It could have been a deflating moment for Dighton. 

After forcing a turnover and holding a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter in last Friday’s season opener against Rawlins County, the Hornets went for the jugular.

Dighton tried for a big pass play over the middle but Rawlins County senior standout Ryan Sramek picked it off at the 20 and nearly returned it for a pick-six before being caught at the Dighton 7. 

“I thought maybe we could get them on that play after the turnover – obviously not,” Dighton coach Ken Simon said. “It kind of backfired and I was feeling kind of sick to my stomach.”

Thanks to the Hornet defense, no harm was done.

Dighton snatched the momentum right back, stuffing the Buffaloes back to the 11 before turning them over on downs with an incomplete pass. 

The Hornets then put the game away with a 69-yard scoring drive to secure a 38-24 win at home. 

“Just trusted our guys,” Dighton quarterback/defensive back Daniel Cramer said of the defensive stand. “We played physically on the last drive when they were on offense, so I had no doubt we could stop them, no matter where we were on the field.”

“They stiffened up there when we needed it,” Simon said. “It was a great stop and that’s when the game kind of fell into our hands.”

One of the top Eight-Player games of Week 1, the matchup lived up to the billing. 

The game was tied at 16 and Rawlins County led 24-22 midway through the third quarter before a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jack Jenkinson late in the quarter gave Dighton the lead for good. 

Dighton’s defense rose to the occasion against the dynamic Sramek and the Buffalo offense in the second half, limiting big plays. 

“We preached physicality,” Simon said. “It didn’t seem like we were completely ready for game speed in that first half. Second half, we settled in. Our linebacker play was a lot better. We were more physical stepping up and taking blocks on those guards.”

Sramek finished with 205 yards rushing and two touchdowns despite battling cramps in the second half.  He played most of the way at quarterback before moving to running back late, where he played last year as he led the Buffaloes to a 9-2 record and state quarterfinal appearance. 

Cramer delivered a huge game for Dighton, running for 203 yards and three touchdowns and passing for 126 yards with touchdowns to Jenkinson and Connor Wilson.
 

Jenkinson’s 34-yard touchdown grab came with Sramek in tight coverage. The senior missed almost half of last season after injuring his shoulder in the Rawlins County game. 

“He came back late in the season for the playoffs and really made a big difference,” Cramer said of Jenkinson, who also had an interception Friday. “Him returning made a really big difference, added a lot of speed and experience to our passing game.”
 

Senior George von Leonrod keyed the Hornets’ defensive effort, finishing with a game-high 17 tackles. 

“He’s an exceptional player at linebacker and at fullback,” Cramer said of von Leonrod. “He’s so versatile. You can put him anywhere on the field and he’ll excel at what he’s doing. On defense, he’s such a key player. He brings a lot of energy and we can feed off that and feed off each other.”

Colin Conroy quietly delivered one of the game's top plays. The Dighton sophomore lineman chased down Sramek to prevent the pick-six before the Hornets came through with the big stand. 

“He just hustled down the field and made a great play there,” Simon said. “It was a touchdown-saving tackle, maybe a game-saving tackle. Great job by him taking a great angle on his pursuit and getting him down.”

Simon felt the Dighton offensive line held up well in the second half. 

“I thought we did a much better job of protecting in the second half, executing blocks and staying on them a little bit longer,” he said. 

It was a promising opener for a Dighton squad looking to make noise after injuries limited the Hornets to a 6-5 season last year. 

“It feels great,” Simon said. “That’s a tough first game out of the gate. (Rawlins County coach Aaron Sramek) and I talked before the game and we both said the same thing: ‘Man, tough first game. We’re going to both see who we are here early.’

“Just happy for our guys. We’ve been working hard. Hoping for a strong season.”

Peyton Redburn had 14 tackles for Dighton while Ryland Price had 12 with 3 stops for loss. 

Dorian Culwell rushed for 66 yards for Rawlins County while Austin Chumley had a touchdown run for the Buffaloes. Tucker Prideaux took the snaps at quarterback late in the game. 

Dighton, ranked No. 5 in Eight-Player Division II by KSHSAA Covered, will play at Oberlin-Decatur this week while Rawlins County will look to bounce back at home against Greeley County. 
 

OTHER WESTERN KANSAS FOOTBALL STANDOUTS 

– Weskan rolled to a 53-8 victory over Kit Carson (Colo.) with six different players scoring touchdowns.

