Indians' 28-Point 2nd Quarter Sinks WC
On Friday evening, October 5, the St. Francis Indians overpowered the #9 ranked (Max-Preps) Wichita County Indians in high school football. The St. Francis defense kept the contest on the Wichita County (WC) side of mid-field for much of the contest and only allowed one scoring play. St. Francis defeated the home-standing Indians 44-6.
Wichita County won the coin toss and elected to receive. Brady Dinkel's kick-off entered the end zone for a touchback. Beginning at the 15, WC's Jesse Gardner (5' 7" 160 LB So.) earned 4 yards up the middle on the opening snap. Going with a no-huddle offense, WC quarterback Kayde Rietzke (Jr.) gained four more on the next play before being stopped by Adam Krien and Hunter Helton. Rietzke's next run up the middle ended with a tackle by Shadryon Blanka, but not before the Indians had earned a new set of downs. Cody Baxter met Gardner at the line of scrimmage on the next play with a textbook tackle. A shovel-pass option on 2nd-down was stopped by Jesse Baxter's tackle after a two-yard gain. On 3rd-&-8, WC attempted a middle screen that was well-defended by Blanka. Facing 4th-&-8, WC punted the football. The punt took a WC bounce and came to rest at the St. Francis 6 yard line.
Beginning deep in their own territory, St. Francis elected to run Jordan Raby around the right end on the first two plays. On 3rd-&-3, Raby tried the right side again, but fumbled. Wichita County recovered on their own 13 yard line with 8:42 showing on the first quarter clock. A good punt and a SF error had placed the home-standing Indians in good position.
The visiting Indians needed to make a stop......and they would. A first-down pass from Rietzke intended for Gardner was hurried due to pressure from Jesse Baxter and fell incomplete. Two no-huddle snaps resulted in Reitzke runs into the middle earning 5 yards. A 4th-&-5 shovel pass play ended just short of the line to gain.
St. Francis took over on downs. Jordan Raby ran right for 3 yards, and Brady Dinkel followed with a 4-yard gain around the left end before being forced out-of-bounds by Sheldon Whalen (5' 11" 155 lb So.). On third down, Raby was forced out-of-bounds on the right side one yard short of the marker. The Indians punted the ball. Dinkel's punt rolled dead at the WC 29.
Running strong, Gardner rounded the left end for a good gain, but the effort was nullified by a holding penalty on the offense. After the mark-off (4th-&-20), Reitzke tried the middle for no gain. A third-down screen pass to the right side to Whalen resulted in 4th-&-inches. Using a hard count, WC lured the Indian defense off-side for a new series at the SF 36. Cody Baxter tackled Rietzke on the next play after a gain of 4. Two strong runs by Gardner resulted in a measurement that was determined to be enough for a first down. Now at the SF 25, WC was threatening again. A pass to Aron Castillo (5' 10" 170 lb Jr.) in the left flat earned 6 yards. After a Rietzke run was stopped for no gain on second down, Rietzke's pass intended for Sonnie Altman was dropped in the right flat. Facing 4th-&-4, Rietzke tried the left side where he was tackled by Blanka and Raby.
The Indian defense had stopped another threat giving St. Francis possession at their own 20 yard line. A first-down run by Brady Dinkel earned two yards, but Dinkel slipped on an attempt to get outside on the next play resulting in no gain. Jordan Raby picked up six yards over the right side on the following play. On 4th-&-2, the Indians went to a tight formation and used a quarterback sneak to earn just enough for a new series at the 30. An encroachment penalty on WC spotted the Indians another 5 yards before the next snap. Raby's run up the middle advanced the ball to the WC 38. Raby's next carry was ended by a Gardner tackle after a short gain. The play ended the first quarter with the teams in a scoreless tie. Two runs to the left side by Raby earned another first down at the 26. The Indians were beginning to show some offensive strength. After a Dinkel run to the right earned 4 more yards, Dinkel ran left earning good yardage, but fumbled just before crossing the goal line. Dinkel recovered for the Indians at the three. On the next play, Raby ran over the left side for the game's first score. Raby also carried over the left side for the conversion points. St. Francis led 8-0 with 10:14 left in the second period.
