HOXIE – Hoxie senior Latham Schwarz has viewed some of scores from eight-man football on the state’s eastern side. In Schwarz’s eyes, Hoxie has taken a different approach to winning.
“We love defense, yeah, that’s our deal,” Schwarz said. “A lot of eastern Kansas close games are 60-56, stuff like that. Out here we like nothing, nothing.”
Hoxie shut out its first three opponents before the Indians delivered a 22-6 home win against Atwood-Rawlins County on Friday. Hoxie moved to 4-0, 1-0 in Eight-Man, Division I, District 8 play, and Atwood dropped to 3-1, 1-1.
“I told our guys before the game, we come out here, play disciplined,” Hoxie coach Lance Baar said. “Do all the things that us coaches tell you to do, but play with heart, passion and great emotion, and they did that tonight, and I think that’s what won the game for us.”
Both teams still have to play at St. Francis, ranked No. 1 in the classification, in district. Hoxie travels to St. Francis (4-0, 2-0) next week, with Atwood the following week.
Last year, Hoxie went 6-3 with losses to Wallace County, Atwood and St. Francis.
The Indians have avenged the first two of those defeats the last two weeks. Hoxie ranks first in Division I scoring defense this year. St. Francis is tied for second at 12 points permitted. The Indians allowed 88 points through the first four games in ’16.
“We are definitely going for this third one,” Schwarz said.
Hoxie forced four turnovers, finished plus-1 in turnover margin and had 11 tackles for loss against Atwood’s experienced team that includes senior quarterback Maverick Green. The Buffs outgained Hoxie 258-226 but had just 89 yards at halftime.
Hoxie’s defense continually contained Atwood in the red zone, and the Buffs had one touchdown nullified because of penalty. The elusive Green finished with 26 carries for 131 yards, and completed 7 of 20 passes for 87 yards and two interceptions.
“The game of football is like the game of life sometimes,” Atwood coach Matt Smith said. “Sometimes it bounces your way, and sometimes it doesn’t. Tonight, it just bounced their way, and it didn’t ours. (Hoxie) did fine. We had our opportunities.”
The Indians are led by their veteran group and massive defensive line that includes Oakley senior transfer Chris Cox. He played on standout Plainsmen defenses his freshman and sophomore years, a unit that was called “the black hole.”
“I think Hoxie is a new black hole in the western Kansas, in my opinion,” Cox said. “We do such a great job of flowing. We have so many seniors out there busting their butts.”
The 5-foot-10, 233-pound Cox finished with 3.5 tackles for loss, including three sacks. Offensively, Cox served as fullback and opened holes for Schwarz, who tallied 29 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Cox recorded five carries for 13 rushing yards, including the game’s final score on a one-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
“He is a leader, he is a motivational leader,” junior Jarrod Dible said. “He shows so much emotion for us, he pumps us all up. It’s amazing. That’s something we needed.”
Dible had 3.5 TFLs and recovered a fumble. Junior Taye Washington (6-5, 335) recorded two TFLs, including a sack, and forced a fumble. Junior Colton Heskett finished with a pair of TFLs.
“We have Taye Washington, the biggest kid, the biggest lineman that you are going to see, busting his butt,” Cox said. “He knows his role, and he is doing the best that he can. You have Dible at end, and you have Heskett at end – all-state if they keep it up, in my opinion. Just a great defense.”
In the first quarter, Hoxie had three fumbles (one lost) and threw an interception at the Buffs’ 2-yard line to Green. He returned the ball to the Hoxie 37-yard line. Senior Braden Leitner scored from 27 yards out for a 6-0 lead at the 2 minute, 44 second mark.
Late in the first quarter, Hoxie senior Troyal Burris, a four-year starter at punter, delivered a 44-yard punt that Schwarz downed at the 1-yard line.
“Troyal is a heck of a punter,” Schwarz said. “He is really good, he has gotten good at aiming. He has been that good since he was a freshman, and we do it in practice everyday, and I knew that he could get it down there, and I just hauled, got down there as fast as I could.”
Hoxie forced Atwood to punt from its own eight. During the week, Baar had the Indians practice a blocked punt three times. It worked each occasion.
Baar didn’t want to try the block on Atwood’s first punt, but he called for it on the second punt. Schwarz came through and blocked it out of the end zone for a safety and cut the deficit to 6-2 with 10:35 remaining in the first half.
“We had a high snap, and that’s where it started,” Smith said.
After the free kick, Schwarz scored on the first offensive play on a 65-yard touchdown run for a 10-6 advantage.
“I am not the fastest running back in the world, but I guarantee you I will try as hard as I can to get to the end zone, that’s what that was,” he said. “That was a guts run, just fought all the way down there.”
He broke multiple tackles and had a spin move. With 2:47 left in the first half, Schwarz tacked on a 1-yard run for a 16-6 lead.
“As he showed on that run after the safety, he broke like four tackles, five tackles,” Dible said. “He was running backwards for five yards, and he still scored. I don’t know how he did it, but that’s just amazing.”
Within the next minute, senior Taylor Burris intercepted Green at the Hoxie 16-yard line.
“We knew we were giving up size,” Smith said. “We stuck to our keys. Our defense played well. We really did, take away from big plays. That’s what eight-man football is, that’s what high school football is, it’s a game of a couple big plays, and that’s the difference. They made big plays, and we didn’t.”
The Buffs opened the second half, and on its third play, Green found Leitner for 49 yards, but Taylor Burris delivered the touchdown-saving tackle. The drive eventually produced no points after Washington sacked Green on third down. Green threw an incomplete pass on fourth.
“We have really bonded this year compared to last year, came together and just decided we are going to lock down, and shut everybody down,” Schwarz said.
On its next possession, Atwood moved to the Hoxie 5. Green threw a touchdown pass that was called back because of a holding penalty. Early in the fourth quarter, Hoxie threw an interception to Leitner. He then fumbled and Taylor Burris recovered. The Indians took over at their own 13.
“They were huge,” Schwarz said. “Taylor and his brother, if anything, they are the hardest working guys on the field most of the time. They go all out, whole game, they make all those hustle plays, that’s what those are, just hustle plays, outworking the man in front of you.”
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