Following is an article from CatchItKansas
After defeating Halstead 21-0 for a Sub-State championship,
Collegiate (13-0) is now one game away from winning their first state title
since 2009.
Standing
in their way, the defending 3A champs Rossville (13-0).
After
upsetting Scott City 21-14 in last year's title game, Rossville has been
nothing short of dominant in 2015, outscoring opponents by an average of 42
points per game.
The
Bulldogs are led by one of the best quarterbacks Class 3A has seen in recent
history. This year Tucker Horak, the state's leading rusher, became the first
player in Kansas history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards in
the same season. The definition of a dual threat quarterback, Horak has 30
passing touchdowns and 45 rushing touchdowns on the year.
"Based
on film we have on him, he's (Horak) obviously hard to tackle," said
Collegiate quarterback Austin Waddell. "I think that most teams try to go
for the big hits on him instead of just wrapping up and making the play and he
just bounces off the hits and hits a big play."
Horak
has enjoyed one of the best careers any 3A quarterback has ever had. Heading
into Saturday's game, Horak has 5,483 career passing yards (68% completions)
for 67 touchdowns, and has rushed for 6,790 yards for an incredible 109
touchdowns. According to the NFHS, Horak's 12,653 career total yards are the
6th most all-time in United States history. With Horak leading the offense, Rossville
has averaged 539 total yards per game.
For
Waddell, he feels no added pressure to match his counterpart's stats.
"I
don't need to do anything I haven't done in big games already. I just need to
trust the offense, take care of the football, and be patient. A lot of people
get flustered in these games and try to do stuff that is out of their abilities
and it usually ends up in turnovers. I just need to do the things I've been
doing all season," said Waddell.
If
there is a team that can stop Horak, Collegiate may be up to the task. During
their Sub-State victory, Collegiate held Halstead to just 38 yards rushing.
Halstead had previously averaged more than 350 yards rushing per game.
Forcing
turnovers will be key for Collegiate, who have forced 32 turnovers (14 INT, 18
FUM) this season. In Rossville's closest game (42-32 over St. Mary's-Colgan),
Horak threw one interception and also lost a fumble.
If
Collegiate wins the turnover battle, the Spartans could look to Waddell and
running back Nathan Burgoyne to continue their success rushing the ball, as the
combination are averaging more than 150 yards rushing per game.
For
Waddelll, it would be a dream come true if the Spartans could bring home the 3A
title.
"Every
kid dreams of growing up and winning a state championship. It's the best thing
a high school athlete can achieve. People don't forget when you win a state
championship, I still hear people talk about them from twenty years ago. It
would definitely be an amazing feeling to hear the buzzer sound with us on
top," said Waddell.
If Collegiate is able to knock of the defending champs, it will be the
Spartans fourth state title in program history and third since 2000. If Horak
and the Bulldogs find open lanes to run through, Rossville will remain kings of
Class 3A, improving their record to 40-1 over the last 3
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