Three Must Watch Games for Week 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After months of anticipation, Week 1 of the 2026 season is finally here. This is a time of optimism and excitement, as prospects across the <em>Sunflower State</em> have been prepping for the right to be called champions in November.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before we get there though, it's a must that we highlight some intriguing matchups ahead of kickoff. These three games caught my eye, and they feature an abundance of talent.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Beloit 2A @ Southeast of Saline 2A</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This first game may get overlooked by some. However, for folks in the state familiar with Class 2A football, they know just how competitive this matchup could be. The battle of the Trojans features two well respected programs in Beloit and SE of Saline. Here are some key players taking the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Beloit their offense is headlined by the talented quarterback-receiver duo of <strong>Truitt King</strong> and <strong>Jacob Hand</strong>. King is a promising 6-foot-6 QB from the Class of ‘29, and he threw for over 1,800 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2025. Hand heads into his junior season with 70 career receptions for 1,043 yards and eight touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For SE of Saline, they'll be relying on the leadership of upperclassmen <strong>Tristian Swank</strong> and <strong>Tiernan Ptacek</strong>. Swank burst onto the scene as a sophomore last year, as he recorded 75 total tackles, 12 TFL's, and two sacks. On the other side of the ball, Ptacek will likely be the focal point of Saline's offense. During his junior season he accounted for over 1,500 yards of total offense and 20 total touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shawnee Mission East 6A @ Olathe North 6A</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up is the first of two Kansas City metro games. This first one is a <em>Sunflower League</em> battle between SME and Olathe North. These two league rivals last faced off in 2024 in a 39-34 shootout won by SME. Folks could be in for an exciting night in this year's game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's plenty of talent to go around in this matchup, but two prospects that could help decide the outcome are juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2179155' first='Chase' last='Williams'] (ON) and <strong>Thomas Vanice</strong> (SME). I've referred to Williams as a breakout candidate for this season and I'm sticking to it. He's a versatile athlete ready to make a splash. For SME, Vanice is poised to become the center piece of the Lancers' offense. He rushed for over 400 yards while splitting carries last season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">St. Thomas Aquinas 4A @ St. James Academy 5A</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This final matchup is another league rivalry between two title contenders from their respective classifications. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James Academy have had their share of success so far this decade, and the two programs are determined to continue their success this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This preview cannot go without mentioning standout seniors [player_tooltip player_id='823254' first='Terrence' last='Bryant'] (STA) and [player_tooltip player_id='1970828' first='John' last='Hornback'] (SJA). Bryant is used in a variety of ways on Aquinas' defense, and has been an impact player for some time now. Hornback has everyone's attention now after his impressive junior campaign, in which he earned <em>1st Team All-EKL </em>honors. It'll be interesting to see which player comes out on top.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->