Dawgs Defeat Eagles 21-14

From CJOnline:
SILVER LAKE — Well after the scoreboard hit 0:00 in Friday night’s War on 24 Class 3A state semifinal, Rossville players and fans remained on Silver Lake’s C.J. Hamilton Field not quite ready to leave.
    So many times before, the hugs being shared were those of condolences after the Bulldawgs’ season had come to an end at the hands of their archrivals.
    Not this time.
    This time — and for the first time in program history — Rossville was able to enjoy the moment and celebrate it to the fullest, knowing its season wasn’t done. After losing eight semifinal games to Silver Lake in the last 12 years, the Bulldawgs finally turned history on its head, pulling out a nerve-wracking 21-14 victory.
    “It’s always in doubt when you play these guys,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said. “For our community, this is big. Over the years, we’ve had so many good players and coaches. To get the program over the hump, I’m just thrilled and proud of the guys.”
    No. 1 Rossville (13-0) will play in the 3A state championship game for just the second time in program history, the only other appearance ending with a 3-0 loss to Hesston in the 1992 title game.      The opponent next week in Hutchinson is still yet to be determined with No. 2 Scott City (12-0) and Halstead (10-2) meeting the other semifinal at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Halstead.
Silver Lake has had Rossville’s number in the playoffs — the Bulldawgs had never beaten the Eagles in the postseason — and the longer Friday’s game stayed tied, the longer it looked like the Eagles were going to get it done again. Silver Lake locked up the Bulldawgs defensively in the second half and the moment appeared to be engulfing Rossville.
    Instead, the Bulldawgs were merely biding time until they could seize the moment, and when Thatcher and Corbin Horak got it in their clutches, they didn’t let go.
    Two weeks ago, Thatcher had “The Catch,” an acrobatic touchdown grab that sparked the playoff win over Centralia. Friday night, he delivered “The Run.”
    With Rossville’s offense sputtering in the second half after scoring on two of three possessions in the first half, the Bulldawgs hardly appeared ready to break out taking over at their own 15 with 2:31 left.
     Instead, Horak took the handoff, cut inside and then bounced outside. Sprung by a block from Corbin, he sprinted down the Bulldawg sideline, shedding a tackle attempt by Silver Lake’s Cody Renfro near midfield and going 85 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
“I give it to my guys, they blocked the heck out of it,” said Thatcher, who had just five carries, but ran for 101 yards. “If Corbin doesn’t have that block on the edge, I wouldn’t have scored. I saw that green grass and I was like, ‘I’m not going down.’ ”
There was still the matter of coming up with a defensive stand to preserve the win, however, and Silver Lake had had plenty of success moving the ball under the direction of backup quarterback Cole Baird.
    Baird’s 19-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2 earlier in the quarter had tied the game and the junior, filling in for injured Ryan Matzke, finished the night with 132 yards rushing.
After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the kickoff following Horak’s run set Silver Lake up at the Rossville 46, the Eagles were in business.
    But one play after an 11-yard run by Baird, he lofted a pass to the Rossville 2 that Corbin Horak and Silver Lake receiver Logan Wolfley battled for. Horak won the battle, yanking the interception down to deny the Eagles.
    “I just saw him scrambling and I knew he was going to throw to the left,” Horak said. “I saw the guy over there and got under it. I was nervous at first, but I thought I had the ball first.”
Rossville was able to run out all but seven seconds and Silver Lake’s final play from its own 46 fell incomplete, setting off Rossville’s long-awaited celebration.
“I thought our kids stepped up and played well,” Hamilton said. “We had opportunities to score right before the half and right at the end of the game at the 2-yard line and they made plays. That’s what the game’s about. It was a great high school football game. I’m proud of this group, and I’m proud of them (Rossville).”
    Both teams scored on their first possessions of the game with Tucker Horak scoring from 13 yards out for the Bulldawg touchdown and Zach Boyd getting the answer for the Eagles on a 4-yard run. Rossville added a second touchdown on a Tucker Horak-to-Nick Reesor 10-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-7 halftime lead, preserved when the Bulldawgs stopped Baird at the 2 as the half expired.
The defenses took over in the second half before Thatcher Horak sent the Bulldawgs home with a season sweep of the Eagles — a first for Rossville. Silver Lake, which had played in 11 of the last 12 state championship games, finished 11-2, its only losses to the Bulldawgs.
    “We just needed to make a play and that was my thought going into the week,” Hammes said. “We have a talented team and we just needed to put ourselves in a position to make a play when we needed to do it. We kept sawing wood and popped the big one that was the difference in the game.”

