St. Thomas Aquinas hosts Blue Valley Northwest Friday night at 7 p.m. in its 2019 home opener.
The Saints (2-0) have defeated the Huskies (1-1) in their last three meetings dating back to 2014, coach Randy Dreiling's first season at Aquinas. Last season Aquinas defeated Northwest, 49-14, building a 42-8 halftime lead.
This season, Aquinas has out-scored opponents 83-7 in the first half in its first two games of the season against Blue Valley and Blue Valley Southwest.
The Saints reside with Bishop Miege atop the Eastern Kansas League.
This week's opponent, Blue Valley Northwest, rebounded from a Week 1 41-14 loss to St. James with a 34-28 overtime win at Harrisonville, Mo., last week.
"What I see is a team that had a big win last week, so we'll need to be ready for them," said Dreiling. "Teams can grow more and more each week as the season progresses, so we expect to do the same this week against Blue Valley Northwest."
Aquinas out-gained the Huskies last season 550-144, including 393 yards rushing and 157 passing. Fullback Tyron "Tank" Young had 228 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
This season, the Saints on average out-gain opponents 481-143. Young is averaging 148 yards rushing and receiving and three touchdowns per game, and has yet to play in a second half. Quarterback Blake Anderson is averaging 127 passing yards per game on 16 of 19 passing and has thrown five touchdown passes.
Six players are averaging at least 25 rushing yards per game, and five players have made receptions.
The offensive line has been dominant.
So has the line on the other side of the ball, led by Peyton Reeves with two hurries and Caden Reeves with a sack and tackle for loss. Linebacker Bobby Pierce has 11 tackles, a sack, tackle for a loss, and an interception. Defensive backs Kordan Harris and Terrence Collins have nine tackles and a pass break-up apiece. Linebacker Cameron Penny has four tackles, including two for a loss, a sack, and a hurry.
"One feeds off the other," said Dreiling. "A defensive stop sets up the offense to score, and a good drive on offense encourages the defense. I think everybody is ready to give Blue Valley Northwest our best effort."
