The Owls are off to an excellent start this season, winning 4 of their first 5 regular season games. They are on a three game win streak, winning their last two matchups by over 20 points each. Their only loss came to the hands of Cheney, who is no. 9 in the state of Kansas (according to MaxPreps).
This week the Owls take a 3 and a half hour road trip to visit the undefeated Centralia Panthers. The Panthers are averaging around 38 points per game this season. Last year the team only averaged 35 points a game.
The Centralia defense is no joke either. Allowing only 14 points a game this season. The Owls however, have been on a tear the last few games, putting up over 40 points in their last two games.
In last season’s week 8 matchup, the Owls lost a heartbreaker to the Panthers 28-13. A big key to the defeat was the loss of two-way starter, Taegen Gallagher early in the second quarter. The loss of the senior leader was tragic for GP, but the “next man up mentality” from Coach Rice had the team less worried about the injury and more worried about the win. The Owls were able to stay a float, but miscues late ended up sending the Owls and their hometown crowd home with a loss.
This season, the Owls are at a different stage than last year. With a 4-1 record, compared to last year’s 3-2 record for this matchup, the town is buzzing with confidence about the team.
Senior running back Gage Lee, set a new single game rushing record (316 yards), last week against the visiting Haven Wildcats. The run game is a big key to success for Garden Plain. They try to manage the clock the best they can, to force other teams to be careless with the football trying to make up for lost time. The Owls hope to do this against Centrallia this week.
Garden Plain find themselves at the top of their district, winning against the Chaparral Roadrunners (49-0) and the Haven Wildcats (41-19). While their game against Centrallia has no effect in district play for the Owls, it could be a big confidence booster for the final two games of the season. Nobody plays to lose, and the Owls will treat this game as if it is the state championship.
The Owls have an excellent chance to go undefeated in their district, and earn a top seed for the playoffs. They have two district games remaining this season, and both are very winnable games. In week 7, the Owls visit the Douglas Bulldogs who are winless in their 2023 campaign. For week 8, GP will host the 4-1 Kingman Eagles.
Kingman got the best of Garden Plain last season, winning in a blowout fashion (40-7). The Eagles lost a lot from last season, but none more substantial than Avery Albright. The multi-time state champion track star, was a handful for the Owls last season. With an improved defense, and a hard nosed offense the Owls have a chance to take down Kingman.
Last year, the Owls went .500, going 4-4. They were knocked out of the playoffs by the top seeded Ellsworth Bearcats 21-7. This year, Garden Plain has the chance to play as a top seed, and possibly get a home game or two during the playoffs early rounds. This team has a lot of firepower on both sides of the ball, and has definitely improved from last season to say the least. They even received a number of votes to be a top team in class 2A. Right now, Nemaha Central, Sabetha, and Hoisington sit at the top of the KSHSAA 2A rankings.
It is important to take it one game at a time, and that is what the Owls look to do when they travel to Centralia on October 6th. A win Friday could give Garden Plain another level of confidence they need to make a deep run in this year’s playoffs.