Rossville (13-0)          7 7 0 7 — 21
Silver Lake (11-2)       7 0 0 7 — 14
Ross — Tu. Horak 13 run (Steinke kick)
SL — Boyd 4 run (Klein kick)
Ross — Reesor 10 pass from Tu. Horak (Steinke kick)
SL — Baird 19 run (Klein kick)
Ross — Th. Horak 85 run (Steinke kick)

GAME IN FIGURES
                                 Ross            SL
First downs                 11             15
Rushes-yards            32-219     47-201
Passing                        92             41
Comp-Att-Int          7-11-2       9-13-2
Punts                       3-29.0        3-29.0
Fumbles-Lost               0-0         0-0
Penalties-Yards          7-61         4-35

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Rossville: Reesor 6-18, Tu. Horak 14-85, Th. Horak 5-101, Hammes 1-12, Steckel 6-3. Silver Lake: Renfro 11-38, Baird 26-132, Boyd 10-31.
PASSING — Rossville: Tu. Horak 7-11-2, 92. Silver Lake: Baird 9-13-2, 41.
RECEIVING — Rossville: Roduner 2-14, Th. Horak 3-62, Reesor 1-10, C. Horak 1-6. Silver Lake: Byers 8-33, Freeman 1-8.

War On 24 Video Coverage

   Kansas First News has good video coverage of the "War on 24" at:
http://kansasfirstnews.com/2014/11/21/football-frenzy-playoff-recap-112114/

    The Academy Game of the Week on WIBW was the latest version of the "War on 24"
http://www.wibw.com/sports/ksprepzone/headlines/Week-12-Rossville-at-Silver-Lake-283520441.html

    A replay of the complete game is at:
http://www.team1sports.com/index.php/videoPlayer/view?broadcast=93216

Dawgs Go To State Champonship Game

The Dawgs Will Go To Hutchinson.

Dawgs beat the Eagles in a nail biter to the end by a 21-14 score.

In the latter part of the 4th quarter,  The Eagles were putting together a long drive to tie the score.  The Dawgs intercepted a SL pass near the goal line with less than 2 minutes left to preserve the win.

More info later.
 

Football Playoff Game On-Line

    You can watch the Eagles-Dawgs play out the latest War on 24 at 7:00 PM,  Nov. 21, at:
http://www.ihigh.com/rossville/

War on 24 Revisited

From CJOnline:

