HOISINGTON 24, HAVEN 14
HOISINGTON — Some day, the Hoisington Cardinals will tell the story when all the odds and weather were against them. Haven led 14-0 on a rainy, windswept 2A playoff night.
Haven's Grant Patry and Nash Wray scored touchdowns when the Wildcats converted prime field position into a 14-0 lead.
But Cardinal Jason Robinson rode to the rescue with a game-changing 15-yard touchdown dash right before halftime.
The Cardinals rallied for a shocking 24-14 playoff victory with 24 consecutive points.
The Cardinals set a school record with a pair of second-half safeties, one keyed by Preston Merlau. Robinson added a 2-yard touchdown and Teron Kraft iced the victory with a 2-yard touchdown run.
"When the guys sit around at their class reunion, they'll remember the outcome of this game. Our guys deserved a memorable night like this," said Hoisington coach Zach Baird. "I'm proud the way they came out second half. We pinned them deep. It's a story of two halves. We played harder. Our d-line was huge keeping their quarterback Nash Wray in the pocket. We got sacks."
The offensive line of Brady Reif, Exavier Chambers, Layton Hoffman, Colin Mater, Brody Corbett led the second-half surge.
Hoisington has qualified for the football quarterfinals 10 times. The Cardinals (6-4) will meet Southeast of Saline (10-0) for the third consecutive season after the teams split the past two years.
Haven (8-2) 7 7 0 0 — 14
Hoisington (6-4) 0 8 8 8 — 24
HAV—Grant Petry 22 run (Altvater kick); HAV—Nash Wray 1 run (Altvater kick); HOIS—Jason Robinson 15 run (Robinson run); HOIS—Safety (Brogan Wray runs out of endzone); HOIS—Robinson 2 run; HOIS—Safety (Preston Merlau tackle); HOIS—Teron Kraft 2 run
RUSHING—HAV—Vance Loop 11-62; Nash Wray 13-45; Grant Patry 10-61; HHS—Taylen Morales 13-85; Robinson 17-76; Peyton Merlau 14-54; Kraft 5-41; Rhen Galla 3-10; Kyler Dean Russell 2-7; C.J. Bryant 1-5;
PASSING—HAV—N. Wray 1-11-0,10; HHS—Galla 0-2-0.
2A QUARTERFINALS—Humboldt 10-0 vs. Council Grove 7-3; Osage City 10-0 vs. Nemaha Central 9-1; SE Saline 10-0 vs. Hoisington 6-4; Garden Plain 8-2 vs. Beloit 8-2
SECOND ROUND—Humboldt 64, Riverton 7; Council Grove 30, Silver Lake 8; Osage City 14, St. Marys 0; Nemaha Central 21, Sabetha 0; SE Saline 34, Norton 7; Hoisington 24, Haven 14; Garden Plain 28, Phillipsburg 6; Beloit 28, Halstead 0
2A FIRST ROUND—Humboldt 57, Atchison County 8; Riverton 40, Eureka 36; Council Grove 35, Caney Valley 14; Silver Lake 61, Galena 0; Osage City 76, Bluestem 6; St. Marys 49, Central Heights 0; Nemaha Central 55, Fredonia 13; Sabetha 16, Royal Valley 14; SE Saline 76, Larned 12; Norton 33, Hillsboro 22; Hoisington 28, Ellsworth 15; Haven 38, Cimarron 7; Garden Plain 48, Douglass 0; Phillipsburg 16, Kingman 6; Beloit 41, Minneapolis 14; Halstead 36, Lakin 6
