Blue Valley Tigers (4-2) vs. Blue Valley Southwest High School (3-3)
Overland Park, Kan.
Friday, Oct. 18, 2013 at 7 p.m.

Last Week:
Blue Valley 35 – 3 Saint Thomas Aquinas — This game was fun. In one of the most satisfying games of the season, Blue Valley ran circles around rival Saint Thomas Aquinas, winning every battle of the game and preventing Aquinas from getting in the endzone. The Tigers also took advantage of the opportunity to avenge last seasons heartbreaking playoff loss to the Saints. The Saints fall to a laughable 1-5 and Blue Valley improves it’s State ranking to number 5.

Blue Valley Northwest 37-26 Blue Valley Southwest — A strong fourth quarter from BV Northwest was enough to finish the game, pushing the Huskies to 4-2. BV Southwest fell to 3-3, and a frustrating home loss is likely to fuel energy for Friday’s game.

Last Meeting: 2012 – Regular Season
Blue Valley High School 28-21 Blue Valley Southwest: Blue Valley was headed for a loss against Blue Valley Southwest, trailing 21-7 in the fourth quarter. Think about what that loss would have been like. The players must have figured it out, because the Tigers offense scored 21 unanswered points en route to a win on Pink-Out Night.

What this game means:
Blue Valley- Nobody wants to lose to BV Southwest, regardless of how good or bad they are. The whole “Southwest is a joke in football” thing hasn’t quite worn off yet. Blue Valley needs this win to maintain its first place standing in district play, and keep its hope of catching up current EKL frontrunner Bishop Miege.

Blue Valley Southwest- BV Southwest has had a disappointing season, to say the least. After last year’s winning season, the first in school history, the Timberwolves have regressed this year, having beaten only one team with a record above .500. A statement win for confidence and playoff hopes is necessary for the season to not be considered a failure.

Blue Valley will win if: They get rolling quickly. This doesn’t mean scoring 35 points in the first quarter — it simply means getting points on the board and preventing any kind of momentum to build for the Timberwolves. The defense has allowed more than 20 points only twice this season. A repeat effort similar to last week’s will put a win within arms reach for BV.

Blue Valley will lose if: Their offense continually stalls. Twice this season, the Tigers have been held to two touchdowns. Both games ended in irritating losses. This Southwest team is not the same team that won a combined two district games in its first two years of play. They can score points if given the opportunity and can win the game if allowed to hang around.

Prediction: We have entered the last three games of the season — the games that decide who will make it into the KSHSAA playoffs. That weird rule set aside, everything is real now. No team, regardless of current record, is guaranteed to make it in or be left out. A loss will put BV’s playoff hopes in jeopardy, and coach Eric Driskell would prefer to win out rather than go to the wire. This should be a close game in the first half, but a home crowd decked out in pink and a relentlessly motivated Tiger team will put Southwest away for good later in the game.

Final Score Prediction: Blue Valley 31-14 Blue Valley Southwest