Bobcats thump Kaws to keep postseason hopes alive

By Angelique McNaughton

October 30, 2013

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From the start of the second half, Basehor-Linwood began a powerful running game that allowed Tim Sanders and company to go to work in a 37-16 win Friday at Perry-Lecompton.

Jahron McPherson found a hole on the first possession of the third quarter, resulting in a 12-yard carry for a Bobcat first down. The Bobcats would maintain control of the ball for the next 4:49 before McPherson scored a nine-yard touchdown, giving the Bobcats the lead for good.

Before McPherson’s 12-yard run, the Bobcats (3-5, 1-1 Class 4A District 2) spent most of the first half struggling to pick up the blitz, and picked up penalties.

“Although we made some plays on offense (in the first half), we had far too many negative plays and penalties, negating big plays for us, and we gave up three quarterback sacks,“ BLHS head coach Steve Hopkins said. “The defense gave us the ball over and over again, however, so we were able to get the two scores.”

After McPherson’s touchdown, the Bobcat defense forced a quick punt and Sanders drove his squad down the field, setting up McPherson for a 39-yard run that was called back for an illegal hit.

The Bobcats later widened their lead to 29-0 and weren’t seriously threatened by the Kaws (3-5, 0-2) again for the rest of the game. Hopkins said he chose not to pass in the second half because he felt like the Bobcats “had some holes to run at and that made a big difference.”

Sanders ended up throwing for 85 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. He ran for 87 yards, second only to McPherson’s 172 yards, and two touchdowns. McPherson rushed for more than half of the Bobcats 293 yards on 22 carries.

“McPherson had a great game for us, and he was about an inch away from going all the way,” Hopkins said.

The Kaws gained 200 yards on the ground, but the Bobcat defense teed off on quarterback Mitchell Bond, forcing four fumbles and an interception.

“I really thought our defense played well in controlling the line of scrimmage,“ Hopkins said. “(Defensive lineman) Nick Chaney was our second leading tackler from his position, which is unusual as linebackers nearly always lead in tackles.

“In fact, Cory McCleary, our middle linebacker, had the most tackles largely because our defensive line did a good job at times of keeping their offensive line off of the linebackers.”

McCleary led the team with 12 total tackles and played on every special teams play, while Chaney made eight tackles, including one for a loss, while effectively shutting down the gaps.

The Bobcats will travel Thursday to Tonganoxie (7-1, 2-0) in the hopes of stopping the Chieftains defense and making a playoff appearance.

“We have to start better in picking up blitzes as Tongie plays defense really well, and when they do blitz, it can be a problem,“ Hopkins said. “They are a veteran team which makes few mistakes. We need to avoid negative plays on offense such as penalties and drive the ball effectively, much like we did in the second half last week.

“It will be a great game Thursday with much at stake, which is what you hope for when you enter district, so we hope to play well,” Hopkins said.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Beatty Field. The Bobcats can win the district outright with a win and a Jeff West loss at Perry-Lecompton. All possible district outcomes are available here.

MVHS boys have new look after losing seven from a season ago

Angelique McNaughton

November 25, 2013

The players who were a part of Mill Valley High’s boys basketball program for the past four seasons will be remembered fondly, but it’s not about them anymore head coach Justin Bogart said.

“It’s about these (seniors) guys now,” Bogart said. “And the guys who are juniors, sophomores and freshmen.”

This year’s five seniors — Ben Carroll, Nick Friesner, Davis Cantwell, Wyatt Voorhes and Drew Boatwright — will join fellow letter-winner, sophomore point guard and returning starter Logan Koch, who is currently recovering from a concussion, in leading the Jaguars this season. Bogart said Clayton Holberg can also be expected to put in some minutes off of the bench.

“A couple of other guys, just by who we are, will have to step up and give us some more,“ Bogart said. “What I’ve seen in practice is that they are up to the challenge and I think they look forward to leaving their own mark on our program.”

The somewhat young team that graduated six seniors and lost junior-to-be Pat Muldoon, who transferred to Kaw Valley League foe Basehor-Linwood High, will be following an impressive 2012-13 season, that included a third place finish in the 5A state tournament, and a 20-4 record.

“It was a good season overall, but we are looking to do better than what we did last year,” said Voorhes, who transferred from Bishop Miege High as a junior and averaged around 13 points as a combo-guard. “I think we are fast this year and people can just expect the same exciting, fun, energetic games that we had last year.”

With the loss of their starting lineup, though, the Jaguars’ play will reasonably look different as they adapt to their new roles.

