It’s hard to imagine a more exhilarating run to a state championship game than what Central Plains has produced.
All four of the Oilers’ playoff victories have been one-score outcomes in which Central Plains has rallied from halftime deficits.
In last week’s semifinal, Clifton-Clyde kicked a go-ahead field goal with 1:28 left but Central Plains answered with a game-winning touchdown pass from Brodie Crties to Joel Schreiber en route to a 28-25 win.
The Oilers path to the title game has also featured thrilling wins over Sylvan-Lucas (40-38 in overtime), Chase County (58-52) and Little River (38-32).
First-year Central Plains head coach JD Johnson said the Oilers’ never-say-die mentality is a characteristic the team developed late this season.
“The last couple years or even early in the season, whenever we’d get down or get hit with some real physicality, we’d be known to kind of drop our heads and fold up,” Johnson said. “As the season’s gone on, this team has really shown a lot of grit and tenacity. It’s just been awesome to watch them grow and mature and develop into the team that they are now.”
Central Plains sophomore quarterback Brodie Crites came up clutch on the Oilers’ final drive against Clifton-Clyde, moving the chains with his legs before hitting Schreiber for a 26-yard TD with 32 seconds left.
“The kids saw the clock and saw there was plenty of time,” Johnson said. “They knew it was possible and they came over to the sideline ready to go. We were hit with a couple of third-and-longs and even a fourth-and-long. Brodie is such a smart kid. He’s such a great student of the game.
“He dropped back and saw a couple lanes where he was able to get just enough yards and get the clock stopped. He showed a lot of maturity. He’s really grown into a great leader and a great football player.”
Backs Schreiber and Eli Hurley have made a powerful 1-2 punch in the backfield for the Oilers. Schreiber has 1,073 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns while Hurley has 794 yards and 24 scores.
“They’ve been fantastic this whole season,” Johnson said. “Eli, all-around, is probably our best football player. He loves to dish out hits. He loves to run the ball and score touchdowns, but I think more than anything he loves lead blocking, and he’s very good at it. It’s great to have a guy like him that can do everything.
“Joel is our athletic runner. He’s very fast. He’s about 6-2, 6-3, and over the course of the year he’s really learned how to get lower and hit holes hard, rather than dancing in the backfield. He’s been lowering his shoulder and just running the ball hard. Those two just really complement each other.”
Johnson hopes the 10-2 Oilers’ down-to-wire experiences will pay dividends as they look to knock off an unbeaten and experienced Hoxie squad in Saturday’s 7 p.m. championship at Kiowa County High School in Greensburg.
“We’ve been down numerous times and we’ve gotten through it,” Johnson said. “It’s got to at least give our kids a little positivity just being in that many close games, knowing that they can overcome those odds.”
That said, Johnson knows Hoxie will present the Oilers a huge challenge.
“They’re just a sound football team. A ton of seniors, my goodness,” Johnson said. “They’ve played together a long time and they’re coached well by Coach (Lance) Baar. He’s done an unbelievable job this year. They’ve had a gauntlet to go through in the postseason, going through Wichita County and South Central. They bring a lot to the table.”
Central Plains will be looking for its third state championship after winning Eight-Man Division I titles in 2018 and 2014.
“The community has been unbelievable this whole postseason run,” Johnson said. “(Claflin) loves its football.
“Being able to get back to this game has been great. So happy for the community and happy for the kids and their families. They’re very excited.”
CENTRAL PLAINS OILERS (10-2)
COACH: JD Johnson (1st year, 10-2)
STATE FINALS HISTORY: 2 state titles – 2018 (8M I), 2014 (8M I).
Points 508 (42.3 per game)
Points allowed: 317 (26.4 per game)
OFFENSE--3,613 yards (301.1 per game)
RUSHING--2,292 yards (191.0 per game), 49 TDs
PASSING--1,321 yards (110.1 per game), 18 TDs, 8 INTs
INDIVIDUAL
RUSHING--Joel Schreiber (sr.) 146 carries, 1,073 yards, 14 TDs; Eli Hurley (sr.) 124 carries, 794 yards, 24 TDs; Richard Stroud (jr.) 43 carries, 229 yards, 8 TDs.
PASSING--Brodie Crites (so.) 96 of 164, 1,321 yards, 18 TDs, 8 INTs.
RECEIVING--Aiden Hekele (sr.) 28 catches, 519 yards, 8 TDs; Joel Schreiber (sr.) 14 catches, 247 yards, 3 TDs; Paxton Dody (sr.) 17 catches, 239 yards, 2 TDs; Eli Hurley (sr.) 20 catches, 190 yards, 4 TDs.
TACKLES--Eli Hurley (sr.) 99 tackles (51 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks; Peyton Dody (jr.) 93 tackles (51 solo), 7 tackles for loss; Aiden Hekele (sr.) 70 tackles (38 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks; Paxton Dody (sr.) 52 tackles 924 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks; Landon Daniels (jr.) 40 tackles (16 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks; Rylan Siemson (jr.) 38 tackles (28 solo); Joel Schreiber (sr.) 36 tackles (28 solo), 2 tackles for loss; Devin Davidson (sr.) 36 tackles (11 solo), 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks.
TAKEAWAYS--Rylan Siemson (jr.) 2 INTs, 1 fumble recovery; Eli Hurley (sr.) 2 INTs; Peyton Dody (jr.) 2 INTs; Paxton Dody (sr.) 2 fumble recoveries; Aiden Hekele (sr.) 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery.
The benefit of a senior-heavy squad loaded with experience has been every bit as valuable as Hoxie anticipated.
Hoxie has met the sky-high expectations it entered the season with, moving one step away from the ultimate goal. The 12-0 Indians will look to cement a perfect season in Saturday’s 7 p.m. Eight-Man Division I championship game against Central Plains (10-2) at Kiowa County High School in Greensburg.
