Indians Escape With Win; Remain Unbeaten
Intense, Wild, and Crazy!
The St. Francis Indian football team emerged from Friday evening's competition with a thrilling 30-28 victory over the home-standing Hoxie Indians. The game was highly competitive, and the final outcome was not decided until the last play of the contest. It was one of the most memorable and interesting high football games of memory!
St. Francis won the toss and elected to receive. The pooch-kick was handled by Preston Witzel. St. Francis began offense near their own 30 yard line. On the first play of the contest, the Indians drew Hoxie off-side with a long count. After the penalty was accessed, quarterback Brady Dinkel tried the middle of the line earning 3.5 yards in two carries. Shadryon Blanka carried over the right side on third down gaining only a half yard against a resistant Hoxie defense. On 4th & 1 at the 38, Dinkel ran around the right end picking up a new set of downs at the Hoxie 36. Three more carries, two by Dinkel and one by Blanka, netted only 6 yards setting up a 4th-&-4 situation. The 4th-down run by Dinkel around the right end advanced the football to the 16. On the next play, Dinkel tried the middle again and was stopped for no gain. Dinkel's next run, over the left side, earned 7 yards as he carried tacklers along for several extra yards. Another hard count on 3rd-&-3 resulted in an encroachment penalty on Hoxie. The Indians had earned 1st-&-goal at the 4 yard line. On the next play, Blanka powered up the middle for a touchdown. The conversion run by Josiah Sims was stuffed by the Hoxie defenders. St. Francis led 6-0 with 6:54 left in the first period.
Brady Dinkel's short kick-off was returned 8 yards by freshman Derek Johnson (5' 8" 145 lbs) to the Hoxie 37. The first snap of the possession was mishandled, but recovered by sophomore quarterback Ashton Dowell (6'0 160 lbs) resulting in a loss of 6 yards. A pass into the left flat on the next play gained two yards but was quickly snuffed by a tackle by Shadryon Blanka. A third down pass to Dylan Weimer (5' 9" 155 lb senior) earned big yards before Weimer was forced out-of-bounds by Dinkel on the right sideline. The play moved the ball to the SF 5 yard line. Wylie Weems (6' 0" 180 lb senior running back) advanced the football to the one on the next snap. With 4:28 showing on the 1st quarter clock, Ashton Dowel scored on a quarterback sneak. The conversion try, a pass intended for Weems, was well defended by the Indians. Hoxie had answered quickly tying the contest at 6-6.
Jayce Nider was tackled by Hoxie freshman Brady Jones (5' 9" 145 lbs) on the kick-off return. Beginning at the 14 yard line, Brady Dinkel carried middle and then right earning a first down at the 35. Three more Dinkel runs earned just enough for a measured first down at the Hoxie 35. Shadryon Blanka's carry over the right side netted a yard, and Dinkel earned two more going left. On 3rd-&-7, a reverse to Adam Krien appeared to be stopped by the Hoxie defenders, but Adam broke a few tackles, reversed field, and ran up the right side for a 31-yard touchdown. A dive into the middle was unsuccessful on the conversion try. St. Francis led 12-6 with 1:22 left in period one.
Brady Dinkel's squib-kick was recovered by Wylie Weems at the 17 yard line. On first down, Aston Dowell passed to Dylan Weimer in the right flat earning 3 yards. Dowell's 2nd-down pass to the opposite side fell incomplete. Facing 3rd-&-7, Dowell attempted another pass. He was pressured on the play by several Indian defenders and threw a pass that bounced off the hands of Caden White (6' 2" 170 lb junior) and was intercepted by Dinkel. Dinkel carried the football up the left sideline and was forced out at the Hoxie 5 yard line.
On the first play of the Indians' possession, Brady Dinkel scored over the left side. A holding penalty on the Indians erased the touchdown and moved the ball back to the 12 yard line. Three carries by Dinkel, one in each direction, netted zero yards, and a second holding penalty on the Indians on the third down play backed the Indians up again. Facing 3rd-&-goal at the 23, Dinkel passed to Adam Krien in the right flat. The play netted only three yards before the Hoxie defenders ended the play. On 4th down, Dinkel dropped back to pass and was sacked by Donovan Balluch (5' 10" 190 lb sophomore).
