St. Francis Wins Battle of the Indians
Remain Unbeaten
St. Francis remained unbeaten for the season (6-0) as well as in district play (3-0) with a 46-0 win over the previously unbeaten and highly-ranked Indians from Wichita County on Friday, October 11. The Indians scored four touchdowns in just over 12 minutes and cruised to a lop-sided victory over a very good team from Leoti. The Indians offensive and defensive lines played very well in the contest.
Wichita County (WC) won the coin toss and elected to defer. St. Francis received the opening kick-off. Jayce Nider returned the opening kick to the St. Francis 22 yard line. Running back Shadryon Blanka earned five yards on the first play from scrimmage powering over the right side. Quarterback Brady Dinkel earned a new set of downs on the next carry powering straight up the middle. Now at the SF 36, Blanka tried the left side banging for three hard yards and then earned 5 more running straight ahead on 2nd down before being tackled by WC senior Aron Castillo. On 3rd & 2, Blanka's carry moved the ball to the WC 31. One carry each by Blanka and Dinkel earned another first down at the 17. Dinkel's next carry was stopped by another Castillo tackle after a short gain. Junior Kendry Loy ended Dinkel's next run for a loss of 4 yards. The visiting Indians' defense appeared to be stiffening as the home-standing Indians were threatening to score. Facing 3rd -&-11, SF used a hard count, and WC was penalized for encroachment. Dinkel then followed the lead block of Adam Krien over the left side earning a first down at the 5 yard line. Blanka powered up the middle for a touchdown on the next snap. Blanka also ran for the conversion using the same path. With 7:37 remaining in the first period, the Indians led 8-0. The St. Francis offensive line was demonstrating their combined force.
Wichita County sophomore Tristen Porter covered Brady Dinkel's kick-off on the WC 15 yard line. On the first WC offensive play, the visiting Indians attempted a pass into the left flat. The pass was incomplete. WC's shifty quarterback, junior Kayde Rietzke, squirted over the left side earning 9 yards. It took WC two plays to earn the next yard; but on 4th & inches, Rietzke earned just enough for a first down before being stopped by a tackle by Shadryon Blanka. WC now had a first down at their own 25 yard line. Rietzke then passed to junior Sheldon Whalen earning three yards before the play ended due to a immediate tackle by Kobe Tice. Junior running back Jesse Gardner's run into the middle was followed by a scrambling run by Rietzke setting up a 4th-&-1. On the next play, Blanka clobbered Rietzke on a blitz causing a fumble. The WC fumble was picked up and returned for touchdown by Jesse Baxter. Shadryon Blanka ran from the conversion. St. Francis led 16-0 with 4:49 left in the first period. The Indians had stopped WC's advance and scored to add to the momentum.
Senior Gabe Hernandez returned the Indians' kick-off to the WC 29 yard line. Kobe Tice made the tackle on the kick return. Junior Teagan Bishop then banged into the middle, but was stuffed by Shardyron Blanka and Adan Krien for a one-yard loss. On the next play, Kayde Rietzke was sacked by Blanka and Brady Dinkel setting up 3rd & 19. A pass from Rietzke to Jesse Gardner earned big yards but was still four yards shy of a first down. On 4th down, the Indian defense swarmed Rietzke taking over on downs at the WC 34.
Before the ball was snapped, St. Francis was flagged for a false start backing them up 5 yards. Shadryon Blanka earned 4 yards over the right side before being tackled by Jess Gardner, and then Brady Dinkel sprinted for 7 more on second down. On 3rd-&-4, Blanka powered up the middle but fumbled. The ball bounded just right for the Indians, and Dinkel scooped up the football and sprinted 26 yards for a touchdown. Dinkel banged up the middle for the conversion points. The Indians lad 24-0 with 2:06 left in the first period.
Tristen Porter returned the SF kick-off to the 18 yard line where he was met by Jayce Nider and Preston Witzel. Jesse Gardner ran to the right side but was stopped for a 1 yard loss by Nider. Kayde Rietzke was forced to scramble on the next snap, fumbled, but recovered earning 7 yards. After an incomplete 3rd-down pass, WC punted the ball away.
The punt was high and well-covered. Brady Dinkel returned the kick four yards to the SF 19. Shadryon Blanka sprinted over the right side to the 39 on the first play from scrimmage. Another hard run by Blanka going left moved the ball all the way to the WC 18. Blanka escaped would-be tacklers and then carried several WC defenders enroute. A 6-yard run by Dinkel finalized by a tackle by Sheldon Whalen ended the first period. On the first play of the second period. Dinkel scored over the right side. Blanka's conversion run was also successful. St. Francis now led 32-0 with 11:53 left in the first half.
Gabe Hernandez returned the kick-off to the 21 where he was tackled by Shadryon Blanka and Kobe Tice. Hernandez fumbled the ball and it appeared that the Indians may have recovered, but he ball remained in WC's possession. Kayde Rietzke earned 5 on first down over the right side. Tristen Porter carried on second down, but was stuffed by Jesse Baxter for a 4-yard loss. On 3rd-&-long Rietzke scrambled left and passed to Porter near the sideline. Porter cut back across the middle where he was eventually tackled by Jesse Baxter, but not before WC had earned a first down at the WC 35. Rietzke found Sheldon Whalen on the next play. The play lacked inches of being another first down. On 2nd down, Adam Krien smacked Rietzke behind the line of scrimmage. On 3rd-&-3, Rietzke passed to Teagan Bishop in the left flat. Bishop was forced out-of-bounds by Jayce Nider, but the play resulted in a measured WC first down at the SF 31. After an incomplete pass, Rietzke was again sacked by Krien; this one for a 10-yard loss. Following another incomplete pass, Rietzke scrambled and passed to Porter for another first down at the 21. Rietzke's next two passes fell incomplete; and on 3rd-down, Baxter sacked him for a 5-yard loss. A 4th-down pass into the end zone also fell incomplete.
