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SALINA – The Beloit Trojans knew there were two keys if they were to stop the Rossville Bulldawgs from capturing their fifth state title in eight seasons – and come away with their first in 25 years.
They had to slow down the vaunted Bulldawg offense and keep the game low-scoring.
They accomplished the former, but Rossville, which came in averaging almost 50 points per game, still found the end zone five times en route to a 35-12 victory in the Kansas Class 2A championship game at Salina USD 305 District Stadium.
With the victory, the Bulldawgs captured their second consecutive Class 2A title, and 26th straight victory.
“It felt good,” senior quarterback Torrey Horak said after the game. I’m just very happy. … We worked our butts off to get here and it really feels like we accomplished something.”
Horak, who entered the game with 1,112 yards and nine touchdowns through the air, threw for another 226 yards and three TDs in the title game. Horak demonstrated his knack for finding receivers open for big plays, as five of his 12 completions were for over 20 yards. Three of those long-distance strikes found a receiver in the end zone; the other two found a receiver deep in Beloit territory and set up a score on the very next play.
But it wasn’t just the Bulldawg offense that came ready to play. Rossville (13-0) forced the Trojans (9-4) into 3-and-out on their first two possessions.
And as soon as the Bulldawgs got the ball back on offense, Horak went to work, finding junior Kade Petrine for strikes of 18 and 25 on their their first drive before taking it in himself on a 4-yard scamper.
After stopping the Trojans on their second drive, it appeared Rossville might be stopped themselves. But on 3rd-and-1, Horak found junior Braiden Hensley wide open for a 43-yard strike and a 14-0 lead at the 5:32 mark of the first quarter.
But just when it looked like the defending state champions would run away with it, Beloit got its ball-control ground game going.
The Trojans went 80 yards on nine plays to cut the deficit to 14-6, primarily on the legs of junior halfback Logan Arasmith, the only one of the top three Beloit backs able to play in the title game. Junior Benson Berndt (broken ankle) and junior Brandon Hiserote (torn ligament) were not available for the game, forcing the Trojans to pass more than usual and rely on lesser-used backs to step up.
Arasmith would finish the game with 97 yards on 17 carries, and senior Tate Kodel would finish with 63 yards on 19 carries.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Trojans caught Rossville off guard with an onside kick, which the Bulldawgs fumbled and the Trojans recovered at the Rossville 35.
But Rossville’s defense quickly shut the door, stopping the Trojans cold at the 15 at the 5:38 mark of the second quarter. And 3:20 later, the Bulldawgs finished off a nine-play, 85-yard drive with a 3-yard run by senior Corey Carron to take a 21-6 lead into halftime.
Rossville’s quick-strike ability helped them take the two-score lead into halftime despite the fact Beloit controlled time of possession.
And in the second half, it was Rossville that played ball-control, as two time-consuming drives of 81 and 74 yards helped the Bulldawgs expand the lead to 35-6 with 3:56 left in the third quarter, putting the game away for good.
“It feels great,” senior Tagen Kippes said after the game. “From the first game of the season when we put up 38 points on Centralia, we knew there was going to be something special about this season.
Coach Derick Hammes’ Bulldawgs won that fifth title by executing their game plan.
“Everyone knows Beloit is going to run the football and they still can,” he said of his opponent before the game, not thinking for a second that key injuries would slow Beloit down much. “Winning first down and forcing third-and-long will be key.”
That’s exactly what the Bulldawg defense did, holding the Trojans to 177 yards on the ground on 47 carries (3.8 ypc) and 5-of-15 on third-down conversions.
Meanwhile, Rossville picked up 143 yards on 28 carries from three different players, and Horak spread the wealth through the air, completing 12 passes to six different receivers for 226 yards.
“We’re on top of the world right now,” a hoarse senior cornerback McGwyre Leathers said after the game. “Yeah, I’ve been yelling a lot; I feel great about everything.”
ROSSVILLE 35, BELOIT 12
Beloit (9-4): 6 – 0 – 0 – 6 |12
Rossville (13-0): 14 – 7 – 14 - 0 | 35
Scoring Summary:
First quarter:
8:42 | ROSS – Torrey Horak 4-yard run (Pedro Arantes kick), Rossville 7-0
5:32 | ROSS – Horak 43-yard pass to Braeden Hensley (Arantes kick), Rossville 14-0
1:45 | BEL – Owen Eilert 1-yard run (run failed), Rossville 14-6
Second quarter:
2:18 | ROSS – Corey Catron 3-yard run (Arantes kick), Rossville 21-6
Third quarter:
8:50 | ROSS – Horak 31-yard pass to Tagen Kippes (Arantes kick), Rossville 28-6
4:09 | ROSS – Horak 23-yard pass to Raphael Cooney (Arantes kick), Rossville 35-6
Fourth quarter:
7:11 | BEL – Eilert 1-yard run (pass failed), Rossville 35-12
TEAM STATISTICS
BELOIT ROSSVILLE
Rushing 47-174 35-139
Passing (Comp-Att-INT) 3-9-0 11-16-0
Passing Yards 55 234
Total yards 229 373
First Downs 12 18
Turnovers 1 1
Punts-Avg 2-24 1-40
Penalties 6-47 5-49
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:
RUSHING:
Beloit – Logan Arasmith 17-97; Tate Kadel 19-59; Braden Burks 4-15; Brennan Walker 3-8; Owen Eilert 3-(-5)
Rossville – Catron 19-63; Horak 9-33; Kaden Brown 7-43
PASSING:
Beloit – Owen Eilert 2-8-0-23; Quinn Eilert 1-1-0-34
Rossville – Horak 11-16-0-234
RECEIVING:
Beloit – Maddox Waters 3-55;
Rossville – Kade Perine 3-52; Brown 2-61; Kippes 2-35; Cooney 2-28; Hensley 1-43; Catron 1-5
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