Big plays spark Derby’s blowout victory
Derby, KS-In the 2013 6A state semifinals, Garden City was the lovable underdog. They had just knocked off Wichita Heights in a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback, and featured one of the most explosive offenses in the Sunflower state.
With the game scoreless, and the Buffaloes moving the ball, Brian Hill decided to try a fake punt near midfield. The play backfired, and Dustin Tempel was dropped for a loss. On the very next play, tight end Deandre Goolsby hauled in a long touchdown pass, and the Panthers never looked back.
Fast forward five years, and it was another special teams mistake that got Derby’s engine revving high.
Tre Washington tallied 112 yards and three touchdowns, Hunter Igo returned the opening kickoff 82 yards, and second-ranked Derby blew past the Buffaloes 49-6 at Panther Stadium on Friday night.
“We made way too many mistakes,” Hill said after the game. “But most of these guys had never played a varsity game.”
While Garden City was light on experience, the Panthers brought back a wealth of it, including Igo, who was a staple on the state runner-up team in 2017. Igo took Miguel Ramos’s opening kickoff, weaved through traffic down the right sideline, broke a handful of tackles before high stepping into the end zone for a 7-0 advantage 13 seconds into the contest.
“Our special teams has to get better,” Hill said. “You can’t give a team like that any type of momentum.”
Offensively, the Buffaloes were stuck in the mud most of the night. Avey Irana’s 12-yard run on Garden City’s first play from scrimmage was their longest of the night. They didn’t pick up another first down until Carlos Acosta dropped a beautiful rainbow into Lane Durst’s hands for a 33-yard gain midway through the second period.
“Offensively, we had a hard time blocking tonight,” Hill said. “Besides Refugio, there is no experience on the line.”
While the Buffaloes were stuck in neutral, Derby continued to back Hill’s squad into a corner. Although, twice in the first half, Garden City got red-zone stops, including Reece Morss’s end-zone interception of Grand Adler that thwarted one drive. On the other, Ryan Jarmer stonewalled the junior quarterback on fourth-and-goal from the 1. But even the silver linings were few and far between.
The Panthers eventually broke it open. Adler Hit Davin Sims for a 21-yard score to make it 14-0 before Washington galloped 15 yards to the end zone early in the second to give Derby a three-touchdown edge. That lead swelled to 28 when Adler roped a pass to Aaron Larson, who hauled in the tight spiral in the back right corner of the end zone, beating Ty Davis.
“I know the defense wasn’t put in great spots tonight,” Hill said. “But we will learn. It was a choppy summer for our guys. Some were tired, and you could see that the summer definitely had an effect on some guys.”
If Adler’s perfect touch pass didn’t break the Buffaloes’ spirts, his spectacular 66-yard scoring dash on the Panthers next series certainly did. It also gave the 6A power a commanding 35-0 advantage with 4:32 left in the half.
“Derby is a two-platoon team,” Hill said. “They didn’t have anyone playing both ways. We had like seven or eight guys doing it. Eventually, we wore down.”
The Panthers finished off the first half with Washington’s eight-yard scoring run, putting to bed a dominant first two quarters. Washington then added the final tally three minutes into the third, first breaking off a 44-yard run before capping the drive with a two-yard blast.
The Buffaloes lone score of the night came in the final period with a running clock. Acosta used a perfect play-action fake to find Davis all alone in the back of the end zone. But still, Garden City produced just 95 total yards and six first downs. They finished the game 2-for-11 on third down.
Acosta was 6-of-16 passing for 58 yards, a touchdown and three picks. Arana toted the ball 17 times for 31, and Morss had five carries for 16. Durst reeled in three balls for 50.
Adler completed 7-of-9 passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns for Derby, who won their 21st straight game at home. Cavion Walker had two catches for 18.
Next up: Garden City vs. Valley Center-Friday, Sept. 7-6:30 p.m. pregame; 7 p.m. kick on 99.9 FM; westsernkansasnews.com/kwkr and KWKR mobile app
