Indians Earn State Championship Berth
Indians 36; Spearville 30
The Indian football team wrote some more school history on Friday evening. The Indians' 36-30 defeat of the Spearville Lancers earned the first Sub-State Football Championship in school history and advanced the Indians into the State Championship game for the first time. The Indians will play Osborne in Newton, Kansas, on Saturday, November 19 for the 1A - Division 1 State Championship.
The Sub-State Championship game was a classic! The undefeated Spearville Lancers came into the contest as the defending state champions and ranked #1 in the state in 8-man - Division 1 football. The Indians, undefeated and ranked #2, were up for the challenge. Pre-game hype was high, and the game proved to be one of the best contests fans may ever see.
Spearville received the opening kickoff with the Indians defending the north goal on Greene Field in St. Francis. Luke Heskamp (5'8" 160 lb. Sr.) returned the kick-off to the Lancers' 22 yard line before being stopped by Tate Busse. The Lancer's ran an 8-man version of the singlewing offense, using a spinner-back and lots of misdirection in their attack. Early in the contest, the Lancers' appeared nearly unstoppable, but as usual, the Indian defense gradually gained momentum and fared much better in the second half. On the first play from scrimmage, the Lancers' Kolby Stein (6' 1" 170 lb. So.) dove into the middle of the line gaining one yard before being met by Luin Norris and Jordan Raby. On the next play, Heskamp rounded the right end getting within 18" of a first down. Stein's third-down dive earned a first down at the Spearville 35. Stein picked up 7 more yards on the next play before being stopped by Dalton Straub. Two more Stein runs up the middle resulted in another first down for the Lancers. With a new set of downs, the Lancers attempted their first pass of the game. The Indians' defense forced Stein to scramble resulting in a 3-yard gain. Heskamp then earned 6 yards around the right end setting up 3rd-&-1 for the Lancers. On the short-yardage down, the Indian defense made an early stop, but the Lancer's had earned just enough to advance the chains. Stein sprinted around the left side to the SF 10 where he was stopped by Busse. Nearing the goal line, the shiftyHeskamp ran right to the 4 on the following play. On 2nd-&-goal, Heskamp ran over the right side for four-yard touchdown. Bailey Sites (5' 10 170 lb. Jr.) ran to the left for the conversion points. With 7:42 left in the first period, the Lancers took a 8-0 lead.
Hopefully, the Indians could match the Lancers' impressive drive. Taylor Rogers returned the kick-off to the 26 yard line. On first down, quarterback Quinton Cravens scrambled to the the Spearville 35. Cravens then ran over the left side for five more yards on the next play. On 2nd-&-5, Rogers cruised for a big gain deep into Spearville territory, but the play was erased by a holding penalty on the Indians. On 2nd-&15, Rogers sprinted to the Spearville 19 following excellent blocking by his teammates. Rogers tried the left side on the next play gaining 5 more yards. Jordan Raby ran right to the 7 yard line on the following play. The Indians had earned 1st-&-goal. Cravens was stopped for no gain on first down. The Indians went to the air on the next play. Cravens' pass intended for Dalton Straub fell incomplete when Straub slipped making his cut. On third down, Cravens found Brock Waters in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass. Cravens ran around the left side for the conversion points. With 3:59 remaining in the first quarter, the game became tied 8-8.
A nice wall return by the Lancers allowed Bailey Sites to return the Indians' kick-off to the Spearville 35. Tate Busse made the stop for the Indians. Kolby Stein pounded into the middle of the line on first down gaining 6 yards. Sites gained two yards up the middle on the next play. Dalton Straub made a nice tackle on Luke Heskamp on third down, but the gain was good enough for a new set of downs at the St. Francis 35. Heskamp ran left for a nice gain, but a holding penalty nullified the play and backed the Lancers up to their own 35. Tate Busse and Jordan Raby stopped Heskamp for a one-yard gain on first down. Kolby Stein gained three up the middle and then three more around the right side before being stopped by Raby. On 4th-&-3, St. Francis committed an encroachment penalty gifting a first down to the Lancers. Setting up at the Sainty 23, Sites ran powerfully, picking up several yards-after-contact and carrying the Indian defenders to the 5 yard line. On 1st-&-goal from the 5, Raby stopped the Lancers for a one-yard loss. On 2nd down, Stein tried the middle, but the Lancers were called for holding setting up 2nd-&-15. Stein's pass to Sites on 3rd down was well-defended by Quinton Cravens. The next play appeared to be a Lancer touchdown, but the receiver, Kyler Stein (6' 2" 180 lb. Sr.) was ruled out of the back of the end zone. On 4th-&-goal from the 7, Cravens intercepted Stein's pass in the end zone and returned it to the St. Francis 7 yard line. The Indians had stopped the Lancer's from scoring, and now needed to move the football offensively.
