EMPORIA – For the first 24 minutes of the Class 5A championship game, it looked like Basehor-Linwood had an answer for Salina Central’s Cooper Reves, who came in averaging 214 yards per game.
But that changed thanks to a play on special teams, as sophomore Javyn Armstrong hopped on a Basehor-Linwood fumble opening kickoff of the second half. Eight plays later, the Mustangs were on top 17-14, and never looked back en route to a 51-34 victory in Emporia.
“I was just standing there and I saw the ball pop out and I jumped on it,” Armstrong said of the Bobcat fumble at the start of the second half.
Reves, who was held to 42 yards on 13 carries in the first half, would run wild for 250 yards and 4 TDs on 30 carries for the game. It was the seventh state title for Salina Central (12-1), but the school’s first in 20 years.
Just like the first play of the half, turnovers were key in changing the momentum, as the Bobcats turned the ball over five times, including their first three possessions, as the Mustangs flipped a 14-10 deficit into a 31-14 lead by the end of the third quarter.
“I felt like we just wanted it more,” sophomore linebacker Eli Kreighbaum, who had an interception on Basehor-Linwood’s second drive of the third quarter, said after the victory. “We didn’t feel like we were going to lose,” he added, referring to the attitude in the locker room at halftime. “We knew there was more on the table.”
Salina Central struck first as junior quarterback Griffin Hall connected with senior Bodie Rodriguez for a 26-yard score four plays into the game. Basehor Linwood (12-1) then went three-and-out, and the Mustangs seemed to have the momentum
But Central’s next two drives ended in a turnover on downs and a punt, and the Bobcats would turn those into touchdowns. The Mustangs would add a 27-yard field goal from senior kicker Elijah Duxler as time expired to cut the deficit to 14-10 at the half.
Two things were key to the change in momentum in the second half. While the Mustang offense had been the stars most of the season, the defense and special teams forced those five turnovers.
“Those turnovers were huge,” Salina Centra head coach Mark Sandbo said. It was a tidal wave of momentum.”
And the offense was no slouch either. The O-line cleared holes for Reves, and when the Bobcats tried to tackle him, his legs kept churning like they were on a mission for the end zone, which he would find 4 times in the second half, on runs of 58, 26, 11 and 4 yards.
“I couldn’t ask for a better offensive line” Reves said. “But the whole playoffs, our defense came up big.”
After a 21-point third quarter, the Mustangs would punch it int the end zone again at the 10:44 mark of the fourth, and the lead seemed insurmountable at 37-14, especially when Bobcats senior quarterback Carson Dixon threw his second interception two plays later.
But this time, the Bobcat defense stiffened, forcing a turnover on downs. Two plays later, Dixon connected with senior Nash Morrison for a 54-yard score to cut the deficit to 37-21. Basehor-Linwood recovered the ensuring onside kick, and 10 plays later, found paydirt again. And while the two-point conversion failed, it was suddenly manageable at 37-27 with 5:58 to play.
But that was as close it would get. The Bobcats tried an onside kick again, but this time Central’s hands team pounced on it at the BLHS 48. Two plays later, Reves was in the end zone for a 44-27 lead.
The Bobcats struck again on the very next play, as Dixon found senior Deagen Trowbridge for a 66-yard TD pass, but that’s as close as they could get. The Mustangs drained the clock from there, handing the Bobcats (12-1) their first loss of the season and denying them their first state title.
Dixon would finish the game with 319 yards passing and 4 TDs on a day he completed 14 of 27 passes, and nearly missed his receivers a few more times. Six completions for 125 yards and two TDs went to fellow senior Morrison. But it was the five turnovers that were just too much to overcome for the Bobcats.
Salina Central 51, Basehor-Linwood 34
SCHS (12-1): 7-- 3 -- 21 -- 20 | 51
BLHS (12-1): 7 -- 7 -- 0 -- 20 | 34
SCHS BLHS
First Downs 21 20
Rushes-Yards 50-323 26-115
Passing Yards 137 319
Comp-Att-Int 10-19-0 14-27-3
Total Offense Plays-Yards 69-460 53-434
Fumbles returns-yards 0-0 0-0
Punt returns-yds 1-16 0-0
KO returns-yds 2-21 8-54
INT returns-yds 3-3 0-0
Punts (No-Avg) 1-30 1-40
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 3-2
Penalties-Yds 6-45 6-45
Poss Time 29:53 18:07
3rd down conversions 10 of 16 3 of 9
4th down conversions 2 of 4 3 of 4
Red Zone (Scores-Chances) 5-5 2-3
SCHS
Rush: Reves 30-250, 4 TDS; Hall 17-69, 1 TD; Peck 1-6, Cole 1-0
Pass: Hall 10-19-0, 137 yds, 2 TDS
Receiving: Rodriguez 4-52 yds, 1 TD; Reves 3-63 yds; Cole 2-8 yds; Duxler 1-14 yds, 1 TD
BLHS
Rush: Mitchell 13-60, 1 TD, Dixon 8-39, Rodriguez 4-14, Team 1-2
Passing: Dixon 14-27-3, 319 yds, 4 TDs
Receiving: Morrison 6-125 yds, 2 TDs; Rodriguez 2-34 yds; Bradley 2-32 yds; Trowbridge 1-66 yds, 1 TD
Scoring
SC: Rodriguez 26 pass from Hall (Duxler kick), 9:53, 1Q
BL: Mitchell 1 rush (Zimbelman kick), 1:53, 1Q
BL: Miller 23 pass from Dixon (Zimbelman kick), 7:19, 2Q
SC: Duxler 27 FG, 00:00, 2Q
SC: Hall 4 run (Duxler kick), 9:03, 3Q
SC: Duxler 14 pass from Hall (Duxler kick), 6:30, 3Q
SC: Reves 58 run (Duxler kick), 1:30, 3Q
SC: Reves 26 run (Duxler kick failed), 10:44, 4Q
BL: Morrison 54 pass from Dixon (Zimbelman kick), 8:01, 4Q
BL: Morrison 25 pass from Dixon (Dixon run failed), 5:58, 4Q
SC: Reeves 11 run (Duxler kick), 5:07, 4Q
BL: Trowbridge 66 pass from Dixon (Zimbelman kick), 4:51, 4Q
SC: Reves 4 run (Duxler kick), 3:00, 4Q
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