Friday night’s Kansas high school football action was filled with the amount of drama one would expect when down to the final eight teams in each classification fighting for their playoff lives. As the final scores came pouring in across the state and semifinal match-ups were being determined, two teams played on and then perhaps some controversy crept in.
Bishop Miege stopped a Blue Valley West two-point conversion attempt in the second overtime to preserve a 38-37 win.
Just after junior quarterback Ryan Ralston sneaked in from 1-yard out on fourth-and-1, the Jaguars lined up to attempt the game-tying PAT. Miege broke through the line and blocked the attempt, but the Stags were obviously offsides on the play.
The ball would be placed half-the-distance-to-the-goal on the retry. Miege jumped again, and the ball was now placed inside the Stags 1-yard line prompting Blue Valley West coach Scott Wright to go for the two-point conversion and the win.
And why not? Ralston is an imposing quarterback at 6-foot-4 and 225-pounds, and seemingly always falls forward.
He tried the right side and was hit immediately and stood up, but continued to drive and fell with the pile what appeared to be waist-deep into the end zone. But the officials ruled that his momentum had been stopped giving Miege the thrilling one-point victory.
Blue Valley West players and coaches were obviously shocked and seeking an explanation, while Miege players raced towards their home sideline. The Stags, who had seen a 24-10 fourth-quarter lead slip away, had escaped to a substate semifinal match-up with St. Thomas Aquinas next week.
Much like they did in their first meeting in Week 6, the two teams played more of a defensive first half in which Bishop Miege grabbed a 7-3 lead. Ralston opened the second half scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run, his 23rd of the season, to put the Jaguars up 10-7.
Miege would respond as Montel Cozart hit McKinley Johnson on a 4-yard screen pass to give the Stags a 14-10 lead.
After a fumble on the ensuing Blue Valley West possession, the Stags were set up at the Jaguar 21-yard line. But Miege could not move the ball, and instead lined up for a field goal attempt. The Stags ran a blocker onto the field late to line up on the right side, but he was then waived off the field by a teammate on that side on the line. Looking confused, he then sprinted back towards the Miege sideline when the ball was snapped and holder Jeffrey Martin hit him wide open down the sideline for a touchdown. The Stags had pulled off an amazing fake field goal and built a 21-10 lead deflating the Jaguars.
Miege would extend their lead to 24-10 on a Collin Carter 21-yard field goal with 9:16 remaining in regulation.
That’s when West game to life. Ralston threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter; the final one a 34-yard strike to Spencer Johannesman on 2nd and 17 to tie the game at 24.
The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime as Conley Wilkins scored from 7-yards out, and Cozart answered for Miege with a touchdown toss to Yale VanDyne.
Miege scored first in the second overtime as Cozart dove in from a yard out, setting the stage for Blue Valley West’s final series and the missed two-point conversion.
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In Class 4A, top-ranked Holton answered a late touchdown by No. 2 McPherson with one of their own to escape with a thrilling 31-27 win.
The Wildcats took up much of the fourth quarter on an 88-yard drive capped by Cameron Karn’s 5-yard touchdown run. Holton’s lead was 24-21, but McPherson had just under five minutes to try and answer.
The Bullpups did.
Sophomore quarterback Kyler Kinnamon hit Marcus Houghton on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 remaining in the game to put McPherson up 27-24.
Holton had its back against the wall having little time to answer and an offense that is not necessarily built for the quick strike. But the Wildcats answered as Jaxon Wright hit Trent Tanking on a short pass and after a broken tackle Taking went 65-yards for the game winning score.
McPherson’s final drive ended as Kinnamon’s pass in to the end zone fell incomplete.
Holton will advance to the substate semifinal where they will travel to Mulvane. Mulvane defeated Buhler 15-0 on Friday night to advance. They are 11-1 on the season with their only loss coming to McPherson 35-30 back in Week 6.
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Elsewhere around the state:
Class 6A
Top-ranked Hutchinson trailed 20-14 at halftime to Topeka High, but quickly regained the lead in the third quarter and held on for a 42-33 win. The Trojans cut the Salthawk lead to within 35-33 on Raymond Solis’ fourth touchdown run of the night, but Hutch would answer when Will Smith scored for the fourth time to extend the lead to nine. Smith reportedly finished with 150 yards on the ground, while Solis led Topeka High with 185 yards. Hutchinson will advance to take on Derby, a 42-19 winner at Dodge City. Hutchinson defeated Derby 31-28 back in Week 6.
The East side of 6A will also feature a rematch of a regular season game as Lawrence Free State will travel to Shawnee Mission West. Free State eliminated Olathe East 28-17, while SM West used an interception return for a touchdown by Marquan Osbey to advance past Lawrence 21-14. Free State handed the Vikings their only loss of the season 28-14 back in Week 2.
Class 5A
The other quarterfinal game on the east side was also decided by a single point and involved two more Eastern Kansas League teams. St. Thomas Aquinas stopped a late Blue Valley fourth down attempt to survive for a 23-22 win and move into the state semifinals for the first time since 2009. The Tigers had beaten the Saints 29-28 earlier this season. The loss by Blue Valley ends their bid to advance to the state semifinals for the fifth consecutive season.
Salina South beat No. 3 Emporia 35-20 to set up a semifinal showdown with top-ranked Bishop Carroll. Carroll handled Andover 49-14, but can expect a big challenge from the Cougars next week.
Class 4A
The Class 4A semifinal on the eastern half of the bracket is set, and it will be a rematch of Week 1. Eudora will host KC Piper just as they did to open the season, when the Cardinals beat the Pirates 25-7. Eudora advanced by shutting out Frontier League rival Louisburg 19-0, while Piper slipped by Chanute 24-22. The win marks Piper’s first ever appearance in the state semifinal round.
Class 3A
In maybe the surprise of the night, Scott City used four first-quarter Garden Plain turnovers to blast the Owls 49-0. The game featured the second-ranked Beavers and the No. 3 Owls, both of which entered Friday’s contest at 11-0. The Beavers will now travel to Beloit, which put away Sedgwick 52-24 on Friday night.
On the eastern half of the bracket, Silver Lake made a case for being the top-ranked team in the state with a 40-0 shutout of Caney Valley. The Eagles will get another rematch with rival Rossville in the War on 24 as the Bulldogs survived to beat St. Mary’s Colgan 17-7 by intercepting Colgan quarterback Dyson Dechant three times in the end zone.
Class 2-1A
The top four teams in the state advanced to the substate round in Class 2-1A. Top-ranked La Crosse survived a stout Oakley team for a 20-8 win, while Meade beat Sterling 32-14. The Leopards will travel to Meade for the second consecutive season. La Crosse beat the Buffaloes 21-12 in the state quarterfinals last season.
In the eastern half of the state, defending champion Centralia posted their 20th consecutive win with a 28-0 shutout of Olpe. The Panthers will now host No. 3 Lyndon, which handled McLouth 39-6.
Class 8-Man I
How good is Ness City? The Eagles were facing a much bigger team in Solomon on Friday night, but had little trouble in a 48-0 shutout of the Gorillas. Ness City advances to next week’s state title game in Newton, and will take on the winner of Saturday’s game between two-time defending champion Madison and Mankato-Rock Hills.
Class 8-Man II
Baileyville B&B earned a trip to the school’s fifth consecutive state championship game with a 50-20 win over rival Hanover. The Falcons were in control for much of the game after beating the Wildcats 52-46 in overtime back in Week 8.
B&B’s opponents in Newton next week will be determined on Saturday as Sharon Springs-Wallace County travels to Thunder Ridge.
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