Varsity football team continues winning streak with 39-3 defeat of Sacred Heart Knights

SALINA — The Bearcat varsity football team fought through rain and penalties to bring their record to 3-0 Friday as they traveled to Kansas Wesleyan University to compete against the Sacred Heart Knights.

“Our goal for the Sacred Heart game was to set the tone early,” said senior Brendan Anderson, who played offensive and defensive line.

And the Cats did exactly that. Stout defense kept Sacred Heart away from the end zone for the duration of the game.

After the Knights suffered a loss of yards multiple times, the Bearcats were able to take the ball and score with 7:45 left in the first quarter, bringing the score to 6-0.

The Cats scored again at the end of the first quarter after a 21-yard touchdown reception by senior Cole Webber. After a successful 2-point conversion, the score was 14-0, Bearcats.

“We did not play the cleanest game when it came to penalties,” Head Coach Josh Homolka said. “Despite that, we fought and put points on the board. Fighting through adversity like that can only be beneficial.”

The Knights battled but weren’t able to push through the Bearcats’ defense. During the second quarter, Sacred Heart kicked a 35-yard field goal to put points on the board.

With the score 14-3 and the Knights inching closer to the end zone, sophomore Tucker Goss caught an interception. Not long after, senior Loden West rushed a 4-yard touchdown. The extra point was good and brought the score to 21-3.

“The goal was to play at our level and not (Sacred Heart’s),” West said, “and to go in and get to business.”

At the end of the second quarter, senior Will Cravens scored on a quarterback keeper. With the score 27-3, the Bearcats had a solid lead at halftime.

Twenty-nine seconds into the third quarter, senior Layton Leiker scored a touchdown reception and brought the Cats to a 30-point lead.

Anderson described his teammate’s touchdown as his favorite part of the game.

“We didn’t play our best in the first half, so we knew we had to go back out in the second half and reset the tone and we did,” he said.

Cravens scored another quarterback keeper in the third quarter. The game ended 39-3 for another win for the Bearcats.

Tomorrow the Cats will be back in action against the Hillsboro Trojans on the road.

“Fighting through adversity like that can only be beneficial.”

Josh Homolka Head Coach