🏈 Defense leads Monarchs to first-round playoff win

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

LARNED - The TMP-Marian Monarchs defense held one of the best offenses in 2A in check Friday night in Larned on their way to a 22-0 victory in the opening round of the 2A playoffs.

For much of Friday night’s first half the Monarchs and Indians played to a scoreless tie.

The Monarchs had three offensive possessions in the first-half, two ended on punts and the third ended at the end of the first half.

Larned controlled the ball in the first-half and was able to move the ball a times, but they lost three first-half fumbles. The last two came within 33 seconds of the end of the first half.

The first fumble, by running back Luke Fischer, was punched out by Braxton Basgall and Griffin Schumacher picked it up and returned it 66-yards for the touchdown, the only score of the first half.

Adler Brown’s two-point conversion put TMP up 8-0 with 19 second left in the first-half.

Larned fumbled again with just seven second left in the half but TMP was unable to take advantage.

Larned outgained TMP 112 to 36 in total yards in the first-half, but TMP was able to reverse that in the second-half. The outgained the Indians 123 to 45 total yards.

Neither team was able to find the endzone in the third quarter but with just under two minutes left in the third TMP’s Evan Balthazor recorded his fourth sack of the season and his first of two in the game, for a safety putting TMP up 10-0 with 1:51 left in the third.

After the free kick, TMP’s Schumacher broke free on fourth and short for a 35-yard run that set the Monarchs up first and goal. Three plays later TMP’s Peyton Schwartz scored from a yard out to make it 16-0 TMP.

The Monarchs added one more fourth-quarter score on a Schumacher touchdown pass to Braxton Basgall from five yards out as the Monarchs clinch the 22-0 victory.

TMP held Larned, the number one rushing offense in 2A to just 115 rushing yards, their second worst game of the season.

Griffin Schumacher led all rushers in the game with 119 yards on 22 carriers.

TMP held Larned’s leading rusher Luke Fischer to just 46 yards. Just seven yards in the second half.

It’s the third shutout of the season for TMP, their most since 2021.

The Monarchs will travel to Norton next Friday night to take on the Bluejays in a rematch of a district game from three weeks ago, won by Norton 28-6.