Football:
The Hays High School varsity football team played a home game against the Junction City Bluejays on Oct 3.
Coming into the game, both teams were ranked No. 3 in their respective classes, with Hays High being 5A and Junction City being 6A.
In the first quarter, senior Jarek Purdy started the scoring for the Indians with a 53-yard kickoff return that set up senior Holden Lind for a three-yard touchdown. Senior Carson Moore kicked the extra point to make the score 7-0. Junction City then retaliated, tying the game at 7-7. Hays punted on their next possession, then the Bluejays also punted, but the punt was blocked by the Indians. Senior Zane Viegra passed to Purdy, getting Hays another touchdown, but the extra point was blocked by the Bluejays, making the score 13-7.
In the second quarter, Junction City came out on the offensive end, scoring two touchdowns with their extra points being good to jump ahead. In this quarter, Hays tried to make a 20-yard field goal with Moore, but it was no good.
In the third quarter, Junction City’s punter mishandled the punt, resulting in senior Jonathan Rigler recovering a fumble and setting the Indians up with good field position. Junior Braxton Basgall got a four-yard touchdown with Moore scoring the extra point. Near the end of the quarter, Viegra passed to Purdy for a 21-yard score, but the extra point was no good again.
In the final quarter, the Bluejays tried to expand their lead. However, the defense could not hold off the Indians. With the stakes high, the Indians converted on fourth down and Viegra threw another touchdown to Basgall. In a bold move, head coach Tony Crough went for two points, with Viegra successfully passing to Purdy, putting them ahead of the Bluejays. With 2:38 remaining, the Bluejays tried for a touchdown, but the Hays defense was too much. Hays ended up winning, 34-28.
“Our team did great,” Crough said. “Junction City was an amazing team – maybe the best we’ve played. We need to just keep taking it one game at a time. Our schedule has been brutally tough, but we are hoping it pays off down the stretch.”
On Oct. 10, Hays traveled to face the Dodge City Demons, who were ranked No. 21 in 6A, and the Indians got a road win, 42-19.
Cross Country:
Both the boys and girls cross country teams raced at the Bob Schmoekel Invitational at Junction City on Oct. 4.
In total, there were 12 teams with 241 athletes racing that day. The races were separated into varsity, junior varsity and 4K races.
The boys finished seventh, with sophomore Bladyn Werth leading the boys by running the 5K in 19:00.
The girls finished seventh also, with sophomore Alexa Cooley leading the girls by running the 5K in 22:28.23.
“Overall, I felt that we performed pretty well, especially since we were up and on the bus by 5:20 a.m.,” head coach Jerold Harris said. “We were down a couple of our key runners, which did hurt in the team scores, but I felt we could have moved up a spot. Although, we still need to compete through the whole race. We are still settling in the middle of the race. If someone goes by you, challenge them.”
Boys Soccer:
The Hays varsity boys soccer team played an away game against the Dodge City Demons on Oct. 9.
In the first half, Hays scored no points, but in the second half, freshman Joseph Fisher scored one. Still, Dodge City defeated Hays High, 6-1.
“Dodge City is always a tough opponent,” coach Daniel Kelly said. “The team [Dodge City] created great moments during the game. Defensively, we struggled to keep up with their pace, and they were able to capitalize on their chances. I love every opportunity to play against such a strong team because it challenges us to improve on our weaknesses. Our 1v1 defending struggled on the night, allowing too many chances. On the offensive side of the ball, we needed a better final third.”
27bstaleyherman@usd489.com
