DeSoto ? Tonganoxie High’s football team sure knows how to ruin a good time.

Behind a ferocious defense that allowed just one score late, the Chieftains brought DeSoto down to earth Friday, beating the Wildcats, 31-6, to spoil DeSoto’s perfect start as well as the Wildcats’ annual homecoming game.

“We knew with their homecoming,” Tongie coach Mark Elston said, “that we had to make sure they didn’t get any momentum.”

The Chieftains (2-1) followed Elston’s plan. DeSoto never got anything going all night, especially on the ground. As a team, the Wildcats managed just eight net yards rushing, and even workhorse Michael Allen, who was crowned homecoming king at halftime, managed just 43 yards on 22 carries. He was stopped for a loss nine times by the aggressive Chieftain defense.

“We’re just not blocking for him,” DeSoto coach Brad Scott said. “He’s got nowhere to run. If he’s got nowhere to run, he’s not going to gain any yards.”

Despite the lopsided final, DeSoto kept the score close throughout the first half. Tongie wasn’t able to score until there were 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter, when running back Troy Morando scampered in from eight yards out. The extra-point attempt sailed right.

“It really deflated us,” Scott said. “You give them enough chances, with that option offense, they’re going to get it down your throat one or two times.”

The Chieftains added another score late in the third quarter, on a four-yard reception from Kyle Mayse. It proved to be all they needed, as the Chieftain defense gave DeSoto nothing to work with until late in the fourth.

“We held our own through the game,” Tongie senior Andrew Miller said. “I’ve got the best guys to play with this year. We just lined up and played smash-mouth football.”

Miller’s night on defense proved to be a thorn in the Wildcats’ side. He made several tackles in the DeSoto backfield, blocked a punt and was in the middle of seemingly every play all night.

“Andrew always goes hard,” Elston said. “He knows we rely on him heavily on defense, and he stepped up and made some plays for us.”

The Chieftains, winners of two straight, head back home to face Leavenworth Immaculata on Friday.

Scott and his Wildcats will travel to Anderson County next Friday with a bit of a bitter taste in their mouths but a vision of where they want to be in the near future.

“Tongie is a heck of a football team,” Scott said. “They’re great up front. They’ve got a great system, a great scheme. They’ve got a program.

“It’s something we’d like to get at some point.”

Tonganoxie 31, DeSoto 6

Tonganoxie 0 6 6 19 31

DeSoto 0 0 0 6 6

T Troy Morando 8 run (kick failed)

T Kyle Mayse 4 pass from Justin Walker (run failed)

T Tim Hopkins 4 run (pass failed)

T Walker 25 run (Kirk Rodell kick)

D Greg Francis 1 run (pass failed)

T Sam Mitchell 1 run (pass failed)