Holton Wildcats Football Team

Another storybook season for the Holton Wildcats who are one of the smaller schools in Class 4A by enrollment but that doesn't matter to the Wildcats as they proved they can take on all challengers yet again.

The Wildcats captured a perfect 14-0 season and the Class 4A state title with a 21-0 win over the Eudora Cardinals this past Saturday. Under the direction of Head Coach, Brooks Barta the Wildcats have won three state title's with the other two coming in 2003 and 2005.

Holton's playoff run looked to potentially be quite daunting at the start of the playoffs as they had the potential to play all the other top five teams in the rankings in Class 4A and it played out that way, but Holton pounded their way through the gaunlet in the playoffs with their rushing attack and shut down defense.

First the Wildcats took out Hesston in the first round with a 57-26 win, then the Wildcats shutout the #2 team in Wichita Collegiate on the road 28-0. Next up was the #3 team in Class 4A in McPherson and it would prove to be Holton's most daunting task of the season as a 65 yard TD pass from Jaxon Wright to Trent Tanking (was Tanking's only reception of the season) with a minute left to win the game. Holton then dispatched the #4 team in Mulvane in sub-state 28-6, then of course captured the state crown with their 21-0 win over Eudora.

Wildcats held Eudora to 140 total yards of offense in defensive battle in the Class 4A state championship, while pitching their fourth shutout of the year. Holton only ran for 218 total yards, well below their season average of 400 plus rushing yards per game but got enough with three rushing TD's, as Wright, Chase Wilson and Lane Lassiter each scored on the ground.

It was the defense that led the Wildcats all season as they only allowed 138 total points this season, good for a 9.9 opponent points per game average. If you take out the fourth quarter's of all the games this season when Holton was playing with a lead most of the time the Wildcats only gave up a total of 48 points in the first three quarters of play this season in all 14 games. The defense was tenanicous all season tallying 27 sacks and 33 turnovers.

The offense did plenty of damage, too as the Wildcats amassed 5,962 total yards, 5,459 of which were on the ground via the wishbone attack. The rushing attack was the beard and butter for Holton yet again as usual with two runner's eclipsing 1,200 yards rushing (Drake Ewing -- 1,317 yards & Cameron Karn -- 1,269 yards). Another runner over 600 yards (Jaxon Wright -- 649 yards) and one over 500 & 400 yards respectively (Chase Wilson -- 534 yards & Trent Tanking -- 427 yards).

Behind a 17 year Head Coach, 16 seniors, a stout defense and potent rushing attack the Holton Wildcats enjoyed another stellar season on the football field and capped it off with a Class 4A State title and perfect 14-0 record.