Last minute field goal sends Scott City past Hesston

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Mother Nature wreaked havoc at Darner Field on Friday night, as Scott City played host to the Hesston Swathers in the Class 3A Regional round of the playoffs. The off and on again rain, wind gusts at 35 mph and wind chill readings in the upper 20’s were the elements the teams had to overcome in order to advance to the next round of the playoffs. While it looked tough at times for Scott City, they made the last play when they needed it the most, as Jackson Rumford’s 27-yard field goal with 40 seconds remaining pushed Scott City past the Swathers 9-7 in a battle of 8-1 teams.

Field position favored the Swathers in a major way over the course of the first 14 minutes of the game. The Beavers had three consecutive three-and-outs, that saw theim start at their own 23, own 1 and own 28 yard line. Hesston had their first three drives start at their own 42, Scott City 47 and Beaver 36 yard line.

The Swathers would score the first points in the second quarter on a three-play, 36-yard drive, as Karter Gonzalez rushed in from two yards out to go up 7-0 with 9:51 left in the first ha;f that included the Ethan Schrag extra point. Scott City would work the ball down the field, thanks in part to a 35-yard pass play from Camden Vulgamore to Cayden Couchman. With 6:56 left in the first half, the Beavers got on the board on a seven-yard run by Kelton Cook to pull to within 7-6. Scott City (9-1) would be stopped short on the two-point conversion.

A stalemate would ensue in the third and the fourth quarters. Scott City’s defense held Hesston on fourth down at the Beaver 19 late in the second quarter on an eight-play drive. For the rest of the night, the Swathers had no more thann seven plays on a drive.

In the third and fourth quarters, Scott City would march deep into Hesston (8-2) territory. They would see their drives end inside Swather 10 on a blocked field goal, a turnover on downs and an interception.

A three-and-out would force Hesston to punt with 5:05 left, and the Beavers would start their game-winning drive at their own 34 yard line. A 14-play drive that took over four minutes would commence. Facing fourth and six at the Swather 9, Scott City called their second timeout with 43 seconds left, and they would set up the potential go-ahead field goal. Jackson Rumford would drill the 27-yard field goal into the teeth of a 35 mph wind to give the Beavers a 9-7 lead with 40.7 seconds left.

Hesston would collect two first downs. With four seconds left, a hail mary attempt would be intercepted inside the five yard line, as the Beavers would take the win 9-7.

Scott City finished with 253 yards on the night, with 174 coming on the ground. Camden Vulgamore rushed for 69 yards on 12 carries, and passed for 79 yards on 6-14 passing with an interception. Cayden Couchman had two receptions for 46 yards.

Hesston got 104 yards on 23 carries from Karter Gonzalez, as the Swathers finished with 122 yards on the ground and 182 yards of total offense. Jerick Humphreys was 8-15 passing for 60 yards and two intercepitons. Blake Hansen had two receptions for 24 yards.

It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Scott City is now 53-13 against current Central Kansas League schools. They also snapped a three-game losing streak in the Regional round, and are now 19-7 all-time in Regional play. It’s their first win in the round since their 28-0 win over Concordia in 2019. In 29 playoff appearances, the Beavers are now 57-24. Hesston ends their season at 8-2, while Scott City hits the nine-win mark for the first time since 2018. The Swathers collected their most wins in a season since 2017.

Scott City will face the winner of Holcomb and Rock Creek in the Sectional round of the Class 3A playoffs. The teams will play at 11 am Saturday at Rock Creek. A Rock Creek win would send Scott City on the road next week, while a Holcomb win would keep the Beavers at home.

Complete game broadcast on Spotify.

Coach Jim Turner Postgame

Box Score
Hesston 0 7 0 0–7
Scott City 0 6 0 3–9

Scoring Summary
2nd Quarter
HS 9:51 Karter Gonzalez 2-Yard Run (Ethan Schrag Kick) 3-36, :47
SC 6:56 Kelton Cook 7-Yard Run (2-Pt Conversion Failed) 7-64, 2:55
4th Quarter
SC :40.7 Jackson Rumford 27-Yard Field Goal 14-57, 4:25

Hesston
Rushing
Karter Gonzalez 23-104; Jerick Humphreys 14-16; Asher Deutschendorf 2-7; Blake Hansen 1-5; Total: 40-122
Passing
Jerick Humphreys 8-15 60 0-2
Receiving
Blake Hansen 2-24; Daxon Deering 3-19; Asher Deutschendorf 3-17
Total Yards: 182

Scott City
Rushing
Camden Vulgamore 12-69; Cayden Couchman 15-45; Kelton Cook 8-37; Matthew Wheeler 4-21; Pierce Vallejo 1-3; Peyton Bergner 2-0; Total: 42-174
Passing
Camden Vulgamore 6-14 79 0-1
Receiving
Cayden Couchman 2-46; Jackson Rumford 2-29; Peyton Bergner 2-3