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