Warriors get bye; Trojans get home game
Staff writers
The Trojans will be hosts for their Week 9 playoff game while Peabody-Burns will have a bye before next week’s regional round Tuesday.
Marion and Goessel will hit the road Friday for their Week 9 playoff games. Centre’s season has ended.
Hillsboro
The Trojans decisively won 38-14 on the road Friday night against Smokey Valley.
Quarterback Zayne Haslett rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Jesiah Gooch rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns.
“We’re proud of how the team finished the regular season,” coach Demetrius Cox said.
For Week 9 playoffs, Hillsboro (5-3) will be host to Ellsworth (5-3), a team the Trojans beat 54-32 earlier this season.
“Ellsworth is a solid team, and we had success against them earlier,” Cox said. “Going up 48-13 to start the fourth quarter, we let up defensively in the final minutes, and both teams put up a lot of points.
“We know every game is different, especially in the playoffs, so this week our focus is on fundamentals, reviewing film to see where we can improve, and maintaining our intensity for all four quarters.
“We respect what Ellsworth brings to the field, aren’t taking anything for granted, and are preparing hard for a tough postseason matchup.”
Marion
The Warriors won 14-7 on the road Friday against Valley Heights to finish their regular season.
Marion (6-2) is ranked as the No. 9 seed heading into Week 9 playoffs.
The Warriors will travel Friday to Salina to play Sacred Heart (5-3).
Peabody-Burns
Altoona-Midway forfeited Friday against Peabody-Burns giving the Warriors a six-game winning streak to end their regular season.
“It is definitely becoming a struggle to keep the guys engaged when we have only played one game in the last four weeks,” coach Eric Dutton said. “Practices have been modified to help keep spirits up but still getting the work done that we are needing to get in.”
The Warriors will be on ice again this Friday with a Week 9 bye in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
They are scheduled for a regional playoff game Tuesday at Peabody. Their opponent, Southern Coffey County (1-7), also has a bye Friday.
“This week will be spent working on fine tuning the offensive side of the game,” Dutton said. “With a Tuesday game, we will hold weekend practices in order to be prepared.”
Goessel
Goessel faced Canton-Galva on a misty Friday evening for its last district football game.
The Eagles scored on their first possession. After several punts, the Bluebirds advanced to the eight-yard line, but the Eagle defense prevented a score.
Early in the second quarter, Brayton Base found Trey Gaddis open for short yardage that turned into a 52-yard touchdown, making the score 8-6.
Claudio Flores III intercepted an Eagle pass, and Wyatt Sommerfeld caught a pass for 27 yards, but the Eagles snuffed the drive with an interception that was returned 56 yards for another touchdown.
The Bluebirds were the first to score in the second half on an eight-yard pass from Base to Gaddis, 20-12. But Canton-Galva was quick to respond with a long pass play, pushing the Eagles’ lead to 26-12.
Sommerfeld recovered two Eagle fumbles. The second resulted in good field position for the Bluebirds. Goessel’s drive ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Gaddis in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles scored again, and Goessel threatened late in the game, but the Bluebirds’ possession was cut short by an interception that sealed the 34-18 victory for Canton-Galva.
Goessel (1-7) will play again Friday.
Centre
The Cougars’ season came to a close Friday, losing 16-6 at home against Hartford.
Centre needed a victory to advance into Week 9 playoffs.
Despite missing the playoffs, Centre ended its season improved from last year and is looking to improve even more next year.