Andover's rushing attack buried Valley Center 55-6 on Friday, Sept. 18, giving the Trojans a 2-0 start to the season in their home opener.

The Trojans scored four rushing touchdowns in the first half alone, Catch It Kansas reported. Andover committed to the ground game on nearly every snap, and the Hornets never found an answer.

Valley Center went into halftime scoreless.

Penalties and failed third-down conversions stalled the Hornet offense throughout the first two quarters. An Andover Athletics halftime post on X showed the Trojans leading 28-0 with 19.4 seconds left in the second quarter before the margin ballooned to 55-6 by the final whistle. Valley Center entered the season with preseason hype around its receiving corps, including junior Spencer Crumrine and senior RayJ Logan, who combined for more than 1,400 receiving yards in 2025, according to the Wichita Eagle's preseason preview. None of that firepower translated Friday.

The blowout is the latest sign that head coach Jamie Cruce's program rebuild is ahead of schedule. Cruce took over a team that went 0-9 in 2023, guided it to 4-5 in his first season and then to a 6-3 record and an undefeated run through AV-CTL Division II play in 2025, capturing the league title.

Andover's flexbone offense returns three key seniors. Quarterback Will Quinn rushed for 752 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2025 while throwing for 428 yards and four scores. Running back Pete Vega added 1,011 rushing yards and six touchdowns, earning honorable-mention Class 5A all-state honors. Up front, 6-foot-4, 310-pound offensive lineman Tyson Ross earned first-team all-state honors as a junior and is committed to the University of Oklahoma.

Ross didn't start playing football until a few years ago. In an Aug. 27 preseason feature on Catch It Kansas, he said the team's mindset had shifted: "This season we're going to really try to have a different approach at everything. As if we're coming for it all."

The Trojans beat crosstown rival Andover Central 20-7 on Sept. 11 in Week 2, extending a winning streak that began when Andover snapped a seven-year skid against Andover Central in 2025. On3's state rankings listed Andover at No. 17 as of Sept. 14.

Valley Center, which entered the season needing to replace its quarterback and most of its offensive line, falls to 0-2. The Hornets travel to Salina South next. Andover hosts Arkansas City in Week 4.