“I think with who we are, we can play a little different style than we did last year to create some real problems for people in the full-court offensively and defensively,” Bogart said.

“We’re going to be jam packed with some new looks and if you got a bunch of guys who are six-feet tall and can move pretty well, you’re looking at some full-court pressure and some things on defense that we haven’t broken out in a year or two.”

The Jaguars’ season opens Dec. 6 at home against Piper and then a tough Kaw Valley League schedule follows. But also a strong out-of-league schedule that will include Raytown South (Mo.), Gardner-Edgerton and Olathe Northwest.

“I would like to win a KVL Championship because we haven’t had one of those in a couple of years and also (win) the tournament that we play in at Coffeyville,” said Friesner, referring to the mid-season tournament that the Jaguars are the defending champions.

But until then, it’s going to be a “long two weeks” of practice, Friesner said.

“We are going to be playing against each other everyday and getting really annoyed with it,“ he said. “But it will just get us excited and pumped up for our first game.“

Which is the only game that’s on Bogart’s mind.

“That is the one that is on my mind and just like football, we want to be 1-0,” he said. “But we do believe in getting better every day and if we worry about ways to win and which means getting better every day, then we don’t have to worry about wins and losses because those things will take care of themselves.”

Jaguars earn No. 1 seed in playoffs after undefeated regular season

Angelique McNaughton

November 4, 2013

Lansing — Logan Koch ran for 281 yards and six touchdowns in a little more than a half to lead Mill Valley to a 68-8 victory over Lansing on Friday.

After the quarterback’s first touchdown since returning from an injury-delayed season, his game was back. Koch didn’t display any signs of weariness having missed the last five games, running for 194 yards and four touchdowns in the first quarter.

Nick Wilson rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown, and Dylan Cole also ran one in for the Jaguars (9-0) to take the lead 47-8 at the end of the first half.

Koch played one series in the third quarter before letting Cole and Drew McGee take the helm and add another three touchdowns before completely shutting out the Lions (4-5) the entire second half.

“We didn’t give up any points the second half and they did a great job of doing what they were supposed to do,” MVHS head coach Joel Applebee said. “We wanted to shut them out the second half and we did.”

As was the story for most of the season, the Jaguars’ defense held the Lions to just 54 yards on the ground and less than 200 yards all game. Christian Jegen led the team with three tackles, and TJ Philips and Tyler Garrison each added two. Henry Midyett added an interception and a fumble recovery to the effort.

“That (the defense) was a big part of it,” Applebee said.

The Jaguars’ 544 yards were the most the team has rushed for all season. Isaiah Young had seven carries for 66 yards and one touchdown, and Cole had 4 carries for 63 yards and one touchdown.

“Up front, we played extremely well and I can’t give enough credit to our offensive line,” Applebee said.

The Jaguars enter the playoffs as the No. 1 East seed and undefeated for the first time in school history. MVHS will host St.Thomas Aquinas (3-6) on Friday at 7 p.m.

“We always tell our kids that the best playing of football begins weeks seven, eight and nine, and I feel like we’ve done that,” Applebee said. “While we’ve still got room to work this week in practice, I feel good about this team because our kids understand that we are in the playoffs now and that it is another level of play.”

Jaguars coast to easy win over Schlagle

Angelique McNaughton

October 21, 2013

On its opening drive, Mill Valley effectively worked its way down the field and senior Nick Wilson scored a touchdown Friday night against Kansas City-Schlagle in the Jaguars’ first district match up.

It was not only the first series of the night, but it turned out that the drive would set the tempo for the remainder of the game, as once again, the Jaguar (7-0) defense dominated all night long in a 48-0 senior night victory over the Stallions (3-4).

It is the second time the undefeated Jaguars have held an opponent scoreless this season, after defeating Basehor-Linwood 38-0 last month.

“To be honest, everybody played well: Offense, defense and special teams,” MVHS head coach Joel Applebee said

The defense’s dominance allowed quarterback Ty Bruce and squad to go to work, offensively, jumping out to a 26-0 lead after the first quarter thanks to touchdowns by both Wilson and Bruce, and a 30-yard touchdown pass to Christian Jegen. Bruce threw for 86 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 90 yards and a touchdown.

His offense notched a few more touchdowns to end the half 41-0, while keeping the Stallions scoreless.

“It was probably the most complete half we’ve played all year,” Applebee said. “It was a really clean half and I felt comfortable where we were at.”

The second half started exactly like the first — with a quick drive resulting in a Wilson touchdown.

