Southeast of Saline is the 2024 Kansas Class 2A state football champion. The Trojans, from Gypsum, defeated Nemaha Central 36-28 in the 2A title game Friday at Hutchinson’s Gowans Stadium. (Photo courtesy of Sports in Kansas).
By John Mesh
The Southeast of Saline Trojans, who scored 16 points in the final 1 minute, 51 seconds, against two-time defending state champion Nemaha Central, are the new Kansas Class 2A state football champions.
The Trojans rallied for a 36-28 victory over Nemaha Central Friday night at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson. Gowans Stadium is the home of the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons and Hutchinson High School Salthawks.
Southeast of Saline (13-0) got on the board early with an 18-yard touchdown run by Gannon Jacobson with 9:48 left in the first quarter. The 2-point conversion was no good.
Nemaha Central (11-2) answered with a 17-yard TD pass from Carter Hajek to Jace Macke. The extra point was good.
Nemaha Central led Southeast of Saline 7-6 with 3:32 left in the first quarter. That was the score at the end of the first frame.
Southeast of Saline answered with a Grady Gebhardt TD on 4th down-and-goal. The 2-point conversion again was no good. Southeast of Saline led Nemaha Central 12-7 with 7:41 left in the second quarter.
Southeast of Saline scored on a 1-yard TD run by Gebhardt (Tucker Thaxton ran in the 2-point conversion). Southeast of Saline led Nemaha Central 20-7 with 1:42 remaining in the first half. That was the score at halftime.
The Thunder’s Hajek, who rushed for more than 4,600 yards the past two seasons, scored on a 3-yard TD run with 1:53 left in the third quarter. The extra-point kick was no good. Nemaha Central cut Southeast of Saline’s lead to 20-13.
Ten seconds later at the 1:43 mark, Nemaha Central recovered a Trojans’ fumble on on the kick return.
On the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter (at the 11:54 mark), Nemaha Central tied the score at 20-20 on a 24-yard Hajek TD pass to Caleb Strathman and the extra point kick was good. Hajek passed for more than 1,100 yards this season.
The Trojans fumbled the ball away on their next series and the Thunder recovered.
Hajek scored on a 5-yard run and added a 2-point run to give the Thunder a 28-20 lead with 1:51 left in the game
Jacobson took the Trojans downfield and scored on a 4-yard TD run with 57 seconds left in the game. Southeast of Saline’s Tucker Thaxton threw a halfback pass for a 2-point conversion that tied the score at 28-28.
Nemaha Central fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Trojans recovered at the Thunder 30-yard line.
Jacobson found Thaxton for a game-winning 29-yard touchdown pass and the Trojans added the 2-point conversion to give the Trojans the 36-28 win over Nemaha Central.
Southeast of Saline won its second state football title. The Trojans last won the title in 2005.
Nemaha Central, the 2022 and 2023 Class 2A state champions, has lost twice in the past 39 games.
Nemaha Valley in Seneca and B&B Unified in Baileyville consolidated in 2011 to form Nemaha Central.
Class 6A: Gardner-Edgerton 36, Manhattan 33
The Gardner-Edgerton High School Trailblazers, led by head coach Jesse Owen, have won back-to-back Kansas Class 6A state football championships.
Gardner Edgerton defeated Manhattan 36-33 in Kansas Class 5A state championship at Emporia State University’s Welch Stadium.
The Trailblazers’ Bravin Powell scored with 10 seconds remaining on a 1-yard run to give Gardner-Edgerton its second title. Powell accounted for five touchdowns.
Owen is now 2-1 in title games in four years as head coach.
Gardner-Edgerton and Manhattan both finished the season with 12-1 records.
Seven Kansas state football games slated for Saturday
Seven more Kansas state football championship games will be played Saturday.
The Class 3A and 1A state title games will be played at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson Saturday.
The Class 3A game between Andale (12-0) and Topeka-Hayden (11-1) will kick off at noon.
The Class 1A state game featuring Conway Springs (12-0) against Centralia (11-1) starts at 5 p.m.
Welch Stadium in Emporia hosts two more state championship games — Class 4A: Andover Central (11-1) vs. Bishop Miege (5-7), 1 p.m.; Class 5A: Hays (8-4) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (12-0), 7 p.m.
Kiowa County High School in Greensburg hosts three state championship games on Saturday — 8-Man Division II: Victoria (12-0) vs. Axtell (12-0), 11 a.m.; 6-Man: Cunningham (11-0) vs. Weskan (12-0), 3 p.m.; 8-Man I: Central Plains (10-2) vs. Hoxie (12-0), 7 p.m.