SILVER LAKE — The history is impossible to ignore.
    Eight times in the last 12 years, Silver Lake and Rossville have waged their War on 24 showdown in the Class 3A state semifinals. Eight times in the last 12 years, Silver Lake emerged victorious — part of a run where the Eagles have made 11 trips to the finals in the last 12 years.
    There have been close calls (13-12 OT in 2002; 34-26 in 2004), blowouts (38-0 in 2010, 42-0 in 2007) and everything in between.
    Yet when the rivalry is renewed on the big stage once again at 7 p.m. Friday in Silver Lake, both coaches know that history is something that must be forgotten.
    “Prior to the game, I think it’s more of a big deal,” Silver Lake coach C.J. Hamilton said. “Once the game starts, it’s not even part of the thought process. You’re focused so much on what’s going on on the field and what needs to get done, you don’t really pay attention to the history of it. It all disappears.”
    Rossville coach Derick Hammes agreed.
    “The pressure of it enters both teams’ minds, I would imagine,” Hammes said. “But in terms of preparation and how it needs to be played and what a team has to do in order to win the game, the past doesn’t factor a whole lot into that. Every game is a new one.
    “I don’t think there’s a mental block of any kind, or an advantage for one side or the other. It’s simply a football game and each one is different.”
    The first meeting between the two this season certainly had a different feel to it. It wasn’t necessarily the outcome — a 24-14 Rossville win — that was unusual with the victory the second straight in the regular season over the Eagles that secured a second straight Mid-East League title.
Rather, it was the manner in which the Bulldawgs got the victory. Rossville shut out the Eagles for three quarters and held Silver Lake to just 215 yards of total offense, including just 66 yards on the ground.
    Silver Lake’s offense wasn’t at full strength in that contest, missing tailback Cody Renfro, and likely won’t be again in the rematch.
    The void this time could be even more noticeable as senior quarterback Ryan Matzke is expected to miss the game after being injured (knee, head) in last week’s 20-14 overtime win against Wellsville.
    Matzke has accounted for more than 2,700 yards of total offense this season, throwing for 2,098 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 657 yards and 12 scores.
    Junior Cole Baird will take over for Matzke, moving in from his receiver spot where he’s caught 20 passes for 374 yards and two touchdowns. Baird caught at TD pass against Wellsville and ran in the game-winning score in overtime, but has attempted just two passes all season.
    “He just hasn’t had the reps,” Hamilton said. “Even when we got ahead in some of our games this season, we didn’t work him at quarterback because he had enough on his plate at receiver and playing offense and defense both. We didn’t want to burden him with the quarterback situation, too.
“It is what it is and we’re not the only team that’s ever had an injury in a key spot. You don’t know how they’ll handle the emotion and we’re playing a really good team. It’s not like we’re doing this at mid-season against somebody that’s trying to find themselves. Rossville knows who they are, what they’re about and they have a lot of confidence, as they should.”
While Silver Lake has spent the week re-tooling a bit, Rossville enters the showdown with its offense running at full speed. Tucker and Thatcher Horak combined for all eight touchdowns in the Bulldawgs’ 56-19 romp past Colgan last Friday, continuing huge seasons that have helped Rossville put up a whopping 635 points (57.7 per game).
    Tucker Horak, who ran for 192 yards in the first game against Silver Lake, rushed for 198 yards and five touchdowns and also returned an interception for a touchdown, while Thatcher returned the opening kickoff for a score and later caught a touchdown pass from Tucker.
For the season, Tucker Horak has rushed for 1,783 yards and 25 touchdowns, while throwing for 1,508 yards and 21 scores. Thatcher has added 880 yards rushing and 475 receiving, scoring 21 touchdowns.
    “This is a confident group,” Hammes said. “They’ve done this three times now and experience is such a big thing. We’re battle-tested as well. The two games with Centralia in the long run were great for us. Having Lake at the end of the schedule at the end of the year instead of the middle of the season was good. And then going on the road and playing in a different environment at Colgan was good for us.
    “Last year we really didn’t have those same kind of challenges. ... You can look at this year and say it’s been smooth sailing. But there have been things we’ve had to overcome — injuries along the way, an end of the season schedule with some great coaches on the other side. We’ve pulled together and answered challenges.”

Vincent Weeres Passes Away

    Vincent Charles Weeres, 81, passed away Tuesday, November 18, 2014 at his home near Rossville.
    He was born January 28, 1933 at Assiniboio, Saskatchewan, Canada the son of Herman and Lila O’Conner Weeres.  He lived in Canada until moving to the St. Marys community in 1990.
    Mr. Weeres had worked many years for the Department of Highways in Canada.  He had worked for Onyx Collection after moving to St. Marys.  He was a member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Maple Hill.
    He was preceded in death by a son Paul Weeres.
    He was united in marriage to Beulah Bastien at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1957.  She survives of the home.
    Other survivors include three sons, Michael Weeres, Kitimat, BC, Canada, Steven Weeres and Brent Weeres Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada; two daughters, Leane (Vincent) VanderPutten, Rossville and Janice Weeres, St. Marys; a brother, Dwight Weeres, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; 26 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren.
    Requiem Mass will be at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, November 22, 2014 at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Maple Hill.  Mr. Weeres will lie in state after 5:00 P.M. Friday, November 21, 2014 at Piper Funeral Home in St. Marys where there will be a rosary recited at 7:00 P.M.  Interment will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, St. Marys. Memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Weeres name and sent in care off the funeral home.

