By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's football team is obviously happy to be back in the Class 3A state championship game for a second straight season.
Now the aim for Bill Arnold's 11-1 Wildcats will be to change the outcome in Saturday's 12 p.m. title game against 12-0 Andale at Hutchinson Community College's Gowans Stadium after Hayden suffered a 34-7 loss to Cheney in awful conditions on the same field a year ago.
Bill Arnold's Hayden Wildcats are back in the Class 3A state championship game after posting an 11-1 record this fall. [File photo/TSN
"Sure it's nice to get back there -- it beats the alternative of staying home right now -- but everybody wants to say it's like a revenge-type thing with these guys but nobody's really talked about revenge,'' said Arnold, who has a 222-67 career coaching record.
"No. 1, we're playing a different opponent this year, and No. 2, we've got different guys but the core thing behind it all is they've been working hard for 11 months for this. It starts all the way back in January when you start doing winter weights and stuff.''
Andale has been arguably the state's most dominant program in recent memory, with the Indians winning seven state championships since 2006 and putting together a 57-game winning streak over four-plus seasons before Cheney snapped the streak in a 36-30 overtime regular-season win over Andale in 2023.
Cheney handed Andale another loss in last year's sub-state round before capping a perfect season with the win over Hayden in the state final.
But Arnold's Wildcats have an impressive resume of their own, playing in multiple championship games in multiple classes and winning a state title in 2008.
Andale beat Hayden on a late field goal on the way to a 14-0 season and a 4A state title in 2007 but the Wildcats took a 20-12 sub-state win over the Indians in '08 and Hayden is 3-1 against Andale under Arnold.
"Do we respect them? Yes, but we're not afraid of them,'' Arnold said. "It's going to come down to which team is able to control the time of possession, hang onto the football with no turnovers and which program's going to put the other one into a situation they don't want to be in.''
Both teams have been impressive all season, with Andale outscoring its foes 692-116 while Hayden has posted a 536-102 scoring margin.
Andale has had just one single-digit game, a 56-48 Week 2 win over Wellington, and the Indians' next-closest game was a 38-point win over Cheney (52-14).
With the exception of a 31-28 loss to 4A Wamego, Hayden did not have an outcome closer than 24 points (31-7 over Holton).
Hayden made it back to the title game with a 35-7 sub-state road victory over previously-unbeaten Wellsville last Friday while Andale advanced with a 55-14 semifinal win over Holcomb.
Hayden senior quarterback Jett Wahlmeier (7) has passed for 1,890 yards and 21 TDs this fall while throwing just one interception. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden senior quarterback Jett Wahlmeier has completed 118 of 177 passes (.667 percent) for 1,890 yards and 21 touchdowns while throwing just one interception.
Hayden senior Jensen Schrickel (9) has accumulated 1,254 rushing/receiving yards and has scored 22 touchdowns for the 11-1 Wildcats. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Jensen Schrickel has caught 38 passes for 686 yards and carried the ball 46 times for 568 yards while scoring 22 total touchdowns.
Hayden junior Kade Mitchell (25) has rushed for 787 yards and scored 25 total touchdowns this fall, helping the Wildcats advance to the Class 3A championship game for a second straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 97 times for 787 yards, caught 28 passes for 473 yards and scored 25 total TDs.
Junior Jude Krentz (22) leads 11-1 Hayden with 124 tackles (70 solo) entering Saturday's Class 3A state championship game. [File photo/TSN]
Defensively, junior Jude Krentz leads the team with 124 tackles (70 solo) while junior Xander Blasing has 60 stops (35 solo) with nine tackles for loss and Mitchell has 67 stops (44 solo) and has picked off three passes.
The 1A title game between 11-1 Centralia and 12-0 Conway Springs will also be played on Saturday at Hutchinson, kicking off at 5 p.m. following the Hayden-Andale game.
