After a large departure of last year’s senior football players, the Hays High football team had many question marks surrounding its team entering the 2023-2024 season.

The Indians kicked off their season on Sept. 1 in Junction City, playing against the No. 1 player in Kansas, Michael Boganowski. After a slow start, the Indians found themselves winning 7-0 at halftime after a touchdown catch on a trick play from senior Malik Bah to junior Jonathan Cano.

In the second half, Junction stormed back and tied the game, 7-7. After a short touchdown run by Bah and another score by the Blue Jays, the game went into overtime at 14-14. After a quick score on another run by Bah, the Indians needed one stop to win the game. On fourth and goal, the Blue Jays ran the ball, but were ultimately stopped at the one-yard line by juniors Wyatt Kirkpatrick and Cooper Lindenmeyer, securing the Indians’ first win of the season, 20-14.

In the game, Bah picked up right where he left off after winning Western Athletic Conference 5A Offensive Player of the Year last year, as he rushed for 218 yards on 40 carries, with two rushing scores and a passing touchdown against the Blue Jays.

On Sept. 8, Hays High took on its rival, the Great Bend Panthers for the first home game of the season. Both teams came out of the gate firing, with both scoring two touchdowns each in the first quarter. Hays High junior Carter Graham threw a deep touchdown pass to sophomore Jarek Purdy on the first drive of the game, and Bah scored on a 73-yard run.

After scoreless second and third quarters, the score was 14-14 entering the fourth quarter. The Indians quickly struck, with sophomore Ian McGuire scoring on a short touchdown run. However, the Panthers wasted no time tying up the game, and after a short Hays drive, the Panthers took the lead 27-20 after a missed extra point.

With time wounding down, the Indians drove down the field, and on the same trick play they used against Junction City, Bah threw a touchdown pass to Cano, and with an extra point good by Graham, the Indians took the lead 28-27 with under a minute to go. The Panthers drove down the field, and with two seconds left in the game, Great Bend opted to attempt a game-winning field goal, in which the Indians blocked, winning 28-27 to start off their season 2-0.

Hays High was on the road to take on the Manhattan Indians on Sept. 15, losing the game 49-7, and stay at home to go up against the Garden City Buffaloes on Sept. 22.

24elucio@usd489.com