In Week 4 of the 2021 season, a depleted Ashland squad that missed key skill players, Landen McPhail and Kale Harris, because of injury faced Cunningham. The Wildcats won, 72-24. Ashland coach Ben Fox noted the Wildcats’ kicking ability with specialist Dagim Reed and coach Lance McGuire. Cunningham eventually finished as six-man Wild West Bowl state runner-up, and Ashland earned third. Fox started to implement a kicking game.
“I think that’s what good coaching does is steal good ideas, and he’s a great coach,” Fox said.
This year, No. 1 Cunningham and No. 2 Ashland matched in the season opener Sept. 2, the first week of KSHSAA sanctioned six-man football. The marquee contest yielded a back-and-forth game. Ashland led in the second half before Cunningham eventually won, 38-30.
The teams were nearly equal. Cunningham outgained Ashland, 380-354. Ashland intercepted two passes as the Wildcats turned the ball over in scoring position. Ashland is known for its physical play. McGuire was pleased his Wildcats could match Ashland’s physicality.
“They would get a big play and pound-pound, big play, and then when we kind of locked in and played better,” McGuire said. “All of a sudden, it was a whole package deal, we stopped a big play, their grinding it out wasn’t as effective, and when we got the ball, we were clicking, hitting open receivers, making catches.”
Both coaches believed the difference came down to kicking, generally not the pivotal part of six-man football.
“Most teams do not kick,” McGuire said.
In six-man, a point after touchdown kick is worth two points. A run or pass conversion is one point. Cunningham has Reed, a returning first team all-state specialist. Reed made 39 of 44 extra points as a freshman and is 37 of 56 this season.
“Extra points were a big thing as well,” McGuire said. “I think we made all of our extra points, and I don’t think they made any.”
Ashland didn’t have its kicking game quite ready for Week 1. However, Ashland implemented the kicking game in Week 2. The Bluejays are 40 of 64 on extra points, including 35 of 55 from Landen McPhail. Fox called Ashland’s kicking a “game changer.”
“We learned a lot from that game and from that film and just from what they do, and we really took that,” Fox said. “We saw how powerful, hey if you can get it through the uprights.”
The eight-point margin easily marked the closest game for both teams. Cunningham and Ashland remained first and second in the rankings respectively all fall. Cunningham has 10 straight on-field wins by at least 42 points, including five shutouts.
Ashland has nine straight on-field victories, all by at least 22 points. Ashland leads six-man with 61.5 points a contest. Cunningham by far paces the classification with 6.6 points allowed a game, the best scoring defense since six-man was reinstated in 2016.
On Saturday, No. 1 Cunningham (11-0) faces No. 2 Ashland (9-1) at Dodge City’s Memorial Stadium for the inaugural KSHSAA six-man state championship. Start time is 1 p.m. Fox calls the game a “50/50” matchup, and McGuire also believes little separates the teams.
“Those eight (kicking) points made the difference,” Fox said. “That’s kind of what we expect again, it’s going to be back and forth, as long as both teams take care of the ball and limit turnovers and manage the turnover game, I just see it back and forth, some scoring, some big defensive stops on both sides, so I am excited for this one.”
Cunningham has no football titles and two all-time runner-up finishes, in ’75 and ’20. The Wildcats’ last state title in any athletic or academic activity was McGuire’s older daughter, Alayna, in 2019 oral poetry at state speech.
McGuire’s son, Luke, is a junior and returning first team all-state player at back/defensive back. Luke suffered injury early in the ’21 state game loss to Natoma. Cunningham’s lone titles in any sport/activity came in 1994 scholar’s bowl and 2008 boys’ track.
“We are expecting the same thing again, but it was one of the best games,” Fox said. “The start of the year, we weren’t in our best shape, we didn’t have everything that we wanted figured out offensively, defensively, and they fine-tuned their stuff too since then.”
Cunningham didn’t have its own football program from ’15-18. The Wildcats re-started and posted 1-7, 6-2, 9-1 and 12-0 records. Cunningham has three seniors: quarterback Trey DeWeese, end Lane Halderson and utility player Leo Hageman. After an undefeated eighth-grade year, DeWeese and Halderson are four-year starters. Cunningham has 9.1 yards per play.
DeWeese has completed 72 percent of his passes for 1,052 yards with 28 scores against five interceptions. Halderson is the top receiver with 29 catches for 534 yards and 11 scores and leading tackler with 60 stops. McGuire labeled Halderson a “game changer” on defense and able to outjump opponents for balls.
