CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
 
NEMAHA CENTRAL (12-0) VS. KINGMAN (12-0)
 
1 p.m. Saturday at District Stadium, Salina
 

FIFTY YEARS LATER, KINGMAN EARNS ANOTHER TITLE SHOT
 
In 1972, Kingman hosted Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the Class 3A championship game, and the Eagles fell short against legendary coach Ed Kriwiel and the Crusaders in a 22-6 loss.
 
After winning one of the most dramatic games of the 2022 postseason on their home field last Friday, the Eagles will try to secure that elusive title 50 years later in the 2A finale.
 
Kingman’s unbeaten season was down to its final breath against Southeast of Saline in a tightly contested semifinal. Trailing 22-14 in the first overtime and facing fourth-and-goal from the 6, Eagles coach Tanner Hageman summoned a pass play his team had practiced several times in his four seasons at Kingman but never used.
 
Quarterback Nolan Freund, one of seven Kingman seniors, retreated all the way to the 20 under intense Trojan pressure and lofted a pass to the left side of the end zone. Junior Tristen Davidson, who ran a drag route across the field from the right side, pulled the ball in just out of the reach of defenders to cut the Eagles’ deficit to two points. Needing the conversion to extend the game, senior Avrey Albright lunged across the goal line on a jet sweep with defenders hanging on to him to force a second overtime.
 
After Southeast came up empty on its possession in the second overtime, Freund scored from 5 yards out to cap a 28-22 thriller that improved Kingman to 12-0.
 
“Nolan’s older brother (Dalton) played Tristen’s spot my first and second year here,” Hageman said. “We have probably practiced that every Thursday for four years but never ran it. He came up to me after the game and said, ‘Finally, you ran it.’
 
“We felt really good about the play call. They brought some pressure and Nolan made an incredible throw off his back foot.”
 
It’s the type of play that begs for a name for the ages, but a victory on Saturday would enhance its significance. Kingman sat at No. 3 in KSHSAA Covered’s 2A rankings behind Nemaha Central and Southeast for most of the season, and after knocking off the previously unbeaten Trojans, the Eagles will try to take down 2A’s other 12-0 team.
 
“I think it was a big advantage to have last week’s game at home,” Hageman said. “The fact that we had been there in a semifinal game helped. All the guys who played on Friday played in last year’s semifinal game at some point.”
 
Freund, an All-2A performer last season, has had another big offensive year with 1,938 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, as well as 869 rushing yards and 14 scores. Albright’s versatility has yielded eight receiving touchdowns and seven rushing TDs while another senior, Jake Fischer, has grinded out 346 yards and six scores.
 
The Eagles went over 4,000 yards of total offense for the season in last week’s victory, almost perfectly split between rushing and passing. It’s been more than enough for a defense that has allowed 82 points all season.
 
Kingman’s 3-3 alignment has allowed linebacker Ty Birkenbaugh and Collin Schreiner to register over 100 tackles apiece. Davidson has a team-leading eight sacks and junior Carter Helm has snagged a team-high 10 interceptions.
 
Hageman credited the defensive unit with a save – of himself – after he passed up a short field-goal opportunity by Freund that would have given Kingman an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter against Southeast. The Trojans later tied the score, but Kingman’s defense denied them in the second overtime to set the stage for one of the Eagles’ biggest victories in program history.
 
“I passed up the field goal because it was from the right hash and it was a difficult angle,” Hageman said. “Looking back, I wish I would have made a better call on third down to put us in the middle of the field.
 
“I told them, ‘I screwed up. I need you guys to bail me out.’ I was just sick to my stomach. But they said, ‘We’ve got you, Coach. It’s going to be fine.’”

