TOPEKA -- The Olathe South Falcons don’t pass very often. But when they do, it counts.
Olathe South quarterback Frankie Seurer completed 4-of-5 passes for 183 yards – including a 99-yard TD pass to Andrew Johnson -- to beat the Wichita Heights Falcons 41-37 Saturday for the Class 6A state championship.
“It all starts with our quarterback,” Johnson said. “Frank is the best quarterback in the state, no matter what the stats say.”
Known for its run game, Olathe South didn’t disappoint in that aspect either. Jordan Ward ran for 263 yards and four touchdowns, including the go-ahead 41-yard TD with 2 minutes, 31 seconds left. Olathe South rushed for 367 yards and five touchdowns on 50 carries as a team.
But the passing game was instrumental in knocking off the defending champion Wichita Heights and ending its 25-game winning streak.
Wichita Heights held a 34-27 lead early in the fourth quarter and looked to take a two touchdown lead with a first-and-goal from the 10-yard-line. Heights running back Marquel Moore ran for six yards on the play but was hit by Olathe South’s Dylan DeVries and fumbled. Olathe South’s Taylor Sheffield recovered the fumble to give the Falcons a first-and-10 from their own 1-yard-line at the 7:54 mark of the fourth quarter.
That’s when Olathe South coach Jeff Gourley stole a page from legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden.
Seurer dropped back and connected with Johnson down the sideline.
“I got three plays I run out of the end zone,” Gourley said. “That one I got from Bobby Bowden. I won’t say the other two plays, because I may need them.”
Johnson’s TD reception knotted the game at 34.
“We were all just feeling it,” Seurer said. “Coach knew we had the matchup. The line gave me a ton of time to throw, and Drew is just so fast.”
Wichita Heights responded with a 25-yard field goal from David Hoyer on the next possession to take a 37-34 lead with 3:16 remaining.
With time ticking down, Olathe South was forced to go for it on a fourth-and-10 on its own 29.
That’s when the Falcons turned to the passing game again.
Seurer connected with Matthew Elliott for a 24-yard reception and the first down.
Two plays later, Ward delivered the back-breaker on a 41-yard TD run to give Olathe South the 41-37 lead with 45 seconds left on the clock.
“It was awesome,” Ward said. “The play was kind of quick. It had been there all week in practice, and it worked when we needed it.”
Wichita Heights lost its first game since falling in the 2009 state championship game to Olathe North.
Heights quarterback Matt Reed finished his career 29-2 as the starting quarterback.
“They played great,” Wheeler said. “We played great, too. But we just came up short.”
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