Scott City dismantles Hugoton

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–It could have been easy for Scott City to lose focus in week five. Coming off an emotional win at Holcomb in the previous week, playing Ulysses the following week, and all the homecoming festivities all week, the Beavers blocked out all the distractions, and cruised to a 47-7 victory over the Hugoton Eagles at Darner Field.

Scott City scored on their opening drive for the first time this year, taking advantage of short field. It was also a short-lived drive, as it took only two plays, as Bo Hess hit Wyatt Kropp on a 40-yard seam pattern for a touchdown with 10:14 remaining in the first quarter to give them the early 7-0 lead, following the Tre Stewart extra point. On their third possession, the Beavers started at the Eagle 45 yard line once again, and found paydirt four plays later. Hess would take the quarterback keeper five yards for the touchdown with 3:45 left in the opening period, and Stewart’s PAT made it 14-0 Scott City after one quarter. 

The second quarter saw the Beavers score on the first play of the period. Just six seconds in, Kropp found the end zone for the second time, this time on a seven-yard run to make it 20-0 Scott City. Stewart tacked on the extra point to give them a 21-0 lead, a score that would stand at the break. 

Hugoton (1-4, 1-3 GWAC) had only one first down in the first half, and only two through the first three periods, as the Beavers defense was relentless throughout the game. Scott City (5-0, 4-0 GWAC) padded their lead and put the game away in the third quarter, scoring 20 points in the period. Their opening drive took 5:43 off the clock, as Cooper Griffith scored from two yards out with 6:17 left in the quarter, and made it 28-0 following the Stewart PAT.  The Beavers scored on all three of their third quarter drives, once again taking advantage of short field on both. After Scott City forced a turnover on downs, Griffith capped of the 50-yard drive with a three-yard run with 4:03 remaining in the third frame, and Stewart’s extra point kick pushed the Beaver lead to 35-0. With 26 seconds left in the period, Bo Hess threw his second touchdown pass of the night, hitting Drake McRae from four yards out, as Scott City extended their lead to 41-0 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, Hugoton got on the board late in the game. With 2:07 remaining, Valentino Degollado found Wade Heger in the end zone from seven yards out on fourth and six. Colby Korf knocked in the extra point to cut Scott City’s lead to 41-7. The Beavers played primarily backups in the final quarter, and they would score the final points of the night. One play after the kickoff, freshman Wyatt Hayes rushed for a 78-yard touchdown with 2:07 remaining to make the score 47-7, which would end up being the final.

For Scott City, Bo Hess threw for 188 yards on 11 completions with two touchdowns and an interception. He connected with Wyatt Kropp four times for 77 yards and a touchdown, and Drake McRae four times for 75 yards and a touchdown. Wyatt Hayes ended up rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown, Cooper Griffith carried the ball 13 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns, and Wyatt Kropp rushed 13 times for 74 yards and a touchdown. The Beavers ended up with 262 rushing yards and a season-best 450 yards of offense. 

Hugoton’s Valentino Degollado completed nine passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Goode caught two passes for 64 yards. Degollado was also their leading rusher with 62 yards on 21 carries. The Eagles finished with a total of 176 yards of offense. 

With the win, Scott City has won their sixth straight over Hugoton and has won eight of the last 10 tames against the Eagles. The Eagles fourth quarter score was their first against the Beavers since September 30, 2011, which came in the fourth quarter of a 41-7 game in Hugoton, and covered a span of 16 quarters. Scott City’s win also assured them of another winning record, which is their 29th consecutive season of at least five wins. 

Hugoton will step out of league play on Friday, as they host Southwestern Heights for homecoming. The Mustangs are 3-2, after they lost at Russell 42-16 on Friday. Scott City will close out the league portion of their schedule on Friday at Ulysses, in a game that will determine the GWAC title. The Tigers are also 5-0, and 4-0 in league play, after they took down Goodland 49-22 on Friday night. 

Coach Glenn O’Neil Postgame