Indians Shock #1-Ranked Hoxie
The St. Francis Indians defeated Hoxie on Friday, September 28, in convincing fashion. The Hoxie Indians entered the game as the defending state champions and were the number-one ranked team in Class 1A 8-man football. Though Hoxie struck early in the contest, the Indians kept their poise and battled aggressively throughout the game to earn a 64-30 win over previously unbeaten Hoxie.
Both teams entered the contest sporting 4-0 records. Hoxie had recorded wins over Greeley County (44-18), Osborne (52-20), Quinter (54-0), and Wichita County (36-20). St. Francis had defeated Wallace County, Greeley County, Dighton, and Decatur Community before the match-up.
St. Francis won the toss and elected to receive. Taye Washington's (335 lb. Sr.) kick-off sailed into the end zone for a touchback. On the first play from scrimmage, the Indians fumbled the football, and Hoxie's Logan Weimer (150 lb. Sr.) scooped up the football and sprinted 7 yards into the end zone. With only 6 seconds clicked off the clock (11:54), Hoxie was on the scoreboard. The conversion run by Wylie Weems (189 lb Jr.) was stopped short of the goal. St. Francis trailed 0-6.
Though it was an unfortunate start for the Indians, they had come to play. The "gift" touchdown only seemed to increase their resolve to compete. Again, Washington's kick-off found the end zone. Jordan Raby rounded the right end on the first play from scrimmage and gained 8 yards before he was tackled by Weimer. On the next play, Raby bolted for a 1st down over the right side to the SF 34. With a new set of downs, the Indians tried the opposite side, running Raby left for a gain of two. A 2nd-down run back to the right side was stopped by Washington for a two-yard gain. On 3rd-&-6, Raby powered to the Hoxie 35 earning another 1st-&-10. Jarrod Dibble (220 lb. Sr.) stopped Raby's next attempt for a short gain. A run to the left lost a yard setting up 3rd-&-10. Brady Dinkel's pass intended for Connor Keller fell incomplete. On 4th-&-10, Dinkel found Cody Baxter open over the middle and Baxter's athletic reception earned the Indians a new set of downs at the Hoxie 20. Hoxie's Sam Bretz (180 lb. Sr.) tacked Raby on the right sideline on the next play, but not before the Indians had advanced inside the 10 yard line. On the next play, Raby rounded the right end and sprinted into the end zone. The conversion carry by Shadryon Blanka was stopped short of the goal line. With 7:45 left in the first period, the Indians answered the early Hoxie TD, tying the score at 6-all.
Dylan Weimer (145 lb. Jr.) returned Brady Dinkel's kick-off to the 24 yard line where he was met by Adam Krien. On the first snap, quarterback Jared Kennedy (145 lb. Sr.) was tackled by Shadryon Blanka after a gain of two yards. Wylie Weems ran over the right side for a good gain on the next play, but a holding penalty nullified the action. On 2nd-&15, Kennedy ran to the right but was stopped for no gain by Jayce Nider. A 3rd-down pass intended for D. Weimer over the middle fell incomplete. Facing 4th-&-15, Hoxie punted the ball away.
St. Francis set up offense at their own 21 yard line. A run by Raby over the right side earned one yard on first down. Brady Dinkel then ran around the right end and sprinted 58 yards for the second Indian touchdown. Shadryon Blanka banged up the middle, bounced outside to the left, and scored the conversion points. With 5:17 remaining in the first period, the Indians led 14-6.
