NOVEMBER, 2009: Olathe North headed into the Kansas Class 6A state football playoffs with an unbeaten 9-0 record as the Eagles look to recapture the state magic of just a few years ago.

The Eagles captured seven state titles in the span of eight years from 1996 through 2003. They brought home state titles in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. San Diego Chargers running back Darren Sproles led the Eagles to a 12-0 record in 2000, rushing for 2,485 yards and 49 touchdowns.

The last time that Olathe North made it to the state championship game was 2004, a loss to Salina South in the 5A state championship game. When Olathe Northwest opened in 2004, the Eagles were in 5A in football for two years.

The Eagles are coached by Pete Flood, a 1985 Olathe North graduate. He returned to Olathe North in 2003 after five years as an assistant at Olathe South. He took over the Eagles program in 2006.

“We have a strong core of seniors,” Flood said. “They gained valuable experience last season and had a great off-season.”

Senior linebacker and H-back Tre Walker, who is 6-4, 200 pounds, had 22 tackles, including four for losses and two sacks, along with two tipped passes and three interceptions in the first eight games. He also returned 12 punts for 181 yards and caught three passes for 61 yards.

“If we keep God first and work hard, good things will happen,” Walker said. Senior safety-wide receiver Jason Peete said, “The secret is the coaching staff bonding.”
Peete has 18 solo and 12 assisted tackles. He has three tipped passes and three interceptions. He is the leading receivers with 10 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns.

“Our coaches make us play at a level we don’t think we can,” senior offensive guard-nose guard Jake Carroll said. “And our weight room, that is what we put our whole team around. We thrive in the weight room.”

Senior offensive tackle-defensive end Oliver Venagas, who is 6-2, 255 pounds, said the secret is, “playing as a team.

We worked hard all summer. We listen to everything the coaches say and give it our all.”
The Eagles are a team that depends on a strong ground game, led by senior running back James Franklin, who is 5-8, 176 pounds. Franklin has 196 carries for 1,757 yards with 22 touchdowns, averaging nine yards a carry.

In the Eagles 49-8 victory over Blue Valley West, Franklin gained 156 yards in 16 carries and two touchdowns in the first half. The Eagles led 35-0 at halftime and he just had one carry for one yard in the second half. Olathe North had 3,161 yards rushing on 407 carries in the first eight games, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Passing is an afterthought. The Eagles had completed just 21 of 42 passes for 457 yards in the first eight games.
“We are a running team and we believe in what we do,” Walker said.

Peete added, “Our game is James Franklin and with him you can’t ask for more.”
The Eagles have averaged 46 points a game and just allowed an average of 12.3.
“We have a lot of good friends out there that fly around and love playing for the coaches,” Carroll said.

Said Walker, “We flow to the ball and read our keys.” The Eagles have qualified for the 6A state playoffs in each of the last three years. In 2008, they entered the playoffs with a 7-2 record. They beat cross-town rival Olathe East 22-15, but lost to Lawrence Free State 10-6. The Eagles had beaten the Firebirds 35-7 during the regular season before falling to them in the playoffs. Olathe North was 8-1 in the regular season in 2007. The Eagles defeated Topeka High 35-6 and Shawnee Mission Northwest 32-16, but dropped a 24-6 decision to Olathe South in the semifinals. The Eagles had defeated the Falcons 24-20 in the last game of the regular season, but could not duplicate that feat in the semifinals.

“We have to keep on task and stay focused,” Peete said of the playoffs. “We have to take it one week at a time and not think ahead.”

Walker added, “We can not look ahead. We have to only look at the team we are playing.”