Make no mistake; the Topeka Hayden Wildcats don’t like to lose.
However, they also know that last week’s 7-6 loss to Class 6A’s third-ranked Manhattan Indians doesn’t ruin their season.
You see, a difficult early-season schedule is nothing new to Hayden. It was just a year ago that the Wildcats opened with a 2-3 record before rebounding and eventually advancing to the Class 4A state championship game.
“The most important thing is that we’re making improvement,” Hayden head coach Bill Arnold said. “No one likes to lose. We don’t care how tough our schedule is, we want to win every game. But we were able to walk off the field Friday night with our head held up high. We had them right there.”
A blocked extra point was the difference, and Hayden opened with an 0-1 record. Now, Class 4A’s top-ranked Wildcats have another tall task as they host the rival Topeka Seaman Vikings tonight. The Vikings are just outside Class 5A’s top-five rankings and are coming off a 42-7 win against Bonner Springs.
The Vikings displayed a potent passing attack as quarterback Butch Rea completed 9-of-10 passes for 200 yards and four touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Jacob Hurla, who played quarterback last season, hauled in six receptions for 151 yards and all four touchdowns.
“They’ve got a good team,” Arnold said. “They got a lot of team speed. The Hurla kid is a great athlete. He put up some phenomenal numbers last week.”
Seaman head coach Blake Pierce was equally complimentary of the Wildcats.
“I was really impressed,” Pierce said of watching Hayden’s film against the Indians. “I know Manhattan is a great team, and they had a chance to win that game.”
Hayden had difficulties punching the ball in the end zone against Manhattan but showed it had an effective running game with 41 rushes for 193 yards. Senior fullback Alec Steuber led the attack with 17 carries for 138 yards.
Where the Wildcats want to improve is in the passing game where junior quarterback Grant Arnold was limited to 2-of-10 passing for eight yards and two interceptions in the loss to Manhattan.
“I would anticipate that they’ll try to throw the ball more,” Pierce said. “Bonner Springs had some success passing against us.”
On both sides of the ball, Hayden wants to do a better job playing assignment football.
“We need to play mistake-free defense out there,” Arnold said. “When you play our style of defense, you have to swarm to the football. On offense, we have to be able to pass the ball efficiently.”
Hayden will try to avoid starting the season 0-2, and Seaman hopes to remain unbeaten. However, in a rivalry game, no extra motivation is needed.
“It’s always a fun game,” Pierce said. “Hayden is a great football team. It’s one of those great high school games that coaches and players love to be a part of.”
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