Dinkel's kick-off sailed into the end zone for a touchback. Gardner's first-down carry was stopped after a four-yard gain by Tiernan Poling. Two carries by Reitzke resulted in a 4th-&-5 situation. With the ball at the WC 20, Wichita County elected to go-for-it rather than punt. Cody Baxter's tackle of the WC quarterback gave St. Francis the football at the WC 21 yard line. The play would become a pivotal play in the contest.
Two runs by Raby made the situation 3rd-&-6, but then a procedure penalty on the Indians moved them back 5 yards. On 3rd-&-11, St. Francis went to the air for the first time in the contest. Dinkel's pass to Jayce Nider fell incomplete on a flag route. On 4th-&-11, Dinkel ran up the middle for a 22 yard touchdown. The conversion try, a run by Raby, was stopped short by the WC defense. St. Francis led 14-0 with 7:08 left in the first half.
The kick-off resulted in another touchback. The first snap was bobbled by WC and due to a Jesse Baxter tackle resulted in no gain. Rietzke's pass to Altman fell incomplete in the left flat on the next play. Pressure from J. Baxter and Adam Krien on third down caused Rietzke to scramble. The quarterback was tackled by Jordan Raby and Cody Baxter for a three-yard loss. The 4th-&-13 punt was short, took a St. Francis bounce, and only resulted in a 13-yard change of location.
St. Francis was again in good position at the WC 26. Raby's first down carry was stopped for a one-yard gain by a tackle by Jesse Gardner. Dinkel scrambled to the WC 12 on the next play before being stopped by Gardner and Whalen. Shadryon Blanka earned one yard on next snap. A determined run by Dinkel moved the ball inside the 4 yard line. Jordan Raby carried over the left side for the third St. Francis touchdown of the period on the next play. A strong run by Blanka accounted for the conversion points. St. Francis led 22-0 with 3:43 remaining in the first half.
Again, the kick-off resulted in a touchback. After no gain on first down, WC went to the air on the next play. Rietzke's pass to Whalen was just off the fingertips. A 3rd-down pass intended for Gardner in the left flat was batted down by Raby. Facing 4th-&-10, WC called time-out with 3:09 on the clock. Shadryon Blanks earned a pick-six on the next WC pass attempt. The conversion run failed. With 2:57 remaining in the half, St. Francis led 28-0.
Richard Johnson's tackle blew up the WC return at the 12 yard line. Rietzke's run up the middle earned five yards before a Blanka tackle stopped the advance. After a Gardner gain of three, Teagan Bishop (So.) earned a first down at the WC 25. On the next play, Bishop was tackled for a four-yard loss by Blanka and Krien. The next three plays were all scrambles by Reitzke; two ended in Krien tackles.
St. Francis took over at the WC 16. Raby's first run earned 5 yards going left. Using no-huddle offense, the Indians operated efficiently earning three more on a Dinkel carry on the next play and then called time-out with 30.3 seconds remaining. Another carry around the right end earned a new series and stopped the clock at 23.9 when Dinkel ran out-of-bounds at the 3 yard line. Using no-huddle, Dinkel carried into the end zone on the next play, but a procedure penalty on the Indians erased the play. With 18 seconds left, on 1st-&-goal, Dinkel rolled left and under pressure threw incomplete. On the following play, WC intercepted Dinkel's pass in the end zone.
With 8.8 seconds remaining. Gardner ran around the right end losing one yard. After a WC time-out, Rietzke scrambled to the 25 ending the first half. St. Francis led at halftime 28-0.
