CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
HOLTON (11-1) VS. ANDALE (12-0)
1 p.m. Saturday at Gowans Stadium, Hutchinson
Andale quarterback Wyatt Spexarth, who helped the Indians defeat Frontenac 53-0 in last
year's Class 3A title game, has passed for 992 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
NUMBERS KEEP ADDING UP TO SUCCESS FOR ANDALE
Andale coach Dylan Schmidt isn’t one to obsess over certain things, but he will acknowledge the elephant in the room that is the Indians’ 50-game winning streak.
As Andale readies for its fourth consecutive Class 3A title game as the three-time defending state champion, it does so with the second-longest active high school streak in the country and one that sits at No. 5 all-time in Kansas.
“The hardest thing to do when you’re on these runs is taking time to enjoy it,” Schmidt said. “And that’s hard for me. I’m probably the worst at it.
“When I’m saying stuff to the kids about it, it’s kind of self-serving a little bit. We’ve mentioned it a little, but I think the bigger thing for them is four state championships in a row and finishing that off, and that’s going to be tough.”
Andale’s opponent, Holton, certainly commands respect as a three-time 4A champion and perennial contender under longtime coach Brooks Barta. The Wildcats have defeated Andale in three postseason matchups during Barta’s tenure, including their first title run in 2003.
But the Indians have been a juggernaut under Schmidt, who has won 73 of 75 games since taking over the program in 2017. After a 21-19 loss to Pratt in the 2018 3A semfinals, Andale opened the following season with a 43-7 victory over Mulvane and hasn’t looked back, winning by an average of 46.1 points during the streak.
The Indians’ run of victories trails only Texas powerhouse Austin Westlake, which took a 52-game winning streak into its playoff game on Friday.
“It’s just been kind of business as usual a little bit,” Schmidt said. “But at the same time, I’ve told the kids, ‘Hey, I’m not going to back away from it. It’s special and you guys have done a good job.’”
With such dominance, Andale’s individual statistics tend to pale in comparison to other top teams. The Indians have averaged more than 55 points this season and posted six shutouts, a formula that has led to repeated running clocks in the second halves of games. Andale’s starters were done by halftime in the majority of their games.
Senior quarterback Wyatt Spexarth has passed for 992 yards and 17 touchdowns. Senior running back Cody Parthemer has rushed for 949 yards and 15 scores. Parthemer leads the Indians with nine receptions, while senior Tegan Orth is tops in receiving yards with 259.
“People look at stats a lot and we don’t have any stats,” Schmidt said. “Our guys have literally played a half of football. In some of those games, our starters were out by the end of the first quarter.”
A victory Saturday would not only give Andale’s seniors state titles in all four football seasons, but 51 straight victories would tie Claflin for fourth on the state’s all-time list. Smith Center, which won 79 consecutive games from 2004-09, has the longest streak followed by Pittsburg Colgan (66) and Conway Springs (62).
“It’s fun to stand back and say, ‘Hey, that’s pretty neat,’” Schmidt said. “But as we all know in sport, if you’re not ready to go the next week, people don’t care and they’d be happy to make sure it doesn’t go to 49 or 50 or whatever.”
ANDALE INDIANS (12-0)
COACH: Dylan Schmidt (6th year, 73-2)
STATE FINALS HISTORY: 6 state titles – 2021 (3A), 2020 (3A), 2019 (3A), 2014 (4A), 2007 (4A), 2006 (4A); 1 runner-up finish – 2017 (4A I)
2022 RESULTS
W,63-14 at Wellington
W,60-7 at Rose Hill
W,58-19 El Dorado
W,57-8 Smoky Valley
W,108-0 at Nickerson
W,49-0 at Wichita Collegiate
W,32-0 Cheney
W,42-14 at Pratt
W,63-0 Goodland (P)
W,45-6 Pratt (P)
W,48-0 at Rock Creek (P)
W,36-0 Clay Center (P)
2022 STATISTICS
TEAM
Points scored: 661 (55.1 per game)
Points allowed: 68 (5.7 per game)
Total offense: 4,694 yards (391.2 per game)
Rushing: 3,615 yards (301.3 per game), 69 TDs
Passing: 1,079 yards (89.9 per game), 19 TDs, 3 INTs
INDIVIDUAL
Rushing: Cody Parthemer (sr.) 112 carries, 949 yards, 15 TDs; Gage Prosser (jr.) 80 carries, 628 yards, 9 TDs; Owen Eck (jr.), 67 carries, 516 yards, 9 TDs; Riley Marx (sr.) 46 carries, 461 yards, 9 TDs.
