DODGE CITY – Natoma senior Derek George played all season for his grandfather, David Bray, who had passed at the age of 77 on Feb. 26, 2021. Bray went to all of George’s sporting events and was always present for his grandson in life.
Throughout the Six-Man state playoffs, George had plenty of family members supporting him and Natoma, including 20-plus from both sides for the state championship game Saturday.
They watched as Natoma won the first state football championship in school annals with a 60-12 victory versus Cunningham at Dodge City’s Memorial Stadium. The game was called with 37.4 seconds left in the third quarter because of the 45-point mercy rule.
George, the classification’s Defensive Player of the Year, scored the final touchdown on a physical five-yard run. The jubilation and torrent of emotions quickly followed for Natoma. Senior running back Kayden Martinez, honored as six-man’s top offensive player, ripped off his helmet and hugged coach Tyler Masters. George got up after the score and yelled “Let’s Go!” in celebration.
Martinez and George hugged next to the 20-yard line. Senior Tracen Frye yelled “We’re state champs.” Masters, a Natoma graduate, switched from assistant to head coach in the last eight days when coach Robert Cox became unavailable. Masters clinched his fists and pumped his arms, his body shaking.
“There’s nothing better in the world,” Masters said.
After the trophy presentation, George gave hugs to a variety of family members. Tears streamed down his face when he thought of his grandfather.
“He has always been on my mind,” George said. “I just wish he would have been here to see all of this.”
Freshman Roy Bright, Martinez’s brother and Natoma’s starting quarterback, broke down several times postgame. In a key move that shaped Natoma’s season, Frye switched from quarterback to receiver this summer. Bright, formerly an offensive lineman, moved to quarterback. After pictures, Bright walked over to a goal post by himself and knelt on one knee, sobbing. 2021 marked the only year the brothers could play together.
Martinez finished with 16 carries for 170 yards and four scores. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 67 yards with a TD. George rushed nine times for 98 yards and three scores. Martinez rushed for nearly 1,900 yards this season.
“My brother is leaving next year, going to miss him a lot,” Bright said. “He’s been the best brother I could ever ask for. Best teammate. Really a leader.”
Natoma finished 9-0, including a dominant run through the playoffs, a 58-7 home quarterfinal win versus Pawnee Heights, a 67-18 semifinal victory versus Ashland and Saturday’s championship game. All three victories marked the program’s first playoff wins since 1974. Natoma went 3-2 in 2020 and returned most of its key players, including Martinez and George, a pair of first team all-state picks as juniors.
Masters believed the Tigers could make a state championship run. Natoma was never ranked No. 1 in the classification all year. The Tigers earned wins versus Bird City-Cheylin, Ashland and Cunningham, all squads that were ranked first at some point. This marked the final year of six-man before it becomes KSHSAA sanctioned next fall. Earlier Saturday, Ashland held off Northern Valley, 39-38, for third place.
“I have dreamed about this for awhile just for these boys, because they work so hard day in and day out,” Masters said. “It’s in their mental state. It’s in their physical work that they put in. It’s all the time. They have been dreaming about it harder than I have, I am sure. But I just want it for them. They have earned it. They are a great group of kids, a real special group.”
Cunningham, with lone senior Isaiah Reed, finished 9-1 and enjoyed its best season since a state runner-up in 1975. Wildcat sophomore quarterback Luke McGuire, a first team all-state defensive player, hurt his ankle early in the contest. McGuire missed some time and did return but was significantly limited. Coach Lance McGuire, Luke’s father, said his son “was kind of a shell” of what he can be.
“When you take a puzzle piece out, then it kind of puts a lot on everybody else, and so we just kept trooping him out there hoping, and we had a couple of plays, but not enough,” coach McGuire said. “We never really sustained much for drives.”
Multiple players, coaches and media believed it would be a close, high-scoring contest. After a Natoma punt to start the game, Cunningham had a seven-yard touchdown run by McGuire negated because of penalty. Cunningham eventually turned the ball over on downs at the Tiger seven. Two long passes, one each by Martinez and Bright, set up a four-yard score from Martinez for a 6-0 lead.
The 5-foot-9, 217-pound Martinez continually used his physicality and bowled over Cunningham players on multiple occasions. Then, the Wildcats, who struggled with drops, drove down to the Natoma five-yard line, but could not score. Natoma delivered stout red zone defense throughout the playoffs.
Throughout the week, Natoma significantly worked on defense. Generally, George mirrored either McGuire or junior Trey DeWeese, Cunningham’s two quarterbacks. Juniors Javon Letsch and Jared Griffin, both 6-foot-2, played well in pass coverage against the Wildcats’ spread offense. Often, the center was the only lineman with the quarterback taking the snap six yards back. Masters said George executed the game plan “perfectly.” Cunningham never scored in the red zone all game.
“The boys love playing that red zone defense,” Masters said. “It’s one of their favorite places to play defense. I mean, all night, it was defense.”
On the next series, McGuire hurt his ankle on a Martinez run. Cunningham tied the game at six on a 44-yard interception return for a score by junior Lane Halderson on the final play of the first quarter.
“They are as physical as they could be,” coach McGuire said. “Obviously with the running back, we hit him three or four times. So us not tackling, turning the ball over, penalties obviously added momentum to them, helped them out in every way possible. You can’t not do that to a team like that. We knew coming in we’d have to play real clean, tackle well. We did not do that.”
With 5 minutes, 23 seconds left in the first half, Cunningham nearly tackled Martinez on a short dive play. He pitched out to Frye, who went around left end for a 10-yard touchdown. Natoma led 12-6. On the sideline, Masters turned to assistant coach Broeckelman and joked, “just how we drew it up.”
“I turned around, and I saw he wasn’t going anywhere, so I said, ‘Kayden, Kayden,’ and he pitched me the ball,” Frye said. “I took off.”
On Natoma’s next drive, Bright fumbled. The ball popped straight in the air to George. He caught it and raced 45 yards for a touchdown for a 20-6 advantage.
“The plan was I going to take off, and then I’d seen a couple people, so I cut in, and I just got hit by like three different people, and the ball just went loose,” Bright said. “And Derek George saved me.”
“I felt bad when it first happened because I let a block slip,” George added. “…I was in the right spot at the right time.”
Three plays later, Letsch picked DeWeese and returned to the Cunningham five-yard line. George scored on the next snap for a 26-6 lead. Cunningham missed on fourth down from its own 30. Martinez followed with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Letsch for a 32-6 margin at halftime.
On the first drive of the second half, Martinez went 42 yards for a touchdown. Then, George recovered a fumble. That yielded a 35-yard scoring run by Martinez and a 46-6 lead.
“I just love watching all of them,” Masters said. “I can’t single one of them out, because they all give it their 100 percent every single down. It’s a lot of fun, and they are so coachable. Like I trust them 100 percent, and I can tell that they trust me too, and that’s the best team format that you can have, 100 percent trust in each other. Together we can do anything.”
Halderson caught a 53-yard scoring pass for Cunningham, before Martinez tallied a 26-yard TD run. Letsch then picked another pass at the Natoma six-yard line to set up the last drive and celebration.
In one of the night’s final photos, George climbed atop a standard a few yards from the Jumbotron and goal post. He held the Wild West Bowl trophy and wore a big smile. All of the family members gathered in front. George knew his grandfather was proud.
“I just wish he would have been here to see all of this, but I know he’s watching it from up above,” George said.
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