Scott City and Holcomb face off in early season battle

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–Tonight’s 7 pm kickoff at Darner Field will feature a pair of teams that have won a combined six of the first seven GWAC titles. the Beavers have won five of the titles, while the Longhorns are the defending league champions. Scott City and Holcomb will renew their rivalry in a battle of 1-0 teams, with the winner getting the upper hand on the league race.

Holcomb dodged what would many would have called an upset, as they rallied in the fourth quarter to knock off the Cimarron Bluejays 15-12 last Friday night in Holcomb. After a scoreless first half, the Longhorns scored on their opening possession of the second half, and saw the Bluejays score the next two touchdowns to take a 12-7 lead with 3:30 remaining to go up 15-12. Senior quarterback Trey Gilbert scored both touchdowns for Holcomb. The Longhorns outgained Cimarron by a narrow margin of 283-278, and had a balanced attack with 133 passing yards and 150 rushing yards. Cimarron had 268 rushing yards on the ground.

Scott City used a 16-point second quarter to gain the upper hand on Hays, knocking off the Indians 29-8 at Lewis Field Stadium to kick off the 2017 season. After a scoreless first quarter, it was a 26-yard field goal by Moses Hinojos that got the Beavers on the board, followed up by a 51-yard Nick Nowak touchdown run. The first half scoring was capped off by a 30-yard interception return by Marshal Faurot to end the half. After a turnover and a Hays score to pull to within 16-8 in the first minute of the second half, the Beavers took control of the game, adding a score in the third and one late in the game from Jarret Jurgens to give Scott City their second-ever win over Hays in five meetings. The Beavers had 280 yards of offense, with 264 on the ground, and were led by Wyatt Hayes with 110 yards and a touchdown, while allowing just 118 yards to the Indians.

Scott City leads the all-time series 13-3. Holcomb swept Scott City last year, winning 32-13 in Holcomb, and 34-20 in the Regional round of the Class 4A, DII playoffs in Scott City last November.

Kickoff is set for 7 pm at Darner Field. You can listen to the Holcomb broadcast on 1030 AM KBUF with the pregame at 6:30, on westernkansasnews.com, and with the KBUF mobile app. The Scott City broadcast can be heard on Mix 94.5, westernkansasnews.com and also on the Mix 94.5 mobile app.