Call it a throwback game. Two schools with strong football traditions and powerful running games will meet for the Class 1A state championship on Saturday at Fort Hays State’s Lewis Field.
The Smith Center Redmen (12-0) enter on a 22-game winning streak and in search of their third consecutive state title. The Centralia Panthers (11-1) have won 11 straight and will be vying for the program’s fourth state championship, winning the first in 2009 with a 20-12 overtime victory that ended Smith Center’s state record winning streak at 79.
“It’s going to be a hard-nosed battle of wills,” Smith Center coach Darren Sasse said. “Good offensive and defensive lines will be going at it. That’s how we play, and that’s how they play. Whoever can stand up to that the longest is probably going to win.”
“I think we match up well,” Centralia coach Larry Glatczak said. “We’re both going to run the ball and do what we do. I think it’s going to be a good football game.”
Centralia opened the season with a 28-8 loss to Rossville but have rattled off 11 consecutive wins since then. The stretch has included quality wins over Riley County, St. Mary’s-Colgan, Northern Heights, Olpe, and Jackson Heights.
“We started with Rossville, and we enjoy playing some of the schools a class above us early to find out where we are at,” Glatczak said. “We weren’t very good the first, so we made some changes. In the second game, we played a lot better. Since that second game, we’ve been getting better every week.”
The Panther single-wing offense starts with quarterback Kamble Haverkamp, who has rushed about 2,400 yards this season. In last week’s 44-6 semifinal win over Jackson Heights, Haverkamp ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns, while also passing for another TD. Devon Feldkamp, who was the recipient of Haverkamp’s touchdown pass, has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this year.
“The offensive line has done a tremendous job,” Glatczak said. “We’ve had those guys together since Week 2, and they’ve really allowed our backs to hit the holes.”
Smith Center is coming off a dramatic 20-19 victory over Plainville in the semifinals. Trenton Colby connected on a 33-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Kugler to give the Redmen the lead with 1:26 left. Then Sergio Lambert sealed the victory with an interception on Plainville’s final possession.
“We’ve had some really tight games,” Sasse said. “We had to show a lot of character and heart.”
Like Centralia, the Redmen have done most of their work on the ground. Smith Center has rushed for 343 yards per game this season. However, Sasse said an injury will keep leading rusher Jaden Atwood (1,635 yards) out of Saturday’s game.
Even without Atwood, Smith Center boasts three other players – Colton Shoemaker (868), Nate Hendrich (688), and Trenton Colby (595) – with more than 500 rushing yards.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries this season,” Sasse said. “The guys have just picked up the slack. The team has kind of had that attitude all season.”
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