By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
On a beautiful night for football, city rivals Seaman and Shawnee Heights squared off in a United Kansas Conference matchup. Host Seaman was honoring its senior class and Shawnee Heights was coming off a tough, 50-48 loss to DeSoto last Friday night. However, Shawnee Heights played its best all-around game of the season, defeating the Vikings, 20-3.
“Kids played outstanding,'' Heights coach Jason Swift said. "That’s one of the best football games I’ve seen from a T-bird team ever. Everybody did their job -- all eleven on offense, defense and the special teams. They were phenomenal and I couldn’t be happier for these guys because they’ve faced adversity.
Following the tough loss to DeSoto last week, Coach Swift was proud of the team’s resolve, “You never know how someone will react when they get knocked down, but our boys got up and is a testament to them and their heart and resiliency.”
Seaman (3-3 overall, 3-2 UKC) took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field, but were unable to get into the end zone and senior Bryan Hayes kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. On their ensuing possession, Shawnee Heights (2-4, 2-3) drove into the red zone, but junior wide receiver Javon Williams fumbled following a catch and Seaman took over at their own 18-yard line. Seaman responded to the turnover by driving back down into Thunderbird territory, but Hayes missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.
Following a couple of turnovers by the Vikings (an interception and on downs), the Thunderbirds were able to get on the scoreboard with a 10-yard pass from senior Aiden Scott to fellow senior AJ Gallegos. Senior Camden Granado kicked the extra point and with 4:59 remaining in the first half, Shawnee Heights led, 7-3. After another turnover on downs by Seaman with 2:56 left in the half, Shawnee Heights drove deep into Seaman territory and Granado kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired in the half, giving Heights a 10-3 lead going to the locker room.
As the second half began, Shawnee Heights appeared to be on their way to getting two scores on each side of the halftime break as sophomore Reid Niedfeldt took the opening kickoff 72 yards deep into Seaman territory. However, there was a penalty on the return, nullifying the terrific return. The teams traded punts after lengthy drives and Heights once again entered the red zone, threatening to extend their lead. But Viking senior Mike Hurla intercepted Scott’s pass at the 5-yard-line and returned it all the way to midfield with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. As Seaman began moving the ball, the drive stalled because of a Viking fumble.
Shawnee Heights took the following possession into the fourth quarter and Scott was able to throw his second touchdown pass of the game on a 25-yard pass to Williams. Granado tacked on the extra point, giving the Thunderbirds a commanding 17-3 lead with 9:09 left in the game.
The ensuing kickoff appeared to be a momentum-shifting play as junior Jack Becker picked up the ball on the 1-yard line and went 93 yards all the way to the Heights 6-yard-line. But there was a holding penalty called, shifting the momentum right back to Heights. Seaman was unable to move the ball and was forced to punt with a little over seven minutes left in the game.
Shawnee Heights was able to run the ball with junior Trone Purvis getting the majority of the carries, milking the clock and forcing Seaman to use all of their timeouts. The Thunderbirds were able to convert two third downs into first downs, eventually taking the clock down to 1:12, when Granado kicked another 31-yard field goal to end the scoring.
Junior Trone Purvis carried the load as the lead running back and his coach was elated with his effort. “Trone probably had more carries tonight than he’s had all season as he stepped in for David Wakes (senior starter). Our offensive line paved the way for him and this was a ‘find a way’ game and our kids found a way to win it."
Shawnee Heights will go on the road to Lansing next Friday while Seaman will travel to face Basehor-Linwood.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 20, SEAMAN 3
Shawnee Heights (2-4, 2-3) 0 10 0 10 -- 20
Seaman (3-3, 3-2) 3 0 0 0 -- 3
Seaman -- Bryan Hayes 23 yard field goal
Shawnee Heights -- AJ Gallegos 10 pass from Aiden Scott (Camden Granado kick)
Shawnee Heights -- Granado 31 yard field goal
Shawnee Heights -- Javon Williams 25 pass from Scott (Granado kick)
Shawnee Heights -- Granado 31 yard field goal
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing -- Shawnee Heights: Purvis 32-123, Scott 10-36, Wallace 5-14, Labrador 3-9. Seaman: Moravec 23-97, Ketter 5-(minus)-2.
Passing -- Shawnee Heights: Scott 20-32-1, 235 yards. Seaman: Ketter 17-35-1, 223 yards.
Receiving -- Shawnee Heights: Williams 6-76, Parker 2-68, Gallegos 7-47, Owens 2-27, Purvis 3-17. Seaman : Barta 7-119, Kobuszewski 5-53, Brown 4-46, Moravec 1-0.
Punting - Shawnee Heights: Scott 3-36.0. Seaman: Cheney 2-26.5.