After that one series, Applebee pulled his starters in order to rotate in the rest of the Jaguars.

“We only scored one touchdown the second half but I felt like we played really well,” Applebee said. “It doesn’t matter what game it is, it is never easy to shut out an opponent and I thought they did a good job of staying focused.

“We got a lot of JV guys in tonight, so it was good to see,” he said.

The Jaguars forced three turnovers and the Stallions were held to just 72 yards rushing and 30 yards passing.

Senior TJ Philips had two interceptions and one sack, while fellow senior TJ Midiros had an interception and a fumble recovery.

“When our defense plays like that, it sets our offense up,” Applebee said.

Wilson had 13 carries for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Jegen scored three touchdowns and junior Zach Hanna added one. By the end of the night, the Jaguars compiled 271 yards of total offense.

“I felt comfortable looking at the fact that we hadn’t played a complete game all year,” Applebee said. “And that was our goal and it was good to see how we played.

“Obviously the first district game is always important because everyone is technically 0-0,” he added.

MVHS will travel to Washington on Friday in the hopes of going 2-0 in the league and 8-0 for the season. This time last year, the Jaguars were 6-1.

Dylan Cole returned to play Friday night but Evan Applegate and quarterback Logan Koch didn’t, though Applebee said both will likely play this week.

“Honestly, this is the healthiest we’ve been heading into the week and we’re excited because we have an opportunity to finish 8-0,” he said. “Washington is going to be talented and they are going to be disciplined — it’s what they do— and we just need to do the same thing as always which is control the ball, run the ball and play defense like we have all year.”

Weather delay doesn’t slow Bobcats vs. Turner

Angelique McNaughton

October 9, 2013

The Basehor-Linwood football team turned a two-day game into a 49-13 victory against Turner on Saturday.

Tim Sanders threw two touchdown passes to Dalton Inlow in the first quarter and Jahron McPherson had a 75-yard carry for a touchdown in the second quarter before the Golden Bears even scored.

Sanders and the Bobcats (2-3, 2-3 Kaw Valley League) picked up another touchdown to take a 28-7 halftime lead Friday night before rain and lightning forced the remainder of the game to be postponed until Saturday afternoon.

“It ended up working perfectly for us,” BLHS head coach Steve Hopkins said.

After receiving the second-half kickoff, the Bobcats opened the third quarter with a six-minute drive for a touchdown.

The Bobcat defense held the Golden Bears (1-4, 1-4) before the offense took the ball down the field again, making the score 42-7 at the end of the third quarter.

“The defense played extremely well,” Hopkins said. “And we started a lot of freshmen (Friday).”

The Bobcats are playing freshmen on their special teams and moving others into different positions while seniors Jay O’Bryan, Bret Fritz and Logan Potts remain sidelined with injuries.

“Nick Chaney has been a rock in the middle of our defense and he has been really, really consistent,” Hopkins said. “Behind him, Cory McCleary has made play after play at linebacker, while with Broc Lindsay and Boston Henry, we have not asked them to play both ways, but (we’ve) got so many injuries and they give us a big lift.

“Our front seven are really starting to come along now.”

The Golden Bears second and final touchdown came with less than a minute left in the game.

“They ended up scoring on some of our younger guys, but that is something that is going to happen,” Hopkins said.

Sanders ended the two-day game with 218 yards on 13-of-21 passing with two touchdowns. McPherson had 18 carries for 160 yards, including four rushing touchdowns and four receptions for 71 yards. Inlow had four receptions for 84 yards, including his two scores. In total, the Bobcats finished with 532 yards of offense.

Basehor-Linwood will host rival Bonner Springs (4-1, 4-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.

“Seven of nine drives were touchdowns for us this weekend and we didn’t punt until the end, so that was encouraging,” Hopkins said. “We’ve got to start with great defense (against BSHS) and when we get a turnover, we need to finish the drive in the end zone and we’ll be fine.”

The Bobcats defeated the Braves last season, 35-11.

Jaguars defense propels them to another victory, move to 6-0

Angelique McNaughton

October 13, 2013

Kansas City, Kan. — For the second week in a row, Mill Valley’s defense was the key component in helping the Jaguars maintain an undefeated record, after topping Piper 21-14 on Friday night.

Defense was the story for the Jaguars (6-0), who sit alone atop the Kaw Valley League standings. The Jaguars defense, which has allowed only 58 points all season, had one interception, sacked Tanner Eikenbary six times and held Piper (2-4) to 103 yards rushing.

