By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
It’s difficult to imagine a more efficient beating than the Shawnee Heights T-Birds handed out in their season opener.
It took a quarter for the home team to start hitting on all cylinders, but once it did, an avalanche of points led to a 56-0 runaway over United Kansas Conference foe Turner Friday at Shawnee Heights.
Senior quarterback Kolby Kutscher completed 12 of 13 passes for 212 yards and four TDs in Shawnee Heights' 56-0 win over Turner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The T-Birds racked up 469 yards of total offense without turning the ball over. Their quarterbacks threw just one incomplete pass in 14 attempts. Meanwhile, the T-Bird defense forced Turner into two lost fumbles. And when the visiting Golden Bears attempted to pass the ball … well, the only two passes that weren’t incompletions wound up in the hands of T-Birds.
“We had an opportunity for a lot of kids to get their first Friday night game and they came through,” Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift said. “The seniors did a great job of leadership. I want to credit them because they got us ready, and we came out and played physical. You know, sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until the ball’s kicked off, and we found out what we had tonight, which is a physical team that plays for each other.
“We’ve got a lot of new parts, and you know, the other team prepares, too. That’s football. It took a little bit, but (eventually) we got on a roll, and when we did, we couldn’t be stopped.”
Leading the T-Birds was senior quarterback Kolby Kutscher, who made his first start after waiting behind multi-year starter, Aiden Scott, who is now playing at Washburn University. Kutscher was nearly perfect, completing 12-13 throws for 212 yards and four touchdowns.
“Mentally I was ready for this,” Kutscher said. “A lot of offseason work went into getting ready. I’ve been working with my quarterback coach all offseason long getting ready for this moment.
“My wide receiving corps is unbelievable. I love those guys, top to bottom.”
“He’s worked hard year round. His focus has always been for this moment,” Swift said of his new quarterback. “He had to play behind a great quarterback, didn’t get the opportunity that some other quarterbacks do until his senior year. But boy, he made the most of it in everything he did tonight.”
Fletcher Terrell caught four passes for 117 yards and three TDs in Shawnee Heights' 56-0 win over Turner. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Leading a deep group of receivers was sophomore Fletcher Terrell, who hauled in four of Kutscher’s throws for 117 yards and three touchdowns.
Freshman Zayis Barksdale rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on just three carries in Shawnee Heights' 56-0 win over Turner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Golden Bears found it nearly impossible to tackle Shawnee Heights’ freshman Zayis Barksdale. The 215-pound back took his first carry 49 yards for a touchdown. After an 18-yard run on his second touch, Barksdale rumbled 48 yards for another touchdown. Barksdale’s 115 yards on three carries supplemented workhorse back Trone Purvis, who carried eight times for 87 yards and a score.
The T-Birds will sleep well after picking up their first win. They have been rising before dawn to practice due to the extreme heat. Swift praised his players’ adaptability and willingness to sacrifice.
“There’s been no rhythm, and that’s something you want in football is consistency,” Swift said. “We’ve been having to be flexible. But then you have to credit the kids, because they get here at 5:00 in the morning, 4:45 in the morning and they go out and practice. That’s something you’ve got to adjust to, and they have responded. So, keep the heat going!”
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 56, TURNER 0
Turner (0-1, 0-1) 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Shawnee Heights (1-0, 1-0) 7 28 14 7 -- 56
Shawnee Heights – Purvis 38 run (Fisher kick)
Shawnee Heights – Terrell 27 pass from Kutscher (Fisher kick)
Shawnee Heights – Barksdale 49 run (Fisher kick)
Shawnee Heights – Terrell 15 pass from Kutscher (Fisher kick)
Shawnee Heights – Terrell 63 pass from Kutscher (Fisher kick)
Shawnee Heights – Williams 37 pass from Kutscher (Fisher kick)
Shawnee Heights – Barksdale 48 run (Fisher kick)
Shawnee Heights – Haverkamp 1 run (Fisher kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Turner: Byrd 20-110, Culp 2-3, Russel 1-1, Arguijo 1-0, McNeal 9-50, Hutson 3-8, Whitiker 8-21, Killingsworth 1-1. Shawnee Heights: Purvis 8-87, Barksdale 3-115, Mobley 5-41, Haverkamp 2-4.
Passing – Turner: Arguijo 0-4-2 0 yards, Hutson 0-2-0 0 yards. Shawnee Heights: Kutscher 12-13-0 212 yards, Haverkamp 1-1-0 10 yards.
Receiving – Turner: none. Shawnee Heights: Terrell 4-117, Brooks 5-49, Williams 2-54, Owens 1-6, Purvis 1-(minus)4.
Punting – Turner: Castaneda 2-22.5. Shawnee Heights: none.