William Olejnik (39) Passes Away

William Olejnik, 93, passed away Monday, November 17, 2014 at his home near Rossville.

He was born March 12, 1921 at Rossville the son of George and Rosie Hejtmanek Olejnik Sr. Bill was a 1939 graduate of Rossville High School.

Mr. Olejnik farmed north of Rossville and sold insurance for WFLA. He was a member of the Rossville Presbyterian Church, the ASCS Board, and the Rossville Township Board for 20 years, serving as treasurer for many years. Bill served as chairman of the Victor 101 School Reunion, was a member of the ZCBZ Lodge serving as president for many years. He was also a member of the Czech Moravan Cemetery Board and served as a caretaker of the cemetery for over 30 years.

On October 6, 1948 he was united in marriage to Christina M. Polson at Rossville. She survives. He was preceded in death by two daughters, Tammy Olejnik and Lila (Doug) Wolc; a grandson Blake Wolc; four brothers, George Olejnik Jr., Rudolf Olejnik, Henry Olejnik and Edward Olejnik; two sisters, Josephine Pressgrove and Georgianne Davis.

Survivors include a son, Robert (Kathy) Olejnik, Rossville; a daughter Lisa (Jim) Pinney, Johnstown, NE; two sisters, Agnes Wike, Topeka and Helen Donley, St. Joseph, MO; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 10:00 until 11:00 A.M. Friday, November 21, 2014 at Piper Funeral Home in St. Marys, followed by the funeral service at 11:00 A.M.

Interment will be in the Czech Moravan Cemetery north of Rossville.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Czech Moravan Cemetery or the Rossville Public Library and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple St., St. Marys, Kansas 66536

Dawgfeed 10 on You Tube

Dawgfeed # 10 is now posted on You Tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcgKYGEYgWs

Among the more important items covered is Travis VanVleck discussing the grant for improving the downtown area.
Also,  the announcer,  Bilal Channa,  has been chosen as the US Dept of State's Exchange Student of the Month for October out of all foreign exchange students in the US.   This award is discussed near the end of the videocast.    

Rossville Colgan Game Photos

    Pictures of the Rossville Colgan game on Nov. 14 can be seen at:

http://rossvilleksphotos.blogspot.com/2014/11/blog-post.html

Joplin Globe Article On Colgan Game

   From the Joplin Globe: 

   PITTSBURG, Kan. – Just looking at the numbers, stopping Rossville’s offense appeared to be a daunting task.    Boy, was it ever.

    Rossville’s Thatcher Horak returned the opening kickoff for 95 yards, and the top-ranked Bulldogs scored on their first four possessions during a 56-19 victory over the St. Mary’s-Colgan Panthers in the Kansas Class 3A quarterfinals on Friday night at Pittsburg State’s Carnie Smith Stadium.
   Bulldogs junior quarterback Tucker Horak rushed for 198 yards and five touchdowns and passed for 95 yards and a touchdown. He also returned an interception 44 yards for a score late in the first quarter. One of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state, he entered the game with almost 1,500 yards passing and almost 1,600 yards rushing.

    “No. 11 (Tucker Horak) is a great player,” St. Mary’s-Colgan coach Chuck Smith said. “He’s so quick. He’s a great runner. He’s good throwing the ball also. He’s not an average thrower. He’s a great thrower.”

    Rossville (12-0) will move on to face rival Silver Lake in the state semifinals. Colgan (9-3) ended its season in the 3A quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.

    “We just ran into a really good football team,” Smith said. “I’m really proud of the way our kids hung in there.

    “They have a great football team. They have a lot of weapons. They were up 14-0 before we knew what was going on.”

    After Thatcher Horak gave Rossville a 7-0 lead with the opening kick return, the Bulldogs executed an 87-yard drive that was capped by a Tucker Horak 23-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 7:31 left in the first quarter.

    However, the Panthers did show an ability to move the ball.

    Colgan responded with a 61-yard drive that was capped by an 18-yard pass from Ryan Cedeno to Sawyer Esch to make it 14-7 at the 3:43 mark of the first quarter.