“Defensively, we are continuing to play really well,” MVHS head coach Joel Applebee said. “We did the things we needed to do, when we needed to do them.”

Following a scoreless first quarter, junior quarterback Ty Bruce put his team on the scoreboard in the second quarter when he ran one in for a touchdown before halftime. Bruce ran for 55 yards, including one touchdown, and completed 7-17 passes for 151 yards.

“He (Bruce) did a nice job of managing the game,” Applebee said of the junior, who replaced sophomore starter Logan Koch who is sidelined with an injury.

The Jaguars came out in the second half and handled the ball well from the opening drive, with senior Nick Wilson putting his team ahead 14-0 after a 17-yard run.

Things got a little rough after that, with the Jaguars’ offense committing a slew of turnovers.

“We started to turn the ball over and they took advantage of it like a good team should,” Applebee said. “Offensively, we are very young on that side of the ball and while that’s not an excuse, we just need to continue to get better.

“But fortunately, we were never behind,” he said.

It took a pickoff by sophomore Christian Jegen in the third quarter to help preserve the Jaguars’ 14-7 lead.

After holding the Pirates to three-and-out, Piper punted to the Jaguars, who had an unsuccessful drive and were forced to punt as well. Jegen’s interception followed and the 10-yard carry gave the Jaguars the momentum to widen the gap 21-7.

“Jegen had a huge game for us,” Applebee said.

The sophomore led the offense with 122 yards receiving, including a 33-yard touchdown reception.

When the Jaguars turned the ball over on their own 25, it set up the Pirates for their final touchdown of the game. From there, the Jaguars controlled the ball well, punted once and held the Pirate offense on a fourth down.

The Pirates got the ball back with 45 seconds left in the game but it was too little, too late.

“It was a back and forth game during the forth quarter and we need to better our offense,” Applebee said.

Like many teams this time of the season, the Jaguars offense is running thin and young as it battles a different kind of opponent with four starters remaining sidelined due to injuries. Applebee said three of the four players- Dylan Cole, Sebastian Peterson, and Evan Applegate- should be able to return next week, while Koch is being evaluated week by week.

MVHS will host Kansas City Schlagle at 7 p.m. Friday night for district play.

What will be key to playing well against Schlagle and remaining undefeated?

“We need to continue to play good defense and improving on offense with the young guys we have over there,” Applebee said. “Being that time of year and in district play, everyone is 0-0 and we are going to look to get that first district win next week.”

State return weighs heavy on minds of BLHS volleyball team

By Angelique McNaughton

The Basehor-Linwood volleyball team has been explosive out of the gates so far this season, and that momentum is not looking to let up in the coming weeks.

BLHS opened with a perfect 5-0 start against Baldwin, Eudora, Bonner Springs, Ottawa and St. Mary’s during the first week of play. The Bobcats then traded wins and losses during the annual Frontier League tournament to place fourth. Since then, the Bobcats have won six straight matches against Tonganoxie (3-0, Sept. 17) and Bishop-Ward (3-0, Sept. 24).

“We are definitely off to a better start than last year,” BLHS volleyball coach Amy Irvin said.

The Bobcats started last season 0-5 after the Frontier League tournament, but went on to take second in the league behind Mill Valley, defeat Lansing for the first time in 20 years and compete in the Class 4A state tournament for the first time in school history. Despite losing four seniors after coming off of the season of a lifetime, the Bobcats say they are closer and stronger than ever on and off the court.

“We’re definitely a closer team and we definitely love each other,“ Irvin said of this year’s squad.

Junior Abbey Mellies and sophomores Madi Osterhaus, Jamie Weible and Courtney Robinson, the team’s setter, have joined seniors Allison Heinen and Hailey Robinson in their effort to surpass last season’s accomplishments.

Mellies and Heinen lead the Bobcats in kills so far this season, while Weible has been the leader in digs and Robinson in set assists. Back row defensive specialist Hailey Robinson said while the team had good chemistry and talent last year, she thinks the squad is stronger this season.

“We lost a lot of strong players, but we also gained a couple players,” Robinson said. “I think everything is up a couple of notches this year from last year.”

Even the losses this season, Robinson said, were games the Bobcats “could have and should have” won.

“We are capable of doing well and winning games as long as we stay competitive and don’t lose our drive,” she said. “I want to go back to the state tournament and want to place better than we did last year and be more competitive because we got there, but we didn’t’ keep going.”

Robinson’s sister and the team’s setter, Courtney, said she wasn’t pleased with the team’s performance at state either.

