The Conway Springs Cardinals didn’t win 79 consecutive games like Smith Center. They didn’t win six consecutive state championships like Hutchinson. You could even argue they didn’t receive quite the amount of attention as the likes of Olathe North and St. Mary’s Colgan. However, there is no question that Conway Springs is included in the conversation with all those teams as being one of the state’s best programs over the past decade. The Cardinals won six Class 3A state championships since 1998, including four consecutive titles from 2001-2004. Now, 3A’s top-ranked Conway Springs looks to improve its legacy as it travels to face the Smith Center Redmen at 5 p.m. Saturday in the state quarterfinals. “All we talk to our kids about is playing one game at a time,” Conway Springs head coach Matt Biehler said. “We just take care of what we can control. We’re not concerned about what people write about us. We just worry about the next game.” That attitude has served the Cardinals quite well over the years as they have been 3A’s most dominant team of the 2000s, winning their most recent title in 2008. And that attitude has been evident since Conway Springs fell 33-28 to Hutchinson Trinity in last season’s playoffs. “Last year we lost on a last-second Hail Mary on fourth down,” Biehler said. “The kids were in the weight room getting ready for 2010 the following Sunday.” The 2009 playoff loss has helped fuel the Cardinals to an 11-0 record, beating their opponents by an average of 56-9. But Conway Springs will need to get past another traditional power in Smith Center in order to move on in its quest of winning a seventh state championship in 13 seasons. “It’s going to be a big, strong physical game and atmosphere,” Biehler said. “Tradition never graduates. Both programs have that. The community backs both programs.” Each team has gained success over the years by running the football and perfecting their respective offenses - the Cardinals with the single wing and the Redmen with the wishbone. “They’re a physical running team,” Biehler said. “They do a lot of the things we do. They’ve run the wishbone for years. It’s what’s ingrained in that town. It’s the identity of the team, just like the single wing is for us. Our team loves running it.” While Conway Springs’ base offensive formation has remained stable, the head coaching position hasn’t. The Cardinals have had three head coaches since Mark Bliss led the team to a state title in 2002. Since then, the program has been directed by two more state championship coaches in Greg Rosenhagen and Lelin George. Biehler took over as head coach in 2009, after George led the team to a state championship the year before. However, Biehler said the stability of the overall staff is what has been key. While Biehler is only in his second season as head coach, he began as an assistant with Conway Springs in 1998. His staff of assistants includes the former head coach George and longtime coach Fred Cottrell. “We all work well together,” Biehler said. “We run things by each other. The coaches are still coaching the same positions. It’s just someone different getting head put before his name.” Biehler, who has run the team’s defense since 2005, has directed the Cardinals to four shutouts this season and two more games where they kept opponents to fewer than seven points. “Our defense has really shown up,” he said. “We’ve been able to control the line of scrimmage. We’ve had a lot of hats around the football.” Offensively, Conway Springs has had success running the ball with several players. Brian Doffing led the Cardinals with 181 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 20-6 playoff win against Garden Plain. Cory Misak also has been pivotal in the Cardinals’ single-wing attack. Conway Springs rushed for 284 yards as a team against Garden Plain. “I feel like our offensive line has been a tremendous strength,” Biehler said. “We’ve been able to spread the ball around to our backs.” Also boasting a power run game, Smith Center rushed for 484 yards in its 42-35 win against Scott City on Saturday. The Redmen now have won five consecutive games after beginning the season with a 3-2 record. Biehler knows beating Smith Center will be no easy task. “Their losses happened early in the season,” he said. “They had some injuries. They’re playing really good football now. “They are a very well oiled machine. We just got to try and limit their big play ability.”
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