So I know this guy, right. His name is Eugene. Eugene's a big Blue Valley fan and apparently only reads my stuff when I write about his Tigers. So it's no surprise that Eugene e-mailed Saturday, the morning after Blue Valley defeated Olathe North, 42-41 with this:

 CANDICE_______I HAVE BEEN PLAYING AND WATCHING HIGH SCHOOL
FOOTBALL FOR NIGH ON 50 YEARS  AND LAST NIGHT'S BLUE
VALLEY______OLATHE NORTH GAME WAS BY FAR THE BEST!!!!GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN!

I'll forgive Eugene for spelling my name wrong because clearly my friend here was still excited. I hate putting "best," "greatest" and other labels like that on things but I see Eugene's point.

THAT GAME WAS AMAZING!

Holy Touchdown, Batman, I was expecting a good game but nothing like this. My 550-word column did not do it justice. I mean, with all the big plays happening left and right. I had to leave out so many in the original story so here are some moments that Eugene was talking about: 

• First play of the second half, Olathe North senior James Franklin touches the ball and races 59 yards for the touchdown. On Olathe North's very next possession, the first play goes to Franklin again. He takes it from the BV 42 and runs into a crowd at the 40. He looks to be stopped cold then suddenly springs free and bounces toward the BV sideline...Houdini, meet James Franklin! Olathe North coaches were screaming 'UN-BE-LIEV-A-BLE!' in the press box as Franklin scores again. Ol' boy should just send college coaches tape of those two carries...that should get him a full scholarship and pizza money.

• Okay, so Olathe North's up at this point by two touchdowns but Blue Valley needs just five minutes to tie the game again. First, QB Anthony Abenoja splits two tacklers, who should've sacked him on 3rd-and-11, and hits Tyler VanGerpen in the end zone. Then, RB Treveor Cornley says "not so fast, James Franklin" and labors 52 yards for a touchdown. He actually got caught from behind and was pushed into the end zone. Eh. It's still six points no matter how you score it.

• Now here's where things got crazy. After Cornley's touchdown, Olathe North can't keep moving the ball and has to punt. BV's Ben Wilmes is standing deep in his territory but can't catch the punt cleanly and Olathe North recovers. However, the dudes in black and white stripes step in. The play is nullified and Olathe North has to re-kick. Till this day I'm not exactly sure what they called...somebody in the pressbox said an inadvertent whistle ruined the punt but I'm not 100 % positive. So now Olathe North coaches are screaming mad, as they should be, and their punting team goes back out. This time, Wilmes calls for a fair catch and he muffs it again. And Olathe North recovers it again! When was the last time you saw this happen? Talk about weird. Four plays later, Olathe North scores the go-ahead touchdown ... but misses the extra-point attempt. I wrote in my notes "ooooo could come back to haunt them." And, it did.

• Remember, all of this offensive action happened in the third quarter. In the final frame, the defenses settled in. Unbelievable, especially for this game, but each defense spent time forcing four consecutive three-and-outs to open the fourth. BV head coach Steve Rampy does all his duties from the press box (so he can better see his offense). He was a couple rooms down from us reporters so I got a little insider's view on what it's like to be Rampy's QB1. And now I'm frightened. When Abenoja got on the headset, The Voice of Rampy reverberated throughout the pressbox. Remember, I'm separated from the BV coaches' box by a good distance and I can hear Rampy yelling in that deep baritone of his for Abenoja to stop trying to throw the bomb. Abenoja listened (wouldn't you?) and next time out,  he led an 8-play, 55 yard scoring drive. Great pass and better catch to Luke Rampy, Steve's son, diving in the back corner of the end zone. Okay, so Steve Rampy may not be the kind of guy who likes to snuggle under a blanket, pour a cup of Passion Fruit tea and watch "The Notebook" but he sure can coach. Geno Waters, Zach Rampy, now Abenoja. The man makes quarterbacks. ...and scares 'em, too.

After Blue Valley goes up 42-41, Olathe North has 4:54 to win the game but a couple plays later, the Eagles face a 4th-and-6 at BV's 28. After a timeout, QB David Blazevic fakes a handoff to Franklin and rolls out of the pocket. He throws it downfield, the pass is tipped but Olathe North's Bryan Shepherd catches the ball while falling down at BV's 5. Now, THAT was the best play of the night. Everybody's going nutty on the Olathe North sideline but you know what happened next. The Eagles get to the 2-yard line and face a fourth downwith 12 seconds left. They go for a field goal. And...it's no good!

What a game. Both teams should make state and with Olathe East and Shawnee Mission West also rolling, I can't wait for the real 6A playoffs to begin. Alrighty, kids. That's enough for me. Till next week, leave a comment. I'm sure Eugene would appreciate it.