103.9 KNZA Broadcast - Sabetha at MH-MA (1st round 3A Playoffs) - click here to listen

It was not a typical start to the Bi-District playoff game for Sabetha on Tuesday night as the Bluejays fumbled twice and had a three-and-out in the first half.  But the Jays defense was again lights-out and the offense took advantage of a couple short fields before using several big breakaway plays to blowout MH-MA for the second straight year by a 56-14 final.  Sabetha outgained the Ravens 470 to 196 yards and averaged nine yards per play, but it was a gift that finally got Sabetha rolling.  With the game tied scoreless on the Ravens third offensive possession, they went for a fourth down and short at their own 17-yard-line and lost yardage on a quarterback sneak.  Three plays later Sabetha scored on a eight yard touchdown from Mason Engelken and then the floodgates opened as the Bluejays scored 27 points in the final 7:24 of the first half. 

Wyatt Beyer ran a 65 yard touchdown and after a quick three and out, Beyer returned to the endzone from 15 yards out to cap a two play, 23-yard drive set up by Joe Gruber's punt return.  Gabe Garber broke a 49 yard score to put Sabetha up 28-0 with 3:01 left in the second quarter.  MH-MA did orchestrate an impressive 80-yard drive in 11 plays that included a trio of third and long conversions as Jack Caudle hit Colten Kocour six yard touchdown pass with just five seconds left before halftime.  The back-breaker came on the next play after kickoff as instead of taking a knee or running the clock out, Sabetha went for the jugular and used a play-action-pass as Brandon Brownlee found a streaking Riley Hermann for a 67 yard score to make it 34-7 at the break and tilt the momentum back to the Bluejays. 

Sabetha added a trio of touchdowns of their three possessions in the third quarter as Engelken ran from 34 yards out, Garber scored from 10 and Brownlee snuck in a one yard sneak to put Sabetha up 56-7 and force a running clock throughout the fourth frame.  The Ravens scored with 4:14 left on a three-yard-pass from Caudle to Jared Thibault to cap the scoring as the Ravens finished their third straight season at 7-3.  Caudle was 19-37 passing for 189 yards, but MH-MA netted only seven yards rushing after three Sabetha sacks.  Thibault had four catches for 57 yards while Kocour hauled in 10 receptions for 107 and Ronald Fault-Tindal added 17 yards on three catches with an additional 22 yards rushing.

Sabetha has five runningbacks all with more than 400 yards on the season and all had at least seven carries in  Atchison Tuesday.  Beyer finished 10-120 with two touchdowns, Garber was 8-94 with two scores, Engelken 10-85 with a pair of touchdowns, Gruber 9-50 and Joel Hackney 7-37 rushing.  Elliott Strahm was a dominate force on the line with a couple tackles for loss and  sack to earn Denison State Bank "Lineman of the Game" honors while Garber, who also had a huge night on defense and a third quarter interception was the Citizens State Bank and Trust Company in Hiawatha "Player to Bank On."  

Sabetha's tenth straight post-season will continue on Saturday at 6:00 PM with a home rematch against Big 7 for Perry Lecompton.  Perry won at St. Mary's 27-21 Tuesday and will try to avenge a 28-21 loss at Sabetha in week five earlier this season.  The Regional game will be broadcast live on KNZA 103.9 FM.