Standout Performers From BVW vs. BVNW

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The start to the second half of the '22 campaign brought us a very competitive matchup from the <em>Eastern Kansas League</em>, as crosstown rivals Blue Valley West, and Blue Valley Northwest faced off during Week 5. The BVW Jaguars and the BVNW Huskies both came into this game at 2–2 after coming up short against competition from Missouri in Week 4. As the two squads looked to rebound in this one, the Jags came in with extra motivation. Northwest defeated West two times last season, and prevented them from advancing to the Class 6A State Championship game. It was evident that those two losses stuck with them, and they were ready to settle the score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The story of this game would be momentum swings, as there were several throughout the contest. BVW had the defending state champions on the ropes in the first half, as they'd hold a 14-0 lead early in the 2^nd&nbsp;quarter. However, championship caliber teams know how to handle adversity, as the Huskies would go on a run of their own. Following the Jags' second score, the Huskies would reel off 20 unanswered points, and would take a 20-14 lead into the half. Now the champion had their challenger staggering, and they would add to their lead in the 3^rd&nbsp;quarter to make it a 26-14 ball game. Just when it appeared that BVNW had full control, the Jags answered back with a 69-yard touchdown run to make it 26-21 heading into the 4^th&nbsp;quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4^th quarter is when things would get interesting. BVW scored again to retake the lead and make it 27-26 with 8:16 left in the game. The Huskies' offense had multiple opportunities to respond, but BVW's defense would not fold, and came up with a big stop on a 4^th and 8 late in the game to seal the deal. This 27-26 victory for the Jags is sure to be a huge confidence boost for them heading into the last three weeks of the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/santinobernal1/status/1576035165574688768?s=21u0026t=kDAgfKKcdB-DX6I04w-KQA","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/santinobernal1/status/1576035165574688768?s=21&amp;t=kDAgfKKcdB-DX6I04w-KQA </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the&nbsp;<em>Standout Performers</em>&nbsp;from this exciting Week 5 rivalry matchup&nbsp;<strong>(Unofficial Stats)</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Offense:</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='126738' first='Zach' last='Darche'] – BVW, 6'2”, 215, ATH, Class of '23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Normally [player_tooltip player_id='126738' first='Zach' last='Darche'] is highlighted for his play at linebacker, as he is the 3^rd&nbsp;ranked backer in our Class of '23 rankings. While he did impress on defense in this game, his play at quarterback really stood out. Even though Darche split time under center, the senior was efficient and the Jags' offense seemed to be more in sync with him taking the snaps. Darche would finish the game completing six of his seven passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='122492' first='Grant' last='Stubblefield'] – BVNW, 6'1”, 185, RB, Class of '23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a bit of an uncharacteristic performance for Stubblefield and the Huskies' offense. The Jags' defense did a great job of limiting Northwest's ground game, and held Stubblefield below his impressive season averages. Still yet, Stubblefield is a player that will find a way to make an impact. The senior rushed for 114 yards on 33 carries with two scores, and hauled in a 21-yard touchdown reception as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/connor_white103?s=21&amp;t=ARtFhvjDYLg75MAhQ01FCg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/connor_white103?s=21&amp;t=ARtFhvjDYLg75MAhQ01FCg">Connor White</a> – BVNW, 6'2”, 175, QB, Class of '23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the Huskies having trouble getting their running game going, they leaned more on <a href="https://twitter.com/connor_white103?s=21&amp;t=ARtFhvjDYLg75MAhQ01FCg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/connor_white103?s=21&amp;t=ARtFhvjDYLg75MAhQ01FCg">Connor White </a>and the passing game. The senior performed well and came up big when Northwest needed to convert late in the game. BVW's defense didn't make it easy for him, but White still managed to complete 17-of-26 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='259779' first='Sage' last='Huffman'] – BVW, 5'9”, 170, RB, Class of '24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much like the Jags' defense limiting Stubblefield, the Huskies' defense didn't give Huffman much room to run throughout the game. But the one time the junior was able to find a crease, he burned Northwest's defense for a 69-yard touchdown run, which sparked BVW's comeback in the second half. Huffman would finish with 19 carries for 144 yards and one score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/crewmyers?s=21&amp;t=ARtFhvjDYLg75MAhQ01FCg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/crewmyers?s=21&amp;t=ARtFhvjDYLg75MAhQ01FCg">Crew Myers</a> – BVW, 5'11”, 160 WR, Class of '24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/crewmyers?s=21&amp;t=ARtFhvjDYLg75MAhQ01FCg" data-type="URL" data-id="https://twitter.com/crewmyers?s=21&amp;t=ARtFhvjDYLg75MAhQ01FCg">Crew Myers</a> didn't receive a ton of touches in this one, but he did make plays when the ball was in his hands. The junior stepped up in the absence of standout athlete, [player_tooltip player_id='126737' first='Jack' last='Schneider'], and went on to accumulate over 100 all-purpose yards, including a 67-yard touchdown catch in the 1^st quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Defense:</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='145604' first='Brody' last='McManamon'] – BVW, 6'1”, 240, DL, Class of '24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Jags' whole defensive line deserves a ton of credit for containing Stubblefield, but [player_tooltip player_id='145604' first='Brody' last='McManamon'] was the leader of this group. His name was announced several times throughout the game, as he'd go on to rack up 10 total tackles on the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='334739' first='Trey' last='Ridley'] – BVNW, 6'1”, 185, DB, Class of ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Things were shaky for the Huskies' secondary in the first half, but Ridley and Co. wouldn't allow much more through the air the rest of the game. The senior assisted on multiple tackles, and made an incredible pass breakup to deny the Jags' 2-point conversion in the 4^th quarter.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->