MORAN — It was a study in contrasts Thursday evening.
Marmaton Valley High had little trouble in stopping visiting Chetopa High’s running attack.
But as for slowing the Hornets’ passing game…
“They sure passed on us,” Wildcat head coach Kent Houk said.
Chetopa racked up 350 passing yards, eight touchdowns and 12 completions as the Hornets rolled to a 58-36 win.
No single play was more pivotal than a key Chetopa pass early in the fourth quarter, Houk said.
The Wildcats had Chetopa pinned to its one-yard line.
Hornet quarterback Tyler Pike lofted a pass to receiver Dalton Hull-Jones, who got behind the Marmaton Valley defender and raced 79 yards for a touchdown.
The score turned a four-point lead into a 46-36 lead, and the Wildcats never recovered. Chetopa scored twice more in the final period to seal the win.
“That pass seemed to be the back-breaker,” Houk said. “They run the spread offense very well, and we just couldn’t keep up with their speed.”
The game started with the frenetic pace of a pinball game, with the teams trading touchdowns like baseball cards.
Chetopa scored on a 60-yard pass 68 seconds into the game, followed a minute later by a 25-yard touchdown by Marmaton Valley’s Landon Hammond.
The second drives were a near carbon copy. Chetopa scored on a 52-yard pass play before Hammond scored again for the Wildcats, this time covering 19 yards.
And it only seemed like a carbon copy late in the first period, when Chetopa reached the Marmaton Valley two-yard line before scoring on a third pass. That score was answered by — who else — Hammond on a 38-yard touchdown run. The score stood at 20-20 by the end of the brake.
But as Marmaton Valley’s offense slowed a bit, Chetopa’s kept right on clicking. The Hornets scored on three consecutive pass plays to open a 40-20 lead. The Wildcats’ Daylen Houk closed the deficit to 40-28 with a 17-yard touchdown run with three minutes left in the half.
The gap shrinked even further when Wildcat quarterback Tanner Lewis found Gage Stewart for a three-yard touchdown pass.
But then came Chetopa’s 79-yard touchdown pass to quickly put the Hornets back in command.
The Wildcats piled up 389 yards rushing in the loss.
Cole Becker led the way with 23 rushes for 166 yards. Hammond had 89 yards on 12 carries. Houk rushed four times for 81 yards. Lewis completed three of eight passes for 50 yards, all three completions going to Gage Stewart.
Hammond had five solo tackles and two assists. Jared Kale had nine tackles, including five solos and three quarterback sacks. Justin Holeman added a sack and three solo tackles among his six stops.
The defeat ends Marmaton Valley’s season at 3-6.
Hornets hand Wildcats loss
