Kensington-Thunder Ridge senior running back Trevor Lowe received a handoff with 7 minutes, 10 seconds left in the first half in the Longhorns’ first round home playoff game against Weskan. Lowe, in his usual running style, put his head down and ran straight up the middle.
He blasted over Weskan senior Brandan Escamilla, the Coyotes third-leading tackler. The crack and pop echoed through the stadium. Escamilla was slow to recover after the conversion. For the Thunder Ridge fanbase, the run was nothing new. However, the fans still applauded. Several parents, including Jim Struckhoff – father of former Thunder Ridge standout Joel Struckhoff – stood near the goal line and called Lowe a “freight train.”
“Trevor runs the football so hard,” Thunder Ridge coach Jerry Voorhees said. “Every coach I talk to (says their players) get tired of hitting him.”
In the last two seasons, Lowe’s bulldozing running style has become well-known through northwest Kansas. Most of Kansas even received a look at the Eight-Man, Division II state championship game last season, a 46-14 Thunder Ridge victory against Baileyville B&B in Newton. Lowe carried several Falcons and worked for second, third and sometimes even fourth efforts on runs, including two-point conversions.
“I just try not to get tackled,” Lowe said. “I don’t really know how to explain it. Usually, I don’t think. I just run.”
This fall, Thunder Ridge returned just three starters from last season’s 13-0 team that captured the first state title of any kind in Longhorn history. Struckhoff, eight-man’s all-time leader in rushing yards and total touchdowns, also graduated. Lowe is the lone returning skill position player on offense.
“Kids have just stepped up and done a great job. Worked so hard in the summer in the weight room,” Voorhees said.
Lowe's bruising style has helped Thunder Ridge collect an 11-1 record and a return trip to Saturday’s state championship rematch against B&B (12-0). Lowe has collected 1,527 rushing yards and 27 rushing TDs. The offensive line returns just one starter in senior Kade Dennis, but several newcomers, namely junior Benton Hrabe, have capably filled in. Thunder Ridge leads Eight-Man, Division II in scoring offense at 598 points.
“Trevor Lowe just plays so hard and the line (comes) off the ball,” Voorhees said.
Last season, Struckhoff gained 2,314 yards and 43 rushing TDs. He was the offense’s focal point – until Lowe made a big jump when his team needed him most, in a 32-28 second round playoff victory versus Ashland.
Entering the contest, Lowe had never rushed for 100 yards in his career or tallied more than two TDs in a contest.
Against Ashland, he rushed 12 times for 104 yards and three scores and also had a receiving TD. The next week against Otis-Bison, he tacked on 18 carries for 137 yards and a TD. In the state championship game, Lowe tacked on 21 carries for 160 yards and three scores. He scored four two-point conversions.
“Just refuses to be brought down,” Voorhees said. “You are not going to tackle him first, second effort. You’ve got to get two or three guys around him and hit him.”
This fall, the quiet Lowe has had to become more of a leader. He has responded with three 100-yard postseason games against Weskan, Otis-Bison and a 190-yard performance last week against Wallace County. He also completed a 53-yard pass in the sub-state victory.
"They are big and physical and kept coming from everywhere," Weskan coach Marc Cowles said. "So, it was a struggle. I think we were outweighed and overmanned statistically on paper everywhere.”
Speedy sophomore tailback Trent Rietzke and junior quarterback Garrett Krueger have played strong supporting roles in the offense, too. However, the offense has run through “the freight train,” and it's led to a return trip to Newton.
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