 
KINGMAN EAGLES (12-0)

COACH: Tanner Hageman (4th year, 31-11)

STATE FINALS HISTORY: 1 runner-up finish – 1972 (3A)

2022 RESULTS

W,28-14 at Cheney
W,36-0 Conway Springs
W,64-6 Wichita Trinity Academy
W,63-7 at Douglass
W,28-0 at Hesston
W,35-7 Chaparral
W,42-0 at Haven
W,40-7 Garden Plain
W,49-7 Hillsboro (P)
W,33-6 Ellsworth (P)
W,35-6 at Beloit (P)
W,28-22 2OT Southeast of Saline (P)

2022 STATISTICS

TEAM

Points scored: 481 (40.1 per game)

Points allowed: 82 (6.8 per game)

Total offense: 4,100 yards (341.7 per game)

Rushing: 2,066 yards (172.2 per game), 37 TDs

Passing: 2,034 yards (169.5 per game), 25 TDs, 2 INTs

INDIVIDUAL

Rushing: Nolan Freund (sr.) 144 carries, 869 yards, 14 TDs; Avrey Albright (sr.) 25 carries, 338 yards 7 TDs; Jake Fischer (sr.) 80 carries, 346 yards, 6 TDs; Carter Helm (jr.) 36 carries, 329 yards, 7 TDs.

Passing: Nolan Freund (sr.) 119 of 184, 1,938 yards, 25 TDs, 2 INTs.
 
Receiving: Avrey Albright (sr.) 27 catches, 630 yards, 8 TDs; Tristen Davidson (jr.) 36 catches, 610 yards, 9 TDs; Carter Helm (jr.) 35 catches, 414 yards, 5 TDs.

Tackles: Ty Birkenbaugh (sr.) 108 tackles (70 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 4 sacks; Collin Schreiner (so.) 101 tackles (59 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 4 sacks; Tristen Davidson (jr.) 85 tackles (58 solo), 22 tackles for loss, 8 sacks; Avrey Albright (sr.) 65 tackles (42 solo); Adrian Ontiveros (sr.) 62 tackles (30 solo), 5 tackles for loss; Brody Bell (sr.) 61 tackles (43 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 7 sacks; Jake Fischer (sr.) 54 tackles (28 solo), 6 tackles for loss; Dalton Barber (jr.) 52 tackles (36 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks; Bo Watkins (jr.) 58 tackles (34 solo), 4 tackles for loss; Chase Webster (jr.) 49 tackles (34 solo).

Takeaways: Carter Helm (jr.) 10 INTs; Nolan Freund (sr.), 3 INTs, fumble recovery; Avrey Albright (sr.) 3 INTs; Ty Birkenbaugh (sr.) 2 INTs, 2 fumble recoveries; Collin Schreiner (so.) 2 INTs; Brody Bell (so.) 2 fumble recoveries; Gunnar Scripsick (jr.) 2 INTs.

Kicking: Nolan Freund (sr.) 53 of 59 PATs.

 

NEMAHA CENTRAL BRINGS PLENTY OF CHAMPIONSHIP GAME EXPERIENCE INTO 2022 FINAL
 
In only his second season as head coach at Nemaha Central, Michael Glatczak has yet to fully put his stamp on the Thunder program.
 
But there’s a championship pedigree at nearly every turn for the Thunder players looking to add one of their own Saturday in Salina.
 
For starters, this year’s senior class were freshmen when Nemaha Central captured the Class 2A state championship in 2019 – the first for the program since the consolidation of Nemaha Valley and Baileyville B&B in 2014 – getting to experience the thrill of winning a state title first hand.
 
While that title came under now-departed coach Warren Seitz, Nemaha Central’s entire staff of assistant coaches is still around.
 
And then there’s Glatczak himself, who led Centralia to a Class 2-1A state championship in 2011. He’s also the son of former Centralia coach Larry Glatczak, who won four state titles prior to retiring ahead of the 2022 season. Whether as a player or son, Michael Glatczak soaked it all in and can apply it to his coaching style.
 
“Obviously my dad’s been a big influence and I talk to him throughout the year and he’s been a big help,” Glatczak said. “And then my coaching staff and these seniors have helped out with the process of relaying to our younger kids what it takes to win a state title. That’s certainly been key this whole year and in our playoff run.”
 
Nemaha Central entered the 2022 season with high expectations, returning the bulk of last year’s team that was knocked out of the playoffs by eventual state champion Rossville in the state quarterfinals. Those expectations ramped up even more when the Thunder opened the season with a 35-28 win over a Holton team that has since won 11 straight games and will play for the Class 3A title in Hutchinson.
 
In that win, Nemaha Central showed it had the physicality to be a force and the Thunder have spet the rest of the season flexing. The Thunder average 49.6 points per game and have run roughshod with a ground game that averages 275 yards per game and produced 60 touchdowns.
 