D. Weimer's return ended with a tackle by Jayce Nider at the 21 yard line. Kennedy earned one yard on the first play of the possession before being stopped by Jesse Baxter. On second down, Kennedy fumbled the ball, but recovered just before Jordan Raby could get to it. Hoxie then ran an option to the left with Wylie Weems receiving the pitch from Kennedy. Shadyron Blanka ran Weems out-of-bounds, but not before Hoxie had earned good yardage. With a new set of downs at the Hoxie 35, Kennedy tried the middle of the St. Francis defense and was stopped after a 7-yard gain by Jesse Baxter. On 2nd-&-3, Hoxie used the hard count to draw the Indians off-side and earn a new series. Kennedy ran right, earning 6 before being tackled by Nider. On the next play, D. Weimer powered up the middle for a first down before being dragged down by Tiernan Poling. Hoxie was now at the St. Francis 23 yard line, and St. Francis called time-out with 2:42 left in the first period. A strong run by Weems earned 7 on the snap. A run by Kennedy moved the football just inside the 10 yard line. Two more carries by Kennedy advanced the ball into the end zone. Kennedy's run around the right end resulted in the conversion points. Hoxie had tied the contest 14-14 with 1:04 left in the first period.
Hoxie's kick-off was short and returned by Nider who was tackled by Bretz. Beginning at their own 25 yard line, the Indians put the ball in the air. Brady Dinkel's pass intended for Connor Keller deep down the field was incomplete, but may have been effective in loosing up the Hoxie defenders. The pass was well-defended by L. Weimer. Dinkel's run up the middle gaining two ended the first quarter. Jordan Raby's run to the left side was stopped for a one-yard gain by Dibble. Facing 4th-&-7, the Indians punted the ball out-of-bounds allowing no return.
Hoxie set up offense inside their own five yard line after the excellent punt by Brady Dinkel. Wylie Weems ran around the right end gaining 9 yards before being tackled by Tiernan Poling. Weems earned a first down at the 15 on his next carry. Another Weems carry earned three on the next play, with Jordan Raby making the tackle. Weems' carry to the right gained another 3 yards before Jesse Baxter and Poling combined for the stop. Hunter Helton tackled Weems on the his next carry, but not before Hoxie had earned a new series at the 25. The first down snap found Weems carrying the ball again, his 6th consecutive carry, earning yardage. On 2nd-&-7, D. Weimer earned two more on the right side. The 3rd down snap was mishandled, and Kennedy was tackled by Raby for a 4-yard loss. On 4th-&-9, Hoxie punted again with the ball going out-of-bounds at the SF 15.
Two Raby carries earned a total of three yards. Dinkel then completed a pass to Connor Keller on the right side moving the Indians to the Hoxie 30 yard line. After a run by Dinkel gained one yard, Keller was stopped on a reverse for a 4-yard loss by Hoxie defenders Dibble and Bretz. Dinkel's 3rd-down pass intended for Blanka over the middle fell incomplete. On 4th down, Dinkel passed to Cody Baxter for a 30-yard touchdown. Blanka's conversion attempt was stopped short by the Hoxie defense. St. Francis led 20-14 with 4:33 left in the first half.
Weems returned the kick-off for Hoxie, but a holding call on the return backed the visiting Indians deep into their own territory. On the first snap of the possession, Hoxie fumbled the football, and Jesse Baxter recovered for St. Francis.
On first down at the 4 yard line, Jordan Raby ran over the right side for a touchdown. Raby powered up the middle for the conversion points. With 4:16 left in the first half, St. Francis led 28-14.
Again, Weems returned the kick-off for Hoxie. A facemask penalty on the Indians' tackle advanced the football to the Hoxie 39 yard line. On 1st-down, Kennedy rolled left and threw a pass to D. Weimer. The pass fell incomplete. On 2nd-down, a counter to the left by Weems was stopped by Raby and others for a two-yard gain. Kennedy rolled to his right on third down, earning three more yards. On 4th-&-5, Hoxie punted into the end zone for a touchback.
