Season Preview: 6A Football

Olathe North football planned to start the 2020 football season as frontrunners to knock off perennial powerhouse Derby. Instead, the Eagles entered the season scrambling to figure out their depth chart as top player's like Arland Bruce IV looked for alternative states to play in as the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to end the season before it ever began.

Olathe North rallied around dual-threat quarterback Noah Palmer and its talented backfield of Jacob Parrish and Aquantez Love. The trio powered the Eagles to an 8-2 season, but they never got their shot at Derby thanks to an equally impressive Blue Valley North offense knocking them off with a 30-20 win in the state semifinals.

Now Olathe North enters the season with the same expectations and very little uncertainty. Palmer, Parrish and Love return as seniors looking to build off their unstoppable ground attack.

Palmer threw for 758 yards and 10 passing touchdowns, but he also led the team in rushing yards with 975 and rushing touchdowns with 12. Love finished right behind him with 892 yards on the ground and tied him on rushing scores. Parish gave the Eagles another 762 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He did even more damage as the team's top receiving threat, picking up 536 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.

All three players play on both sides of the ball as well. Parrish and Palmer play safety, with the former earning all-state honors on defense last season. Love plays at linebacker.

The group will have help from senior defensive end Alex King, who also plays tight end. King earned All-Sunflower League honors for both positions in 2020. He'll be joined upfront by seniors Jonathan Hide and Devan Lowe.

Derby returns all-state selections in junior back Dylan Edwards, senior lineman Alex Key, senior defensive lineman Quintin Dorsey and offensive lineman Jonas Vickers Jr., but will have to replace six all-state departures. The graduating seniors include their starting quarterback, Lem Wash, who was eight rushing yards shy of hitting 1300 yards both on the ground and through the air. He also scored 38 total touchdowns.

Blue Valley North could also cause trouble for Olathe North again or get its own revenge on Derby after losing 56-31 to the Panthers in the state title game. Senior quarterback Henry Martin will once again command a potent passing attack after throwing for 2961 passing yards and 32 touchdowns last season. Senior wide receiver Mekhi Miller will be his top target again after a 1,000-yard receiving season with 14 touchdowns receptions a season ago.