HUTCHINSON, Kan.—The Hutchinson Salthawks defense was outstanding on Friday night playing most of the first half with their backs to their own goal line. But they bought enough time for the offense to get it together to come away with a 35-7 victory in the 1st round of the Class 5A football championship bracket.
Hutch jumped on Liberal with a 9 play, 55 yard drive ending with a Noah Khokhar 9 yard TD run to open the contest. Liberal, taking advantage of a Salthawk turnover with an Aidan Schwindt stip of a Kade Smith carry, took it back 67 yards before Hutchinson's Smith could run him down. Tristian Juarez took it in from 5 yards out to tie the game at 7-7 with 9:05 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Both teams struggled to hang on the ball in the first half with Liberal coughing up the pigskin 2 times and loosing 1 as Hutchinson did the same with 2 fumbles and giving up 1.
The play that turned helped take momentum into the Salthawk locker room at the half was a defensive stop with just 14 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter. Liberal took a Brooks Kappelmann run down to the Hutchinson 1 yard line. Kapplemann ran the ball again, but fumbled the ball with ball on the play. Juarez jumped on the fumble, but Liberal was unable to get set up to attempt to spike the ball to set up one more play when time elapsed and everyone went to the locker room with the game knotted up at 7-7.
In the 3rd quarter, Hutchinson dominated with a Khokhar touchdown run of 10 yards, Devon Spiller took it in from 7 yards out and Zion Burgess scored the first of his two touchdowns on the night with a 10 yard bolt to the end zone to take control of the game going into the 4th quarter.
Burgess again scored in the final quarter on an stunning 55 yard quick opener with 9:05 remaining to make the final score 35-7.
Burgess had 113 yards on 13 carries to lead the Salthawks in rushing. Tristian Juarez capped off a good night running the ball for Liberal with 90 yards on 18 carries.
Terrell King led Hutchinson with 11 tackles on the night.
Liberal's season ends with a 3-6 record. Hutchinson at 7-2 advances to host Bishop Carroll next week at home for a rematch of last years playoff game which Hutch lost in overtime to the Golden Eagles in Wichita.