By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High's game plan entering Friday night's Centennial League football game against Highland Park was to run the football.
Trojan senior star Tylas Alejos took that to the extreme, carrying the ball 27 times for 400 yards and scoring eight touchdowns as Topeka High pulled away in the second half for a 70-42 win over the Scots at Hummer Sports Park.
"Coach (Carlos Kelly) told us we were going to try to run the ball,'' Alejos said. "We liked what we had up front, so we just had to execute.''
Topeka High senior standout Tylan Alejos is hoisted in the air by senior lineman Jacob Jackson after scoring one of his eight touchdowns in Friday's 70-42 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Alejos set the tone for the night when he carried the ball all three times on High's 64-yard game-opening scoring drive, including a 32-yard touchdown run with 10:51 left in the first quarter.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Alejos also scored on runs of 21 yards and 4 yards in the first quarter and added a 6-yard TD in the second quarter, 71, 51 and 31-yard scores in the third quarter and a 21-yard TD in the fourth quarter. Alejos also ran for a 2-point conversion to finish with 50 points on the night.
Alejos knew he was having a big night, but tried to concentrate on the score and not the stats.
"I was really looking at the scoreboard and just making sure we got the win,'' Alejos said.
Trojan junior quarterback Peyton Wheat added 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 attempts while senior Talayah Thiomas kicked eight extra points as Topeka High improved to 2-3 overall and in the league..
Highland Park fell to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the league with its 61st straight loss, but the Scots put up a spirited fight in the first half, trailing by just a 36-28 margin at the break.
The Scots took the second-half kickoff and drove to the Topeka High 2-yard-line, but junior quarterback Kei'Juan Johnson was thrown for a 13-yard loss on fourth down to stop the threat and Alejos scored on three long gallops to give the Trojans an insurmountable 57-34 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Highland Park junior Tre Richardson scored five touchdowns, including a pair of 70-yard kickoff returns, in the Scots' 70-42 loss to Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park junior star Tre Richardson had a monster night for the Scots in a losing cause, scoring five touchdowns.
Richardson scored the Scots' first touchdown on a 36-yard pass from senior quarterback Kellan Spruce and he also hauled in a 19-yard TD pass from Spruce, ran for an 80-yard touchdown and scored on a pair of 70-yard kickoff returns.
"Tre Richardson is electrifying,'' Kelly said. "He's that kid that wins every tag game. You put him in just (a little bit of room) and that's just too much room.''
Highland Park also got a 44-yard TD pass from Spruce to junior Tyrell Reed.
Spruce completed 14 of 17 pass attempts for 160 yards and the three TDs, but was picked off twice.
Richardson rushed for 105 yards on five attempts and caught five passes for 78 yards while Reed had seven catches for 67 yards.
"I tip my hat to Highland Park,'' Kelly said. "Those kids really fought hard.''
TOPEKA HIGH 70, HIGHLAND PARK 42
Topeka High (2-3, 2-3) 21 15 21 13 -- 70
Highland Park (0-5, 0-4) 8 20 6 8 -- 42
First quarter
Topeka High -- Tylan Alejos 32 run (Talayah Thomas kick)
Topeka High -- Tylan Alejos 21 run (Talayah Thomas kick)
Topeka High -- Tylan Alejos 4 run (Talayah Thomas kick)
Highland Park -- Tre Richardson 36 pass from Kellan Spruce (Trenton Long pass from Kellan Spruce)
Second quarter
Topeka High -- Peyton Wheat 20 run (Talayah Thomas kick)
Highland Park -- Tre Richardson 19 pass from Kellan Spruce (run failed)
Topeka High -- Tylan Alejos 6 run (Tylan Alejos run)
Highland Park -- Tre Richardson 80 run (run failed)
Highland Park -- Tyrell Reed 44 pass from Kellan Spruce (Tyrell Reed from Kellan Spruce)
Third quarter
Topeka High -- Tylan Alejos 71 run (Talayah Thomas kick)
Topeka High -- Tylan Alejos 51 run (Talayah Thomas kick)
Topeka High -- Tylan Alejos 31 run (Talayah Thomas kick)
Highland Park -- Tre Richardson 70 kickoff return (pass failed)
Fourth quarter
Topeka High -- Tylan Alejos 21 run (Talayah Thomas kick)
Topeka High -- Peyton Wheat 1 run (kick failed)
Highland Park -- Tre Richardson 70 kickoff return (Tyrell Reed run)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing -- Topeka High: Tylan Alejos 27-400, Peyton Wheat 10-96, Robert Dingle 2-28, Tevante Ewing 3-17, Elijah Williams 1-(minus)-1, Josiah Scott 1-(minus)-3, Isiah Kincade 1-(minus)-5. Highland Park: Tre Richardson 5-105, Tyrell Reed 7-5, Mackey James 1-(minus)-4, Kellan Spruce 14-(minus)-5, Kei'Juan Johnson 1-(minus)-13.
Passing -- Topeka High: Peyton Wheat 3-7-1, 22 yards. Highland Park: Kellan Spruce 14-17-2, 160; Tre Richardson 0-1-0, 0.
Receiving -- Topeka High: Isiah Kincade 2-25, Elijah Kincade 1-(minus)-3. Highland Park: Tyrell Reed 7-67, Tre Richardson 5-78, A'Ydren Drew-Gregory 1-9, Jamon Wilson 1-6.
Punting -- Topeka High: Peyton Wheat 1-20.0.
