By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Big plays more than smoothed over the rough edges Topeka High showed in a 27-14 win over Wichita Heights Thursday at Hummer Sports Park.
The Trojans scored two non-offensive touchdowns and forced five turnovers to collect their second victory of the season, matching their win total from 2022 and 2023 combined.
First-year Topeka High football coach Jason Filbeck congratulates senior running back Tevante Ewing during Thursday's 27-14 win over Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
First-year High head coach Jason Filbeck pointed to athletic and opportunistic players who made plays despite some breakdowns in fundamentals throughout the night.
“We are blessed to have some kids who can really run, and they can step up at the right times,” Filbeck said. “We’re lucky that we’re athletic, so we can win some of these games while we’re still learning.”
The game was bookended by a defensive score in the first quarter and a kickoff return in the fourth quarter when the outcome was in doubt.
Linebacker Payton Stevicks picked up a fumble and raced 42 yards to stake Topeka High to a lead late in the first quarter. The play inspired the defense, which forced two more Falcon fumbles in the first half.
“We worked hard in practice, and we were pumped for the first home game of the season,” Stevicks said. “We practiced for their flexbone offense and were ready for it.”
Senior Tevante Ewing celebrates a touchdown in Topeka High's 27-14 win over Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior running back Tevante Ewing got rolling in the second period, carrying for 31 yards in one drive which ended with him rushing 3 yards for a score.
Smelling blood, the Trojans dipped into their bag of tricks late in the second period.
Topeka High seniors Saron Carter (7) and Jayden Norman (2) hooked up for a 67-yard touchdown pass in the Trojans' 27-14 win over Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Quarterback Zane Smith fumbled the ball in the backfield, but kept his presence of mind to pitch to Saron Carter to trigger a designed halfback pass. Carter had time to find receiver Jayden Norman, who slipped behind the Falcon defense undetected. Norman ran out the 67-yard scoring strike to put Topeka High up, 21-0.
“Our defense was on fire in the first half,” Filbeck said. “And that’s a tough scheme. The flexbone is no joke. Credit to (Wichita Heights), they made some great adjustments at halftime and started getting some first downs and hurting us with some screens.”
The Falcons got untracked and scored twice in the second half. Things could have been even worse for Topeka High. A Falcon receiver dropped a sure touchdown early in the fourth period. A few plays later, Norman picked off a pass on the goal line.
Sophomore Courtney Sanders scored on an 85-yard kickoff return in Topeka High's 27-14 win over Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Still, the Falcons were in the game until Topeka High sophomore Courtney Sanders put the game away with an 85-yard kickoff return.
“I knew I just had to make a play for the team,” Sanders said. “I hadn’t been playing good the whole game, so I just needed something to set me off. I love those (special teams opportunities). That really changed the whole game. Special teams win games.”
The 2-0 Trojans are learning what it takes to win while winning.
“You want to win every game 40-0, but that’s not real,” said Filbeck. “Eventually we’re going to play some really tough teams, so the good thing is we can learn lessons while still getting the win.”
The Trojans picked up their first win under Filbeck in a 52-19 drubbing of Wichita West last Friday. They will face their third-consecutive opponent from Wichita next week when they travel to Wichita Southeast. Then they will enter Centennial League play.
“It’s all about culture,” Filbeck said. “It’s about how we do things in practice and how we do things in film study. It’s about how these kids show up for class on a Friday morning after a game. It’s giving these kids something that they can not only be having fun but be a fulfilling experience.
“We always say, ‘Football is great because of who you become when you play football.’ These kids are going to learn discipline and they are going to learn toughness and effort. We preach those things, and you’re starting to see the fruits of it. We’re not there on the culture, but we’re developing it.”
TOPEKA HIGH 27, WICHITA HEIGHTS 14
Wichita Heights (0-2) 0 0 7 7 -- 14
Topeka High (2-0) 6 15 0 6 -- 27
Topeka High -- Stevicks 42 fumble return (kick failed)
Topeka High – Ewing 3 run (Norman pass from Smith)
Topeka High – Norman 67 pass from Carter (Norman kick)
Wichita Heights – Wyatt 6 run (Vasquez-Chavira kick)
Wichita Heights – Rogers 35 pass from Masterson (Vasquez-Chavira kick)
Topeka High -- Sanders 85 kickoff return (kick failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Wichita Heights: Rogers 15-57, Smith 5-(minus)4, Masterson 3-(minus)9, Wyatt 12-88, Walker 1-0. Topeka High: Dowd 4-1, Sanders 1-5, Smith 6-1, Ewing 8-31, Carter 2-10.
Passing – Wichita Heights: Masterson 7-16-2 140 yards. Topeka High: Smith 7-13-0 51 yards, Carter 1-1-0 67 yards.
Receiving – Wichita Heights: Hayes 1-5, Rogers 2-32, Smith 2-63, Bodney 1-23, Clark 1-17. Topeka High: Carter 1-12, Norman 4-96, Dingle 2-8, Ewing 1-2.
Punting – Wichita Heights: Masterson 2-35.0. Topeka High: Norman 3-45.3.
