Despite the cold weather Adrian’s offense heated up mid-way through the first quarter. Hunter Steen connected with Dakota Harris on a 25 yard touchdown pass with 4:46 to play in the opening quarter. Noah Koehler remained red hot in the kicking game, splitting the uprights on the extra point. As time ran out in the opening quarter senior Anson Johnson got to live every lineman’s dream lining up at fullback, taking the handoff and steam rolling his way 6 yards to paydirt. Koehler’s kick was good, giving the Blackhawks a very comfortable early 14-0 lead.
Adrian has had a balanced running attack, splitting carries between Gavin Reed, Cameron Tallman, James Keating and Cooper Meade mixed in with the quarterback, Hunter Steen, making yardage keeping the ball on the option. Each week it is a different combination of runners that come up big. This week it was Cameron Tallman rushing for 120 yards on 19 carries followed by James Keating with 61 yards on 12 carries. Teams may focus on shutting down one running back so it’s an added value to have other running backs who can come in and do damage in their place.
Another added bonus is when Bryant Burkes comes into the game as quarterback and Steen moves to a receiver spot for an added weapon. The hometown faithful know that Burkes throws a nice pass. Steen, being the all-around athlete that he is, had a receiving touchdown as well when he took in a 37 yard TD pass from Burkes with 3:15 to go in the first half. After another successful PAT the Blackhawks went into the half with a comfortable 21 pt lead.
Adrian extended the lead late in the third period when Gavin Reed took the hand-off and rambled five yards for the score. The point after attempt was no good but the Blackhawks were in possession of a 27 point lead with only a quarter left to play. To Liberal’s credit they did not give up in the contest. Halfway through the final period Colby Selvey found open field and raced 61 yards for the Bulldog’s lone score of the night. Their two point attempt failed.
Liberal got the ball back with little over a minute to play in the game. Keaton Cook put pressure on the quarterback, who threw the ball out of the back of the endzone trying to make something happen. The safety was the final points of the game, giving the Adrian Blackhawks the 29-6 victory and the District Championship.
The win advances the Blackhawks to the state championship quarterfinals game against Lincoln. Lincoln manhandled the Midway Vikings 27-0 in their district championship game. Midway was the only team to defeat Adrian this season. Lincoln boasts a similar 11-1 record. Their only loss came at the hands of Prairie View out of LaCygne, KS. They are a big, physical team with a very aggressive defense. Adrian will have to come out and play their best ball of the season. The Blackhawks can learn from the Midway loss and not get down if they get punched in the mouth early. They have not trained any game outside of the Midway debacle. Getting up big early has been their calling card. Adrian is a very good team capable of better things. If they do find themselves down at any point in this game they will need to find the intestinal fortitude to keep battling to claim victory.
This is the first trip to the quarterfinals for the Blackhawks since the 2009 season. A victory will take them to the semi-finals for the first time since 2005. That would put them one game away from playing for the state championship. Adrian’s last trip that far was the fall of 2002 when the team brought back the school's only State Championship. There is a whole lot of dreaming about the possibility of having another shot at the title but Adrian will have to first take care of business in Lincoln. The Blackhawks haven’t gotten this far by accident. Now is the time for the team to go out and play like they are capable of playing.
Coach’s Comments:
Pretty good effort by the team tonight. Defensively, I think we played pretty well. We gave up a long TD in the fourth quarter that we shouldn't have, but other than that, we played hard. Offensively, we put up 21 points in the first half but kind of got complacent in the second half. I think we were a little satisfied. It was pretty cold out there, and that played a part in it, too. I believe this is our first quarterfinal appearance since 2009. Winning districts was a goal for the kids at the beginning of the year. They have accomplished that, but there's still more to be done. We have Lincoln at their place next week, and it will be a challenge. Our kids have stepped up all year, and I expect no less than that against Lincoln. Lincoln is a good team, and we are going to have to play our best ball of the year. We look forward to the challenge they they present.
Scoring Summary:
First Quarter Summary:
Adrian (4:46) - Dakota Harris 25 yd pass from Hunter Steen (Noah Koehler kick)
Adrian (0:00) - Anson Johnson 6 yd run (Koehler kick)
Second Quarter Summary:
Adrian (3:15) - Steen 37 yd pass from Bryant Burkes (Koehler kick)
Third Quarter Summary:
Adrian (4:01) Gavin Reed 5 yd run (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter Summary:
Liberal (5:30) - Colby Selvey 61 yd run (run failed)
Adrian (1:24) - Keaton Cook tackled runner in end zone
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