“We didn’t win any games and while it’s not all about winning, we just didn’t do that well,” she said.

But the cohesiveness of the team this season has given her hope.

Most of the girls have played together for many years on school and club teams, especially under third-year coach Irvin, and that familiarity will be an important component in the team’s success, Robinson said.

“If you’re close off the court, you’re going to be able to talk better with your teammates on the court and get along better,” she said.

Sophomore setter Nicole Rutherford said that the “familial bond” is one of the biggest assets that teams need.

“If you’re not close, then you can’t start anything because talent can only go so far,” Rutherford said. “We have our friendships down and are starting to play together. If we get all our plays together and put our talents together, we could be really good.”

With less than a month left in the regular season, Irvin said her team is willing and able to do what it takes to have another successful postseason.

“We realize that we are all here for the same reason and we all carry our roles pretty seriously,” Irvin said. “Everyone knows what role they have.”

Irvin sang praise for her “amazing” hitters and sophomore libero Jaime Weible, who can “do almost anything.”

While Irvin said she knows BLHS will finish in the top three in the Kaw Valley League, it’s just a matter of which place the Bobcats will earn.

“We are definitely capable of winning league, without a doubt, and winning state is definitely a goal,” she said. “They have to believe in themselves as much as I believe in them. My big thing I tell the girls is that they have nothing to lose, so go out, do your job and play with no regrets for 25 points. Volleyball is a game of momentum and if they play their game, communicate and are driven to do what they need to do, they are capable of anything.”

Senior has sights set on state return: Billings has Jaguars 19-4, atop league

By Angelique McNaughton

September 30, 2013

This is the way it was bound to be for Hannah Billings.

She was raised by two collegiate volleyball athletes, has played varsity all four years at Mill Valley and has already committed to play volleyball next year at Emory University in Atlanta.

Billings and Mill Valley advanced to the 5A state tournament for the first time in school history last season, finished with a 32-8 overall record and swept the Kaw Valley League.

Now in her fourth and final season, the senior setter has taken over the offense and she has gotten more comfortable with her teammates and her role as a veteran. Her Jaguars are off to a promising start by any measure, with a record of 19-4 following the fourth week of play.

“I really want to be a team leader this year, especially with being a senior and everything,” Billing said. “I want to be able to encourage and lift my team up.”

Billings was averaging 5.7 assists and two digs per set last season. She had a team-high 70 aces and 556 set assists, while also being recognized as a junior on the All-Kaw Valley League team.

“I’m definitely quick and athletic and that helps me to get to the ball easily,” said Billings, who also plays soccer. “I have good court awareness and am good at tricking the other middle blockers to create spots for the hitters.”

Her all-around brilliance on the court proves to be a tough formula for opposing teams to crack and one her fellow teammates appreciate.

Fellow senior and outside hitter Molly Oshinski has been playing with Billings since the two first started playing in third grade.

“As a player, she is smart and consistent and makes good choices,” Oshinski said. “She is a really good setter and it’s easy to put a ball down if you have a good set.”

With Billings’ help, Oshinski had a team-high 355 kills last season and also joined her on the All-Kaw Valley League team.

“Her being smart makes my life easier,” she said.

After winning the Hayden Invitational last month, the Jaguars have maintained their lofty goals for the remainder of the season and hope to continue to be a challenge for other teams to knock off.

Mill Valley volleyball coach Whitney Revelle said the Jaguars have the necessary tools and equipment behind Billings to get as far, if not farther, than last year.

“We will go as far as Hannah wants us to go,” Revelle said. “We’re off to a good start, so we just need to keep the ball rolling.”

In her sophomore season at Mill Valley, Revelle said Billings is a player you “dream about coaching” and one that every team comments on.

“Hannah is a player that you get as a freshman and your already stressed about them graduating because you’re already thinking who’s going to fill those shoes,” Revelle said. “There is not a team that we play that doesn’t say ‘we love your setter’. She is very smart on the court and blockers have a hard time reading her, which makes our hitters extremely successful.”

While Billings is honored by the attention her playing has received, her focus remains on her team.

“I just think about what I can do to help better the teams chances of winning,“ Billings said. “I just love it (volleyball) and being a part of a team. It’s something fun that I can do and forget about everything else in my life and just play.

“It’s just me and my team and that’s basically it,” she said.

So how far does Billings want to go this season?

“We definitely want to win league again and we are shooting to go to state again,” she said. “I think it’s definitely possible (to win both).”

