BUFFALO – Opening a new football season with an afternoon kickoff and temperatures in mid-90’s would pose a problem for all grid squads, but even more so for the limited rosters from small schools that compete in the relatively new 6-man division of Kansas high schools.
Such was the case as the Altoona-Midway Jets and the Chetopa Hornets squared off here Friday. It was a game that seemed destined to be decided not as much by talent and by which team was better able to withstand the scorching heat and humidity. In the end, that team was Chetopa, as the Hornets pulled away in the second half for a 78-33 victory at Frank Kennedy Field.
Altoona-Midway was very competitive in the first half, with only some key turnovers preventing the Jets from being even closer than the 32-26 deficit they faced at intermission.
But the 10-man AMHS squad succumbed to the oppressive heat in the second half, while the Hornets overcame multiple cramping situations themselves and outscored the Jets 46-7 over the final two quarters.
“The 3 o’clock start took its toll on both teams, but in the end, Chetopa handled the head better than we did,” said AMHS head coach Randy Almond. “There were multiple times, mostly in the second half, where I was lucky to have six healthy bodies to put on the field.” Indeed, Chetopa turned a nearly-even first half contest into a cakewalk, rolling to seven second-half touchdowns while Altoona-Midway managed to cross paydirt only once after intermission.
“It was a very disappointing loss, but I give credit to Chetopa,” Almond noted. “They played well. They are a much-improved squad.”
Altoona-Midway beat Chetopa twice a year ago, 46-0 and 49-0. But the Hornets, under new head coach and former NFL punter Tommy Heatherly, showed they were determined to start a new era with a new culture.
The Hornets benefitted from a two-pronged rushing attack, as seniors Blake Carter and Derrick Thomas churned out 169 and 106 yards, respectively.
Carter found the end zone on four different occasions for Chetopa, while fellow senior Cauy Ross scored three touchdowns. Thomas and junior Tagg Bond crossed the goal line twice apiece, and freshman Ethan Lawson also scored.
Meanwhile, junior William Stackhouse provided a spark for Altoona-Midway, especially in the first half. Stackhouse accounted for all five Jet touchdowns on the afternoon, four of them coming before halftime.
Stackhouse scored on runs of 2 and 10 yards, hauled in a 34-yard TD strike from Jacob Meigs, and scored on a 65-yard kickoff return to keep AMHS within striking distance at 32-26 after the first two periods. He also raced 27 yards for the Jets’ lone second-half score.
Meigs finished the day 6-for-9 in passing attempts for 50 yards. Meigs also had some nice carries running the ball for AMHS, as did Kieran Foster and Blaine Collins.
Defensively, Meigs and Joey Lamendola each snared interceptions. Meigs led the scored with seven unassisted tackles and 10 overall, while Foster and Collins recorded five each. Stackhouse and Lamendola finished with four tackles apiece, Lane Poeverlein and Kage Beck each had three, while Braxton Wittlake and Andrew Wright both added one.
“We need to get back to the basics – blocking and tackling,” Almond said. “We need more unity – we need to play together as a team and I need my leaders to step up.
“It was not the start we wanted, but I’m confident we’ll build on this and come back strong,” Almond added. “We have to put this game behind us and prepare for a tough Waverly squad.” AMHS (0-1), travels to Waverly (1-0) on Friday. Meanwhile, Chetopa (1-0) will try to build on its momentum when the Hornets travel to Peabody-Burns (0-1).