Holton 41, Perry Lecompton 0

Holton turned in a dominating defensive performance and ran for 410 yards to improve to 10-0 and claim the 3A Regional championship on Friday night versus Perry Lecompton. The Wildcats took their game to a new level allowing just 189 total yards and scored on five of six possession while also getting a punt return for a touchdown to turn a 28-0 halftime lead into a 41-0 route. The Cats avenged season ending losses to their Big 7 foe from the last two years and beat Perry for the second time this year and will not get a home Sectional game on Friday against Girard (10-0). 

It was the Kaws that had early momentum after stopping Holton on fourth and short and getting their first possession at the 50-yard-line. However, after eight plays including a fourth down conversion, Holton senior Jace Hallauer made a great play for an interception in the endzone to keep the Cats scoreless streak against all opponents in the first quarter this fall. It was the start of a great night for senior corners Hallauer and Lucas Adcock, who pestered and frustrated the Kaw short perimeter passing attack all night. Meanwhile, Holton applied pressure all night which led to just 18-32 passing for 145 yards and only 18 rush yards on 15 attempts by Kaw quarterback Gunnar Ball.

Garyson Booth started the Holton scoring with a seven yard touchdown run on an option and added a second quarter run of 38 yards that set up another 12-yard score. Booth finished with 190 yards on just 15 carries. Matt Lierz ran in the second Wildcat touchdown on a 20-yard run that included running over a defender near the goal-line and then a few minutes later, Lierz sprinted for a 70-yard punt return TD for the Cats first special teams return score of the season. Jayden Fletcher returned from a two-week absence and scored on a nine-yard run in the third quarter before finishing with 76 yards on 12 carries while Hallauer capped his super night with a 23 -yard touchdown for the final points with 5:18 left in the third period. 

Perry Lecompton had one other late third quarter drive that entered the redzone but Lierz broke up a pass in the endzone to preserve Holton's third shutout of the year. The Kaws managed only one first down on three drives in the second quarter when they were outscored 21-0 and the game got away. With only a few starters back entering this season and only three seniors starting on both sides of the football, Perry ended the season 6-4 but should be an ever better team in 2022 after reaching the state title game the past two years. Senior Reichen Rush was injured late in the second quarter and did not play in the final half. Kael Gorski had 68 yards on 4 catches while Jackson Payne grabbed five receptions for 52 yards in the loss.  

Holton is 10-0 for the first time since 2013 and will face a new opponent in Girard, who was 4-6 last year but this season started 9-0 for the first time since 1999. The Trojans, who are outscoring foes on average by a 35-9 margin will travel to Holton for the first time.