by James Jordan, Sumner Newscow — Caldwell and Argonia-Attica made strong statements in their respective season openers last week, and they meet in week two in Argonia in what could be a game filled with offensive fireworks – provided Mother Nature will let them.

The thing is, this might not be the last time these two teams will play. Both could well be playoff contenders and could meet again in the post season.

Tonight is a pre-district game though, and will have little bearing on any standings that matter, so both teams can enjoy the moment without much pressure.

Last week, Caldwell blew out Udall 52-6, and Argonia Attica beat Central Burden 52-12. In  both instances the games ended early because of the score.

Argonia-Attica was perhaps a little more of a surprise as most of the starers were new and they were playing a preseason ranked team. It looked more like a reloading than a rebuilding campaign.

Freshman quarterback Trevor Pierce passed for 107 yards and rushed for 102 more and accounted for four touchdowns. Seth Hemberger rushed for 101 yards.

Caldwell is a senior-laden team with a lot of experience, and their blowout was more expected. Running back Dakota Volavda averaged 23 yards per carry last Friday, running for 142 yards on six carries and scoring twice. Senior quarterback Colten Ward completed all four of his passes for 51 yards and one touchdown.  He also ran for 74 yards on four carries.

Caldwell had 281 yards of offense, but their yards per play, 14.8 was impressive.

Argonia-Attica coach Luke Greenwood said the game has become a rivalry and they are excited about the game.

“Caldwell has a very talented team this year with most everyone back from their playoff team last year,” Greenwood said. “Our teams are very similar and we both have high expectations for this season.”

He said his team would try to slow down the Caldwell offense. He said getting pressure on the quarterback often would be a good way to slow them down.

Greenwood said his team worked on eliminating mistakes like missed blocking assignments, and adjusting to defenses.

Greenwood said the game would be a good test and “should help us gauge what kind of team we have this year.”

Caldwell coach Sean Blosser had similar sentiments, saying the game should give them a clear picture of where they are as a team.

“When you play a team that has had a couple seasons like A-and-A has, you should be excited,” Blosser said. “You practice and prepare to have the opportunity to play good teams. We have that this week.”

Blosser also said the team worked on techniques and getting better at making reads this week.

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In other Sumner County games:

West Elk (1-0) at Oxford (1-0): West Elk blew away Flinthills 54-0 while Oxford beat South Haven significantly 54-6. This will be Oxford’s first home game. The Patriots were favored to win the South-Central Border League.

South Haven (0-1) at Flinthills (0-1): This will be a huge opportunity for South Haven to pick up a big win. Both teams were 45ed in game one.

W. Independent (0-1) at Conway Springs (1-0): The Cardinals home opener. This should be an easy win for Conway Springs. W. Independent lost to Chaparral 31-7 in week one. Conway Springs was victorious over Belle Plaine 48-8.

Belle Plaine (0-1) at Cheney (0-1): Cheney is just coming off a 36-21 loss to Wichita Trinity. This will be another tough matchup for the Dragons, currently on a 29-game losing streak.