It’s a safe bet that the Class 4A state championship game will feature more runs than passes.
The Holton Wildcats and Eudora Cardinals both make a living by running the football. The two run-heavy teams will meet for the 4A state title at 1 p.m. Saturday in Salina.
Holton (13-0) boasts two 1,000-yard rushers, while Eudora (12-1) has one 1,000-yard rusher and three more who have run for more than 500 yards.
The Wildcats have rushed for more than 400 yards per game, while passing for about 40. The Cardinals average more than 250 yards on the ground and only about 50 through the air.
“These are two teams with similar philosophies,” Holton coach Brooks Barta said. “They’re extremely well coached. They have good fundamentals on defense, and they build their offense around the fullback.”
Eudora’s leading rusher in junior quarterback Andrew Ballock, who has rushed for 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns on 179 carries. Garret Elston has rushed for 922 yards and three touchdowns, while Gabe Cleveland and Markis Hill follows with 777 and 521 yards, respectively.
Holton is led by junior running back Drake Ewing with 1,285 yards and 17 touchdowns on 150 carries. Senior running back Cameron Karn has run for 1,079 yards and 14 touchdowns on 140 carries. Jaxon Wright, Chase Wilson and Trent Tanking have each rushed for more than 400 yards.
“We really have several guys who can run the ball well,” Barta said. “It’s a constant rotation to keep people fresh. It doesn’t matter which guy is back there. They all are capable of finding success.”
Eudora coach Gregg Webb, who directed the powerhouse run teams of Claflin in the late 90s, has the Cardinals back in the state championship game for the second consecutive season. Eudora fell 21-0 to Rose Hill in the finals last year.
While the Cardinals focus on running the ball on offense, it’s their defense that has been the team’s strength.
Eudora has posted four shutouts on the season and has kept opponents to seven points or fewer nine times. The Cardinals have allowed no more than 20 points in a game.
Webb said he expects Holton to be his defense’s biggest challenge of the year.
“We’ve played well on defense,” Webb said. “The teams in our league are running teams, so that has prepared us for that. Is that saying we can stop Holton? Well, that’s a new deal.”
The top-ranked Wildcats rolled through the Big 7 conference in the regular season, then made it through a grueling playoff draw that included ranked opponents in Wichita Collegiate, McPherson and Mulvane. Holton got through all three of them, including a dramatic 31-27 win against McPherson.
“It was a little bit of murderer’s row,” Barta said. “We’ve had to go down paths like that before. The good part of that is that it makes you better.”
Eudora made it through the east bracket for the second straight year. This time, the Cardinals beat DeSoto, Tonganoxie, Louisburg and KC Piper.
Webb said he is proud of his team for earning the wins, but that the Cardinals will need to play better to beat Holton.
“Against Piper, we didn’t play all that well,” he said. “Still, we’ve been able to win the east. What we’ve done is remarkable. But if we want to win Saturday, we have to play better. We’re capable, but we have to do better.”
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