Hoxie took over on downs at their own 20 yard line. A run by Dylan Weimer ended after a 3-yard gain due a tackle by Jesse Baxter. Wylie Weems tried the middle of the St. Francis defense gaining one. On 3rd-&-6, Hoxie took a time-out to prevent a delay penalty with 8:59 remaining in the second quarter. A pass intended for Caden White fell incomplete on the following snap. Facing 4th-&-long, White punted the ball back to St. Francis. The kick was a good one and came to rest at the SF 14 yard line.
Brady Dinkel earned 5 yards running up the middle on the first snap of the possession before being tackled by Caden White and Ben Aumiller (6' 0" 160 lb Sr.). Dinkel ran around the left end on the next play and was swarmed by a host of Hoxie defenders losing 4 yards. On 3rd down, Dinkel dropped back to pass, tucked the ball, and ran to the right side earning a first down at the SF 29. Dinkel unleashed a deep ball to Shadryon Blanka on the next snap. The pass was well-defended and deflected incomplete by White. White tackled Dinkel for no gain on the ensuing play. A carry by Blanka around the left end was met by Dylan Weimer and gained only one yard. On 4th-&-9, the Indians punted for the first time in the contest. The ball rolled out-of-bounds at the Hoxie 19.
Hoxie took possession with 5:45 showing on the second quarter clock. A strong run by Wylie Weems straight ahead was good for 6 yards. Dylan Weimer then carried to the right side spinning out of tackles and demonstrating his elusiveness. The carry resulted in a Hoxie first down at the 30 yard line. Jayce Nider stopped Weems for no gain on the next play. On 2nd down, Ashton Dowell passed to Caden White deep down the field. Though White was open, the ball caromed off White's hands incomplete. A successive pass intended for Ben Aumiller in the left flat was also incomplete. Facing 4th-&-10, Hoxie punted again.
Brady Dinkel gathered in the punt, juked a few defenders, and returned it 65 yards up the right sideline for the third Indian touchdown. Again, the conversion try failed. St. Francis led 18-6 with 3:35 left in the first half.
Dinkel's kick-off sailed into the end zone for a touchback. A pass from Ashton Dowell to Ben Aumiller in the left flat was good for 8 yards on the first play of the Hoxie possession. Dowell ran up the middle on the next snap but was stopped by Josiah Sims and Colton Neitzel for no gain. Jesse Baxter sacked Dowell for an 8-yard loss on the following play. Hoxie punted again on 4th-&-10.
St. Francis took possession at their own 29 with approximately 2 minutes remaining in the half. Brady Dinkel earned 6 yards on a carry around the left end and then scrambled on a quarterback draw to the Hoxie 38 giving the Indians another set of downs. After a 4-yard run, Dinkel passed to Shadryon Blanka in the left flat. Blanka was immediately tackled by Caden White and the play lost 2 yards. On 3rd-&-8, Dinkel rolled left, pumped the football, losing control of the ball. Dinkel recovered, but the play netted zero yards. On 4th down, Dinkel was pressured, but escaped to the left side and wisely ran out-of-bounds at the 25 stopping the clock with 17 seconds remaining. On the next play, Dinkel passed to Kobe Tice in the left corner of the end zone for a touchdown. A holding penalty on the Indians nullified the play and backed them up to mid-field. Dinkel's final pass attempt of the half fell incomplete. St. Francis led at halftime 18-6.
Brady Dinkel's second half kick-off sailed into the end zone. Hoxie hit the field attacking through the air. Ashton Dowell passed to Ben Aumiller twice earning 19 yards and then hit Caden White in the right flat for another first down at mid-field. A light sprinkle began to fall early in the third period, but never really had an major effect on the game. Jayce Nider tackled Wylie Weems after a 1-yard gain on the first Hoxie running play of the period. At 10:10, Dowell passed to White on the left side and was tackled by Colton Neitzel. Neitzel was injured on the play and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. (Neitzel did not return to the contest, but will recover from his injuries with time.) After a long delay, play resumed with Dowell running a keeper into the middle earning a new set of downs at the 23 yard line. A pass to Weems advanced the ball to the 14 yard line where Weems was tackled by Kobe Tice. On the next snap, Weems ran over the left side for a Hoxie touchdown. The conversion run failed, but Hoxie had trimmed the margin to 18-12. The clock showed 9:33.
