Prospect Matchup: Regional Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're on to the Regional Round ladies and gentlemen. In some ways this round could be considered the unofficial start to the postseason. The playoff field has now been condensed to reigning champions, league winners, and a handful of underdogs. Which sets up for an exciting night of action.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's especially the case in the Kansas City metro. This second week of the postseason features multiple rematches from the regular season, and there are some heavyweight battles that folks do not want to miss. I won't be previewing them all, but I will be breaking down three promising Class 6A matchups in this report.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Free State (6-3) @ Shawnee Mission Northwest (6-3)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Up first is a battle of two six win teams that exploded offensively in the Opening Round. Lawrence Free State and SMNW combined to score 111 points last week, as both teams put up 50 or more on the scoreboard. However, the two squads also allowed 40 or more points. Which means folks in attendance could be in store for a barn burner. Their meeting in 2024 ended in a one score game and this year's matchup could be more of the same.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With this game having the potential of being a high scoring affair, both squads will need their top playmakers to dominate. That's where [player_tooltip player_id='1560943' first='Maddon' last='Brittingham'] (Jr.) of Free State and [player_tooltip player_id='945017' first='Traimyre' last='Woodruff'] (Sr.) of SMNW come in. In Free State's win over Olathe East, Brittingham nearly rushed for 300 yards and found the end zone seven times. On the other side, Woodruff was also incredible in the Opening Round as he punched in six rushing touchdowns.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Blue Valley West (3–6) @ Olathe Northwest (6-3)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This next game is a rematch from last year's Regional Round. In that game BVW was victorious over ONW in what ended up being a lopsided score. This year's game could be different though. BVW heads in as one of the remaining underdogs in the Class 6A East bracket. They stunned Shawnee Mission East last week in a 42-35 victory. For ONW, after dropping their final two games of the regular season the Ravens bounced back in a big way as they scored 63 points in a shutout win. Northwest is surely eager to get payback against the Jaguars, but Blue Valley West is looking to advance back to the Sectional Round.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two impact players that will be difference makers in this matchup are seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1311523' first='Lawson' last='McGraw'] of BVW and <strong>Bryce Randall</strong> of ONW. McGraw had arguably his top offensive performance of the season last week. The Kansas State-commit caught eight passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns. He's also a game wrecker on defense. On the other side, the senior campaign Randall's had hasn't been talked about enough. He eclipsed 1,000 yards last week and has five games over 100 yards and has hit pay 12 times.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Olathe South (5-4) @ Olathe West (8-1)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last but not least is the matchup between the birds, as the Olathe South Falcons take on the Olathe West Owls. The top-seeded Owls are riding into Regionals as one of the hottest teams in the state. Meanwhile Olathe South has won three of their last four games. With a ticket to Sectionals on the line, folks in attendance can expect to see an exciting game between these cross-town rivals.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olathe West has one of the top offenses in Class 6A and it's spearheaded by senior [player_tooltip player_id='1672694' first='Brody' last='Hale']. He was very efficient in West's Opening Round win as he completed 86% of his passes and threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns. One player from Olathe South that could help limit Hale and the Owls' offense is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1402685' first='Dax' last='Grissom']. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound linebacker recorded 13 total tackles in South's win over Blue Valley Northwest last week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->