By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
After advancing to the round of eight for the first time in school history, the Wabaunsee football team will look to push the envelope even further this week as the Chargers travel to Conway Springs for a clash with the 6-3 Cardinals.
Wabaunsee is on a nine-game winning streak since falling to Troy in their season opener, including wins over Belle Plaine (54-13) and Marion (22-14) as part of a historic Chargers postseason.
“The way guys have stepped up for us has been so good to see,” Wabaunsee head coach Jess Rutledge said. “We’ve lost several senior starters and we’ve had to play up to three freshmen on both sides of the ball. The way they’ve played has been great to see but also the way our older guys have upped their intensity has been phenomenal.”
Despite being a bit short-staffed, the Chargers will turn their attention to a Conway Springs team that had week nine to rest up and recover, before eliminating Plainville 35-31 last week.
“Offensively their line is huge,” Rutledge said. “Their starters are upwards of 320 pounds and they get off the ball well and play physically. Their quarterback has rushed for over 300 yards before. Defensively they run a three-man front and they’re not as big as Marion but they’re very quick off the ball and they have a lot of speed at other levels.”
With a single-wing set, Conway Springs’ run game has been one of the best in Class 1A, and the Chargers will need to find an answer for it if they are to continue exploring uncharted postseason territory in the semifinals next week.
“We have to play assignment sound and handle the misdirection of their single-wing,” he said. “They get outside in space and we have to know our read keys and roll to the ball. We can’t let them get to the edge but we can’t overrun plays either.”
Offensively Wabaunsee will look to keep the good times rolling, having scored 22 or more in all ten contests to this point in the season.
That task may be more difficult this week against a Cardinal defense that has held seven of their nine opponents under that mark in 2022.
“They’re solid all-around on defense but their linebackers are very good,” Rutledge said. “Those guys fill well, they’re physical but they can also drop back into coverage. For us, it will be important for our line to get off the ball and hold our blocks and for our receivers to block downfield.”
While Wabaunsee knows they have a tall task in front of them, the Charger’s confidence has continued to grow with each passing win, and the team is ready to make their mark on the 1A landscape this week.
“Our guys are very excited to be in this final eight,” Rutledge says. “These other teams have all played for a state title before and we’ve never even made the final four but we believe that we belong here and it’s neat for these kids to be in this conversation. Now we’re trying to make that statement that we really do.”
Kickoff between the Chargers and Cardinals is set for 7 pm at Conway Springs High School, with the winner advancing to the 1A semifinals to take on 9-1 Inman or 8-2 Smith Center.