After an excellent close to the regular season, the Hays High Indian football team looked to continue fighting in the first round at home versus the Valley Center Hornets on Oct. 27 and the Goddard-Eisenhower Tigers on Nov. 3.

To start the Valley Center game, junior Dalton Meyers forced a safety, followed by a 31-yard touchdown reception from junior Carter Graham to sophomore Jarek Purdy. In the second quarter, Valley Center spent no time responding, taking it 97 yards to the house to make the score 9-7. After a long drive, Hays extended their lead to 16-7 after an 11-yard touchdown pass to junior Ian McGuire.

In the second half, senior Malik Bah rushed for a four-yard touchdown, and after a two-point conversion, Hays pulled ahead 24-7. The Hornets responded with a seven-yard touchdown of their own, and McGuire scored the dagger touchdown reception for 16-yards to make a final score of 31-14, advancing Hays to the second round.

Playing at Goddard Eisenhower, the Indians faced a tough battle, with the Tigers only losing one regular season game. The Tigers opened with a touchdown run for a low scoring first quarter of 7-0. Eisenhower added onto their lead with another score on the ground, in which the Indians struck back after a two-yard touchdown from Bah.

Despite a tough effort from the Indians, Eisenhower continued to pull ahead, adding on multiple scores throughout the game. The Tigers finished victorious, 41-7.

The Hays High Indians ended their season with a record of 7-3, with multiple players earning All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Honors. Senior Bah, juniors Wyatt Kirkpatrick, Cooper Lindenmeyer, Dalton Meyers and Slade Salmans and freshman Gus Corsair earned All-WAC First Team honors, with Meyers winning WAC Defensive Player of the Year. Seniors Kaiden Bunger, Henry Fitzthum and Will Linenberger and sophomores Jonathan Cano and Jarek Purdy earned All-WAC Second Team honors.

24elucio@usd489.com