When scoring opportunities present themselves tonight for Southeast of Saline, it would behoove the Trojans to take advantage.

Southeast will face one of the stingiest defenses in all of Kansas when the Trojans open the Class 3A playoffs against Hutchinson Trinity in a 7 p.m. contest at Trinity High School.

AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have reached a settlement with Larry Johnson and agreed Monday to withhold only one week’s pay for making gay slurs instead of two.

The settlement saved the two-time Pro Bowl running back about $315,000. His agent, Peter Schaffer, had threatened to take the matter to arbitration.

Topeka Hayden (5-4) at Clay Center (6-3)

Clay Center’s reward for winning the 4A District 9 title is a first-round contest against the defending state champions. This will be a first-round rematch from last year’s 4A playoffs — a game won by Hayden, 42-3 — though this year’s game will be played at Clay Center instead of Topeka. The Wildcats are 11-2 in the opening round of the playoffs since 1990, but both of those losses have come against teams from the North Central Kansas League — Concordia in 1999 and Clay Center in 1993. That was the Tigers last postseason victory, losing seven in a row since.

AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kolby Smith’s timing may turn out to have been perfect.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without suspended running back Larry Johnson when they travel to Jacksonville this week, and Smith, a year after knee surgery, is eligible and eager to come off the physically unable to perform list.

Salina Journal

By the time his Oklahoma Sooners finally finished off Kansas State on Saturday night, Bob Stoops had seen enough of Brandon Banks to last him a lifetime.

“I put my arm around him and said, ‘You’re a senior, aren’t you,’ and he said, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘I’m glad. I’m tired of watching you return kicks,’ ” Stoops said during the Big 12 coaches’ conference call Monday. “I held my breath every time last week and we did a great job up until the last one.