Scott City hits the road to face Wellington

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–For the first time in the series, Scott City and Wellington will not be playing for a spot in the next round of the playoffs. In fact, both teams have not seen each other since 2002. Tonight, the two schools face off where they last met 14 years ago, as the Beavers and Crusaders collide in a 7 pm kickoff on Wellington’s homecoming night. 

Scott City has been dominant since their 0-2 start, winning three consecutive games. The Beavers in their last three games have been outscoring their opponents by an average of 47-7, and blitzed Ulysses for 32 second half points in a 53-7 win on homecoming last Friday night at Darner Field. Scott City rolled up a season-best 427 yards of offense, including a season-high 314 on the ground. Bo Hess threw for two scores, and Wyatt Hayes rushed for two touchdowns. Jarret Jurgens scored Scott City’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2012, with an 80-yard kickoff return to begin the second half. Scott City has scored 11 non-offensive touchdowns since 2013. 

Wellington limps into tonight’s game with an 0-5 record, and they have lost seven straight, dating back to the final two games of last season. The Crusaders played their second consecutive perennial power opponent in Wichita Collegiate, and were shut out 52-0 last Friday night. The Crusaders managed only 83 yards of offense, and lost starting quarterback Cade Phelps for tonight, after suffering a concussion in last weeks lost. Wellington is averaging around nine points a contest, while giving up an average of 36 per game. Their closest game this year was a 7-6 loss to Rose Hill in week three.

Wellington leads the series 3-2, as they have won the last two, that came in 2001 and 2002. The Crusaders won the 2002 battle 7-0 in a defensive battle in the sub-state round of the Class 4A State Playoffs. Scott City last won against Wellington in 1994, dominating the game with a 47-8 final in the regional round of the 4A playoffs. 

Pregame coverage on Mix 94.5 starts at 6:30, with kickoff at  7 pm. You can also listen online at https://www.westernkansasnews.com/mix94/, on TuneIn radio, or on the Mix 94.5 app.