Submitted
The Hays High boys’ soccer team struck as often as the lightning that delayed the game about two hours Thursday night, blanking Garden City 5-0 at the Indians’ home field.
It was Hays High’s first win over the Western Athletic Conference foe Buffaloes since 2024 and raisied the Indians’ record to 6-2-1 overall, 2-1 WAC.
In a season where weather has changed the starting - or ending - time of a game four times, the Indians are enjoying their best start to a season for this year’s seniors.
Senior Ivan Maldonado scored a hat trick for the third game this season to lead the offense against Garden City, while classmate Cedric Durr kept the Buffaloes out of the goal all night long for his second clean sheet of the season.
A goal by senior Ethan Branaman, along with three of Maldonado’s goals, in the first half gave the Indians a 4-0 halftime lead.
Following the long lightning delay late in the second half, the Indians got their final goal on an own-goal by Garden City when the ball hit a Buffalo defender and went into the net.
Hays High will continue WAC action Oct. 1 when it travels to Liberal.