Sectional Update: Andale, Derby Dictate Early to Advance

Wade Cargile November 16, 2024 @ 04:52 AM

It was another wild night in post-season play and we're not talking exclusively about the fallout from last night's gridiron action.   Anticipating a "Clash of the Titans" game between #1-ranked Andale and defending state champion Cheney, my trusty spotters and I loaded up and drove the short distance to Andale to catch what we hoped would be an epic matchup.   Unfortunately, the only thing epic about the matchup was just how dominating the Indians were, as they picked up some measure of revenge with a 52-14 thrashing of the Cardinals.   The Indian running attack was an overwhelming machine on the night, as they shifted gears into overdrive for the playoffs by grinding out 400+ yards on the ground.   Dual-threat junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1236247' first='Sam' last='Harp'], 5'10, 185, QB '26, played a hot hand all night, scoring three touchdowns and piling up 237 yards. Brother [player_tooltip player_id='285710' first='Landon' last='Harp'], 5'11, 200, RB/DB '25, added 82 yards and a pair of scores to give the Harp brothers a 318-yard, five-TD performance.   Two-way, multi-positional star [player_tooltip player_id='1115494' first='Cooper' last='Marx'] 6'1, 225, RB/LB '25, also scored early and helped shut down the Cheney offense right out of the gate.   It was an insane atmosphere for a high school playoff game and the pride and tradition seen from both schools was impressive, but with seven minutes left in the half it was already 36-7, so we decided to throw caution to the wind and see if we could shoe-horn in another playoff game that night.   Checking our meagre options as we speed-walked to the parking lot, it was decided to make a bee-line of sorts to Derby and hopefully catch some high-end second-half action against a dangerous Wichita East squad.   Hope springs eternal...   And, while I would not recommend this option to any of the kids in the audience, it was an exhilarating romp down dark, country roads as we utilized known and unknown shortcuts, hit all the lights but one, and never saw the long arm of the law along the way; as we somehow dramatically compressed a trip time that usually takes around 40 minutes in normal traffic.   We white-knuckled it last night in a blistering 23 minutes.   Rolling in too fast, we did the obligatory power slide into the Panther parking lot and jogged to the field to see if the action was still underway.   We got there in the second half, just in time to see standout senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='352451' first='Aiden' last='Heckathorn'], 6'2, 215, '25, roll to his right and fire an 18-yard strike to junior wideout, Rowan Foster, 6'1, 175, '26, who pulled in the pass and with a quick burst, negotiated the sideline briefly before cutting back against the grain and high-stepping into the endzone for Derby's last score of the game. It was 63-14 at the time.   Needless to say, there was not a lot of action after that.   Nonetheless, it was another energized playoff scene in Panther-land, as both teams were wildly supported. Many of the fans were still talking about how all-world athlete, [player_tooltip player_id='570288' first='DaSaahn' last='Brame'] 6'6, 235, '25, the Tennessee-commit, top-ranked player in Kansas and tallest punt return man in the land, was simply a man among boys for his electrifying play in the first half.   For East, senior stud wideout [player_tooltip player_id='1321239' first='Karlan' last='Ransom'], 6'1, 175, '25, continued his torrid pace this fall, scoring four times in a losing effort, as Derby eventually throttled East 63-28.   This sets up one of the most anticipated games of the year next week, when ultra-powerful Manhattan comes to town in a battle of the unbeaten 6A powerhouse programs.   In conclusion, there were a lot of surprising games in the sectionals and quite a few blow-out match up's. Next week some really good teams are going to find their seasons suddenly over, so get out and see these teams live while you still can. And, as always, if you know of any teams or players flying under the radar, give me a shout via DM on X.

It was another wild night in post-season play and we're not talking exclusively about the fallout from last night's gridiron action.