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.
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