NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
MAIZE, Kan. — The Hutchinson High School football team gave the best team thus far this season in the western half of the state everything it wanted Friday night in Maize, but came up just short 21-14.
Hutchinson's potential game-tying drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down in the Maize red zone in the game's final 10 seconds.
Hutchinson played ball control football about as well as it can be played prior to halftime, with a time-consuming 19-play, 74-yard, 10:20 drive that spanned the vast majority of the first quarter ending in a Nic Lange touchdown with 11:24 to go in the second. The Salthawks led 7-0 at that point.
Maize struck back with a long touchdown pass from Avery Johnson to Bryce Cohoon at 8:46 before halftime and it was 7-7 at that point.
Another successful Hutchinson drive spanned 80 yards, with a 60 yard Noah Khokhar sprint putting them in scoring position and a five-yard Devon Spiller touchdown run finishing off the drive at 5:20 before halftime to put Hutch up 14-7.
Hutch went for an onsides kick to try to keep the ball away from the Maize offense and got it, but were not able to convert and then the Eagles struck back with Johnson throwing again, this time to running back Daeshaun Carter with just seven seconds remaining in the half to tie the game at 14.
As it turned out, the only scoring of the second half happened after a Maize interception of a Nic Lange pass pinned the Eagles back at their own one. Johnson broke a play out to the 19 with his legs, then found pay dirt with his arm, throwing deep to Justin Stephens who took it to the house with 4:40 to go in the third to put Maize up 21-14.
The Eagles missed a potential game sealing field goal in the fourth quarter prior to Hutchinson's final drive.
Johnson was good enough, going 6 for 16 with 191 yards and three touchdown passes, but Hutch High's defense and ball control gave them a chance at the end.
Khokhar ran for 102 yards on 15 carries, mostly buoyed by the 60 yard run before halftime and Lange made big play after big play on the final drive to help get the Salthawks in position, with clutch catches by Kade Smith twice converting do or die fourth downs and Kellen O' Sullivan also snatching the ball when it had to be done on the final trip down the field, but a bone-crushing hit on the final fourth down play left the ball on the turf and Maize with the win.
The Eagles will host Hays in a state semifinal on Friday the 18th. Hutchinson ends its season at 8-3.