SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
WICHITA, Kan. — The Buhler High School and McPherson High School football game will be played at Riverfront Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. in downtown Wichita.
The announcement of the game being played in the Air Capital came in July, but now three months later and the two rivals are set to square off under the lights tomorrow night.
"You know I think it provides a really cool opportunity for our kids, our coaches and our community," Buhler athletic director Justin Seuser said. "Obviously the Buhler and McPherson game is great regardless of where it is played, but I think this will be a pretty cool opportunity and memory that our kids will be able to hold onto and remember for a long long time."
Buhler head coach Steve Warner gives a lot of credit for the possibility to play at Riverfront Stadium to McPherson athletic director Shane Backus and head football coach Jace Pavlovich.
"I thought that was pretty special to be asked to play there," Warner said. "A bitter rivalry with talented communities that really are always competing, it's pretty special to be invited by McPherson to play there.
The game also means a lot to Warner and his team.
"The opportunity to play there for our kids, I think will be a memory that will last a lifetime," Warner said. "It's a beautiful setting, the jumbotron, the locker rooms are amazing, the facilities are amazing, I think it'll be a great experience for us."
When the two rivals get going under the lights at 7 p.m., there will be a lot to play for.
"The league title is on the line and we want to play well," Warner said. "They're very very aggressive on defense. They're not very big, they have kids going every direction. Our kids have got to be ready and basically do the things we love to do. If we have good fundamentals that will take care of a lot of things that they want to do."
Buhler comes into the regular season finale with a 6-1 record and ranked No. 5 in class 4A. The Crusaders have won six straight games after dropping its season opener to Andover Central, 20-14. Since then the Crusaders are averaging 41.5 points per game, while holding opponents to 14.6 points.
The Crusaders have the seventh highest scoring offense in class 4A going into the final game, while the scoring defense ranks seventh best, as well.
Buhler has gotten a majority of their offense done on the ground, rushing for 277.5 yards per game, fifth best in class 4A.
Crusaders quarterback Jeffrey Neill has thrown for over 650 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 315 yards and seven scores. Sophomore Ben Clouse has been the workhorse out of the backfield, going for 805 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Defensively, junior Brady Gotti has a team-high 41 tackles, junior Mitchel McDaniel and Brayden Gentry each have two interceptions.
The Crusaders rank ninth in total defense, allowing 259.3 yards per game, while holding opponents to just 102.3 yards on the ground, third best in 4A.
McPherson is 4-3 on the year entering the final regular season game. The Bullpups come into Thursdays game following a 28-10 win at Mulvane last Friday. The Pups found themselves down 10-0 in the first quarter before reeling off 28 unanswered points.
The longest winning streak of the season for McPherson this season has been two games with a week four and week five win over Towanda-Circle and Winfield.
The McPherson passing game runs through senior quarterback Owen Fetsch, while the ground game goes through juniors Carlos German and Isaac Barnett. The two juniors ran the ball 30 times last week for 141 and two touchdowns in the win over Mulvane.
McPherson offensively is tied for 18th in 4A with 24.7 points per game, while defensively allowing 18.6 points, 11th best in 4A. The Bullpups offense averages 280.4 yards per game, 19th in 4A, while the defense allows 250.1 yards, seventh in the class.
The Bullpups won last years meeting in Buhler, 49-6. The last win for the Crusaders came in 2021, a 42-30 win in Buhler, as well. McPherson has dominated the series since 2013, going 8-4, including two wins in the 2017 and 2020 seasons. The win in 2021 for the Crusaders ended a six-game Bullpup win streak.
Admission will cost adults $8 and $4 for students. General admission tickets are on sale now through the Wichita Wind Surge ticket office.