With one of the most anticipated football games of the season waiting in the wings, both Marmaton Valley and Crest took care of business Friday.
Marmaton Valley opened its Eight Man-II district schedule with 46-0 shutout of visiting Waverly.
The Wildcats (5-1) ensured the game would end at halftime in improbable fashion.
Marmaton Valley led 38-0 as Waverly put together its longest drive of the game, and was threatening to score just before halftime.
But with only enough time to run one more play, Waverly threw a pass to the end zone, where Marmaton Valley’s junior defensive back Todd Stevenson made a leaping interception at the goal line.
He then zigged and zagged his way the length of the field for the touchdown with no time showing on the clock.
But there was still work to be done. With the score at 44-0, the Wildcats still needed the two-point conversion to reach the crucial 46-point spread, which ends the game at half-time, via Kansas’s eight-man mercy rule.
Senior Jaedon Granere took care of that, reversing field on the handoff, and outracing the Bulldog defenders to the goal line.
Crest (4-2) also had things well in hand against an overmatched Centre-Lost Springs Cougar squad that entered the matchup still in search of its first win.
The Lancers weren’t much interested in giving Centre an opening on Friday, either. The Lancers had possession nine times, and scored nine touchdowns, never taking more than three plays to score on any of the drives.
With both Crest and Marmaton Valley at 1-0 in district play, next Friday’s showdown, which will kick off at 7 p.m. in Moran, will go a long ways to determining the district champion.
FARTHER south, Humboldt High got into the act, steamrolling visiting Leon-Bluestem 50-0 to keep its record spotless at 6-0, and 2-0 in Class 2A district action.
The Cubs travel to West Franklin next Friday.
Iola’s Mustangs were idle this week.