A defensive holding penalty on a pass from Quinton Cravens intended for Tate Busse resulted in a first down at the Spearville 28. The Indians had a bit of breathing room. Runs by Cravens and Jordan Raby gained good yardage, but a holding penalty moved the ball back to the SF 27. Taylor Rogers tried the left side, but lost 4 yards on the play. On 3rd down, Cravens was sacked by the Lancer defenders. Cravens passed to Rogers on 4th down, gaining good yardage, but not enough for a first down. Spearville took over on downs.
Spearville took over at the 26 yard line. Heskamp ran right for 4 yards on the first play. After a delay penalty backed the Lancers up 5 yards, Stein earned a first down at the St. Francis 28. Quinton Cravens' tackle prevented a larger gain. Heskamp made two yards going left on first down, and then Sites banged for a first down at the SF 17. Stein powered for 4 yards up the middle before being stopped by Trayton Doyle. Heskamp bolted to the 7 for another first down. On first and goal, Stein dove up the middle into the end zone for an apparent touchdown. An illegal block penalty nullified the score and backed the Lancers up to the 12 yard line. Two Stein runs moved the ball to the 4 1/2 as the Sainty defense hung tough. On 3rd-&-goal from the 4 1/2, the Lancers attempted a jump pass. The ball fell incomplete. On 4th-&-goal, Heskamp scored on a 4 yard run. Sites ran right for the conversion points. The Lancers had forged a 8-16 lead with 5:02 left in the second period.
Taylor Rogers returned the Lancer's kick-off to the Sainty 31. The Indians went to the air attack early with Quinton Cravens targeting Tate Busse deep on the left side. The ball fell incomplete. Cravens pass to Brock Waters in the right flat earned 4 yards after Waters cut the play back against the defensive flow. On the next play, a pass to Busse earned a 1st down at the Spearville 38. Jordan Raby ran right on the next play but was forced out-of-bounds for a 1 yard loss. A scramble by Cravens to the left preceded an incomplete pass attempt intended for Straub. On 4th-&-6, Cravens found Rogers open on the left sideline for a first down at the Spearville 25. Cravens next pass to Rogers gained 6 more yards. On second down, Cravens attempted a pass to Waters in the end zone with the ball falling incomplete. The Lancer defense sacked Cravens for a 5-yard loss on the ensuing play. On 4th-&-9, a pass to Rogers gained good yardage, but failed to earn enough for the first down.
The Lancers took over at their own 17 yard line. Kolby Stein banged up the middle for a first down at the 28 on the first play from scrimmage. Luke Heskamp gained 9 around the left side on the following play. On 2nd-&-1, the Lancers attempted a deep pass to Kyler Stein. After the incomplete pass, the Lancers tried a pass in the left flat that also fell incomplete. On 4th-&-1, Kolby Stein banged up the middle to the Spearville 39 for a new set of downs. The clock read 1:15. A pass from Heskamp to Sites earned a first down at the SF 29. Sites also ran out-of-bounds stopping the clock at 1:03. The next play, a pass from Stein to Stein, gained 7 yards in the middle of the field. Stein then found Heskamp in the flat for a first down at the 15. The next Stein to Stein pass was nullified by a holding penalty backing the Lancers up to the 29. Kolby Stein then sprinted to the end zone on the next play. A block-in-the-back penalty, nullified the score, and placed the ball at the 19 with 15.4 seconds to play. A pass interference penalty on the Indians in the end zone reduced the distance to paydirt. With 8.2 seconds showing on the clock, the Lancers faced 1-&-6 at the 10 yard line. Stein's pass to Heskamp advanced to ball to the 2. A heady time-out call by Heskamp stopped the clock with 0.6 seconds to go. The next play loomed large in the outcome of the contest. The Lancers mishandled the snap on the final play of the half. The ball bounced off a Spearville lineman and was picked up by Taylor Rogers for the Indians and returned to the Spearville 27 ending the first half of play. St. Francis trailed at halftime, 8-16.
The Indians received the second half kick-off. Taylor Rogers returned the kick to the 15 yard line. On the first play of the half, the Indians advanced the ball 20 yards to the 35, with Quinton Cravens following good blocking around the left side. Cravens attempted to pass on the next play but was forced to scramble due to the Lancers' defensive pressure. Cravens was stopped by Gavin Miller (6' 3" 265 lb. Sr.) for a one-yard gain. Cravens then passed to Jordan Raby in the right flat; good for 3 yards before a Stein tackle. On third down, Cravens hit Tate Busse in the right flat. The pass was good enough for a first down at the Spearville 33. The next play, a run up the middle by Cravens, also resulted in a first down. With the ball at the Spearville 20, Raby fumbled on a reverse play. Stein recovered for the Lancers with 9:16 showing on the 3rd quarter clock.