“I expect him to go sideline to sideline, and he gets there,” McGuire said.
McGuire remembered DeWeese was “heartbroken” after the one-win season and vowed to do better. DeWeese is a key basketball player and a state track qualifier in the 3,200-meter relay.
“He is a coach,” McGuire said. “You would want him coaching your own kid. Him and I go back and forth every game about what is going to work, what’s not going to work, what’s going to work better, and he is confident, and he is going to get the job done. If he tells you that it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.”
Ashland won football titles in ’76 and ’80 and was second in ’95. Ben and his brother, Giles, currently coach AHS football. They are former Bluejay standouts. Their dad, Bill, and uncle, Millard, played offensive line for the ’76 Ashland team that won a Class 1A 11-man state title. Bill, Millard and several stars from the state title squads reached out to the Foxes to offer encouragement and say “how proud they are.”
Ashland has been a perennial contender, including an eight-man state semifinal trip in 2010. The Bluejays are 35-8 (81 percent) in six-man under Fox, including a pair of third place finishes. It’s the best winning percentage for any six-man program in the last five seasons. This year’s team was highly experienced, though sophomore Lathan McPhail has been out for the season after six games.
Junior Britt Grigsby has thrown for 795 yards and 15 scores against one interception. Ashland has collectively 31 scores against one INT. Gus Hink and Trae Vera have led the offensive line. Fox noted Ashland has made “huge improvements” from the beginning of the year. Senior Nathan Lynn has played well on defense.
“Those guys have really committed to just paving the way for our backs,” Fox said. “Even our backs blocking for each other, they are just totally selfless on who cares who gets the stats, who cares who gets the yards, who gets the touchdowns, we are going to march it down together, try to put it across the goal line together and for each other, and not because anybody is chasing any stats and not because anybody is chasing anything personal. They have locked in as a team, and it’s amazing to see them play like that.”
Junior Landen McPhail has 113 carries for 1,227 yards and 24 scores. Junior Kale Harris, injured the last two seasons, has delivered a huge fall. He has 98 carries for 1,088 yards and 21 scores, along with 16 catches for seven TDs.
“He’s just as good blocking a guy as he is with a ball in his hand,” Fox said. “So just that versatility.”
Ashland delivers a remarkable 11.1 yards per play. In a 78-34 state semifinal win against Cheylin, Harris rushed 25 times for 275 yards and seven scores, along with 20 tackles.
“I count him as one of the top six-man players in the state,” McGuire said. “He is physical, he is fast, offense, defense, it doesn’t matter, that kid is always around the ball.”
Overall, Cunningham has 20 players. Luke McGuire has 567 passing yards, 526 rushing yards and 22 offensive scores, along with four interceptions. The defensive line features junior Jack Ruckle and sophomore Trent Schnittker.
“For us, it starts up front,” McGuire said. “And I do believe I have got talent at all three levels, but I know other coaches know this, my bigs up front, if you are going to run or throw, you have to make adjustments for them.”
After the Ashland win, Cunningham started rolling, including against several brand-new opponents. That included key victories against Tescott (42-0) in the regular season, and Wetmore (58-12) and Waverly (60-12) in the past two playoff rounds.
“Some coaches you could see had kind of an eight-man set of stuff, and some six-man stuff, and others just kind of still learning and growing and kind of I think learning week to week,” McGuire said.
However, McGuire believed the new schedule offered “too many unknowns” to look toward an Ashland rematch. Plus, consistent six-man powers Cheylin, Northern Valley and Ashland were on the west.
“On the west, knowing that Ashland was one of the pretty good teams, but I know the firepower that Cheylin and that Northern Valley had, so kind of unknowns on the east side,” McGuire said. “And knowing some of the bluebloods of six-man out west, I knew we both had good teams, but I didn’t know we would be here together for the championship game.”
Fox knew Cunningham was “the favorite in the state” and the “top dogs” but didn’t focus on a possible rematch. Ashland had key playoff games against Northern Valley and Cheylin in quarterfinals and semifinals. Ashland defeated Northern Valley by one point last season for third place. This time, the Bluejays defeated the injury-plagued Huskies, 68-20, before a 78-34 win against Cheylin.
“Then we could kind of start thinking about Cunningham, and it’s exciting,” Fox said. “If you can end the season with a chance at a get back game or a revenge game, who wouldn’t want that in a state championship game?”
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