ANTHONY GORGES
Hutch Post
MAIZE, Kan. — 80 yards all the way to the end zone. That’s how this game began. Hutchinson senior running back Brodie McCuan took the first offensive play of the game all the way to the end zone for an 80-yard rushing touchdown. It was the first of four touchdowns for McCuan on his big night.
Following the opening-play touchdown, Maize South went three-and-out.
After both offenses stuttered, the Salthawks marched into the red zone. This time, junior quarterback Davin Morgan was intercepted in the end zone. The Mavericks returned the ball out of the end zone to the 4-yard line on the interception and were backed up deep in their own territory. On the very next play, a holding penalty was called in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Hutch led 9-0 midway through the second quarter.
The Salthawk defense was a brick wall on Friday night, forcing three turnovers and several crucial stops on third and fourth downs. Hutchinson scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in a Wildcat formation, with McCuan pounding his way into the end zone right before halftime. The Salthawks led 16-0 at the break.
The second half featured more dominance from McCuan and the Hutch defense. McCuan had a 5-yard rushing touchdown to give Hutch a 23-0 lead in the third quarter. Then, Maize South got on the scoreboard. Its third-string freshman quarterback, Ridge Cahoone, connected with senior wide receiver Stratten Ebers for a touchdown, and a two-point conversion was successful.
McCuan again had an answer. He took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards back to the house for the first special teams touchdown of the year. Hutchinson went for two and converted. The Salthawks won 31-8 and improved to 2-5 on the year.
“Really proud of my guys and how we responded,” Hutchinson High School football coach Luke Berblinger said in his postgame radio interview on KWBW Radio. “We had a really good game plan, and Brodie ran really hard and did a great job tonight.”
Berblinger picked up his second win of his head coaching career on Friday night.
Hutchinson (2-5) visits Valley Center (2-5) next Friday night to wrap up the regular season. As always, you can hear the game on KWBW Radio at 98.5 FM and 1450 AM.