Tonganoxie High assistant Preston Troyer will lead Tonganoxie as head coach for the first time this evening when THS takes on arch-rival Basehor-Linwood at 7 p.m. in Basehor.

Records: First game for both teams.

Last season: THS went 4-5, losing to Bishop Miege in the Week 9 opening round of the Class 4A playoffs, 34-20 Tonganoxie had five games decided by seven points or less, with THS going 2-3 in those games, with two of those losses coming in overtime. BLHS finished 9-1 after losing, 35-7, to eventual state champion St. James Academy in the second round of the 4A playoffs. BLHS won the United Kansas Conference title after going undefeated in the regular season.

Last meeting: Basehor-Linwood 27, Tonganoxie 6 in 2021.

Series record: Tonganoxie is 32-25 vs. Basehor/Basehor-Linwood since World War II. Basehor and Linwood consolidated in the 1980s.

Coaches: Basehor-Linwood’s Rod Stallbaumer, starts his ninth year at BLHS and 19th overall as a head coach. He is 62-25 at BLHS and 124-59 overall. Tonganoxie’s Preston Troyer starts his first year at Tonganoxie as head coach, but it’s his 11th overall at THS after serving a decade as an assistant under his father, Al Troyer. Tonganoxie went 63-37 during Preston’s time as an assistant.

Trends: Tonganoxie is 10-3 the last 13 seasons in its season opener. BLHS also is 10-3 in season openers in the same timespan.

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