Every major statistical category has a senior at the top of it for the Indians.
“Those (seniors) know and understand everything,” Hoxie coach Lance Baar said. “We’ve added a little more to their plate and expanded the playbook. It helps push me as a coach to keep giving these guys more, giving them as much as they can handle.
“We have a lot of stuff we can do within our offense. And defensively some of these guys have been playing in the same position for three years. It’s just a lot of football knowledge from those guys. Nothing really surprises them and that’s what you get when you have a team that’s as mature and senior-heavy as this one.”
Hoxie has been ranked No. 1 throughout the season. The Indians are coming off a 42-28 win over South Central in a battle of unbeatens in the semifinals.
“Our guys played really well,” Baar said. “We had two turnovers in the third quarter, and that whole quarter we faced adversity. But any time they had a big play we always rallied back.
“Our guys were just battling and some good things happened for us. We got a couple fumbles. I was really proud of our guys for always husting and always giving 100 percent.”
Ends Sam Watkins and Trent Fenner came through in big moments for the Indians in the passing game, combining for 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns against South Central.
“We have a lot of playmakers,” Baar said. “We were faced with a lot of third-and-long and fourth downs (against South Central) that we were successful in. The guys made plays when we needed it the most. Trent and Sam had several of those. Those guys came up really clutch.”
Quarterback Duncan Bell has passed for 1,350 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 554 yards and 12 TDs. Braydon Scheetz leads the team in rushing with 896 yards and has a nose for the end zone with 28 touchdowns on the ground.
Watkins has 19 catches for 403 receiving yards and 8 TDs while Braxton Munk has 26 catches for 382 yards and 4 TDs.
Linebacker Easton Nickelson has been the heart of the Hoxie defense. He’s racked up 170 tackles.
“There were some plays that he made Friday that really got him going, and when that happened, it really got the rest of our team going,” Baar said. “He’s definitely the leader on that side of the ball. And offensively we can throw him in for certain situations and he’s got that big-play ability.”
Central Plains’ path to the championship game has featured heart-pounding finishes, including a 28-25 victory over Clifton-Clyde last week.
“They’ve been coming up clutch every single week,” Baar said of the Oilers. “Anytime you have games like that and learn how to win close games, it grows your team closer together. If they didn’t believe, they do now. They’re just a team that’s not real fancy, they’re very disciplined. They run the ball very well and they play disciplined defense. They don’t give up very many big plays and make you work for everything you get. That’s a pretty solid way to win football games.
“Turnovers are always big in these games, and big plays. If we can eliminate the big play and get a couple big plays for ourselves, and if we can win the turnover battle, I think you have a pretty good chance.”
Hoxie will be making its fourth championship game appearance. The Indians were Eight-Man Division I champs in 2017. They were 3A runners-up in 1981 and 1978.
“The community has been great,” Baar said. “It feels like a long time coming since 2017. We’ve had some really good teams that have come close.
“It’s been exciting and good for the program, especially with the makeup of this team. This has been our goal from the end of last season. We returned so much that it’s always been on their radar about getting to a state championship and going out on top because of this big group of seniors.”
HOXIE INDIANS (12-0)
COACH: Lance Baar (16th year, 115-47)
STATE FINALS HISTORY: 1 state title – 2017 (8M I); 2 runner-up finishes – 1981 (3A), 1978 (3A)
2024 STATISTICS
Points scored: 546 (45.5 per game)
Points allowed: 112 (9.3 per game)
3,254 yards (271.2 per game)
Rushing: 1,870 yards (155.8 per game), 49 TDs
Passing: 1,384 yards (115.3 per game), 22 TDs, 8 INTs
INDIVIDUAL
RUSHING--Braydon Scheetz (sr.) 155 carries, 896 yards, 28 TDs; Duncan Bell (sr.) 83 carries, 554 yards, 12 TDs; Noah Nickelson (fr.) 20 carries, 160 yards, 3 TDs; Braxton Munk (sr.) 21 carries, 121 yards, 2 TDs; Easton Nickelson (sr.) 4 TDs.
PASSING--Duncan Bell (sr.) 84 of 151, 1,350 yards, 21 TDs, 8 INTs.
RECEIVING--Sam Watkins (sr.) 19 catches, 403 yards, 8 TDs; Braxton Munk (sr.) 26 catches, 382 yards, 4 TDs; Braydon Scheetz (sr.) 16 catches, 206 yards, 1 TD; Trent Fenner (sr.) 13 catches, 198 yards, 4 TDs; Easton Nickelson (sr.) 11 catches, 185 yards, 4 TDs.
TACKLES--Easton Nickelson (sr.) 170 tackles (78 solo), 7 tackles for loss; Matt Bretz (so.) 102 tackles (33 solo), 7 tackles for loss; Sam Watkins (sr.) 82 tackles (38 solo), 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks; Trent Fenner (sr.) 82 tackles (35 solo), 18 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks; Braydon Scheetz (sr.) 53 tackles (22 solo), 4 tackles for loss; Braxton Munk (sr.) 47 tackles (20 solo); Malcom King (sr.) 41 tackles (10 solo), 3 tackles for loss; Duncan Bell (sr.) 36 tackles (16 solo).
Takeaways: Braxton Munk (sr.) 5 INTs, 3 fumble recoveries; Duncan Bell (sr.) 4 INTs, 1 fumble recovery; Easton Nickelson (sr.) 3 fumble recoveries, 2 INTs; Matt Bretz (so.) 3 INTs, 1 fumble recovery; Braydon Scheetz (sr.) 2 INTs, 1 fumble recovery; Chase Meyer (so.) 2 fumble recoveries.
Kicking: Trent Fenner (sr.) 4 of 5 PATs.