Wichita County's kick-off by Ronald Michel (Sr.) resulted in a touchback. Jordan Raby's first-down run was stopped after a short gain by Bishop. Raby's next carry, around the right end, earned a first down at midfield. Four more Raby carries advanced the football to the WC 28 for a new series. A two-yard gain by Adam Krien was followed by another Raby run, but this one resulted in no gain. On 3rd-&-8, a Dinkel run to the left resulted in a holding penalty on the Indians. After the mark-off, the Indians faced 3rd-&-18. A pass from Dinkel to Shadryon Blanka on the sideline advanced the ball to the 15 before Blanka was forced out-of-bounds. Raby ran left on the next play moving the Indians to the three yard line before going out-of-bounds. Wichita County called time-out to regroup. On the next play, Dinkel scored a touchdown from three yards out. Blanka ran untouched for the conversion points. St. Francis led 36-0 with 7:10 left in the 3rd period.
A short kick-off gave WC possession at the WC 35. Two keeper plays by the WC quarterback resulted in a first down at the SF 30. The next Reitzke carry was stopped for a three-yard gain by a Poling tackle. Going no-huddle, an option play to the left lost two. A third-down pass to Gardner in the left flat moved the situation to 4th-&-a-foot where WC called time-out to discuss strategy. A Rietzke run up the middle earned a first down at the 14 yard line. After two more Rietzke runs, a third-down pass to Altman in the right flat resulted in a WC touchdown. The conversion pass attempt fell incomplete. With 3:40 left in the third period, St. Francis led 36-6.
After the touchback, Dinkel ran up the middle for six yards and then Blanka tried the left side for two more. A third down run by Raby was stuffed by the WC defenders. Facing 4th-&-2, St. Francis called time-out. A reverse to Cody Baxter ended short of the line-to-gain.
Wichita County took over on downs at the SF 23. Cody Baxter ended Rietzke's first down run and a host of Indians sacked the WC quarterback on the following play. A third-down roll-out pass fell incomplete. On 4th-&-15, Rietzke tried the middle where he was again stopped by Baxter.
St. Francis took over on downs at their own 25. A 1-yard Raby run to the left side ended the third period. Dinkel's pass into the left flat was incomplete on the following play. On 3rd-&-9, a pass to Blanka was complete, and Blanka tip-toed the sideline for an apparent touchdown. An illegal block penalty on the Indians erased the score. Facing 3rd-&-11 after the mark-off, Dinkel completed a pass to Cody Baxter that resulted in a first down at the WC 38. A holding penalty on the next snap backed the Indians up 10 yards. Three Dinkel carries later, the Indians faced 4th-&-16. The Indians punted the ball out of the end zone.
The kick resulted in a touchback. A screen pass to the right side was stopped short by a tackle by Raby and C. Baxter. A pass to Whalen in the right flat earned a first down at the 25. After three incomplete passes, Shadryon Blanka intercepted Rietzke's pass and returned it to the WC 30. It was Blanks's second interception of the game.
With 9:21 on the clock, St. Francis set up offense. Two carries each by Raby and Dinkel earned a first down at the WC 18. Two more Raby carries earned 7 yards. A Dinkel attempt into the middle of the line was stopped for no gain by Jesse Hermosillo (5' 10" 275 lb. Sr.). Raby's 4th-&-3 run moved the football to the 5 yard line. Gardner stopped the Indians next run for no gain. It took three more plays against the stingy defense of WC, but the Indians scored their 6th touchdown of the game on a Raby 2-yard run over the right side. The conversion run by Krien was also good. St. Francis led 44-6 with 2:26 remaining.
After another touchback kick, Rietzke ran up the middle but fumbled. Bishop recovered for WC. Facing 4th-&-4 after two more carries, Rietzke passed to Altman in the right flat earning a new set of downs at the 25. Two keepers by Rietzke advanced the football to the WC 36. One more carry into the middle of the Indians' defense ended the contest. St. Francis defeated the Wichita County Indians 44-6
St. Francis will play Trego Community in Wakeeney on Friday, October 12.
