Week 8 means the end of the regular season for Kansas high school football. Many districts have already been decided and some playoff seeds set. However, District 6 in 8-man DI had a lot left to be determined, namely a champion. That is what was on the line when the 7-0 Ness City Eagles visited the 6-1 Hodgeman County Longhorns in this week’s instalment of the high school area game of the week.
Ness City received the ball first and drove deep into Longhorn territory before being stopped on 4th and goal. Hodgeman County then took the ball on a long, methodical drive that ended in an Eli Salmans touchdown run. That made the score 8-0 in favor of the Longhorns.
Ness City wasted no time in moving the ball down the field on their second possession and they were able to cash-in on a 25 yard touchdown pass from sophomore Jose Guzman to senior Hector Rodriguez. The ensuing conversion failed, but the Longhorn lead had been cut to two.
Both teams continued to battle through the half. Hodgeman County led 22-12 with just a few seconds left in the half, but the Eagles were driving and found themselves on the Longhorn 19. Guzman threw a Hail Mary to the end zone that bounced off two Longhorns and one Eagle before ending up in the hands of Hector Rodriguez for a miracle touchdown. That cut the Hodgeman County lead to 22-18 going into the half.
The Longhorns received the second-half kickoff and drove to the Ness City 10 before they fumbled the ball away. The Eagles took it to the Hodgeman County 15 before they gave the ball back on an interception by Issac Salmans of Hodgeman County. The Longhorns turned that miscue into points, making it 28-18.
The teams exchanged a series of punts before the Longhorns made another deep drive into Ness City territory. However, the Ness City defense stiffened, holding the Longhorns to a 4th and 13 from the Eagle 15. The Longhorns drew up a remarkable passing play as quarterback Issac Salmans hit junior receiver Efren Chavez in the end zone for the score. The two point conversion was good and the longhorns led 36-18.
It was all Hodgeman County from that point on, as they rolled the rest of the way to a 52-26 victory. Senior running back Eli Salmans had a monster night, finishing with 27 carries for 251 yards and 5 touchdowns. Ness City was paced by their senior back, Hector Rodriguez, who rushed 16 times for 140 yards. He also had 5 receptions for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Hodgeman County Longhorns finish the season 7-1. Their victory gave them the 8-man DI District 6 title. They’ll host a bracket game in Week 9, likely against Moundridge.
The Ness City Eagles also finish 7-1. They are the District 6 runner-up and will also host a Week 9 bracket game, likely against Macksville.