    Rossville answered on its next possession with a one-yard touchdown run by Tucker Horak to make it 21-7 with 42 seconds left in the quarter.

    Twenty seconds later, Tucker Horak intercepted a Cedeno pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown to give Rossville a 28-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

    The Bulldogs gained 411 yards of total offense.

    Austin Commons led Colgan with 191 rushing yards on 29 carries. Cedeno rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another.   
    The Panthers gained 303 yards of total offense, but they turned the ball over four times.

Morning Sun Article On Golgan-RHS Game

From the Pittsburgh Morning Sun:

One name: Horak. Two different players. The two brothers scored all eight of Rossville’s touchdowns in a 56-19 win over St. Mary's Colgan on Friday night.

Running back Thatcher Horak found the end zone on the game’s opening kickoff from 95 yards out.

His brother, quarterback Tucker Horak, scored on Rossville’s next drive on a 28-yard fake handoff run and then added three more touchdowns in the first half to give the Bulldogs a 35-13 lead at intermission. Tucker finished the night with five touchdowns while Thatcher had two.

“They’re both great players,” St. Mary’s head coach Chuck Smith said. “The bad thing is Tucker’s coming back next year. I thought both of them had a great game. I’m proud of our kids. We never quit and the scoreboard might look ugly but the kids hung in there.”

Playing at Carnie Smith Stadium at Pittsburg State, the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Bulldogs proved to be too much for the Panthers (9-3) in the sectional round of the Class 3A playoffs.

“An awful good team beat us,” Smith said. “Opening kickoff, we kicked the ball like we wanted to and Thatcher takes the ball and breaks several tackles and they’re up 14-0 before we know it. They’re a real fine football team. Their quarterback was good. They’ve just got a lot of good players.”

Tucker finished with 16 carries for 198 yards and went 5-6 for 95 yards and one interception.

“Our offensive line has been playing well all year,” Tucker said. “Our line has been opening up holes all year and that’s what sparks us. We got to give it all to them.”

Thatcher had four carries for 58 yards.

Tucker picked off quarterback Ryan Cedeno and returned it all the way back for a 45-yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the Bulldogs a 28-7 lead.

“For us, in the early going, when the game was back and forth, it was our non-offense scores that were very important for us,” Rossville coach Derrick Hammes said.

Tailback Austin Commons had 29 carries for 191 yards for the Panthers. Cedeno had two touchdown runs.

The Panthers punted for the only time in the first half on their opening drive. On their second drive, they found the end zone on a seven-play, 61-yard drive in which Cedeno connected with wide receiver Sawyer Esch for an 18-touchdown pass with 3:43 left in the first quarter.

But the Bulldogs had an answer for everything, and Tucker scored on a 1-yard run to cap a nine-play, 70-yard drive to make it 21-7, Rossville. Two plays later, Tucker scored on his interception return

RHS-Colgan Video

   A short video of the Rossville-Colgan game can be seen at:
http://www.wibw.com/sports/ksprepzone/headlines/Week-11-Rossville-at-St-Marys-Colgan-282747711.html

Old Football Team Photo

A photograph of the Rossville High School football team, supposedly of the 1917 team.  I wonder about that date since I knew some of those men.   Anyone know about that?

 Pictured in the back row, left to right, are Bill James, Howard Bixby, Homer Reid, Fred Stewart, (teacher) Leslie Young, Ed Doud, Dave Stiles, Homer Lasswell, and Edwin Stamp. 
In the middle row are Evan Seely, Marvin Hopkins, Glenn Page, Guy Strimple, and Riley Mitchell. 
Sitting on the ground are Carl Lynde, Ralph Bolin, Burton Lynde, Ralph Page, and Johnnie Lillard. 
This photograph is provided through a pilot project to host unique cultural heritage materials from local libraries on Kansas Memory and was accomplished by mutual agreement between the Northeast Kansas Library System, the Rossville Community Library, and the Kansas Historical Society.

Dawgs Meet Eagles On Nov. 21

    The Kansas 3A semi-final football game pitting Rossville against Silver Lake will be at Silver Lake on Friday,  Nov. 21.