Scott City grinds out win over Wellington
Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–It was a 32-minute delay in starting the game for Scott City at home against the Wellington Crusaders Friday night. The delay would be worth the wait. While it wasn’t the prettiest of the games played, the Beavers did it with defense and field position, nothing a 28-6 win over the Crusaders at Darner Field. The storm delay would start at around 6:35. After the heavy rains moved through, the players would warm up around 7:20 and the start of the game would have a light rain with strong winds. The winds from the north stayed throughout the night.
Scott City would score on their first two possessions of the game. Their first came with 8:01 left in the first quarter on a Jarret Jurgens 14-yard run. The extra point was missed as the Beavers held an early 6-0. After another Crusader three-and-out, Scott City marched it down the field on a five-play, 36-yard drive. With 4:43 left in the first frame, it was Parker Gooden connecting with Wyatt Hayes on a 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth and nine. Jurgens ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-0 Beavers.
A switch in the sides of the field changed the momentum in the second quarter. With their wind at their backs, Wellington got on the board in the period. A six-play, 47-yard drive was finished off by a 20-yard touchdown run by Grey Hatfield to pull the Crusaders to within 14-6. The extra point was blocked. That would be the score at the break.
Scott City would add a touchdown in each of the third and fourth quarters. The first came with 3:40 left in the third quarter on a Hayes four-yard run to make it 21-6 Beavers after the Moses Hinojos PAT. Hayes would punch it in one final time with 6:57 remaining in the game on a three-yard plunge, and Hinojos’ extra point made the final 28-6.
Wyatt Hayes led the ground attack with 136 yards rushing on 31 carries and two rushing touchdowns, while Nick Nowak added 59 yards on nine carries, and Jarret Jurgest had 48 yards on six carries with a touchdown. Parker Gooden was 4-12 passing for 48 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Hayes had 31 receiving yards and a touchdown. Gooden threw 55 straight passes without an interception, which came in week one. Scott City finished with 249 yards on the ground and 297 yards of offense.
For Wellington, Grey Hatfield finished with 47 yards rushing on 15 carries and a touchdown. The Crusaders ended up with only 12 yards of rushing, as three players combined for minus-35 yards on the ground. Cade Phillips with 9-24 passing for 82 yards with two interceptions. Michael Ledbetter was the leading receiver with three catches for 32 yards. Wellington finished with 94 yards of offense.
Both teams finished with two turnovers.
With the win, Scott City is 6-0 for the 12th time in 14 years, and now lead the all-time series over Wellington 4-3. It’s also the first time in the series that the Beavers have won two straight over the Crusaders.
Scott City is 6-0, as they will host Colby next Friday night for Senior Night and their district opener. The Eagles enter with a 4-2 record, after a 35-6 loss at Norton on Friday. Wellington has dropped three straight, and are now 3-3 on the year, and will visit rival Winfield next Friday night in their district opener. The Vikings 2-4, following a 49-12 loss to Maize South on Friday night.
Assistant Coach Todd Richardson Postgame
