Coming off their first win against Holton in 23 years and playing their first game at home on their new Kansas Turf field, there was a full house and a ton of buzz and excitment in Meriden on Friday night.  The Jeff West Tigers didn't dissapoint on the field as they scored on their first five possesions and led 34-0 just a few seconds into the second quarter before defeating Royal Valley 54-14 to improve to 2-0 on the season.  

Sophomore quarterback Cade Ross tossed five touchdown passes and ran for another while Quinn Neuenswander caught a pair of scores and also returned a punt 56 yards for a TD to make the score 41-6 at halftime.  The Tiger defense had 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and forced a running clock in the fourth quarter.  Ross earned "Player to Bank On" honors from the Citizens State Bank and Trust Company of Hiawatha going 21-32 and hitting six different receivers.  Neuenswander had 116 yards on his six catches while Joe Anderson caught eight balls for 61 yards and a touchdown while Bryce Clements led the team with 64 yards rushing and made two trips to the endzone.  

The Tigers scored the most points in a game since facing MH-MA in 2009 and are 2-0 for the second straight year.  They will travel to Hiawatha in week three.  Jeff West had won just three total games the past two seasons, but even with just two senior starters, look like a very dangerous and experienced squad in 2018.  

Royal Valley got a 46 yard run by Chance Lyming to set up their first half score, but couldn't get in the endzone from the one-yard-line of the final play of the second quarter.  A improvised 40-yard-pass from Gavin Cumpton to Kobe Mills set up the fourth quarter score, which came with 6:36 remaining as Cumpton scored both Panther TDs on a three and 17 yard run and added the last two-point-conversion. 

Royal Valley was just 2-8 passing but did run for 240 yards led by Lyming with 116 on 15 carries and Brandon Rodewald, who had 18 totes for 48 yards.  The Panthers were penalized 16 times for more than 120 yards, including nine defensive encroachment flags.  They are now 0-2 and will host Riverside (0-2) next week.