HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawks wrapped up their regular season in impressive fashion Friday night at Gowans Stadium, defeating the Maize South Mavericks 47-28 to secure a home playoff game in next week’s Class 5A postseason.
With the win, Hutchinson (6-2) moved up to the No. 4 seed in the 5A West standings and will host Emporia (2-6), the 13 seed, next Friday night at Gowans Stadium.
The Salthawks wasted little time getting on the board as quarterback Robert Hunter connected with Jeramya Gaitho-Karanu on a 22-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter to make it 7-0. Hutchinson then took advantage of several Maize South turnovers in the second quarter, exploding for three touchdowns to take a commanding 27-0 halftime lead.
The highlight of the first half came early in the second quarter when Hunter broke free on a 91-yard touchdown run, electrifying the Gowans crowd. Gaitho-Karanu and Karmelo Green each added scores as Hutch dominated both sides of the ball.
The Salthawks’ defense joined in on the action in the third quarter when Kam Wilson intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. Both teams traded touchdowns in the period, and Hutchinson carried a 40-14 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Maize South quarterback Reign Illian led a late charge, throwing two touchdown passes in the final minutes to trim the lead to 40-28. But Green’s 6-yard scoring run with 2:36 remaining sealed the win and locked down the crucial home playoff berth for Hutch.
Hunter finished the night with two touchdown passes and one rushing score, setting a new single-season school record with 15 touchdown passes. Lamar Govain caught his eighth touchdown of the year, helping Hutchinson rack up 462 yards on 59 offensive plays.
The victory also allowed Hutchinson to edge Hays in the point-differential tiebreaker, as four teams in the 5A West — Hutchinson, Hays, Andover, and Liberal — all finished 6-2. Great Bend earned the top seed at 8-0, followed by Salina Central (7-1) and Andover (6-2) is the 3 seed in the West. Basehor-Linwood locked up the top seed in the East with an undefeated season at 8-0. Defending Champ St. Thomas Aquinas os the to seed going 7-1. Aquinas will host KC Turner on Thursday, October 30th in Overland Park, Kansas.
The Salthawks are in the same bracket as Hays and Goddard Eisenhower, setting up the possibility of a rematch with Hays in the regional round if both advance.
Meanwhile, Maize South (3-5) heads to Goddard to take on the No. 7-seeded Lions in their playoff opener.
Hutchinson will host Emporia next Friday night at Gowans Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., with live coverage on KWBW Radio and HutchPost.com.