Hays High and Goddard Eisenhower met on Thursday, Sept. 4, which was the first day that the Kansas State High School Activities Association allowed football teams to play their first games.
Both teams had some rust to knock off, as they were slow to get their offenses into the game. The defenses, on the other hand, were ready to play, making key stops throughout the game.
Hays High started the game on offense, but quickly found themselves in a fourth and one punt situation that junior Carson Kieffer pushed Eisenhower to their own 31-yard line. The Indian defense ended the drive by forcing Eisenhower to punt. Junior Jaren Kanak returned the ball to the Indian 30-yard line, but after a holding penalty, the Indians started on their own six-yard line. On the very next play, quarterback Dylan Dreiling fumbled in the backfield, and the Indians were backed up to the two-yard line. Goddard’s defensive line created havoc the next play, as they forced the Indians to a safety, making the game 2-0 in Eisenhower’s favor.
After getting the punt, Eisenhower quickly found themselves in a four and out situation after a sack from senior Gaven Haselhorst. Then, the biggest play of the first quarter came from Kanak, who returned the punt 60 yards to put the Indians on the Tigers’ 25-yard line. Fumbles plagued the Indians after getting into the red zone, as they lost the ball twice but recovered them both. On the final play of the drive, running back Roy Maroni bulldozed a Tiger linebacker to score, making the score 6-2 in favor of Hays High.
In the second quarter, both teams started their drives with punts, but coach Tony Crough wanted to test the special teams of the Tigers as he successfully faked a punt. Kieffer ran the ball for a 14-yard gain for the first down, but later in the drive, punted on a fourth and out. Eisenhower put on their best offensive drive of the half as they push the Indians defense 50 yards down the field, just to turn the ball over on the Indians 29-yard line. The Indians quickly found themselves on the 36-yard line. On the following play, Dreiling ran the ball down the field to the Tiger 47-yard line. On the next play for the Indians, a bad snap found the Indians in trouble, but Dreiling had enough time to connect with Kanak for an Indian touchdown.
The Tigers and Indians traded fumble-plagued drives to start the third. Eisenhower’s best drive of the game came when the Tigers pushed the ball down the field to score. Tigers opted for the two-point conversion that had Tiger quarterback Nick Hogan running the ball in with ease to make the score 13-10.
The Indians would piece one final drive together, as they would put the game out of reach for the Tigers. On the final play for Eisenhower’s offensive, Tiger quarterback Hogan threw the ball away to junior linebacker Gavin Meyers, who made an interception to give the Indians offense the ball with 1:18 left in the game. The Indians would end up winning the game, 19-10.
Starting the season with a 1-0 record, Hays travels to Great Bend to take on the Panthers on Sept. 11

21canders@usd489.com