Gardner Edgerton, Olathe West, SM South claim Kansas high school football wins

It was another big night of games across the Kansas City metro on Friday.

Here are some highlights from Week 2 of the Kansas high school football schedule.

No. 15 Gardner Edgerton 34, No. 14 St. Pius X 28

Gardner Edgerton needed all of the 27-point lead it built to fend off St. Pius X on Friday night.

The Trailblazers, ranked No. 15 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, were coming off a 35-34 loss to Free State in their season opener.

After trailing 7-0 from the outset of this one, the defending Kansas Class 6A state champs rattled off 27 straight points and looked to be en route to a laugher.

Turnovers sparked Gardner Edgerton in the first half, with a fumble recovery and an interception leading to points.

“Hopefully, whether we win or lose these early games, this experience will help us build and get better as the season goes along,” Gardner Edgerton coach Jesse Owen said. “I’m proud of our guys. We have an approach and a way we like to play and that’s who we are.”

An 80-yard quarterback-keeper TD by junior Carson McCall tied the game at 7 at the 9:06 mark of the first quarter. Less than one minute later, senior running back Syre Padilla scored the first of his two first-half touchdowns.

Padilla’s second TD was followed by an interception just seconds later at 9:13 before intermission. Gardner Edgerton converted on fourth down inside the St. Pius 5, leading to a touchdown and 20-point halftime edge.

It got even worse for the visitors. Another Trailblazers rushing score, with under seven minutes to play in the third quarter, pushed the margin to 34-7.

But St. Pius, ranked No. 14 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, battled back with three rushing touchdowns from junior Cannon Cruse. It was a six-point game after Cruse’s third score, but that was as close as St. Pius could get.

Gardner Edgerton (1-1) takes on Shawnee Mission South next Friday while St. Pius (1-2) plays host to Cardinal Ritter.

Olathe West 21, Blue Valley West 17

Olathe West has enjoyed the high side of close games this season. The Owls (2-0) squeaked out another at Blue Valley West on Friday night.

Olathe West raced to a 14-0 lead after junior wideout Cade Roberson connected with senior Luke Zimmerman for a 25-yard touchdown pass and Brody Hale then found Weston Voight for a 5-yard TD strike.

Blue Valley West (0-2) crept back into the game following a 17-yard field goal and a four-yard touchdown pass from junior Michael Baum to senior Lawson McGraw.

Then senior quarterback Brett LaDuke hit McGraw for a 19-yard touchdown and 17-14 Jaguars lead with 8:22 to go. LaDuke threw for 374 yards on 31-of-51 accuracy but also tossed three interceptions — two hauled in by Olathe West senior Brody Butler.

The Owls fought back for a game-winning drive, as Hale hit senior Sam Krzykowski for a six-yard touchdown and a 21-17 lead. Krzykowski finished with a team-high 95 receiving yards, while Hale passed for 174.

Olathe West enjoyed a 35-31 narrow win over Lawrence in the season’s opening week and will play Shawnee Mission Northwest next Friday. Blue Valley West will travel to Bishop Miege next.

Shawnee Mission South 35, Pittsburg 6

Marquan Washington jetted for three touchdown runs to boost Shawnee Mission South to a non-league win over Pittsburg.

The senior tailback scored on runs of 11, 58 and 1 yards in a 35-6 romp at South.

The Raiders (1-1) capitalized off three Pittsburg fumbles in the first five possessions, as well as an interception.

Solomon Hirsch’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Jared Cikot opened the scoring for South. Two Washington scoring runs followed, and then Hirsch hit Luke Black for a 13-yard TD to make it 28-0.

South will play at Gardner Edgerton next Friday night.

For scores, stats, recaps, rankings, broadcasts and more, visit 810Varsity.com.