Top Matchups From the KC Metro: Week 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're less than 24 hours away from the second Friday of the season in the <em>Sunflower State</em>, and there's a number of games folks should be excited for. The Kansas City area and surrounding counties in particular has multiple ranked matchups taking place. Some of the top players in the state will even be hitting the field in those games.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These three matchups were on my radar once I checked out the Week 2 schedule. Two of these games feature teams fighting for an early leg up in league standings, while the third will be a clash of squads from opposite sides of the state. Here's a rundown of intriguing matchups within the games.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Toganoxie 4A (1-0)&nbsp; @ Spring Hill 5A (1-0)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After Week 1 the Toganoxie Chieftains and the Spring Hill Broncos both sit atop the <em>Frontier League</em> standings, as they each are coming off impressive wins. Tongie battled a tough Louisburg squad and came out on top 20-14. Spring Hill came out on fire to start the season as they put up 47 points in Week 1.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A matchup to keep an eye on in this one will be in the trenches. I'm interested to see [player_tooltip player_id='1228928' first='Gavin' last='Rhoads'] (Tongie) and [player_tooltip player_id='1881280' first='Brooks' last='Bayer'] (SH) square off. Rhoads has loads of varsity experience and is a lineman on the rise in the Class of ‘26. He'll have his hands full though, as Bayer is one of the top pass rushers in the Class of ‘27, and is coming off a strong Week 1 performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">St. James Academy 5A (1-0) @ St. Thomas Aquinas 5A (1-0)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much like the game above, these two teams will also be jockeying for an early lead in league standings. An early lead in the <em>Eastern Kansas League </em>is crucial considering the competition level. Not to mention this game has bragging rights on the line as St. James Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas are bitter foes. Their rivalry has gone back and forth in recent years, but Aquinas has gotten the better of SJA lately.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams are coming off dominating defensive performances in Week 1. The two squads shutout their opponents, so it's only right if we talk about some key defenders. For the St. James Thunder, senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1908899' first='Sam' last='Charlton']</strong> will be leaned on heavily to limit Aquinas' elite rushing attack. Charlton recorded 13 total tackles and four tackles for loss in Week 1. Aquinas also has a standout prospect in the trenches with <strong>K'lyn Curtis</strong>. The senior defensive tackle came up with seven total tackles and two sacks last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Great Bend 5A (1-0) @ Olathe South 6A (1-0)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This final matchup is <em>Game of the Week</em> material. Great Bend and Olathe South are programs that don't compete against each other often, so it's a fun matchup when they do play. They faced off last season at Great Bend, but this time Olathe South will host the battle. These teams were explosive offensively in Week 1, as they both scored over 40 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Folks should expect to see quite a bit of fireworks in this one. There are several offensive playmakers on both rosters. Some prospects to keep an eye on for Olathe South are [player_tooltip player_id='934700' first='Trea' last='Hayes'] (Jr.), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1921500' first='Justus' last='Sprague']</strong> (So.), and <strong>Gage Lee </strong>(Sr.). Great Bend's offense features some notable names such as seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1113368' first='Daxton' last='Minton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1229117' first='Ian' last='Premer'], as well as junior [player_tooltip player_id='933826' first='Cooper' last='Ohnmacht']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->