By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
Ever since a brief stumble in week one at the hands of #5 Troy, the Wabaunsee Chargers have been on a stampede, winning seven straight to close out the year with a +233 point differential in the process.
From the start of the season Wabaunsee had their eyes fixed on the ultimate prize, and with a week nine matchup against Belle Plaine this Thursday, the real work can finally begin.
“They’re very excited and we’re happy with how we ended the regular season,” Chargers head coach Jess Rutledge said. “We’re focused on the task at hand and not to say that the regular season doesn’t matter but this is what we’ve been working for.”
Wabaunsee’s first opponent will be one that mirrors themselves in many ways, with a pass-happy Belle Plaine offense looking to air it out on Thursday night.
“Their passing game looks strong,” Rutledge said. “We pride ourselves on being a spread offense but we didn’t see many of those teams in the regular season outside of Troy. They have a quarterback that can scramble and make plays and his placement on the football is outstanding.”
At around 120 yards gained through the air per contest, the Belle Plaine passing game is the only area that sees the Dragons ranked in the top 15 in Class 1A.
On the flip side of that coin, the Charger's offense ranks third in scoring offense (42 ppg), and ninth in total offense (320 yds/g), and should have the edge against a lackluster Dragon defense.
While Belle Plaine has struggled to keep their opponents off the board in 2022 surrendering nearly 40 points per matchup, the Dragons do have some talented playmakers capable of keeping Wabaunsee on their toes this week.
“Defensively they have a lot of speed and they really fly around and close in on the ball quickly,” Rutledge said. “They’re good at limiting pass-heavy offenses because like us they see that in practice every day.”
With rain in Thursday’s forecast, both teams could be forced to lean on the running game, opening up dual-threat quarterback Wyatt Wurtz to continue his impressive campaign on the ground.
For a second consecutive season, playoff football comes to Alma as the Chargers' 7-1 record earns them home-field advantage for the first two rounds.
“Having this game at home is huge,” he said. “I don’t know how many home games we’ve hosted but the kids are excited and there’s a lot of excitement in the community for this.”
While the Chargers remain hopeful that this game will be the first in a long line of postseason battles, Wabaunsee remains laser-focused on Belle Plaine this week, and the Dragons are sure to have their hands full in Alma on Thursday.
“We’ve talked about this since our first meeting last spring, I don’t believe there’s a ceiling on this team,” Rutledge said. “We’ve talked about maintaining consistency and work ethic throughout the season because we believe we can be in Hays on Thanksgiving weekend. Ultimately that’s our goal and that’s what we’re working towards, now we just have to take it one game at a time.”
Kickoff between the Chargers and Dragons is set for 7 pm at Wabaunsee High School with the winner advancing to take on either 5-2 Marion or 4-4 Sacred Heart in the round of 16.
For continuing coverage of the Charger’s playoff run stay tuned to the Little Apple Post.