to the 1-yard line before Rellihan sneaked into the end zone to narrow the lead to 28-14.

The Falcons looked ready for a drive to counter, but a fumble recovered by SM West set them up for another touchdown to make it a one-score game.

But with some holds on defense and enough efficiency to keep the ball, the Falcons, 4-1, maintained a 10-point lead for the fourth quarter.

“We’ve been our own worse enemy, and we were the first half,” SM West coach Tim Callaghan said. “I was proud of the way we played in the second half. We played with a lot more control and within ourselves. I think we’ll be alright. We just can’t give a team like that turnovers.”

With the loss, the Vikings drop to 1-4 on the season.

Olathe South now hopes to regroup for next week and not suffer some of the lapses it had in the second half.

“I thought they played well enough to win, not well enough to be happy right now,” Gourley said.

This story was originally published October 3, 2014 at 10:52 PM with the headline "Olathe South prevails over Shawnee Mission West."