Passing: Wyatt Spexarth (sr.) 42 of 64, 992 yards, 17 TDs, 3 INTs.
Receiving: Tegan Orth (sr.) 8 catches, 259 yards, 5 TDs; Cody Parthemer (sr.) 9 catches, 226 yards, 5 TDs; Noah Bruce (sr.) 6 catches, 177 yards, 4 TDs; Owen Eck (jr.) 5 catches, 145 yards, 3 TDs; Kelby Eck (sr.) 8 catches, 137 yards, 1 TD.
Tackles: Karson Butts (jr.) 84 tackles (33 solo); Tegan Orth (sr.) 57 tackles (26 solo); Cody Parthemer (sr.) 52 tackles (19 solo); Landon Harp (so.) 39 tackles (21 solo); Jonah Meyer (sr.) 32 tackles (5 solo), 2 sacks; Kelby Eck (sr.) 31 tackls (15 solo); Lucas Hemmen (jr.) 31 tackles (6 solo).
Takeaways: Jonah Meyer (sr.) 3 fumble recoveries; Tegan Orth (sr.) 3 INTs, 2 fumble recoveries; Bo Kaiser (so.) 3 INTs; Landon Harp (so.) 2 INTs; Owen Eck (jr.) 2 INTs; Kelby Eck (sr.) 2 INTs, 2 fumble recoveries.
Kicking: Marlo Sullivan (jr.) 23 of 29 PATs.
Holton quarterback Matt Lierz has directed a Wildcat ground game that has punished opponents after opponent this season with Holton averaging 380 yards per game on the ground in bringing an 11-1 record into the Class 3A state championship game.
HOLTON RELISHES SHOT AT ENDING ANDALE'S STRANGLEHOLD ON 3A TITLE
Holton coach Brooks Barta is well aware of the task at hand when his team takes the field for Saturday’s 1 p.m. 3A state championship game at Hutchinson’s Gowans Stadium.
Across the field is one of the state’s top dynasties – an Andale team riding a 50-game winning streak and seeking its fourth straight state championship.
“You look at their sports – football, wrestling, track, basketball, everything – and it’s pretty clear they have a dominating set of athletes,” Barta said. “We clearly understand that we’re playing a very, very good team.”
At the same time, when Barta looks at his own program, he sees plenty of similarities. While the Wildcats may not boast the same across-the-board program success Andale does, when it comes to the gridiron, the Wildcats have the look of a team capable of holding its own in this year’s title game.
That’s been easier said than done during Andale’s current three-year reign as the Indians have won those titles by a combined 108-7. But when Barta looks at this year’s matchup, he firmly believes his team can give Andale more than just a fight.
“I think it’s a rare situation where the other team understands what it’s like to play in a meat grinder,” Barta said. “For a lot of teams, it’s something they don’t see every day in practice or see very much on Friday nights. For both of us, it’s a similar style of play and it’s a unique situation for both of us.
“We’re excited to be there and I think we match up well against them and our kids understand that. It’s the same for both teams. We don’t see people that are equipped to defend us very well just like they don’t either. It’s an interesting matchup.”
Whether Holton can flex its muscle enough against powerful Andale largely depends on the group that most of this year’s success has hinged upon.
Coming into this season, the Wildcats knew exactly what they had in terms of the skill positions, returning every key member of last year’s backfield that racked up 4,056 rushing yards, an average of 338 yards per game. And sure enough, that group has delivered even more production this season, accumulating 4,596 yards (383.0 yards per game).
Garyson Booth leads a backfield that features five backs with at least 561 yards, topping the group with 1,667 yards and 21 TDs. Jace Boswell (728 yards, 13 TDs) and Jayden Fletcher (708, 8 TDs) are both over 700 and quarterback Matt Lierz runs the show, adding 561 yards and 7 TDs.
Their success has come thanks in large part to the rapid development of an offensive line that had plenty of holes to fill coming into the season.
