MORAN — Marmaton Valley High was well in control of the action Friday against visiting Waverly.
The Wildcats were able to churn out yards aplenty on the ground, when quarterback Brayden Lawson wasn’t finding an assortment of receivers for big gains.
Despite this, it looked all the world like the Wildcats were going to have to play into the third quarter.
Kansas eight-man rules dictate games can end at halftime if the spread is 46 points or greater.
And for as dominating as Marmaton Valley had been, the Wildcats still led only 38-0.
And Waverly was threatening to score just before halftime.
The Bulldogs put together their longest scoring drive of the game, and had made it to the MV 28 with 7 seconds left on the clock, time enough for one last attempt at the end zone.
The Wildcats were able to pressure Waverly quarterback Dustin Foster as he heaved the ball toward the end zone — and into the waiting arms of Marmaton Valley junior Todd Stevenson.
Stevenson raced upfield, spun out of one tackler, and then another, and stiff-armed a third at midfield.
Then, spotting his opening, he tore away from the weary Waverly squad for a 75-yard interception return.
Senior Jaedon Granere then put the finishing touches on the 46-0 score with a two-point conversion, reversing course in the backfield and outracing all 11 defenders to the corner of the end zone to end the game.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had a game end like that against us last season,” Marmaton Valley head coach Max Mickunas said. “It was good to see the tide turn on that.”
The victory, in Marmaton Valley’s first district game of the season, sets up an epic showdown next Friday at home against Crest. The Lancers also are at 1-0 in district play, with the winner getting the inside track to the district title.
“They are a tough team, and they’re gonna want to beat us,” Mickunas said. “We’ve got to be ready for the challenge.”
THE WILDCATS marched down the field to open the game, with Lawson barreling in from 4 yards out less than a minute into the action.