 

BSHS football again 3-0 entering rematch against Piper

By Angelique McNaughton

September 23, 2013, 5:09 p.m.

Updated: September 25, 2013, 2:11 p.m.

For the third straight week, the Bonner Springs High football team amassed more than 40 points, this time coming out on top at Bishop Ward, 41-13.

The Braves (3-0) scored their first touchdown in the first quarter of Friday’s conference game at Bishop-Ward (0-3) but the Cyclones took advantage of a face mask penalty and delayed hit to tie the game 7-7 before halftime.

“We wanted to make sure we didn’t overlook Bishop Ward,” BSHS coach Lucas Aslin said. “We came out, played hard and scored early and so did they.”

But the Cyclones were never able to capitalize off their early-game momentum like the Braves were.

Senior quarterback Jordan Jackson threw a couple of long-fade passes, including one to Jonah Freese — who had more than 100 receiving yards — and senior running back Trevon Mason also scored two touchdowns.

For the first two games, the Braves averaged about 470 rushing yards and Aslin said he wanted to see the ball thrown more against Bishop-Ward.

“Offensively, we wanted to have better ball security and work on our passing game,” Aslin said. “Which we did.”

Junior defensive back Roman Glenn’s interception right before the half capped a game-turning sequence that put the Braves in control.

“It’s nice to be able to take control of the game and put it away pretty early,” Aslin said.

Aslin was able to move the linebackers and defensive line around to see if they could play certain spots, while working on base defense.

Senior linebacker Devin Burke had more than 10 tackles and first-year starting defensive lineman Jacob Klingele continues to have a strong presence on the field.

“We figured we could got out there and wear them out offensively,” Aslin said.

Despite winning both games, the Braves special teams struggled in the first two games against Turner and Lansing giving up three kickoff returns for touchdowns.

“We’ve been doing a lot of prepping for our kickoff coverage and last night we did a good job,” Aslin said. “That was a main focus because we’ve given up some cheap points and we won’t win any of the next three games if we keep doing that.”

The season so far looks eerily familiar to last season when the Braves started out 3-0 but then ended up losing six in a row.

The Braves will host Piper (1-2) on Friday and then travel to Mill Valley the following week.

“Piper is going to be a huge test for us and we have got to play really well,” Aslin said. “The kids are confident and think they can play, which us as coaches want our kids to have confidence. But they have to have enough humility to know that anything can happen, especially against Piper.

“If we are willing to do that and have a good week of practice, we will be all right.”

St. James football rebounds at Bishop Ward

By Angelique McNaughton

September 17, 2013

St. James Academy’s football team relied on its defense in a redemptive performance against Bishop Ward on Friday.

The Thunder (1-1) held the Cyclones (0-2) to just 36 yards on the ground in their 50-13 victory.

“We jumped out early and our defense played great,” St. James coach Tom Radke said. “I also really liked the way our guys really focused on flying around the ball.”

After dropping the season-opener to Paola last week, the Thunder spent the past week simplifying its offense.

“All week we didn’t do much hitting and instead focused on running plays and eliminating any confusion,” Radke said.

Senior quarterback Alex King led the offense with 53 yards, completing 5 of 8 passes. King ran for 80 yards, including a 47-yard run and one touchdown.

“We executed our offense up front so well that the quarterback had so much room to do what we needed to do,” Radke said.

Senior outside linebacker Keith Winger returned an interception for a touchdown toward the end of second quarter, putting the Thunder ahead 37-7 at halftime.

“It kind of sealed the deal and at that point we knew that we were going to win the game,” Radke said of Winger’s interception.

Winger tied for a team-high six tackles, including three tackles that resulted in a loss of yards. Defensive lineman Dylan McHugh also had six tackles, with one resulting in loss yards, while junior defensive back Braxton Lewis came up with two interceptions Friday to bring his season total to three.

Six players scored a touchdown during the victory, including two from senior tailback Jake Bade. Bade had 18 carries for 155 yards, with a rushing and receiving touchdown.

Juniors Zak Hensely and Jake Lecluyse each scored one rushing touchdown, contributing to a total of 284 total rushing yards for the game.

The Thunder will travel to Baldwin (2-0) on Friday in a non-conference match up.

With Baldwin’s size and strength, Radke said the team will mainly be honing the defense this week in preparation.

“We had too many missed tackles so far and we can’t have that against Baldwin,” he said. “We didn’t dumb anything down last week, we just spent more time focusing on the fundamentals.

“If we stay focused on that and make a few more tackles, we will be good to go this week,” Radke