Ark City – Top Performers on the way to state
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ARKANSAS CITY — Ask yourself, did you expect the Arkansas City High School football team to make it this far to the Class 4A State Championship? Don’t worry. Nobody else did either. The Bulldogs have been the underdog after finishing…
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Continue ReadingARKANSAS CITY — Ask yourself, did you expect the Arkansas City High School football team to make it this far to the Class 4A State Championship? Don’t worry. Nobody else did either. The Bulldogs have been the underdog after finishing the regular season with a 2-6 record. Since the playoff started, they went on a winning spree as the 10th seed. The Bulldogs snuck their way into the finals by taking out teams like Andover Central, Wamego and McPherson. Their biggest win was McPherson High School last Friday’s semifinal in a stunning fashion. The Bulldogs were down 27-14 late in the third quarter. It almost looked as if McPherson was going to run away with the win. However, Ark.City didn’t stay down for long. The Bulldogs quickly scored 14 unanswered by the end of the third. The defense finished the job with two takeaways to shock the home crowd of McPherson. For the first time in 36 years, the Bulldogs are heading to the state championship, where they will face St. James Academy at the HCC-Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson on Friday at 1 p.m.
Top Performers
Gabe Welch
Gabe
Welch
6'2" | 195 lbs | QB
Arkansas City | 2023
State
KS
Welch was solid at quarterback. He would finish the night, completing 13 of his 22 passes for 97 yards. Early on as he recorded two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, which kept the Bulldogs in the game as they tied 14-14. Welch, a sophomore, was the perfect game manager the whole game. It is not easy to lead the team against a strong McPherson defense, but Welch, using his mobility to extend plays and find his open targets, was a difference-maker for Ark. City.
Wyatt Bahm
The running game was almost non-existent for the Bulldogs. But that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs stopped running the football. Bahm had only five yards in the first half. He finished the night with 134 yards and two touchdowns the rest of the night. The highlight of his performance was a 56-yard touchdown run with less than a minute left in the third quarter, which resulted in Ark. City capturing their first lead. Bahm, who is only a sophomore, showed he not only can break tackles but also has breakaway speed. He was no doubt the player of the game the way he helped bring the team back to an upset win over the Bullpups.
Wyatt Bahm burst with a huge run for a 56 yards. Ark City captures its first lead after trailing 27-14. Can McPherson respond?
Ark City 28
McPherson 27
3rd 25 secs left pic.twitter.com/g6cDLGpM73— Peter Holland Jr (@_Da_pistol) November 21, 2020
Maximus Shannon
With a name like Maximus Shannon, you ought to be in fear. For this senior, that’s who he was. Shannon passes the look test as he entered the season at 6-foot 280 pounds and one of the leaders of the Bulldogs front. Shannon is the ultimate run stopper. With a wrestling background, of course, he brings physicality and the usage of his hands. Putting all that together, he has a chance to play at the next level if giving the opportunity.
Devon Watkins
Watkins made the biggest play of the night when he grabbed the game-winning interception. Watkins was in the right place at the right time as he stayed in center field, reading the eyes of McPherson’s starting quarterback Dylan Rinker. Once the ball was in the air, it landed right in the spot where Watkins needed to be despite it being overly crowded.
Ark City is going to State!!!!!!!!!!
Devon Watkins with the game-winning INT. @arkcityfootball stuns Mac.
The Bulldogs punches thekr tickets to state for the first time in 36 years, while McPherson, four years in a row has fallen short. Great game!
Final
Ark City 28
McPherson 27 pic.twitter.com/Uvo3GCs2i6— Peter Holland Jr (@_Da_pistol) November 21, 2020
Caden Clark
It was fourth down for McPherson with 1:46 second left in the fourth quarter, and Ark. City was up 28-27. The Bulldogs made an interception play. Who made the catch? It was Caden Clark. Clark has been impactful for the Bulldogs on both sides of the field. Offensively, he leads the Bulldogs with 52 catches for 462 yards and one touchdown. On Friday, Clark led the Bulldogs with five catches for 69 yards. As a sophomore, he is one of Ark. City’s dependable players to make plays in the heat of the moment.