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.