Josiah Sims covered the football after a short Hoxie kick-off allowing the Indians to begin at their 30 yard line. Brady Dinkel earned two hard yards on his first carry and was stopped for no gain on the next play by a crunching tackle by Wylie Weems. On 3rd-&-8, Dinkel over-threw Jayce Nider who was wide-open behind the Hoxie defenders. Before the next snap, the Indians were penalized for delay-of-game. On 4th-&-8 at the SF 32, a high snap from center was bobbled but recovered by Dinkel.
Donovan Balluch tackled Dinkel at the 17 yard line where Hoxie set up offense. A pass from Dowell to Weimer in the right flat gained two yards on first down. After an incomplete pass, Weimer ran around the right end earning 5 more. On 4th-&-3 with 6:48 showing on the clock, St. Francis called time-out. On the next play, Weems powered the over the left side moving the ball inside the two yard line and setting up 1st-&-goal. Weems scored a touchdown on the ensuing snap powering into the end zone following the left side of the offensive line. With the game now tied, the conversion loomed big. Weems ran to the left angling for the pylon to score the conversion. The Indians trailed for the first time this season, 18-20. The clock showed 6:22 remaining in quarter three.
Hoxie's squib-kick was recovered by St. Francis at the SF 39 yard line. Dinkel recovered a low snap and earned nearly three yards around the left end. The next Dinkel carry resulted in a first down at the Hoxie 26. The next two Dinkel runs netted a loss of 1 yard and Dinkel was smothered on the last tackle. The Hoxie defense was increasing their pressure, and the Indians' quarterback was forced to scramble a bit and threw incomplete on the next play. Facing 4th-&-11, Dinkel was caught, escaped, rolled right, and hit Kobe Tice in the end zone for a touchdown. On the conversion, Dinkel was again pressured, scrambled to his left, and was forced out-of-bounds by Dylan Weimer. Wtih 3:49 left in the third period, St. Francis led 24-20.
The kick-off reached the end zone resulting in a touchback. Weems was stopped for no gain on his first carry. Dowell then passed to White on the left sideline earning 7 yards. Weimer then ran around the right end eventually being forced out-of-bounds by Kobe Tice at the Hoxie 31. Weems burst up the middle for big yards on the next snap moving the ball to the SF 33. A flag on Hoxie returned the ball to the Hoxie 22. Adam Krien's pressure on the Hoxie quarterback forced an incomplete pass on the following play. Back-to-back false start penalties on Hoxie moved the situation to 2nd-&-32. An explosive rush by Jesse Baxter forced White back into Weems on the next play resulting in a loss of 3 more yards. Dowell's 3rd-&-35 pass was intercepted by Jayce Nider and returned for a touchdown. A conversion pass attempt fell incomplete. St. Francis had regained the lead 30-20 with 1:44 left in the 3rd period.
A penalty for a late-hit on the touchdown play was accessed on the kick-off. A false-start penalty on the kick, backed the Indians up even more. Now kicking from their 10 yard line, the Indians were giving away precious yards. Dylan Weimer fielded the kick at the 22 and returned it to the Hoxie 39. Carries by Weems and Weimer earned 7 yards on the first two plays of the possession. On 3rd down, Ashton Dowell mishandled the ensuing snap but recovered the ball for Hoxie. The play lost 3 yards and play ended the third period. Hoxie's 4th-&-6 pass to Aumiller was well-covered by Dinkel and fell incomplete.
The Indians took over on downs at the Sainty 35. Brady Dinkel's initial pass intended for Jayce Nider was intercepted by Hoxie. Shadryon Blanka tackled the thief at the Hoxie 16.
