Hoisington overcomes slow start to advance

HOISINGTON, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - The Hoisington Cardinals survived a rough first quarter to defeat the Phillipsburg Panthers 42-18 in Week Nine bracket play.

Hoisington won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Phillipsburg took the ball from their 21-yard line down to the Hoisington 49. The drive stalled out and Phillipsburg turned it over on downs.

On the Cardinal’s first play from scrimmage, Teron Kraft fumbled the ball and it went to a Phillipsburg defender.

Phillipsburg took back over gaining a few yards. They took eight plays to reach the end zone on a Jesse Blackburn to Ethan Miller 14-yard pass and run.

The Panthers lined up for a point after a touchdown kick. Jaden Boyle kicked it but Hoisington’s Cole Gilliland got a hand up and blocked it.

Phillipsburg led 6-0.

Boyle kicked the ball off. Hoisington’s Taylen Morales ran up to catch the kick only to have it bounce off of him and into the hands of a Panther. Phillipsburg took over on the Cardinal 33-yard line.

Hoisington’s defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs after four plays.

With 39 seconds left in the first quarter, Hoisington gained their first positive yards with a 15-yard Tony Moore quarterback keeper. They only ran three plays in the first quarter.

The first play of the second quarter saw Mason Alderdice run for 46-yards for the first Cardinal touchdown of the night.

Tony Morales successfully kicked a point after a touchdown to give Hoisington a 7-6 lead.

The Panthers responded with Jesse Blackburn ending the drive on a 38-yard quarterback keeper. Blackburn’s pass to Trace Hanchett fell incomplete for a failed two-point conversion. The Panthers led 12-7.

Hoisington gained 42-yards in three consecutive plays to make it to the Panther’s eight-yard line. It took three plays, but Ian Smith scored a touchdown with a one-yard rush. Morales again made the PAT.

Hoisington regained the lead 14-12.

The Cardinals started the second half with the ball but went three-and-out. Their defense returned the favor to Phillipsburg.

With about a minute left in the third quarter, Hoisington scored again with a 45-yard touchdown reception by Leyton Haxton from Tony Moore. Taylor Morales kicked his third extra point of the night to make the score 21-12.

Mason scored his second rushing touchdown with a 22-yard run with 6:18 left in the game. After the extra point, Hoisington led 28-12.

Mason Alderdice jumped in front of a Phillipsburg player in the second play of the next Panther possession to intercept the ball at the Cardinal 21-yard line. Alderdice weaved his way through the Panthers on the field and made it for a 79-yard pick-six.

Morales made the extra point to give the Cardinals a 35-12 lead.

Rad Rodriguez took off on a 41-yard rush and scored a third Panther touchdown of the night. Quarterback Jesse Blackburn again saw a pass to Trace Hanchett fall to the ground incomplete on the two-point conversion.

Phillipsburg was unable to convert any of the points after a touchdown all night long.

Teron Kraft capped the scoring for the night with a 24-yard rush. Taylor Morales completed a perfect night for extra points with his sixth to make the final score 42-18.

Hoisington amassed 426 total yards with 371 coming on the ground and 55 through the air.

Mason Alderdice rushed for 121 yards on eight carries and two rushing touchdowns. Teron Kraft also had six rushes totaling 54 yards and one touchdown.

Rad Rodriguez carried the ball 20 times for 119 yards and one touchdown. Jesse Blackburn kept the ball and ran 12 times for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Tony Moore threw two completions, including one touchdown, for 55 yards on five attempts.

Phillipsburg’s Jesse Blackburn also had 55 yards of passing. He went five of eight attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Hoisington’s Layton Haxton had the most receiving yards with 45. Mason Alderice had the other 10 yards.

After the game, Hoisington’s Head Coach Zach Baird addressed his players and told them, “Every year I’ve had a team have a bad game in the playoffs. Let’s make this one that game.”

“We played tight and did not execute,” Baird said later. “Really proud of the way they didn’t turn on one another. They didn’t panic. They found a way to play harder. Tried to execute.

Phillipsburg ends their season with a 3-6 record.

Hoisington improves to 7-2 and will face Russell back at Elton Brown Field next Friday.

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