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Week 4 Cram Session: Tonganoxie (1-2) at Eudora (2-1)

By Shawn Linenberger - | Sep 24, 2021

Tonganoxie High School, home of the Chieftains

Records: Tonganoxie 1-2 overall and 1-1 in Frontier League play; Eudora is 2-1 and 2-1.
Last week:
Tonganoxie had an exciting victory at home, knocking off perennial Frontier League power Paola, 17-13 in Week 3. Eudora outlasted Bonner Springs, 48-28, at Bonner Springs.

Last meeting: Tonganoxie won, 52-30, in 2020 at Beatty Field.

Series record: Tonganoxie is 9-5 against Eudora in games played since 1941. THS also has won the last five contests. Eudora last defeated THS in the Class 4A playoffs in 2012 at Eudora, 31-10.

Coaches: Eudora’s Sean Hayden is in his fourth year leading the Cardinals. He spent the previous four seasons as defensive coordinator at Augusta. He played high school football at South Gray in Montezuma in southwest Kansas and then played for nearby Dodge City Community College. Montezuma is about 30 miles from Dodge City. Hayden is 9-22 at Eudora. Tonganoxie’s Al Troyer is in his eighth year at Tonganoxie and 12th year overall. He is 60-34 at THS and 62-68 overall. Troyer was at Larned before coming to Tonganoxie. He also served as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator in the Texas high school football ranks.

Trends: Friday’s game could be a pivotal one in the Frontier League race. Spring Hill (3-0) and Piper (2-0) currently sit atop the league standings. Tonganoxie takes on Piper on the road and Spring Hill at home the next two weeks. Eudora lost to Piper, 26-23, Week 2 and will play Spring Hill in the regular-season finale on Oct. 22.

Two-minute drill: Tonganoxie was smarting from that overtime loss to Louisburg, but the Chieftains bounced back with their first victory against Paola since they became Frontier League foes. The victory against the Panthers marked a milestone for THS coach Al Troyer, as it was his 60th career victory in Tonganoxie. Eudora, meanwhile, hopes to take more steps toward sustained success it enjoyed not all that long ago. EHS went 57-23 from 2009-15, posting back-to-back Class 4A state runner-up seasons in 2011 and 2012. Eudora went 12-2 each season, losing to Rose Hill in 2011 and Holton in 2012 in the championship game by identical 21-0 scores.

— Local high school football historian Jeff Hughes contributed to this story.