Postseason Excitement

Heidi Myers, Writer

The once unstoppable McPherson High School football team just did not take no for an answer. The boys stopped at nothing to keep playing in the postseason. With a record of 8-3, the boys ended their season with a tough matchup against Maize South after winning a close game against Andale the previous week. The excitement of the games, coaches, and fans filled the stadium cheering on the boys to keep winning in their post season.

The game that got them to play Maize South will be an unforgettable game for years to come. With the excitement of playing postseason for the first time in years and a nail bitter field goal in the last 13 seconds was what the boys played for all season. The first touchdown in the game scored by Mac was taken away and it forced the boys to fight back and catch Andale, one of the fastest teams in their division. The boys found themselves down 18-20 with about eight minutes left of the game. Fighting their way down to their touchdown, the ultimate goal for the rest of the game was to get close enough to kick a field goal or even a touch down. With the help of senior Casen Hoover and a perfect snap by senior Dylan Baldwin, junior Drew Labertew stepped up in the last thirteen seconds to make a field goal that would secure the Bullpup win. Everyone filled with adrenaline, stormed the field while the team was presented the Regional Champion plaque. Just moments after, they were focused on winning one of the hardest games they will play just a week later against Maize South.

Earlier in the season, McPherson played Maize South in a rain frenzy, losing 6-14 after several rain delays. Determined to redeem themselves on November 11th, the team was ready to show themselves, the coaches, fans, and especially Maize South what they got. Unfortunately, the boys were shut down by Maize South’s strength and speed. A defensive game for McPherson held Maize South to 35 while the offensive worked to get a solid 27 points on the board. Although, the result of the game might not have been what McPherson would have hoped, the team is proud of their hard work and determinedness to get as far as they did.

The team supported and said goodbye to the senior class that was not just teammates but family. The fifteen seniors include Casen Hoover, Britton Bate, Caleb Spaich, Sam Arbuckle, Clayton Gerbrandt, Tyler Wheat, Mikey Saverino, Brock Malm, Michael Polasek, Dylan Baldwin, Jared Ruth, Luke Koehn, Raine Reitsma, Jack Reifschneider, and Jeffrey Reed.