Games Of the Week 9.18.09

Two years ago they were playing unsanctioned 8-man club football. Entering Week 3 of their second season of sanctioned 11-man ball, Trinity Academy in Wichita is coming off a 30 to 14 win over Medicine Lodge, a team which beat Trinity by 30 last season.

It's notable that such a young program could handily defeat a traditionally strong program like Medicine Lodge. Rarely do we get to watch a brand-new team build from scratch in high school football; one would assume that the process would be long and arduous, littered with many forgettable losses, which is why what Trinity is doing is amazing to me. Talent can get spread out in east Wichita; there are 7 high school football programs on that side of town. Yet the new kid on the block is climbing.

This week, at 2-0, they find out exactly where they stand. Trinity hosts defending Class 3A state champ Conway Springs at Cessna Stadium. It's my game of the week, because it's biggest game in the history of Trinity football.

The Blue Valley school district in Overland Park has stuck it to south central Kansas football so far this year. Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division I members went scoreless up northeast last week. Blue Valley West shut out Goddard, and Blue Valley North blanked Maize.

Tonight, the city of Salina can regain some clout for the league vaunted by me on the cover of the August issue of our magazine as the best in Kansas. If the Salina schools don't sweep tonight – Salina Central at home against Blue Valley Stilwell and Salina South at Blue Valley Northwest –  Division I of the Ark Valley top to bottom is certainly not the best league in Kansas.

The Eastern Kansas League, home to these rising programs in the Blue Valley district, would be better, and it may not even be the best league in the Kansas City area. Mount up, Salina. Represent central Kansas tonight.

I'll end with my quick hits.

Heights hosts Northwest, which looks to rebound from its eighth loss to Carroll in nine meetings, and Heights has scored only one touchdown in the season's first two weeks.

Andover-Andover Central is always a home game. After beating Central for the first time ever last season, Old School Andover High could put Andover Central at 0-3. Wouldn’t that be unusual.

Finally, Derby at Goddard is a swing game for both programs. Goddard is 0-2 for the second consecutive season, and Derby gave away a home game to Salina Central last week. That was a step back for Derby, and Goddard has started with two steps back. Both are looking for that step forward tonight.