By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post
HUTCHINSON - Hays High continued their postseason road trips with a trek to Hutchinson on Friday night. Hays won 28-0 for their first victory over the Salthawks in four tries.
The Indians held on downs on the first offensive series of the game for Hutchinson. The Salthawks attempted a run on 4th and 2 but was stuffed at their own 35 yard line.
Holden Lind took the first offensive play for Hays 30 yards to the four yard line. Carter Graham finished of the remaining yards on the next to plays. A Carson Moore extra point made the score 7-0 three minutes in to the game.
Hays forced a punt after three plays. The Indians drove into the red zone but lost the ball on downs. Following a short put by Hutchinson on three plays the Indians found pay dirt again. Two plays into the drive Graham found Jarek Purdy 34 yards down the field for a touchdown. Moore tacked on the extra point for a 14-0 advantage with :51 left in the first quarter.
Hutchinson possessed the football for the next 7:33 but came away empty. They got as far as the Hays 13 yard line but threw an incomplete pass on fourth down. Neither team could do anything with the football for the remainder of the first half for the halftime score of 14-0 in favor of the Indians.
Highlights
Hays kept up the same pressure in the second half. The Indians opened the half with the football turned 11 plays into six points. Ian McGuire broke threw tacklers on the way to a 43 yard scoring run on third down. Moore's extra point made the score 21-0 with 7:51 left in the third quarter.
The Indian defense continued to control the game. Hutchinson had five second half drives. They punted once and failed to convert on fourth down four times. One of the failed conversions came just four plays after Hays turned the ball over for the first and only time.
The Salthawks took over at the Indian 37 but managed one yard. The Indians final score came from the Hutchinson 17 yard line after another four down stop by the defense. This time Holden Lind found the end zone. Carson Moore's extra point made up the final score of 28-0.
Coach Tony Crough
Hays held Hutchinson to 121 yards of total offense, 105 of those on the ground. The Salthawks were averaging 334 total yards, 289 rushing.
Three of Hays scoring plays started in Hutchinson territory leaving the Indians to a total of 267 yards. Ian McGuire ran for 111 yards and has a totaled 1,356 on the season.
Hays grabs their third shutout of the season for the first time since 1999.
The Indians are 7-4 on the year and will play a 12th game in a single season for the second time in program history. It is the fourth trip to the semi-finals for the Indians' program. They will play Eisenhower in Goddard next Friday.
Hutchinson ends the year at 8-3.