Scott City hosts Cheney in Sectional matchup
Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–In the round of eight in the playoffs, you know that every game is going to be a challenge, and the level of competition will be a step up. For the third straight playoff game and for the fourth straight week, Scott City will play on the home turf at Darner Field. Stepping onto the field tonight on the opposite side will be the Cheney Cardinals in a 6 pm kickoff. Both teams enter with an 8-2 record.
Cheney may not have the playoff tradition of many of the other teams alive in the playoffs, but they have been building a good foundation over the last three seasons. This is their seventh playoff appearance all-time, and their third consecutive. Last Friday night, the Cardinals scored the games final 24 points, including breaking a 13-all tie at the break, in a 30-13 win over Wichita Collegiate in the Regional round of the Class 3A Playoffs. It was their second win over the Spartans this year. The Cardinals lone losses have come to a pair of teams still alive in the playoffs in Garden Plain and Andale. Cheney enters the game averaging nearly 43 points a game, while allowing 17. Riley Petz has been a go-to threat for the Cardinals this year, as he has over 1,700 offensive yards , while Zac Block has thrown over 20 touchdown passes and has around 1600 passing yards. They average over 400 yards of offense in a balanced scheme, while giving up around 250 per contest.
Scott City flexed its muscles for a second time in three weeks against Concordia last Friday night in a 28-0 win. The Beavers led 14-0 at the break, before scoring two touchdowns in the final period to advance on to the Sectional round. Scott City is 27-10 at home in the playoffs, and carry a 52-20 record all time in their 25th playoff appearance. In last week’s game, the Beavers put up 333 yards of offense, with 219 coming on the ground. Cale Goodman, Parker Gooden and Hunter Yager each rushed for over 60 yards in the win. Defensively, they allowed Concordia to gain just 36 yards and three first downs, with their first coming late in the third quarter. This year, the Beavers have averaged 28 points and over 350 yards of offense, while allowing just eight points and just under 150 yards per game.
This is the first meeting between Scott City and Cheney. The last time Scott City played a team in the Central Plains League was in 2013, when they won 20-7 at Conway Springs. At least in recent history, this is the furtherest west that Cheney has traveled for a football game in program history.
Kickoff at Darner Field is at 6 pm, with a 5:30 pregame on Mix 94.5. You can also listen online at westernkansasnews.com/mix94, on the KSKL App or on TuneIn Radio.
