GREENSBURG – On a mission to send its 10-player senior class out in style, Hoxie couldn’t have asked for a better swan song for its leaders. 

Hoxie overwhelmed Central Plains from the get-go, capping a perfect season with a 46-0 victory in the Eight-Player Division I title game on Saturday night at Kiowa County High School. 

“This senior group means a whole lot to me,” Hoxie coach Lance Baar said. “They always joke, ‘Yeah, we’re your favorite class.’ 

“There’s so many of them and they’re so talented and so competitive -- they probably are my favorites. This whole team had the belief that this is where we wanted to end up, and we made it happen.”

Hoxie (13-0) handled the pressure of being title favorites with ease all year long and sealed the deal with a dominant collective team effort. 

“The bond that we have with each other is unbreakable,” senior tight end/defensive end Sam Watkins said. “It doesn’t matter who has the ball in their hands, we’re going to put our bodies on the line and do everything to make the best out of the plays.

“So many memories with this team. We’re just thankful. It was a great performance, great way to finish the year.”
 

The Indians cruised to a 38-0 lead by halftime and forced the mercy rule early in the third quarter on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Duncan Bell to Watkins, followed by the game-ending two-point conversion from Braydon Scheetz. 

Bell was sharp through the air, completing 11 of 15 passes for 239 yards with five touchdowns. He threw two TDs each to ends Watkins and Trent Fenner and also hit Braxton Munk for a score. 

“Pass game was huge,” Baar said. “They were really physical up front in the run game and we were able to drop back and have our receivers get free and make yards after the catch.”

Linebacker/fullback Easton Nickelson put his prints all over the game early, starting with a 56-yard touchdown run on his lone carry of the game. 

“My line really blocked for me well and gave me the opportunity to run as fast as I could toward the end zone,” Nickelson said. “It was really the greatest feeling in my life.”
 

Nickelson then got the Indians up fired up on defense with several big hits from his linebacker spot. 

“I feel like I can help people by hyping them up and telling them what to do. Just being there for each other is a big part of my game, especially,” Nickelson said. “Everybody knew they had to get fired up and give it everything they got. This was our last game, and that fueled us in the end.”

Watkins said the Indians can always count on Nickelson to provide energy. 

“He’s pretty crazy. When he makes a play, he’s bouncing around and hyping everyone up,” Watkins said. “He’s a spark plug for our team.”

Hoxie limited Central Plains just to 52 yards of offense while putting up 339. 

Fenner scored on two of his three catches, finishing with 105 yards. Watkins had three grabs for 53 yards while Munk had two for 64. 

“We’ve got a lot of guys that can make plays in different ways,” Baar said. “When I call plays, I don’t call plays for players – because I know each one of our players, whoever’s in that position, is going to make the play. It’s really nice to have a team that balanced.”

Though Central Plains (10-3) ran into a buzzsaw in the championship game, it was a captivating playoff run for the Oilers, who came from behind in each of their four playoff wins, led by senior running backs Joel Schreiber and Eli Hurley and sophomore quarterback Brodie Crites. 

“(Hoxie is) a loaded, veteran team,” Central Plains coach JD Johnson said. “You could tell that they’re a lot of state wrestlers. They were more physical than us and it was hard to get anything going tonight.

“But I’m proud of these boys and how hard they’ve played. They’ve overcome some great obstacles to get here.”

Hoxie’s senior class is comprised of Bell, Munk, Fenner, Nickelson, Scheetz, Watkins, Max Beckman, Charlie Foote, Malcom King and Harrison Meyer. 

“We’re more than a team, we’re a family. We’re brothers out here doing it for each other not just ourselves,” Nickelson said. “We’re going for the win and not for the stats, and that’s what makes us special.”

HOXIE 46, CENTRAL PLAINS 0

CENTRAL PLAINS .. 0 … 0 … 0 … x … – … 0 

HOXIE … 16 … 22 … 8 … x … – … 46 

Hoxie – Nickelson 56 run (Watkins pass from Bell) 

Hoxie – Watkins 9 pass from Bell (Scheetz pass from Bell)

Hoxie – Fenner 55 pass from Bell (Scheetz run) 

Hoxie – Fenner 39 pass from Bell (run failed) 

Hoxie – Munk 41 pass from Bell (Scheetz run) 

Hoxie – Watkins 28 pass from Bell (Scheetz run) 


TEAM STATISTICS 

… CP … HOX

Rushes yards … 21-38 … 16-100 

Passing yards … 14   …  239 

Passing (Comp-Att-INT) … 3-10-0  … 11-15-0

Total plays-yards … … 31-52 … 31-339 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING – Central Plains: Schreiber 11-34, Hurley 4-5, Stroud 1-0, Crites 5-(minus) 1. Hoxie: Scheetz 9-50, Nickelson 1-56, Munk 1-(minus) 3, Bell 5-(minus) 3. 

PASSING  – Central Plains: Crites 3-14-0, 14 yards. Hoxie: Bell 11-15-0, 239 yards. 

RECEIVING  – Central Plains: Stroud 1-8, Hurley 1-7, Dody 1-(minus) 1. Hoxie: Fenner 3-105, Watkins 3-53, Munk 2-64, Scheetz 3-17.