Dinkel ran up the middle gaining seven yards on first down and gained two more going right on the next play. A dive by Raby on 3rd-&-1 was stopped just short of the line-to-gain. St. Francis took a time-out to discuss strategy. On the next snap, Raby banged up the middle earning enough for a new series. Raby's next carry going right was good for 7 yards. On the following play, Raby went left, breaking tackles along the way moving the ball into Hoxie territory. The clock showed 26.9 seconds remaining. Raby ran left again on the next snap bouncing out-of-bounds to stop the clock. Unfortunately, a holding penalty on the Indians erased the gain and backed the Indians up 10 yards. A carry by Connor Keller on a reverse was met by a strong Bretz tackle after a 17 yard gain. Facing 2nd-&-3 with only four seconds remaining, St. Francis attempted a hook-and-ladder play gaining good yardage, but expiring the clock. The teams headed to the locker rooms with St. Francis leading 28-14.
The Indians' 2nd-half kick-off sailed into the end zone. On 1st down, Hoxie went to the air; completing a pass that was well-defended by Tiernan Poling and resulted in a 6-yard loss. On 2nd-down, D. Weimer ran over the right side but was stopped by Shadryon Blanka for no gain. Kennedy's pass to L. Weimer gained 9 yards on third down. On 4th-&-7, Kennedy ran the ball and was tackled by Cody Baxter at the Hoxie 19.
The turnover-on-downs gave the Indians good field position. Jordan Raby earned three yards on the initial snap of the possession before being stopped by Washington's tackle. Two carries by Dinkel gained four more yards. On 4th-&-3, Blanka rounded the right end, raced down the sideline, and scored again for St. Francis. Blanka's conversion run moved the score to 36-14 with 8:14 left in the third period.
Dinkel's kick-off went out-of-bounds, so Hoxie began at the 25 yard line. Hoxie's first two carries by Kennedy were both stopped by tackles by Cody Baxter allowing a total of three yards. With 6:54 left in the third period, Hoxie took a time-out. Going no-huddle, Kennedy completed a pass to D. Weimer and then to Weems advancing the football to the Sainty 27. After an incomplete pass on first down, Weems ran right gaining five. On 3rd-&-5, a crushing tackle by Blanka stopped Weems for no gain. Pressure by Adam Krien on 4th down, caused Kennedy to rush his pass to Dibble. On the play, both teams were whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct.
St. Francis took possession at their own 24 yard line. After a Dinkel carry for five yards, Raby ran to the Indian 34 for a new set of downs. Carries by Dinkel and Raby into the middle of the defense gained a total of three yards on the next two plays. On 3rd-&-6, Raby rounded the right end and sprinted into the end zone increasing the Indians' lead. The conversion run attempt by Dinkel was unsuccessful. St. Francis led 42-14 with 3:11 left in the 3rd period.
D. Weimer's return was ended by a tackle by Josiah Sims for the Indians. On the return, Hoxie was penalized for an illegal block moving the ball back to the 8 yard line. Two carries by Weems resulted in a Hoxie first down at the 23. A pass to Dibble advanced the ball to the 38 on the next snap. Using no huddle often, Hoxie continued to put the ball in flight. After an incomplete first down pass, Kennedy found D. Weimer in the right flat good for a 9-yard gain. The next pass attempt was incomplete. On 4th-&-1, the Indians jumped off-side gifting a new series to their opponents. The ball was now at the SF 30 yard line. Kennedy's pass to L. Weimer was covered well by Raby and fell incomplete in the right corner of the end zone. A roll-out to the left was incomplete on the ensuing play. On third down, Kennedy's pass to Weems fell incomplete in the left side of the end zone. Tiernan Poling made a good defensive play on the 4th-down pass intended for Colton Heskett (215 lb. Sr.) in the right flat.
St. Francis took over on downs at their own 30 yard line. Raby's run to the right was stopped for a five-yard loss on the first play of the possession. A run by Dinkel picked up 5 on the next play. On 3rd-&-9, a reverse to Cody Baxter went 49 yards for another Indian touchdown. Blanka ran up the middle for the conversion points. With 24.5 seconds left in the 3rd period. St. Francis had opened the margin to 50-14.
