SIX-PLAYER FOOTBALL STATE QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW
EAST
PEABODY (8-2) AT TESCOTT (8-2)
The quarterfinal matchup will be the eighth meeting between the schools in the past four years. Tescott has won six of the previous seven meetings.
Tescott blanked Chetopa 54-0 to reach the quarterfinals. The Trojans ran nine plays total and scored on seven. They also had a kick return for a touchdown and a pick-six.
Jace Krone returned the interception for a touchdown and Miles Challans also had an interception. Joey Stirn had the kickoff return for a touchdown. Charlie Phelps notched seven tackles – 6 for loss -- and now has 21 tackles for loss on the season.
Peabody cruised to a 54-0 win over Southern Coffey County last week. Aiden Hurst threw four touchdowns for the Warriors. Hurst is Peabody’s leading passer (870 yards, 15 touchdowns) and rusher (518 yards, 6 TDs). Jameson Miles has seven touchdown catches.
Last year, Tescott beat Peabody 54-8 in the quarterfinals before falling to Cunningham in the semis.
OTIS-BISON (5-5) AT CUNNINGHAM (9-1)
Cunningham’s three-week layoff between games pales in comparison to last year’s six-week gap between matchups against Otis-Bison, the latter in the state quarterfinals. But the Wildcats will no doubt be pleased to see an opponent lined up across from them.
A Week 9 bye and a playoff forfeit victory over Altoona-Midway have kept Cunningham from playing since its 58-12 victory at Tescott on Oct. 24. Skyler Thimesch and Stephen Kerschen each ran for four touchdowns in that game as the Wildcats surpassed 50 points for the fifth time.
Kerschen, a junior, has run for 1,010 yards and 17 of the Wildcats’ 36 rushing touchdowns. Senior Logan Kinsler and sophomore Tyler Osner have combined to throw for 435 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception.
Otis-Bison, which lost 46-0 to Cunningham on Oct. 3, is coming off a 54-0 victory at Marais des Cygnes Valley in which senior Gavin Alloway ran for five touchdowns and caught two.
In the teams’ first meeting, Osner completed all eight of his passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
WEST
PAWNEE HEIGHTS (6-4) AT SOUTH BARBER (8-1)
Four weeks after South Barber’s Austin Swonger put on an offensive show in a 58-12 victory over Pawnee Heights, the host Chieftains and Tigers will meet again for a spot in the state semifinals.
Swonger, a junior, completed 12 of 16 passes for 308 yards and six touchdowns in the first meeting, and added seven carries for 119 yards and two scores. Three of Swonger’s touchdown passes went to sophomore Steele Smith, while junior Garen Cantrell hauled in two.
For the season, Swonger has passed for 1,766 yards and 40 touchdowns. Cantrell has 18 receiving touchdowns and Smith has 16.
After ending the regular season with losses to South Barber and Ingalls, Pawnee Heights has rolled to two postseason victories. The Tigers defeated Triplains-Brewster 83-6, then got 251 rushing yards and five touchdowns from sophomore Cody Holste in a 51-6 victory over Cheylin last week. Alexis Ibarra added 140 rushing yards and two scores.
South Barber is coming off a 54-8 victory over Golden Plains, avenging the Chieftains’ season-ending loss to the Bulldogs last November. Sophomore Cody Shklar ran for three touchdowns and recovered a fumble for South Barber.
INGALLS (9-1) AT WESKAN (9-1)
Reigning state champion Weskan took a loss to Otis (Colo.) to open the season but the Coyotes haven’t been tested since.
Weskan cruised to a 62-12 win over Moscow last week despite running just 12 offensive plays to Moscow’s 45. The Coyotes
created five turnovers, returning two interceptions and a fumble for touchdowns.
Karsyn Wright ran for three touchdowns and returned both a fumble and an interception for scores. Nick Cottrell had Weskan’s other pick-six and Dautry Allen returned a kick for a touchdown and had a receiving touchdown.
Ingalls’ only loss was a 25-21 setback to South Barber. The Bulldogs rolled to a 51-6 win over Northern Valley last week. Daniel Steinmetz ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries in the Northern Valley win. Reyce Frick caught a pair of touchdowns from Logan Simon.
Weskan beat Ingalls 57-12 last year in the playoffs en route to its undefeated season.