Chieftains honor fallen soldier with win
Tonganoxie ? It’s not easy being the head coach of a high school football team, but Tonganoxie coach Mark Elston had an even tougher job than normal Friday night.
Not only did he have to coach, he and the Tonganoxie community had to mourn the loss of one of their own.
On Tuesday, former Tonganoxie football player Lucas Frantz, a 2002 graduate, was killed in Iraq when he was hit by enemy fire while fighting for the U.S. Army. A pregame ceremony was held Friday to retire his No. 69 jersey.
“I was trying to run through what I needed to do offensively and defensively to help the team, and I was trying to wipe away tears at the same time thinking back to when Lucas played for me,” Elston said following his team’s 30-22 victory over De Soto, helping his team improve to 7-1 on the season and 2-0 in district play. “My focus and concentration was not there tonight, so I can only imagine what the kids were going through.”
During the ceremony, former teammates of Frantz’s walked onto the field carrying a framed No. 69 jersey that was presented to his parents. After a moment of silence, the famous Lee Greenwood song “God Bless the USA” was played over the speakers. In a moving moment, many fans cried as others held up small American flags that had been passed out to fans when they entered the stadium.
“He was a great friend,” said Chad Vukas, who graduated with Frantz in 2002 and was one of the many former football players to return for the ceremony. “He had a big heart, and he loved his friends. He was a good soldier. He was one of the best. He wasn’t a quitter. He gave it everything he had, 100 percent, at everything he did. It is an honor for me to know him and to be his friend.”
Frantz’s wife, Kelly, his high school sweetheart, attended the game and the ceremony. She donned his white No. 69 jersey and hugged Elston at the conclusion of the ceremony.
It looked as if the events before the game might have distracted the Chieftains when they fell behind 7-0 only 39 seconds into the game. De Soto’s Shane Miller broke multiple tackles and broke off an impressive 20-yard touchdown run on the third play from scrimmage. After the extra point was missed, De Soto tried the first of many onside kicks, but did not recover it.
Tonganoxie then put together a quick strike of its own, also scoring a touchdown on only three plays. It was a 34-yard run by Matt Drake that gave Tongie a 7-6 lead.
De Soto re-took the lead late in the first quarter when quarterback Jake Morse scored on a keeper. He then found Neil Erisman in the end zone for the two-point conversion to make it 14-7.
Jeff Hughes then took things into his own hands for Tonganoxie and single-handedly drove the Chieftains down the field. After scrambling for an 18-yard run on third-and-10 from the De Soto 21, he ran in a two-yard touchdown only two plays later to tie the game at 14.
Hughes was on the field for every play Friday night. Not only is he the quarterback, he plays defensive back and is the team’s kicker and punter. He ran for 121 yards on 17 carries and was 3-of-6 passing for 45 yards. He also kicked a field goal and three extra points and almost intercepted a pass.
Tonganoxie led 30-14 with just over four minutes remaining before De Soto (4-4, 0-2) mounted a furious comeback. After scoring to cut the lead to eight at 30-22 on an 80-yard hook-and-ladder play, the Wildcats forced Tonganoxie to punt and got the ball back with just under a minute left.
De Soto coach Brad Scott was ejected from the game when he came onto the field to argue a non-pass-interference call on fourth down with just over 10 seconds left.
Tonganoxie ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Tonganoxie 30, De Soto 22
De Soto – 14 – 0 – 0 – 8 – – – 22
Tonganoxie – 7 – 10 – 7 – 6 – – – 30
D – Neil Erisman 20 run (kick failed)
T – Matt Drake 34 run (Jeff Hughes kick)
D – Jake Morse 1 run (Erisman pass from Morse)
T – Hughes 2 run (Hughes run)
T – Hughes 22 FG
T – Daniel Volk 1 run (Hughes kick)
T – Hughes 5 run (kick failed)
D – Shane Miller 65 run (Erisman run)