HUTCHINSON - This one ended up being all it was built up to be.
Scott City quarterback Brett O’Neil hit tight end Drew Kite on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 46 seconds remaining to propel the Beavers to a 28-21 win over Silver Lake and claim the school’s first state football championship since back-to-back 4A titles in 1990 and 1991.
The Beavers rallied from 21 points down at windy Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson and overcame the type of adversity that seems to go along with being crowned champions.
First there was senior running back Dalton Buehler, who had amassed 1,886 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns this season, but had suffered an ankle injury in last week’s win over Beloit. Buehler was limited to just four carries for 12 yards on Saturday and didn’t return after the first quarter.
There was senior quarterback Brett O’Neil who became ill early Saturday morning and it was uncertain how effective he would be if he played.
Then came a nightmarish first quarter where Silver Lake jumped out to a 14-0 lead after a pair of 21-yard touchdown drives.
The game’s initial possession resulted in a Scott City punt into a stiff wind that landed at the line of scrimmage. Silver Lake’s Pete Pfannenstiel rushed in from 9-yards out a few plays later to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, two Scott City returners collided trying to catch the ball backing the Beavers up at their own 3-yard line. A second punt into the wind resulted in another short field for Silver Lake, and quarterback Dailin Kruger raced around the left side to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead.
Scott City then mounted a long drive down to the Silver Lake 8-yard line, but on third-and-six, Dawson DeShazo sacked O’Neil back at the 20-yard line. O’Neil’s fourth down pass fell incomplete and Silver Lake took over on downs. It would be the first of four Scott City drives deep into Silver Lake territory that would result without points.
After a short Silver Lake punt into the wind, Scott City appeared in business at the Eagle 35, but O’Neil’s pass was intercepted by DeShazo from his defensive end position. Silver Lake turned that turnover into points a Kruger hit Evan Burdiek on a long pass play to the Scott City 4-yard line, and Blake Baird capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to put Silver Lake up 21-0 with just 33 seconds remaining in the half.
Scott City would answer right back as O’Neil hit Tyler Hess on a long pass behind coverage to the Silver Lake 23-yard line. Two incompletions later, O’Neil hit his brother Trey on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 4.9 seconds remaining in the half to pull Scott City within 21-7 and give the Beavers life.
Scott City’s initial possession of the third quarter ended in an interception at the Silver Lake 5-yard line, but Hess quickly returned the favor for the Beavers’ picking off Kruger and returning it to the Silver Lake 11. O’Neil scored on a bootleg from on the next play to pull the Beavers within 21-14 with 4:47 in the third quarter.
Hess said that despite the first-half deficit the Beavers felt like they were in the game.
“At halftime we were behind two touchdowns. Coach O’Neil, all he could say was ‘we just need one more touchdown and we’re right back in this game. One more touchdown, we’re one play away. We’re two plays away from winning this game.’”
After a Silver Lake punt, Brett O’Neil tossed a lateral to his brother Trey, who hit tight end Drew Kite wide open in the secondary. Kite raced to the Silver Lake 23-yard line before Pfannenstiel made a touchdown saving tackle for the Eagles. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Brett scrambled to the Silver Lake 1-yard line.
On the next play, Brenner Wells was stopped short of the goal line and the next thing that the Gowans Stadium crowd saw was Silver Lake’s Ryan Matzke racing 99 yards down the Scott City sideline for a game-changing touchdown.
So it seemed.
After a delay, the officials ruled that Wells was down at the 1-yard line even though a whistle never sounded to stop the play.
Scott City retained possession and momentum, but two plays later Silver Lake linebacker Brock Swartz stuffed Alex Kough for a 2-yard loss on fourth and goal.
Field position continued to hamper the Silver Lake’s offense. Scott City again drove into Eagle territory after a punt, but Chayse Saia intercepted O’Neil at the 10-yard line on a fourth-and-18 pass.
The Eagles, clinging to a 21-14 lead with 6:04 remaining between them and an eighth state title, could not move the ball against an inspired Beaver defense.
The play of the game came when Scott City’s Wyatt Eitel blocked Burdiek’s punt setting up the Beavers at the Silver Lake 6-yard line. Wells powered into the end zone on the next play to tie the game at 21 with 4:59 remaining.
On the first play of the Eagles ensuing possession, Wells intercepted Kruger giving Scott City the ball back around midfield.
On fourth-and-1 at the Silver Lake 43, O’Neil hit Wells for a 14-yard gain to the Eagle 29. Then on fourth and 12 at the Silver Lake 31-yard line, O’Neil hit Hess for a first and goal at the Silver Lake 8-yard line with just 1:04 remaining.
This time, Scott City would capitalize as O’Neil hit Kite for the winning 8-yard touchdown with 46 seconds left.
Hess quickly put an end to Silver Lake’s hopes of a final game-tying drive as he intercepted Kruger to seal Scott City’s fourth state football championship.
Despite his illness, O’Neil threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another.
“We’ve been fighting all year”, the senior quarterback said. “We got behind early versus Beloit last week and we didn’t give up there and we came back here. Silver Lake’s a good team but we battled back strong and got the win.”
Hess stared for the Beavers catching five passes for 119 yards and grabbed two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball that was lights out in the second half.
“Especially with DB (Dalton Buehler) out, we knew our offense was going to take a hit with DB out and with Brett going out we knew we were going to have to step it up on defense”, Hess said. “We knew we couldn’t let them score too many points because we didn’t have too many weapons to use against them.”
“I just can’t believe it, you know, I just can’t believe it’s over. It’s been a great ride.”
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