St. James, Gardner Edgerton, Olathe NW march forward in Kansas football playoffs

The action was fast and fierce Friday in a host of Kansas high school football clashes with major postseason implications in and around the Kansas City metro.

Here’s a look at some highlights from games that sent winners on to next week’s state semifinals:

St. James Academy 45, Mill Valley 41

The finish was fitting in a game as evenly matched as this Class 5A quarterfinal between Mill Valley and St. James.

There were eight lead changes and the largest lead of the night was just six points.

In the end, the Thunder had its hands on the ball last and took advantage, scoring with mere seconds remaining to oust the Jaguars and advance.

Blake Jay scored on a quarterback sneak to put Mill Valley up 41-38 with under six minutes to play. But St. James enjoyed the final heroics on this night.

The teams traded punts and then the Thunder started a final drive at its own 47 with 2 minutes left. St. James converted a fourth-and-3 with 55 seconds to go, and a few plays later QB John Hornback rolled right and ran 12 yards to the end zone.

“I really don’t know how we got it done, but it was a fun win,” St. James coach Tom Radke said.

The Thunder’s Jake House opened the scoring with a TD less than 2 minutes in. Mill Valley countered with the first of Jay’s four rushing TDs.

It was 14-6 Jags after Max Piva scored via a TD run of his own. But St. James controlled the rest of the half. Hornback hit Alec Jett for a 69-yard TD and House rushed for a score to make it 20-14 Thunder at halftime.

Mill Valley moved quickly after the intermission and regained the lead on Jay’s 10-yard TD run. Jay scored again, on a 47-yard TD run, and it was 28-23 MVHS.

But House found the end zone again, too, St. James converted the two-point try, and the Thunder took a 31-28 lead into the final quarter.

The Jaguars retook the lead on a Jay-to-Piva TD pass play, but House scored for the fourth time with eight minutes left. And that touchdown stood up as the game-winner.

The Thunder (10-1) face Basehor-Linwood (11-0) next Friday in Basehor for a spot in the state championship game.

Gardner Edgerton 49, Shawnee Mission Northwest 42

Trai Woodruff and Shawnee Mission Northwest gave the defending Class 6A state champs all they wanted.

But the Trailblazers showed why they are a step away from a third straight trip to the state championship game. Host Gardner Edgerton outlasted the Cougars in the 6A quarterfinals.

The Blazers held off another big night from senior quarterback Woodruff, who was coming off a 5-TD performance the week before. Woodruff finished this week’s game with 274 rushing yards and three TDs, plus 107 yards passing and two more TDs through the air.

Northwest (7-4) led early after touchdown runs by Woodruff of 63 and 51 yards. Another scoring drive and Woodruff keeper for a score gave the Cougars a 35-21 second-quarter lead.

But senior running back Syre Padilla had something to say for the Trailblazers, rushing for 276 yards and five TDs. His 76-yard scoring run kept GEHS within a point early, at 14-13, and his 9-yard scamper got the Blazers within a TD at halftime, when Shawnee Mission Northwest led 35-28.

The Blazers’ defense clamped down, allowing only a 51-yard TD pass from Woodruff to Drew Wilson with 15 seconds left. By then, Padilla’s TD two runs (of 3 and 11 yards) and Domani Tony’s 18-yard TD had put the game out of reach.

Junior quarterback Carson McCall finished with 109 rushing yards for the Trailblazers.

Gardner Edgerton (9-2) will play host to Olathe Northwest (8-3) in the semifinals next Friday night in Gardner.

Olathe Northwest 34, Olathe West 21

Olathe Northwest dealt its district rival its biggest blow yet — during the playoffs, no less.

The Ravens avenged a loss to Olathe West three weeks ago in Friday’s 6A quarterfinal showdown at CBAC — the home field for both schools.

Northwest had tumbled 38-27 on Oct. 24, which helped the Owls clinch the No. 1 seed in Kansas Class 6A.

The Owls came in averaging 64 points per game in the postseason, but they had also surrendered 43 points per outing. And sure enough, Northwest jumped to a 26-14 lead by halftime.

Junior quarterback Brody Comfort fired three TD passes by intermission, including an 80-yarder to senior Cole Spriggs just 21 seconds into the game.

Following an Owls interception, junior linebacker Jackson Connell scored on a seven-yard run. Just like that, the Ravens led 13-0 with no more than 1:21 elapsed.

Olathe West traded blows with Northwest the rest of the way, starting with Sam Krzykowski’s five-yard TD run midway through the first quarter. Comfort connected with Landen Hays for a 65-yard TD pass on the next play.

Krzykowski capped the wild first period with a one-yard TD run with 3:10 left. But Comfort and the Ravens countered again, this time via a 30-yard scoring strike to Tyler Briel. It was 26-14 at halftime.

After a scoreless third period, senior quarterback Brody Hale found junior tight end Weston Voight from 25 yards out to pull the Owls within five points, at 26-21, with 8:58 remaining. But the Ravens iced their victory with Bruce Randall’s 17-yard TD run with 3:32 to play.

Olathe Northwest will face Gardner Edgerton (9-2) next Friday in the semifinals in Gardner.

Note: Find more scores, playoff brackets and pairings at 810varsity.com.