GREENSBURG – The Cunningham Wildcats captured their second state football championship with a commanding 51-8 victory over Weskan in Saturday’s 6-Man championship game at Kiowa County High School.
In a rematch of last season’s 49-48 championship thriller won by Weskan, Cunningham dominated this year’s matchup by rushing for 401 yards on the cold, windy afternoon.
Weskan started the scoring with a 46-yard touchdown run from their all-everything back Karsyn Wright. Wright started to the right, reversed field and sprinted down the left sidelines for the games initial score.
Little did anyone know at the time that it would be all the offense that the Coyotes offense would muster.
After a Coyotes turnover, Skylar Thimesch got Cunningham on the board early in the second quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run. The PAT was no good keeping Weskan in front, 8-6.
The game’s momentum seemed to shift on the next possession.
Cunningham’s Brody Bock stripped a Weskan ball carrier and returned the fumble 15 yards for a touchdown to put the Wildcats in the lead, 12-6.
The Wildcat defense again came up with a stop, holding Weskan on downs on the next possession. Shortly after Logan Kinsler scrambled left and lofted a pass back across the field to a wide-open Dylan Halderson for a 27-yard touchdown pass and a 19-8 lead.
The second half was dominated by the Cunningham defense. The Wildcats continually limited Wright’s ability to break free and the strong wind made passing difficult. Weskan finished 6 of 21 passing for 24 yards on the game.
After holding Weskan on downs in the third quarter, the Cunningham ground game started to take control.
First, Thimesch broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run to put the Wildcats up 25-8. After a fourth-down stop of the Coyotes, it was Stephen Kerschen breaking loose one play later on a 37-yard score to extend the Cunningham lead to 32-8.
The fourth quarter was much of the same.
Thimesch’s 3-yard scoring run put Cunningham up 39-8. The Wildcats then recovered the ensuing kickoff, and one play later, Kerschen sprinted 37 yards for another touchdown.
Thimesch later capped the scoring with a 56-yard touchdown run with 2:34 remaining after the Wildcats had again turned Weskan over on downs.
Thimesch capped his high school career with a 223-yard, four-touchdown performance on 19 carries. Kerschen, a junior, added 186 yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts.
Wright carried 23 times for 117 yards to lead Weskan (10-2).
Cunningham finished the season 11-1 with the lone loss coming 42-20 in overtime to Minneola in an eight-man “exhibition” game back on September 26th. Cunningham is preparing to move up to Eight-Man, Division II next season and played two eight-man games this fall, defeating Argonia-Attica 62-14 in the other game.
The Wildcats had quite a run in 6-Man football since restarting the football program back in 2019. Cunningham has reached the 6-Man state championship game in each of the past four years – five years counting the non-KSHSAA-sanctioned Wild West Bowl in 2021.
Cunningham 51, Weskan 8
Cunnigham (11-1): 0 – 19 – 13 – 19 | 51
Weskan (10-2): 8 -- 0 – 0 – 0 | 8
Scoring Summary:
First quarter:
7:43 | Weskan – Karsyn Wright 46-yard run (kick good), Weskan 8-0
Second quarter:
9:49 | Cunningham – Skyler Thimesch 3-yard run (kick failed), Weskan 8-6
6:30 | Cunningham – Brody Bock 15-yard fumble return (kick failed), Cunn. 12-8
2:39 | Cunningham – Dylan Halderson 27-yard pass from Kinsler (Kerschen run), Cunn. 19-8
Third quarter:
7:58 | Cunningham – Thimesch 39-yard run (run failed), Cunn. 25-8
5:18 | Cunningham – Kerschen 37-yard run (Kinsler pass to Bock), Cunn. 32-8
Fourth quarter:
5:22 | Cunningham – Thimesch 3-yard run (Kinsler pass to McGuire), Cunn. 39-8
5:10 | Cunningham – Kerschen 37-yard run (pass failed), Cunn. 45-8
2:34 | Cunningham – Thimesch 56-yard run (run failed), Cunn. 51-8
TEAM STATISTICS
CUNN. WESKAN
Rushing 47-401 32-119
Passing (Comp-Att-INT) 2-3-0 6-21-1
Passing Yards 44 24
Total yards 445 143
Turnovers 2 2
Penalties 2-15 3-15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING:
Cunningham – Thimesch 19-223; Kerschen 26-186; Logan Kinsler 2-(-8)
Weskan – Wright 23-117; Austin Smith 3-3; Nick Cottrell 3-1; Eli Goodwin 3-(-2)
PASSING:
Cunningham – Kinsler 2-3-0-44
Weskan – Cottrell 2-11-0-6; Wright 4-10-1-18
RECEIVING:
Cunningham – Halderson 1-27; Kerschen 1-17
Weskan – Ayden Aldridge 3-19; Cottrell 1-8; Smith 2-(-3)
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