In Week 7 last year, Canton-Galva earned the Eight-Man, Division I, District 4 title with a 38-20 victory over Solomon. The two teams met up again in the sub-state championship game. This time, Solomon collected a 28-12 win.
Canton-Galva posted multiple mentions of the defeat on Twitter in the summer. Eagle coach Shelby Hoppes brought up the defeat several times last week before the Division I sub-state championship game versus Madison.
“That was a loss that I felt as a coach, we were every bit as good as them, and when you are even on paper, it comes down to coaching philosophies, and adjustments, and I didn't make the correct ones in that game,” Hoppes said. “I didn't give our kids a chance to win the sub-state championship game last year, and that's been on our minds for an entire year.”
This time, Canton-Galva easily dispatched Madison, 46-6, in a matchup of undefeated squads. Canton-Galva, ranked No. 1 in Division I since the preseason, has its fifth straight season of wins improvement and stands at 12-0.
“I made a promise to our kids that the same mistakes that I made last year in that game, I wasn't going to make this year, and I feel like I came through on that promise, and we ended up getting that sub-state championship,” Hoppes said.
On Saturday, Canton-Galva will face St. Francis (12-0) for the Division I state title at Newton's Fischer Field. Start time is 11:00 a.m.
Neither squad has won a football state championship. Canton-Galva was runner-up in '79 and '91, and St. Francis was second in '16.
“It's kind of a surreal feeling,” Hoppes said. “I am so proud of the boys. They have worked so hard for the last three years.”
Canton-Galva senior quarterback Landon Everett, with more than 1,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards this season, is questionable to play in the contest after he suffered a shoulder injury in the Madison victory.
As of Monday, Hoppes said Everett has suffered a grade-two sprain to the AC joint on his throwing shoulder. Freshman Garrett Maltbie stepped in and completed 1 of 2 passes for 21 yards, and rushed six times for 32 yards and a touchdown. Hoppes said he will not play two quarterbacks.
“We are going to take it a day at a time,” Hoppes said. “It's a more serious injury than we thought. Nothing is broke or anything like that, but as far as playing quarterback, I am not real sure he will be available to play quarterback for us. But he will be able to play. I just don't know what extent that will be yet.”
Both squads have had at least a touchdown per game improvement on scoring defense from '18, and at least a six-point scoring offense per contest bump from last year. Canton-Galva has an average score of 55-5, and St. Francis is at 50-5.
“We are just going to play our game,” Hoppes said. “I think we can match their physicality, and we can match their size. We are actually bigger than them across the front. We are a really good power run football team, just like they are. I think we can take advantage of them inside the box. I think we can also take advantage of them outside the box. We are going to be able to run and throw it.”
“We are just going to play our game,” he added. “If you can't beat a team with what you are good at, then you don't deserve to win the game. So, we are going to go in with the mindset that we are going to match their physicality. We are going to play with more energy than they will, and hopefully that leads to a win.”
St. Francis lost, 42-0, to Central Plains in the semifinal contest last fall and finished 11-1. Central Plains had an historically great team that allowed just 34 total points, best in at least 15 years in eight-man football.
St. Francis has used its single-wing offense with senior quarterback Brady Dinkel and junior running back Shadryon Blanka.
“Those guys were just bigger, stronger than us, and that has fueled us all last summer,” St. Francis coach Nick Fawcett said. “And we have a bad taste in our mouth, and we want to get rid of that taste, so keeps us pushing forward. We talk about the game, the score, and we talk about we are the new Central Plains, and I kind of tell them if we were to play this year, it might be a one-score game either way.”
Central Plains' victory has continued dominance for the west side in Division I state games in recent years. Central Plains beat Solomon, 52-6, and held the Gorillas without a first down. In '17, Hoxie, from the west, dominated St. Paul, 54-14.
In '16, Osborne beat St. Francis, 38-24. Osborne is normally on the West side, but was placed on the East that year – and defeated eastern schools such as Burlingame, West Elk and Clifton-Clyde, all by the 45-point margin.
In '15, Spearville was the west representative and beat Hanover, 62-16. In '14, Central Plains, again from the west, held off Hanover, 42-30. In '13, Osborne, again part of the east, beat Hodgeman County, 56-8. In '12, Ness City defeated Mankato-Rock Hills, 40-8 for another win for the west.
The last time a team east of Salina and Highway 135 won a Division I state title was Madison in 2010-11. Canton-Galva is 19 miles east of Highway 135.
Hoppes, though, believed the East was strong, notably with Madison and South Central. South Central defeated Hodgeman County, one of the west's top teams, 48-14, in the regular season. Canton-Galva beat South Central, 42-16, in the quarterfinals.
“To be completely honest with you, I think the east was better than the west this year,” Hoppes said.
For Canton-Galva, Everett has 114 carries for 1,162 yards and 24 scores. He has passed for 1,336 yards with a 28/2 TD/INT ratio. Sophomore standout Tyson Struber missed just over a month with injury after he broke his hand going for a fumble recovery against Goessel in Week 6.
“It hit the kid pretty hard,” Hoppes said. “He was pretty down about it, and we kept telling him, 'Keep your head up, keep your head up.' This team is going to work hard to get us far enough into the season to where he will have a chance to play again.”
Struber has come back for the last two games. Overall, he has 47 offensive touches for 904 yards and 18 offensive scores. He has 50.5 tackles, along with six interceptions.
Hoppes said this week is the first week Struber is 100 percent healthy. In the quarterfinal win versus South Central, Struber played with a cast on his hand. He had a brace on versus Madison.
“It was still really tender to him,” Hoppes said of last Friday. “And he was still favoring it quite a bit. You could tell on film that he just wasn't real comfortable yet using that hand. So this week was just another week of the healing process, and then using it in practice. I think this will be the first week that he's completely healthy.”
Brandon Huff has enjoyed a big year with an Eagle-best 77.5 tackles, 11.5 for loss. Hoppes said Huff has become the squad's best defensive player.
“I believe Brandon is one of the best linebackers in eight-man football,” Hoppes said. “He's a ferocious linebacker. He comes up, and he hits you. He gets in on every play. He's a sideline to sideline guy, and he's a leader of our defense.”
Kinser Colgin has 33 catches for 562 yards and 14 scores, along with 45 tackles, eight TFLs. Against South Central, Colgin made three catches that Hoppes believes only a “certain amount” of players that could make those grabs.
“Kinser is a top-three or four receiver in the state,” Hoppes said. “He just gets overshadowed sometimes, because he's right next to the best receiver in the state (Struber) as far as eight-man goes.”
St. Francis counters with Dinkel and Blanka, who each have more than 1,400 rushing yards.
“We talk about not wanting to punt ever,” Fawcett said.
Blanka accounted for seven touchdowns in the semifinal win versus Leoti-Wichita County. Adam Krien and Jesse Baxter have double-digit sacks, and Colton Neitzel has played well at center. Fawcett has called Neitzel and Baxter the state's two-best linemen.
“Our line is amazing,” Blanka said. “They always have the holes there for us. They have worked all day, every day on blocking, and they have really got it going. They know who they are blocking every time, catch blitzes, they are just great.”
As well, St. Francis has used 125-pound Josiah Sims at nose guard and at running back. Constantly, Sims is asking Fawcett on the sideline to run “18 sweep” a play where he gets the ball.
“He is a heckvua player,” Fawcett said. “Last year, he was a transfer. He has came in this year, and just totally new attitude. Just a kid that you want to get involved, and we were lucky to find a spot for him.”
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