The Indians took over at their own 26 on downs. Carries by Shadryon Blanka and Brady Dinkel earned only 4 yards on the first two plays. On third down, Dinkel fumbled but recovered losing a yard. On 4th-&-5, the Indians punted the ball away.
A personal foul on WC backed the visiting Indians up to the 14 yard line. Pressure by the Indians' defense forced an incomplete pass on first down. Kayde Rietzke earned 9 yards on a strong carry over the right side before he was tackled by Jayce Nider. Rietzke"s 3rd-down carry earned a first down at the 28. Adam Krien and Shadryon Blanka ended the next WC run after a short gain. Rietzke passed to Sheldon Whalen earning 4 yards on the next play. A deep pass to Whalen on 3rd down bounced out of Whalen's hands and was well-defended by Kobe Tice. After a time-out at 4:19, Rietzke scrambled and passed to Whalen on the right side. Whalen was tackled immediately by Kobe Tice, but the play was good for a WC first down at the SF 35. Nider stopped Rietzke for a very short gain on the following play. A slant pass to Whalen ended with another Nider tackle, but the play earned a new series at the SF 24. Baxter's pressure on Rietzke nearly resulted in a Blanka interception on the next snap, but the ball fell incomplete. The second-down snap was bobbled by Rietzke but recovered for a loss of 6 yards. A quarterback draw earned 11 yards on the next play, but Rietzke was sacked by Blanka on 4th down returning the ball back to the Indians.
The Indians set up offense on their own 22 yard line. Shadryon Blanka started left, broke a few tackles, reversed field and sprinted down the right sideline all the way to the WC 24. After a Blanka carry into the middle, the Indians used a time-out with 1:41 remaining in the first half. Blanka's next carry, around the right end, set up a 3rd-&-3 after a force-out by Jesse Gardner. Blanka then tried the left side and was stopped for a short gain by Aron Castillo. On 4th down, Brady Dinkel passed to Jayce Nider in the right corner of the end zone for the fifth Indian touchdown of the half. Dinkel's conversion run moved the scoreboard to 40-0 with 53.8 seconds left.
Gabe Hernandez was tackled on the kick-off return by Blanka at the WC 24. Kadye Rietzke's pass to Teagan Bishop earned a first down at the 34. An encroachment penalty on the Indians erased an incomplete pass on the next snap. Rietzke's next pass was complete to Sheldon Whalen but a holding penalty nullified the play and backed WC up creating 2nd-& 20. Adam Krien's pressure forced an incomplete pass on the following play. Jesse Baxter stopped Rietzke after a gain of two yards on the next snap. St. Francis called time-out before the WC punt hoping to end the game on the return. The punt was returned by Dinkel to the SF 20 where Whalen quickly ended the play. With 2.5 seconds left, the Indians ran the final play of the half, a carry by Dinkel to the left side. Dinkel was forced out-of-bounds after a short gain ending the half. St. Francis led at halftime 40-0.
During halftime activities the 2019 homecoming king and queen were crowned by Jessica Confer, the reigning SFCHS homecoming queen. The 2019 homecoming king is Isaiah Lee, son of Brandon and Tenille Lee. The homecoming queen is Italia Gutierrez, daughter of Jose Rodrquez and Yahaira Gutierrez. Crownbearers were Reece Kinen (daughter of Tanner and Meghan Kinen) and Collin Ross (son of Derek and Allyse Ross).
Brady Dinkel's second-half kick-off was bobbled by Teagan Bishop out-of-bounds at the 16 yard line. Kadye Rietzke gained 5 yards around the right end on the first snap of the possession. A shovel-pass to Jesse Gardner earned big yardage on 2nd down. A touchdown-saving tackle by Jesse Baxter ended the play at the SF 23. Rietzke earned 5 more going left before being forced out-of-bounds by Jayce Nider. A pass to Bishop set up 4th-&-1. Brady Dinkel made a one-handed interception of Rietzke' pass in the end zone ending WC's scoring threat.
It would take the Indians but one possession to end the contest. Carries by Dinkel and Blanka earned a new series at the SF 27. Two more carries by the Indian duo set up 3rd-&-3. Blanka's run to the right side was stopped after a short gain Tristen Porter. A hard-count on 4th-&-2 resulted in an encroachment penalty on WC gifting a first down at mid-field to the Indians. A hard run by Blanka gaining 5 was followed by Dinkel's carry for 3. On the next play, Blanka banged up the middle earning a first down at the WC 28. Two carries by Dinkel and one by Blanka earned just enough for a first down at the 19. Dinkel carried several tacklers on his way to a first-and-goal at the 7. Kendrick Loy stopped Dinkel for a two-yard loss on the first down play. Before the next snap, a procedure penalty backed the Indians up to the 14 yard line. Blanka then tried the right side and was stopped after a gain of only one by Aron Castillo. Dinkel earned 4 on his next carry, but a nice tackle by Whalen terminated the run. On 4th-&-9, Dinkel's pass was complete to Kobe Tice AND Jayce Nider in the end zone. St. Francis defeated the previously unbeaten Wichita County Indians 46-0.
The Indians will play Trego Community in St. Francis on Friday, October 18.
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