After a pressured incomplete pass on first down, Hoxie's next aerial attempt was picked-off by Shadryon Blanka and returned approximately 25 yards for a touchdown. A blind-side block penalty on the Indians erased the score and moved the ball back to the 25 yard line. Dinkel's pass attempts to Nider in the end zone fell incomplete on the first two snaps. On 3rd down, Dinkel ran around the left side but a holding penalty nullified the gain and moved the Indians back some more. On the repeat 3rd down play, Dinkel's pass to Blanka was incomplete. The 4th-&-19 snap was off target but was recovered by Dinkel for another loss of 5 yards.
Hoxie set up offense on the SF 25 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Dowell completed a pass to White across the middle earning 7 yards. Dowell's next pass found Weimer. Weimer was forced out-of-bounds by Kobe Tice at the 10 yard line. The next pass resulted in a Hoxie touchdown; a Dowell to Weems connection in the left corner of the end zone. The conversion pass to White was also successful. With 9:36 left in the contest, St. Francis led 30-28.
Jayce Nider returned the kick-off from the 6 yard ine up the right sideline to the Hoxie 15 yard line where Ben Aumiller made the tackle. On first down, Dinkel was smothered by Hoxie's Harlan Obioha (6' 9" 305 lb Sr.) losing two yards. Hoxie's rush applied pressure on the next play, and Dinkel scrambled right earning 3 yards. A pass to Blanka on the left side earned two yards on the following play before Weimer's tackle ended the play. On 4th-&-7 Dinkel found Nider almost on the goal line. A quarterback sneak by Dinkel was twarted by the large presence of Obioha and the ball was fumbled but recovered by the Indians.
Hoxie took over on downs at their own 1 yard line. A Weimer dive into the middle was good for one yard and a pass in the middle netted two more. On 3rd down, a pass intended for Weimer was bobbled but causght by Caden White. On 4th-&-1 deep in their own territory, Hoxie went for it. Ashton Dowell followed center Harlan Obioha up the middle earning three yards and a first down. On the next play, Jesse Baxter sacked Dowell for a 10 yard loss. A pass from Dowell to Weimer over the middle was good for a first down. A roughing-the-passer penalty on the Indians was added on to the play moving the football to the Hoxie 39 yard line with 3:26 left on the clock. Pressure by Baxter caused Dowell to throw incomplete on the following play. Weimer earned a 7-yard gain running up the middle on the next snap before being tackled by Jayce Nider. Baxter tackled Weems for a two-yard loss on the next run by Hoxie. On 4th-&-5, Dowell found Ben Aumiller who broke two tackles and eventually was forced out-of-bounds by Dinkel at the SF 10 yard line. With 2:05 to go, Hoxie needed 10 more yards to score. A Weimer run over the right side earned 5 on first down. A sneak by Dowell moved the ball to the one. St. Francis called time-out at 1:13 to discuss defensive strategy. The next Dowell sneak moved the ball within 18 inches of paydirt. An official's time-out for a cramp stopped the clock saving precious seconds on the clock. With 17 seconds to go St. Francis called time-out for defensive strategy. An apparent pitch play to the left was upset when Dowell bobbled the football and was forced to run left where Adam Krien's tackle ended the play.
St. Francis took possession with 12.4 seconds remaining at the Indians' 5 yard line. Before the first snap, the Indians used a time-out to clarify their offensive manuevers and then lined up in victory formation intending to expire the clock. The kneel-down lost a yard, and Hoxie called time-out with 11.1 seconds remaining. The next kneel-down lost another yard and was followed by a Hoxie time-out at 10 seconds. The third kneel-down consumed the final Hoxie time-out. A 4th down run by Dinkel was stopped quickly by the Hoxie defenders near the line of scrimmage.
With 6 seconds remaining, Hoxie took possession on their own 1 yard line. Dowell handed off to Weimer going left but the ball was fumbled on the exchange and Brady Dinkel recovered for the Indians preserving the victory. St. Francis narrowly escaped with a 30-28 victory to remain unbeaten.
The Indians will play unbeaten and highly ranked Wichita County in St. Francis on Friday, October 11.
