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Blue Springs and Rockhurst will meet again.
With Friday night’s 35-14 Class 6 sectional win over visiting Liberty, Rockhurst assured the Hawklets and Wildcats will face off in postseason football for the third straight season and the 15th time overall. The teams will meet Nov. 13 in quarterfinal action at Rockhurst High School.
“We expect to play them in the playoffs every year,” said Rockhurst quarterback Frank Arbanas, the grandson of Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Fred Arbanas. “But if you want to win state, you’ve got to play the best teams in the playoffs.”
As Arbanas pointed out, state champions must sometimes defeat teams twice in a season, which the Hawklets must do if they expect to win their first state title since 2007. Rockhurst (9-2) defeated Blue Springs (10-1) 17-3 on Sept. 11 at Blue Springs.
“We’re going to go back this week and put this game behind us,” said Arbanas, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another Friday. “We did well, but we’ve got to forget about it and play Blue Springs, who’s a tough team and on a roll.”
Rockhurst coach Tony Severino predicts the familiar foes will add “a few little wrinkles” to prepare for each other.
“You’ll see those early in the game,” Severino said. “After that, they’ll settle into their offense, we’ll settle into ours and then we’ll just knock it out.”
For Rockhurst, it’ll be important to keep Blue Springs junior running back Darrian Miller and senior wide receiver Keeston Terry in check, Severino said. Miller rushed for 216 yards in Blue Springs’ victory Friday over visiting Lee’s Summit and has 2,245 rushing yards with 35 touchdowns for the season.
“It should be a heck of a game,” Severino said.
Liberty coach Joel Wells believes so, too.
“The winner of that one probably has got a good chance to win the whole thing,” Wells said.
If it is close, it’ll be different in tone than the past two postseason meetings. Rockhurst cruised past Blue Springs 42-17 in the state quarterfinals en route to winning its 2007 title and routed the Wildcats in 2008 in sectionals before falling to Blue Springs South in the quarterfinals.
Blue Springs and Rockhurst have met 40 times overall since their series began in 1981. The Hawklets lead the series 22-18.
Blue Springs and Rockhurst will meet again.
With Friday night’s 35-14 Class 6 sectional win over visiting Liberty, Rockhurst assured the Hawklets and Wildcats will face off in postseason football for the third straight season and the 15th time overall. The teams will meet Nov. 13 in quarterfinal action at Rockhurst High School.
“We expect to play them in the playoffs every year,” said Rockhurst quarterback Frank Arbanas, the grandson of Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Fred Arbanas. “But if you want to win state, you’ve got to play the best teams in the playoffs.”
As Arbanas pointed out, state champions must sometimes defeat teams twice in a season, which the Hawklets must do if they expect to win their first state title since 2007. Rockhurst (9-2) defeated Blue Springs (10-1) 17-3 on Sept. 11 at Blue Springs.
“We’re going to go back this week and put this game behind us,” said Arbanas, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another Friday. “We did well, but we’ve got to forget about it and play Blue Springs, who’s a tough team and on a roll.”
Rockhurst coach Tony Severino predicts the familiar foes will add “a few little wrinkles” to prepare for each other.
“You’ll see those early in the game,” Severino said. “After that, they’ll settle into their offense, we’ll settle into ours and then we’ll just knock it out.”
For Rockhurst, it’ll be important to keep Blue Springs junior running back Darrian Miller and senior wide receiver Keeston Terry in check, Severino said. Miller rushed for 216 yards in Blue Springs’ victory Friday over visiting Lee’s Summit and has 2,245 rushing yards with 35 touchdowns for the season.
“It should be a heck of a game,” Severino said.
Liberty coach Joel Wells believes so, too.
“The winner of that one probably has got a good chance to win the whole thing,” Wells said.
If it is close, it’ll be different in tone than the past two postseason meetings. Rockhurst cruised past Blue Springs 42-17 in the state quarterfinals en route to winning its 2007 title and routed the Wildcats in 2008 in sectionals before falling to Blue Springs South in the quarterfinals.
Blue Springs and Rockhurst have met 40 times overall since their series began in 1981. The Hawklets lead the series 22-18.