Spearville began on their own 14 yard line, Stein banged up the middle for 5 hard-earned yards on the opening play of the drive. Heskamp cruised around the left side to the 30 on the next play. Sites gained 5 more on the following play into the middle of the Indian defense. A holding penalty on 2nd down backed the Lancers up a bit, but Sites earned good yardage around the right end on the following play. On 3rd-&-4 at the 36, Heskamp was tackled for a 3-yard loss by Jordan Raby and Taylor Rogers. Facing 4th-&-7, the Lancers punted for the first time in the game.The punt rolled out-of-bounds at the SF 17 yard line with 6:43 showing on the third quarter clock.
On the Indians' first play from scrimmage, Quinton Cravens passed to Tate Busse for 63-yard touchdown. Cravens scrambled for the conversion points. With 6:33 left in the third period, the teams were tied at 16-all.
Heskamp returned the Indian's kick-off to the Spearville 31 where he was stopped by Taylor Roger's tackle. The Indian defense stuffed Stein at the line of scrimmage for minimal gain on the Lancers first play from scrimmage. On 2nd down, a pass intended for Sites was well-defended by Rogers. Stein's pass to Heskamp on third down was stopped for no gain by Trayton Doyle. Facing 4th-&-9 1/2, the Lancers punted for the second time in two possessions. The Indian defense was gaining momentum.
Taylor Rogers returned the punt 4 yards to the SF 15. Rogers ran left for a new first down at the SF 34 on the first play of the drive. The following play found Quinton Cravens sprinting left for another set of downs at the Spearville 33. Stein's tackle prevented Cravens from gaining additional yardage. Rogers earned two yards on the next play before he was forced out of bounds. Cravens passed to Tate Busse for a first down at the 22 on the following play. With 3:21 on the 3rd quarter clock, St. Francis set up at the Spearville 3 yard line. Rogers slipped making a cut and was stopped for no gain on first down, but Cravens powered into the middle of the line scoring on the ensuing play. The conversion pass attempt fell incomplete. Spearville declined a holding call on the play resulting in a 22-16 Indian lead with 2:52 remaining in the third period.
Sites returned the Indians' kick to the 25 where he was tackled by Luin Norris. The Lancers fumbled on their first play, recovered the football, but lost 9 yards on the error. A Stein run netted two yards up the middle on the following play before Jordan Raby and Brock Waters made the stop. Facing 3rd-&-17, the Lancers went to the air. Stein was forced to scramble being pressured by the St. Francis line. Tate Busse nearly intercepted the pass, but the ball fell to the ground. On 4th down, the Indians pressured the punt, and the ball went out-of-bounds on the right sideline after traveling a short distance.
St. Francis took over on the Spearville 35. A run by Taylor Rogers was nullified by a holding penalty on the Indians on the first play of the possession. On 1st-&-20, Quinton Cravens attempted a pass to Tate Busse, but Sites defended the play well. Rogers then gained one yard over the right side. Cravens passed to Busse who lateraled to Rogers gaining 10 yards on third down. On 4th-&-9, Cravens passed to Waters; the play resulting in a 1st down at the Spearville 6 yard line. Jordan Raby was stopped for no gain on 1st-&-goal. On 2nd down, Cravens scored on a strong run to the right side. A conversion pass attempt to Busse was incomplete; well-defended by Sites. With 10:16 left in the game, the Indians led 28-16.
The Lancers were needing a few big plays, and they received them. Bailey Sites returned the kick-off to the Indians' 37 yard line following a nice wall set up along the right sideline. Taylor Rogers made a touchdown saving tackle on the return. Sites gained 7 more on the next play before another Rogers tackle ended the play. On 3rd-&-3, Kolby Stein passed to Kyler Stein in the end zone for a touchdown. The Indians made a big defensive play on the conversion stopping Stein's run over the left side short of the goal line. With 9:34 on the clock, the scoreboard showed the Indians leading by six, 28-22.
