ESKRIDGE — A game in which the first half looked as if it would be a seesaw battle with Northern Heights and Mission Valley trading touchdowns on nearly every possession instead turned a contest in which Heights needed to come from behind.
On Friday night, however, the Wildcats attempt at a comeback stopped with 1:39 left in the game when senior quarterback Kenneth Bronson threw an interception to Vikings sophomore linebacker Alvin Harris to seal a 40-34 win.
“It was the right read,” said Heights co-head coach Tad Hatfield of the throw. “He just didn’t see the linebacker drop back.”
It’s a situation Hatfield, former Emporia State quarterback, understands.
“Me, personally, I put a lot on my shoulders and blamed myself,” Hatfield said about when he’d throw an interception. “Kenneth is doing that, too.”
But, Hatfield said, “that wasn’t the one play that won or lost the game.”
Indeed, there were plenty of mistakes throughout the game. The Wildcats went into the contest with hopes of a win giving them the Flint Hills League championship and a guaranteed spot in the state 3A playoffs. The team’s game plan was simple — stop Mission Valley’s run game and execute on offense, Hatfield said.
But the Heights defense just wasn’t able to stop the run game, at least not in the first half.
Mission Valley’s first two touchdowns of the game came on identical plays — a fullback dive with Vikings senior quarterback Dalton Branch handing off to senior running back Garrett Tennison, who ran right up the middle. Tennison’s first run for a touchdown — 78 yards — came on first down after the Mission Valley defense forced Heights to turn the ball over on downs. The Vikings converted on a faked field goal with quarterback Branch running the ball in.
Heights answered on the very next series, marching the ball up the field before Bronson threw a 53-yard pass to senior receiver Roman Murray. Junior receiver Ethan Grother caught a pass from Bronson for the two-point conversion.
But Tennison answered the call, capping the Vikings next series with a 67-yard touchdown run with 1:08 left in the first quarter.
Heights used its next series to tie the game, capping a 57-yard scoring drive with a 2-yard run into the end zone by senior running back James Crabtree. The Wildcats could have taken the lead on the PAT, but senior Stephen Nuessen’s kick was blocked by the Vikings’ Harris.
Two more scores before halftime for Mission Valley — a 4-yard run by Harris and a 45-yard run by junior running back Caleb Baber — put the Vikings up for good.
Still, Heights came out at halftime determined to win the game, despite giving up a score on the Vikings opening drive of the second half. The nine-play drive ended with an 8-yard run by Harris followed by his rush into the end zone for two points, putting the Vikings up 34-14 with 7:19 to play in the third quarter.
From there, however, it looked as if it could be Heights’ game as the team worked to claw its way back.
On their first possession of the second half, the Wildcats marched downfield before Grother ran one yard into the end zone, cutting the Vikings’ lead to 34-21.
With 4:43 left in the third quarter, it was time for Heights’ defense to go to work. They did with senior defensive tackle Matt Railsback recovering a Viking fumble. That turnover set up Heights’ next score, a 29-yard drive capped by a 10-yard pass from Bronson to Murray to pull Heights to within a touchdown, 34-28.
The Wildcat defense showed its mettle again, forcing the Vikings to punt on their next possession. But the Vikings returned the favor, forcing Heights to punt on its next series. After that, Mission Valley worked to keep the ball on the ground and run the clock. They ticked off 4:34 as they drove 68 yards for a touchdown by Tennison, his third of the game. An unsuccessful faked kick kept the score 40-28.
But Heights still wasn’t done, taking over the ball with 2:42 left in the game. Starting from their own 37 yard line, the Wildcats took the ball down the field, ending with a 30-yard pass from Bronson to Murray. Nuessen’s kick went left, leaving the Wildcats needing a touchdown to tie, 40-34.
The choice of an onside kick was obvious to all in the stadium. Still, Heights managed to recover when Murray ended up with the ball on Mission Valley’s 43 yard line. With 1:53 left in the game, Bronson took over the offense again, completing a 10-yard to sophomore receiver Gail Lee. On the next play, Harris picked off Bronson’s pass intended for Murray pass and the game was over.
Although the loss cost the Wildcats their third league title in four years — they won in 2005 and 2007 — it may not have cost them a playoff berth. Next week, in the final games of the regular season, Mission Valley faces Council Grove and Rossville comes to Northern Heights for district play.
Heights already has beaten Council Grove by 14 points, and Rossville has beaten both Mission Valley and Council Grove. If Heights defeats Rossville, Heights and Rossville are the two teams from the district to move on. But, if Heights loses to Rossville, the Wildcats still have a chance to get in if Council Grove beats Mission Valley.
Although Heights fans will be rooting for a Council Grove win next week, Hatfield said the team will work to decide the playoff berths on the field.
“We want to go out and do our best to win,” he said of the Rossville game. “We don’t want to worry about it.”
Friday at Mission Valley
Northern Heights 8 6 14 6 — 34
Mission Valley 14 12 7 6 — 40
First quarter
MV — Tennison 70 run (conversion good)
NH — Murray 53 pass from Bronson (Grother pass from Bronson)
MV — Tennison 67 run (kick failed)
Second quarter
NH — Crabtree 2 run (kick failed)
MV — Harris 4 run (kick failed)
MV — Baber 45 run (kick failed)
Third quarter
MV — Harris 9 run (kick good)
NH — Grother 1 run (Nuessen kick)
NH — Murray 10 pass from Bronson (Nuessen kick)
Fourth quarter
MV — Tennison 2 run (conversion failed)
NH — Murray 30 pass from Bronson (kick failed)
GAME STATISTICS
NH MV
First downs 19 17
Rushes-yards 25-99 51-465
Comp-Att-Int 23-40-1 4-5-0
Passing yards 356 44
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 4-30 7-42
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — NH: Bronson 13-73, Grother 6-11, Crabtree 4-4, Murray 1-(minus 4); MV: Baber 15-119, Runyan 2-minus 2, Cook 1-3, Tennison 10-191, Branch 10-84, Rutledge 3-17, Harris 10-53.
Passing — NH: Bronson 23-40-1 365; MV: Branch 3-4-0 19, Cook 1-1-0 25.
Receiving — NH: Murray 8-150, Mendez 5-97, Grother 6-73, Crabtree 2-22, Lee 2-18; MV: Cook 1-8, Marcotte 1-9, Branch 1-25, Mercer 1-2..