Holcomb’s season finished; loses in substate
Andale, Kan (westernkansasnews.com)-The Andale Indians rushed for more than 400 yards, running over the Holcomb Longhorns 57-13 on their way to the 4A-Division 2 state championship game. The Indian attack featured 2 running backs that went over 100 yards and 3 players who scored at least 2 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Holcomb generated very little offense.
The Longhorns forced the Indians to turn it over on downs on the game’s opening possession, but Holcomb went 3-and-out, and after a short punt, Andale charged 52 yards in 6 plays. Sophomore running back Anthony Capul, a 206 pound bowling ball, scored the first of his 2 touchdowns on a 4-yard run. Holcomb answered on its next possession, marching 70 yards in 11 plays, with Blake Richmeier rumbling in from 11 yards out. After one quarter of play, the game was tied at 7.
Andale blew it open in the 2nd quarter, with 3 unanswered touchdowns. The quarter started with the Indians facing a third-and-10, but a 24-yard pass play put them business at the Longhorn 29. Two plays later, Capul burst through the line for a 19-yard touchdown. He broke several tackles along the way and that was a recurring theme for the Longhorn ‘D’—missed tackles. Senior running back Hunter Knoblauch capped the next drive with a 10 yard run. On the next possession, Longhorn coach Kent Teeter gambled on a 4th-and-2 at his own 47, but an incomplete pass gave the back to the Indians, who took advantage of the short field to go up 29-7 after senior quarterback Luke Walstad joined the scoring parade with a 4 yard run.
The rout continued in the 3rd quarter, when senior running back Hank Eck broke a couple of tackles at the line of scrimmage and raced 71 yards for a touchdown. Holcomb quickly answered back, with junior QB Trey Teeter hitting sophomore tight end Connor Van Cleave over the middle for a 32 yard touchdown strike. Unfortunately, that was the only offensive highlight of the half for the Longhorns. Andale’s Hunter Knoblauch scored his 2nd touchdown of the night on the next drive, rolling in from 23 yards out. Then the younger Knoblauch, junior running back Bo Knoblauch, dashed in from 25 yards, 4 plays after the Indians picked off a Trey Teeter pass. Luke Walstad finished the onslaught with a 36 yard touchdown scamper and after three quarters, Andale led 57-13.
The Longhorns finish 10-2 in Kent Teeter’s first year as head coach. Andale is now 12-0 and will face Columbus in the state championship game next Saturday.