Jay Brown's kick-off sailed into the end zone. The Indians set up offense at the 15. Gavin Miller's tackle stopped Taylor Rogers for a 1-yard loss on first down. Quinton Cravens' pass to Rogers earned a new set of downs at the 31 on the following play. After Cravens earned two yards up the middle, he passed to Tate Busse on the following play. The pass gave the Indians a first down at the Spearville 27 with 7:56 on the clock. Dalton Straub gained 5 yards up the middle on the next play. On the next play, the Lancers' good defensive play stopped Rogers, but a face-mask flag on the Lancers brought 2nd-&-18 inches. Straub ran into the middle, fumbled, but recovered earning a 1st down at the 10 yard line. With 7:00 minutes remaining in the game, Spearville needed a stop and took a time-out to discuss strategy. On the next snap, Cravens drove near the goal line, but a holding penalty on the Indians erased the gain. Snapping at the 17, Cravens sprinted around the left end hobbling into the end zone with cramping legs. Rogers ran right for the conversion points. With 6:33 left on the game clock, the Indians appeared to be in control leading 36-22.
Heskamp returned the Indians' kick-off up the left sideline. The return ended with a tackle and fumble recovery by Brock Waters. The Indians took over at the SF 38 yard line. The Indians just needed to move the football, eat up some clock, and seal a well-earned victory. Freshman quarterback Brady Dinkel replaced the cramping Cravens and played well for the remainder of the contest.
The Lancers were about to show why they have been so successful. Needing a big defensive series, the got it. A penalty on the Indians also helped; moving the ball back 5 yards on the first snap. Two runs by Rogers resulted in a 3rd-&-17 situation. After a St. Francis time-out at 4:36, the Indians threw a pass to Rogers that fell incomplete. Facing 4th-&-17, Dalton Straub punted the football away. The ball rolled dead at the Spearville 15.
Stein's pass intended for Sites fell incomplete in the right flat. On the next play, Luin Norris stopped Stein for a 1-yard gain. On 3rd-&-9, Tate Busse intercepted Stein's pass and returned it to the Spearville 36. Only 3:26 remained in the game.
On the first snap, Jordan Raby earned four yards behind the Indians offensive line consisting of Ryan Grover, Jeremiah Neitzel, and Trayton Doyle. After a delay of game penalty on the Indians, Brady Dinkel threw a pass to Tate Busse in the end zone. The pass was on target, but dropped. On 3rd-&-11, Rogers tried the right side for little gain. Spearville called time-out to preserve the clock at 2:30. Dalton Straub punted the ball back to the Lancers on the next snap.
Heskamp returned the punt to the Spearville 35 where he was stopped by Dalton Straub's tackle. With a short clock, the Lancers went to the air. Demonstrating outstanding clock management, Stein's pass to Heskamp gained five yards on 1st down. A screen pass to Alex Fisher gained 4 1/2 more before Straub forced Fisher out-of-bounds with 1:53 on the clock. Stein passed to Heskamp for a first down on the following play. Another pass to Heskamp netted four more on the next play ending with a Rogers tackle. On 2nd-&-4, Stein scrambled out-of-bounds pressured by Luin Norris. The clock now showed 1:14. On the following play, Stein was forced out-of-bounds at the SF 3 yard line by Rogers. One play later, Stein powered up the middle for a three-yard touchdown. Stein passed to Sites for the conversion points. The Lancers had pulled within one score (36-30) with 1:03 to play.
It was obvious that the kick-off would be a critical play in the game. With a perfectly executed on-side kick, the Lancers recovered the football on the SF 36 with 1:02 to play. Stein passed to Heskamp in the right flat for a good gain after the snap, but the play was nullified due to a holding penalty on the Lancers. On 1st-&-21 from the Spearville 36, Stein scrambled running out-of-bounds at the SF 29. The clock now stood at 43.7. A pass from Stein to Heskamp earned a new set of downs at the 21 on the following play. Brock Waters' tackle stopped a further advance. On the next snap, Stein passed to Fisher gaining 1 yard in the left flat before another Waters stop. Spearville called time-out with 25.6 seconds remaining. On the next play, Stein completed a pass to Fisher in the end zone for an apparent touchdown. A holding penalty erased the score. When the penalty was assessed, the Lancers faced 2nd-&-25 at the SF 36 with 19.9 seconds left. The Indians' good defensive pressure appeared to have forced a fumble on the ensuing play. The Indians recovered the loose ball possibly sealing the win. The loose ball was ruled an incomplete pass. A penalty on the St. Francis sideline advanced the ball 15 yards. The clock was now reduced to 13.5 seconds. On third down, two Lancers appeared open deep in the end zone, but Stein's pass was just a bit long, landing beyond the end zone. The next play would determine the outcome of the contest. With 6.6 seconds left, Stein's 4th down pass into the end zone was intercepted by Taylor Rogers preserving the Indians' berth in the state championship game. Both teams played outstanding football, but the Indians had won the contest and the Sub-State Championship as well, with a 36-30 victory.
The Indians will play Osborne in the state championship game on Fischer Field in Newton, on Saturday, November 19. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. For additional information, see "Activity Updates" on the right.
Click the photos to see more photos!