“There were two keys,” Barta said. “One was the emergence of our junior offensive and defensive linemen along with a couple seniors. We knew we had our skill kids back, but those guys really had to make a big step forward, and they have.
“The second was just building a stronger sense of leadership within our team in tough situations. We’ve responded well under pressure, much better than we did last year.”
Holton’s new-look lines got a stern test right off the bat this season, going up against a veteran line from Nemaha Central, the No. 1 team in Class 2A. While overmatched at times, the unit got their baptism under fire and performed well enough that Holton was in the game to the very end, falling 35-28.
Since, Holton has reeled off 11 straight wins and been completely dominant in all of those wins. The Wildcats’ closest game during that span was a 20-point road win at undefeated Girard in the state quarterfinals and twice Holton rolled past rival Hayden, including a 48-17 win in last week’s semifinals.
“First of all, we got a chance to play a team that plays hard and plays fast,” Barta said of the Nemaha Central loss. “There were a lot of positives in the game, but a lot of negatives. We weren’t very good up front both offensively and defensively, had a lot of guys playing new positions and it was a bit of a wake-up call for them and the team.
“But we learned what we needed to do to become the team we could become and each week we’ve continued to improve.”
Holton’s ground game has been so effective that the Wildcats have attempted just 29 passes all season. Lierz has completed 13 of those with 11 of those completions going for touchdowns.
The championship game appearance is the first for Holton since finishing runner-up in Class 4A Division II in 2015. Holton’s last state championship came in 2012 in Class 4A, the third for the Wildcats under Barta.
HOLTON WILDCATS (11-1)
COACH: Brooks Barta (27th year, 246-57)
STATE FINALS HISTORY: 3 state titles – 2012 (4A), 2005 (4A), 2003 (4A); 4 runner-up finishes – 2015 (4A II), 2010 (4A), 1999 (4A), 1998 (4A)
2022 RESULTS
L,35-28 Nemaha Central
W,35-14 Sabetha
W,49-7 at Hiawatha
W,49-18 Perry-Lecompton
W,48-15 at Royal Valley
W,48-17 at Rossville
W,37-13 Hayden
W,53-7 at Jefferson West
W,49-16 Santa Fe Trail (P)
W,56-0 Bishop Ward (P)
W,47-27 at Girard (P)
W,48-17 Hayden (P)
2022 STATISTICS
TEAM
Points scored: 547 (45.6 per game)
Points allowed: 186 (15.5 per game)
Total offense: 4,990 yards (415.8 per game)
Rushing: 4,596 yards (383.0 per game), 64 TDs
Passing: 394 yards (32.8 per game), 11 TDs, 1 INT
INDIVIDUAL
Rushing: Garyson Booth (sr.) 123 carries, 1,667 yards, 21 TDs; Jace Boswell (sr.) 91 carries, 728 yards, 13 TDs; Jayden Fletcher (sr.) 91 carries, 708 yards, 8 TDs; Matt Lierz (sr.) 51 carries, 561 yards, 7 TDs; Jakari Washington (sr.) 50 carries, 314 yards, 5 TDs.
Passing: Matt Lierz (sr.) 13 of 29, 394 yards, 11 TDs, INT.
Receiving: Garyson Booth (sr.) 3 catches, 103 yards, 3 TDs; Jayden Fletcher (sr.) 2 catches, 74 yards, 2 TDs; Jackson Bear (jr.) 4 catches, 66 yards, 4 TDs.
Tackles: Jace Boswell (sr.) 69 tackles (39 solo); Dalton Roush (jr.) 61 tackles (29 solo), 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks; Rylan Amon (jr.) 59 tackles (26 solo); Garyson Booth (sr.) 48 tackles (31 solo), 8 tackles for loss; Matt Lierz (sr.) 47 tackles (26 solo); Caleb Hernandez (sr.) 44 tackles (29 solo); Cole Gilliland (sr.) 37 tackles (20 solo), 5 tackles for loss.
Takeaways: Matt Lierz (sr.) 5 INTs, fumble recovery; Ashton Schrick (sr.) 3 INTs.
Kicking: Matt Lierz (sr.) 2 of 3 FGs, 63 of 67 PATs.