Scott City pounds Beloit in district play

Beloit, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–There could have been a few issues for Scott City in their road trip to Beloit on Thursday. First, the quick change of schedule to move the game up a day, and second, the three-and-a-half hour road trip. For this Beaver squad, they never let any of the issues get to them. Scott City would score on four of their first five possessions of the first half, en route to a 55-12 trouncing of the Trojans Thursday night at Trojan Field. The game was moved from Friday to Thursday, due to the possibility of severe weather and heavy rains forecast for Friday.

After foiling Beloit’s fake punt at the 30 yard line, Scott City needed six plays to get the scoring started. Wyatt Hayes punched it in from three yards out with 8:10 left in the first quarter to take the early 7-0 lead after the Moses Hinojos PAT. The Trojans would not back down on the ensuing series. Beloit converted a pair of third downs, including the last one, as quarterback Grant Arasmith scrambled from 20 yards out to pull them to within 7-6 with 4:23 left in the first quarter. The two-point conversion failed. Scott City would promptly move down the field on their second series. A three-play, 79-yard drive saw Hunter Yager score from 63 yards out with 3:11 remaining in the first quarter to push the Beaver lead to 14-6 with the Hinojos PAT. The Beavers added one more score in the first quarter, taking advantage of short field again. The 39-yard drive on three plays was finished by Hayes on a two-yard plunge with 1:02 left in the first quarter to extend the lead to 20-6. The extra point kick missed.

Scott City tallied two more touchdowns in the second quarter. The first came with 8:05 left in the half on a 10-yard Hayes run to extend the lead to 27-6 with the Hinojs extra point. Brandon Winderlin would cap off a 39-yard drive with a two-yard run with 2:28 left in the first half to grow the lead to 34-6, as Hinojos added the extra point. Beloit would tack on another score right before halftime. A five-play, 73-yard drive was capped off by a 32-yard touchdown pass from Grant Arasmith to Hayden Budke with 28 seconds remaining before halftime to cut into the deficit at 34-12. They would miss the two-point conversion.

The Beavers would start the second half with their longest drive of the game, and one of their longest of the season. A 12-play, 70-yard drive was finished off by a Hayes four-yard run with 7:01 left in the third quarter to push the lead to 41-12. Scott City would put together another 70-yard drive in the period. This one was one of the more impressive runs by Wyatt Hayes, who broke numerous tackles along the way for a 42-yard touchdown run, with 3:11 left in the third quarter to extend the lead to 48-12 with the extra point by Hinojos. That would be Hayes’ fifth touchdown of the night.

Scott City crossed the goal line one final time in the fourth quarter. Parker Gooden hooked up with Winderlin on a 45-yard touchdown pass with 9:55 left in the game to go up 55-12 with the Hinojos PAT. Beloit would drive to the Beaver 28 in the fourth quarter, facing a mixture of starters and reserves, and eventually would turn the ball over on downs twice in the final period.

Wyatt Hayes led the ground attack for Scott City, rushing for 174 yards on 20 carries and a career-high five touchdowns, while Hunter Yager added 67 yards and a touchdown. The Beavers rushed for 288 yards. Parker Gooden was 11-15 passing for 194 yards and a touchdown. He connected with five different receivers. Brandon Winderlin had 57 yards on three receptions and a score, while Parker Vulgamore had two catches for 58 yards. Scott City finished with 482 yards of offense.

Beloit’s Grant Arasmith went 3-8 passing for 54 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Hayden Budke caught one pass for 32 yards and a touchdown. Arasmith also rushed for 105 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown, while Tate Ahlvers had 59 yards on 17 carries. Ahlvers was held to just two yards on 12 carries through three quarters. Beloit finished with 224 yards of offense, with 170 coming on the ground.

With the win, Scott City has now won 31 straight district games, dating back to week nine of the 2008 season, and also clinched their 13th consecutive playoff berth. The win also gave them their 13th 6-0 start in the last 15 seasons. It tied the series with Beloit at two wins apiece.

Scott City is 6-0 on the year, and 3-0 in district play, as they will host Colby next Friday at Darner Field for their regular season home finale. The Eagles are 5-0 entering Friday evening’s 5:30 kickoff at Shaffer Field in Russell against the Broncos. Beloit drops to 3-3 overall, and 1-2 in district play, and hosts rival Concordia next Friday night. Concordia hosts Goodland on Friday in a 4:30 pm Central Time kickoff at Harold M. Clark Stadium.

Assistant Coach Landon Frank Postgame