BISHOP CARROLL FOOTBALL @ NORTHWEST

Records: opener for both teams

Last season: NW advanced to the state title game by beating BC 41-21. Carroll led 14-0 behind two rushing TDs from graduated Hunter Trail but NW had too much and moved on to the state championship for the third straight season. BC ended the season 8-3. NW lost in the state title game to Mill Valley and finished 10-1. 

This season: In the Catch It Kansas preseason rankings, Northwest is ranked 1 and BC is fifth. 

BC players to watch: Look to the team captains for leadership and strong play tonight. On the defensive side of the ball, Michael Polley is poised for a strong game. With a year of varsity under his belt, the team captain will look to make a big splash at free safety against Northwest. His co-defensive captain and middle linebacker Andrew Bye is ready to go. Look for lots of big tackles from Bye as the Eagle’s defensive side looks to stop the run. On the offensive side of the ball,  Wideout Matthew Holthusen is ready to fly into action. The Holthusens have a historic legacy in Carroll football, and Matthew is ready to add to that. Look for lots of targets and lots of speed from this receiver. Jack Spottedhorse is another team captain. He will look to lead the O-Line to open up holes for the running back, Jadonn Williams. Look for a powerful push at each start of the play. — by Peter Burns 

Three-word preview: West-side rivals!

Coach Dusty Trail says:

On NW’s strengths: “Their quarterback is a strength offensively. He’s a very good runner and very difficult to tackle. They’re very athletic offensively and have a lot of team speed. They play very fast, which is a trademark of their coach, Coach Martin. They like to tire out their opponents, so that’s something we’re going to have to deal with.”

What kind of game does he expect: “It’s going to be hot, so that’s going to be a big factor. Whatever team can push through the heat and deal with the heat in the best way, they will have the advantage. Whoever can deal with the pace of the game the best is going to be a key issue. Game 1, there’s always going to be mistakes. It’s who deals with those mistakes and presses forward the best is going to end up being the winner probably.”

What are your team’s strengths: “Our strengths from a positional standpoint are our returning corner receivers that are pretty good: Matthew Holthusen, Tate Blasi. That is going to be a benefit to us. We also have a couple offensive lineman returning from last year’s team to help anchor the offensive line. Defensively, we have returning defensive backs Michael Polley and Cooper Buessing. We’ll be able to make adjustments. Andrew Bye moving to linebacker is going to be a big help for us as far as leadership and communication. Getting everyone lined up correctly is going to be difficult because of the tempo of the game. Overall, I think our togetherness, teamwork, and discipline are going to be a benefit and a strength for us.”

(Interview by Ally Larkin, Maddie Helten; Grace Long, contributing)