Senior Cooper Hajek has been the driving force of that attack, rushing for 1,882 yards and 38 touchdowns.
 
“Experience plays a key factor in that,” Glatczak said. “Holton had our number the past three years and the kids remember the last two years in particular where we lost in the last seconds on field goals. Getting that win was just a confidence factor for this team and we’ve just tried to build on that all season.”
 
After beating Holton, Nemaha wasn’t really tested until running into arch rival Sabetha in the final week of the regular season. The Bluejays shut out Nemaha in the first half of that meeting before the Thunder stormed back for a 24-7 win.
 
The two met again in last week’s state semifinals and once again, Sabetha gave Nemaha Central all it wanted for a half before the Thunder pulled away in the second half for a 30-14 win.
 
As nerve-wracking as those games might have been, Glatczak said they were exactly what his team needed to continue its run toward a second state title in four years.
 
“Obviously Coach (Garrett) Michael is a great coach up there with a great staff and great kids,” Glatczak said. “I think our kids handled the adversity well because they’re the only team that’s really been bigger than us up front. The physicality of that game will help us this Saturday.”
 
Saturday’s 2A title game in Salina is the only one pitting two undefeated teams with Kingman surviving an 28-22 double-overtime victory over previously undefeated Southeast of Saline in its semifinal last Friday.
 
The Eagles boast the stingiest defense in Class 2A, allowing just 82 points all season. Kingman, making its first championship game appearance since 1972, also offers the most balanced offense Nemaha Central has seen this year.
 
“I would compare them to Holton in how physical they can be, not very big, but talented and just a bunch of hard-working kids,” Glatczak said. “They fly around to the football and offensively and defensively we’ll have a task on our hands.”

 
NEMAHA CENTRAL THUNDER (12-0)

COACH: Michael Glatczak (2nd year, 19-3)

STATE FINALS HISTORY: 1 state title – 2019 (2A)

2022 RESULTS

W,35-28 at Holton
W,71-15 Royal Valley
W,46-13 Perry-Lecompton
W,78-0 at Horton
W,67-6 at Jefferson West
W,56-0 Minneapolis
W,34-12 at Riley County
W,24-7 Sabetha
W,74-6 Pleasant Ridge (P)
W,36-13 Rossville (P)
W,44-20 at Humboldt (P)
W,30-14 Sabetha (P)


2022 STATISTICS

TEAM

Points scored: 595 (49.6 per game)

Points allowed: 134 (11.2 per game)

Total offense: 4,604 yards (383.1 per game)

Rushing: 3,301 yards (275.1 per game), 60 TDs

Passing: 1,296 yards (108.0 per game), 13 TDs, 7 INTs

INDIVIDUAL

Rushing: Cooper Hajek (sr.) 255 carries, 1,882 yards, 38 TDs; Carter Hajek (fr.) 54 carries, 451 yards, 5 TDs; Brayden Uphaus (sr.) 64 carries, 359 yards, 8 TDs.

Passing: Brayden Uphaus (sr.) 79 of 131, 1,181 yards, 10 TDs, 5 INTs.
 
Receiving: Gavin Cain (sr.) 25 catches, 549 yards, 5 TDs; Wade Leonard (sr.) 28 catches, 301 yards, 3 TDs; Blake Stallbaumer (sr.) 11 catches, 170 yards, 3 TDs; Cooper Hajek (sr.) 14 carries, 132 yards, TD.

Tackles: Cooper Hajek (sr.) 74 tackles (35 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks; Blake Stallbaumer (sr.) 68 tackles (42 solo), 13 tackles for loss; Jake Hundley (sr.) 63 tackles (37 solo), 3 sacks; Holden Bass (jr.) 62 tackles (26 solo), 8 tackles for loss, 5 sacks; Wade Leonard (sr.) 52 tackles (26 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 5 sacks; Connor Deters (sr.) 42 tackles (23 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.

Takeaways: Gavin Cain (sr.) 3 INTs; Aidan Broxterman (jr) 2 INTs; Brayden Uphaus (sr.) 2 INTs; Carter Rottinghaus (jr.) 2 fumble recoveries, INT; Wade Leonard (sr.) 2 fumble recoveries, INT.

Kicking: None.