Adam Krien ended D. Weimer's return at the Hoxie 20. Pressure by Jesse Baxter forced Kennedy to scramble on first down gaining three yards. Passes from Kennedy to Weems and D. Weimer advanced the football to the St. Francis 24 yard line. A punishing tackle by Dinkel stopped Weems' reception short of the goal line on the next play. Hoxie was now at the St. Francis 1 yard line. A procedure penalty on the offense backed them up 5 yards. On 2nd down, Kennedy scrambled left and was knocked out of bounds by Raby at the 2. On 2nd-&-6, Weems ran over the right side for a Hoxie touchdown with 10:51 left in the game. A pass from Kennedy to Weems accounted for the conversion points. Hoxie had reduced the deficit to 50-22.
Hoxie's short kick-off did not travel 10 yards and required a re-kick. Krien returned the kick to the SF 23. Two Raby runs netted 7 yards. On 3rd-&-3, Raby delivered a strong run ending at the Hoxie 28. After a Dinkel run advanced the ball four yards, Shadryon Blanka ran left for a 24-yard touchdown. Blanka's conversion attempt was stopped short by Washington. With 8:19 left, the scoreboard displayed St. Francis 56 - Hoxie 22.
The St. Francis kick-off resulted in a touchback. Two quick passes from Kennedy to Dibble and Weems advanced the football to the Hoxie 32. On the next play, Jesse Baxter sacked Kennedy for no gain. The no-huddle attack continued with a pass to Heskett moving the ball into St. Francis territory at the 29 yard line. The next play, another pass, did not advance the ball. A 2nd-down run by Kennedy earned 8 yards before ending with a Poling tackle. On 3rd-&-2, Kennedy found Dibble for another 1st down. Snapping at the 9, Kennedy attempted a pass to Ben Aumiller (160 Jr.) in the end zone. The pass was well-defended by Poling and fell incomplete. A 2nd-down scramble by Kennedy resulted in a touchdown with 5:44 left on the clock. Kennedy also ran for the conversion points. The score now stood at 56-30.Brady Dinkel returned the kick 10 yards to the SF 36. A first-down run by Dinkel was stopped for no gain by Colton Heskett. Jordan Raby earned one yard up the middle on the next play, and Hoxie called time-out with 4:55 left. After a Raby run to the right only made 3 yards, the Indians let the clock run down before calling time-out with one second on the play clock (4:09). Dinkel's punt went out-of-bounds at the Hoxie 10.
Again using a no-huddle passing attack, Hoxie earned 7 with a pass to Weems, and then earned a first down at the 23 with a pass to D. Weimer in the right flat. Another pass to Weimer, this one on the opposite side of the field, moved the ball to the Hoxie 35. On first down, Kennedy was flushed from the pocket by the St. Francis defenders and threw incomplete stopping the clock with 3:40 remaining. A 2nd-down pass to Weems picked up five more yards. On 3rd down, Kennedy's pass was intercepted by Dinkel and returned 55 yards for a touchdown. Blanka's conversion run added two more points. St. Francis increased the margin to 64-30.
A tackle by Poling stopped the Hoxie return at the 23 yard line. Kennedy scrambled right for three yards on the first snap, and then threw to Weems on second down where Poling made another stop. On 3rd-&-3, Shadryon Blanka intercepted Kennedy's pass and returned it to the Hoxie 36.
Raby picked up one yard and then Dinkel ran for a first down at the Hoxie 18. Two Raby runs advanced the ball to the 13 where a Weimer tackle forced Raby out-of-bounds with 1:20 to go. On the next snap, Blanka ran up the middle earning a first down at the 6 yard line. St. Francis elected to kneel in victory formation rather than try to score again. After the Indians knelt on the ball twice, the clock expired. St. Francis had played well against a very good Hoxie team and won 64-30.
St. Francis will travel to Leoti to play Wichita County High School on Friday, October 5. The Wichita County Indians are currently ranked #? and have a 4-1 record. Wichita County has wins over Wallace County (54-6), Logan-Palco (54-6), and Trego Community (58-12). The Indians' loss is to Hoxie (36-20).
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