Football season ends for Hutchinson, Central Christian; Buhler advances to 4A semifinals

By John Mesh

The 2024 season came to an end for the Hutchinson High School Salthawks with a 28-0 loss to the Hays High Indians in the Kansas Class 5A state section round Friday night at Gowans Stadium.

Hutchinson finished the season with an 8-3 record with five shutouts (including three in a row).

“I’m proud of the guys,” said Hutchinson High School football coach Mike Vernon during his postgame radio interview. “Things didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. It hurt. We have a lot of good things to look back on fondly (this season).”

Hays scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead and that was the halftime score. Hays quarterback Carter Graham scored on a 2-yard run and completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Cano.

With 7:51 in the third quarter, Hays’ Ian McGuire scored on a 43-yard touchdown run to cap an 80-yard TD. Hays led 21-0 after three quarters.

Holden Lind put the icing on the Hays victory with a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Hays out-gained Hutchinson in total yards 275-124. Hutchinson senior fullback Kade Smith, who played with an infection in his shoulder, rushed for 69 yards and finished the season with 1,877.

Lind rushed for 118 yards and McGuire 86. Graham completed 4 passes for 62 yards.

In addition to Smith’s 1,877-yard rushing season (with 18 touchdowns), senior Terrell King rushed for 350 yards and five TDs. Jeremyah Gaitho Karanu added 263 yards rushing with six TDs.

Senior quarterback Levi Kepler passed for 469 yards and seven TDs and rushed for 94 yards. Taishaun Williams caught 7 passes for 207 yards and four TDs. Mitchell Rice caught 8 passes for 125 yards and two TDs.

Senior kicker Taysen Runyon scored 108 points his senior year (5-of-9 field goals and 37-of-41 extra points) and finished his career with a school-record 164 points in four seasons.

No. 9 seed Hays (7-4), which knocked off No. 1 seed Great Bend on Nov. 8 in Great Bend, will play No. 2 Goddard Eisenhower (9-2) in the Class 5A semifinals next Friday at Goddard. Eisenhower defeated No. 3 Topeka Seaman (8-3) 44-14 in the sectional round.

Hays High coach Tony Crough’s team won three road games to reach the semifinals for the second time in three years.

Buhler 28, Wamego 14

The Buhler High School football team advanced to the Kansas Class 4A state football semifinals with a 20-7 victory over Wamego Friday night at Wamego.

The Crusaders led Wamego 14-0 at halftime. Buhler scored a touchdown in the first quarter and one in the second quarter.

Buhler led Wamego 20-7 after three quarters and outscored the Red Raiders 8-7 in the fourth quarter.

The Crusaders (9-2) will play Andover Central (10-1) in the 4A semifinals next Friday night. Andover Central, which defeated Hutchinson 37-7 in Week 1, defeated Wellington 58-13 in the sectional round game.

Wamego finished the season with a 9-2 record. The Red Raiders defeated the Crusaders 29-16 on Oct. 4.

Victoria 70, Hutchinson Central Christian 28

The season ended Hutchinson Central Christian Cougars with a 70-28 loss to the Victoria Knights Friday night at Victoria in the Kansas Eight-Man II football sectional round.

Central Christian finished the season with a 9-2 record.

Victoria improved to 11-0 and will play Dighton (11-0) in the Eight-Man II semifinals. Dighton defeated Hodgeman County 44-22 in an Eight-Man II sectional game at Jetmore.

2024 KSHSAA STATE SECTIONAL

PLAYOFF FINAL SCORES

CLASS 6A

Gardner-Edgerton 44, Blue Valley Northwest 29

Blue Valley West 35, Shawnee Mission Northwest 20

Derby 63, Wichita East 28

Manhattan 49, Wichita Northwest 28

CLASS 5A

St. James 45, Blue Valley North 0

Aquinas 23, Mill Valley 22

Hays 28, Hutchinson 0

Goddard Eisenhower 44, Topeka Seaman 14

CLASS 4A

Tonganoxie 21, Lansing 7

Miege 37, Chanute 13

Andover Central 58, Wellington 13

Buhler 28, Wamego 14

CLASS ЗА

Wellsville 35, Prairie View 14

Topeka Hayden 56, Perry-Lecompton 6

Andale 52, Cheney 14

Holcomb 10, Scott City 7

CLASS 2A

Nemaha Central 33, Osage City 27

Council Grove 31, Humboldt 8

Beloit 19, Garden Plain 0

Southeast of Saline 30, Hoisington 8

CLASS 1A

Rossville 42, Jackson Heights 38

Centralia 46, Colgan 14

Conway Springs 35, Plainville 6

Valley Heights 37, Medicine Lodge 22

EIGHT-MAN I

Central Plains 38, Little River 32

Clifton-Clyde 46, Madison 0

South Central 60, Hill City 12

Hoxie 40, Wichita County 30

EIGHT-MAN II

Axtell 54, Osborne 8

Frankfort 46, Burlingame 38

Victoria 70, Hutchinson Central Christian 28

Dighton 44, Hodgeman County 22

SIX-MAN

Tescott 26, Peabody-Burns 13

Cunningham 52, Otis-Bison 6

Golden Plains 45, South Barber 38

Weskan 57, Ingalls 12

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