Eudora ? It wasn’t so much the overall towering size of Topeka Hayden that led to the 42-6 hammering of Eudora High in a Class 4A football state playoffs sectional game Friday night at Laws Field.

It wasn’t the Wildcats’ team speed or their offense or defense.

What was it?

Turnovers.

“What we cannot do is turn the ball over,” Eudora coach Gregg Webb said.

But Eudora did — twice, not counting failed fourth-down conversions.

The Cardinals (8-4) knew defeating the top-ranked team in Class 4A would be a high hurdle to clear. After two fumbles in the first half, that hurdle became a mountainous wall that the Cardinals never could climb.

That wall personified the Wildcats. Webb crunched some numbers earlier this week. He said Hayden’s seven regulars on the offensive and defensive lines weighed in at an average of 268 pounds on 6-foot-3 frames.

Even with the Wildcats’ massive measurements, Eudora’s offense found some success — when it held on to the ball.

EHS running back Brendan Jackson had 40 yards — 12 carries for 67 yards total on the night — going into halftime. Yet, the Cardinals were down, 28-0, after suffering the wrath of the turnover bug.

With 6:37 remaining in the second quarter, Jackson got the call to charge on a fourth-and-one at the Hayden 10. He pushed, but the Wildcats stunted his progress immediately for the first EHS turnover on downs.

“We just didn’t make the plays when we needed to,” Jackson said. “It all comes down to executing, and we couldn’t.”

Webb had the same frustrating thought.

6Sports video: Eudora falls to Hayden

“Our situation all season has been play-making when it counted the most,” Webb said. “It just seems like we can’t do it.”

Midway through the first quarter, Cardinals running back Luke Abel lost the ball during his team’s second offensive play. The Wildcats took over at the Eudora 27 and posted a 14-0 lead six plays later.

The Wildcats (12-0), on the other hand, made plays with a methodic consistency that sealed the game by the half. Dieker finished the game a perfect 7-for-7 with 145 yards and two touchdown passes. He also ran for two scores.

Dieker shared snaps with James Schneider, who also found gaps in the Eudora secondary.

“They made some great plays. I saw them on film, and they didn’t throw it that well. Maybe they weren’t trying,” Webb said humorously about Hayden’s passing attack.

The biggest Hayden passing play came on its third score as Dieker hit Scott Schmidtlein in stride on a post pattern for a 46-yard TD strike.

“That really put a dagger into us,” Webb said.

The fourth touchdown of the half must have felt like a sword. With 37 seconds to play, Abel fumbled again to give the Wildcats the ball at the Eudora 21, resulting in Dieker’s second touchdown run.

“We just couldn’t stop them,” Jackson said.

Added Webb: “We come from being down in the game 14-0 to 28-0. Then our kids are playing for pride because we’re not going to score 28 points against their defense.”

To Eudora’s credit, they were able to move the ball through the air. EHS quarterback Kyle Brouhard finished the evening 4-for-9 for 128 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Joe Kaup had three catches for 110 yards and the score.

Brouhard and Kaup almost scored during the first play of the second quarter had Kaup not been tripped up by Hayden’s Jeremy Harris for a pass-interference call.

The two eventually connected on 42-yard pass on a corner pattern. Kaup lunged for the Cardinals’ lone score with a little less than a minute remaining.

The loss dropped Webb’s record during three seasons at Eudora to 28-6. Webb said that next year’s team will feature a considerable amount of skill players such as Brouhard but will lose other play-makers such as Jackson and Kaup as well a majority of the offensive and defensive line.

Despite the pounding by the Wildcats, Webb was pleased to be still be playing football in mid-November with the established juggernauts of 4A: Hayden, Holton and Fort Scott.

Coincidentally, Holton beat Fort Scott, 28-0, Friday and next will play Hayden.

“Just for us to be left at this side of the bracket with those three (teams),” Webb said, “says something about our program.”

Notes:

TH: Kyle Ingenthron 11 run (Chad Myers kick).

TH: Chris Dieker 1 run (Myers kick).

TH: Dieker 46 pass to Scott Schmidtlein (Myers kick).

TH: Dieker 3 run (Myers kick).

TH: Dieker 10 pass to Josh Torrez (Myers kick).

TH: Ingenthron 14 run (Myers kick).

E: Kyle Brouhard 42 pass to Joe Kaup (Kick blocked).