Quarterback Nick Cottrell threw for 250 yards to eight different receivers, with Trey Allen, Judah Crow, Karsyn Wright leading the way as receivers. 

The game marked Weskan’s first night game at home in school history after 102 years of playing football in the afternoon. The community raised money for new bleachers and lights for the football field.

“It was a great night to celebrate for our community and was a great experience for our kids to be able to play under lights at our home field,” Weskan coach Brett Clow said. 

– Woodrow Lancaster of Kinsley ran for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries in a 54-22 win over Ashland. He added nine tackles and a fumble recovery. 

– Hill City’s Dayton Stephen thrived on the ground and as a receiving threat in Hill City’s 50-20 win over WaKeeney-Trego. Stephen rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and made 11 receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns. He added 12 tackles and an interception. 

– Reece Remus finished with 167 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries in Lakeside’s 50-42 loss to Pike Valley. 

– Cade Barnett rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries in Dodge City’s 40-6 win over Woodward, Okla. 

–  Otis-Bison quarterback Jake Hoopingarner threw for four touchdowns and also returned a kick for a touchdown in the Cougars’ 48-0 win over Western Plains. 

– Carson Schartz ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns and also notched 16 tackles with a forced fumble in Ellis’ 48-44 win over Lincoln. 

– Sublette quarterback Jonathon Froese ran for 3 touchdowns and threw for another as Sublette rolled to a 46-0 win over Satanta in one half of play. 

– Bucklin’s Lucas Kirk had a huge game in the Red Aces’ 44-0 win over Spearville, delivering 2 passing touchdowns, 2 rushing touchdowns,  2 interceptions, a pick six and 12 tackles. 
Kolson Cook added 14 tackles – four for loss – and one sack for Bucklin.

– Liberal linebacker Landon Martinez had two pick sixes, a fumble recovery, 10 tackles and 2 stops for loss in a 70-6 win over Wichita North. 

– Rhett Kats completed 7 of 9 passes for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns, rushed for 2 scores, had a pick 6 and also scored a safety in Logan’s 46-0 win over Stockton. 

– Norton quarterback Eli Jones had two interceptions with a pick-six and scored four total touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) in Norton’s 55-8 win over Oakley. 

– Mario Ruiz rushed for 166 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown in Garden City’s 57-21 loss to Manhattan. 

– Jace Schartz rushed for 141 yards on nine carries in Great Bend’s 28-6 win over McPherson. 

– Holcomb’s Keegan Johnson threw for 255 yards and a touchdown in the Longhorns’ 38-7 loss to Cheney. 

– Colter Oldham ran for 132 yards on just four carries and also caught a touchdown pass in Lakin’s 49-0 win over Stanton County. 

– Landon Simpson rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in Ellinwood’s 32-0 win over Syracuse. 

– Easton Huck threw for four touchdowns, three of them to Jamie Sarmiento, in South Central’s 54-8 win over Meade. 

– Cashton Young rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns in Wichita County’s 22-12 loss to Haxtun (Colo.)

— Lucas Raile threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another in St. Francis’ 49-0 win over Quinter. 

– Trego’s Jack Conness rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown in the Golden Eagles’ 50-20 loss to Hill City. 

– Hoxie’s Easton Nickelson racked up 22 tackles and also had six receptions for 60 yards and two touchdowns as the Indians held off Osborne 20-14. Quarterback Duncan Bell threw for three scores. 

– Isaiah Ridgeway and Cooper Mcdill rushed for three touchdowns apiece in Rock Hills’ 46-0 win over Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton. Ridgeway finished with 162 yards on 11 carries while Mcdill had 128 on eight attempts. 

– Ian Reece rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns and intercepted three passes in Hodgeman County’s 24-20 win over South Gray. Reece also threw for a score. 

– Levi Lang ran for four touchdowns, rushed for two more and returned an interception for a touchdown in Minneola’s 46-20 win over Kiowa County. Tyson Klotz added 130 yards on the ground and had two total touchdowns for the Wildcats. Allan Skeen and Cole Norton each had three sacks. 

– Langston Nothern ran for 198 yards and five touchdowns on nine carries in Ingalls’ 58-0 win over Triplains. 

– Josh Rath threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more in Golden Plains’ 62-16 win over Moscow.