Kaws rout Chieftains

? Perry-Lecompton senior quarterback Shane Gimzo accounted for five of the Kaws’ eight touchdowns in a 56-7 rout of Tonganoxie on Friday night.

Gimzo rushed for four touchdowns and passed for another, as PLHS improved to 2-1 on the year after its homecoming victory.

“He’s a heckuva good football player,” Kaws coach Mike Paramore said about his senior quarterback, noting he’s a vital weapon because he’s a dual threat with the run and the pass.

As for the game itself, Paramore was pleased with his team’s performance, especially with all the distractions that come with homecoming week.

“It felt good,” Paramore said. “We really came out hard.”

With Tonganoxie having the first possession, the Chieftains had third and 8 from their own 15 when Perry-Lecompton senior Aaron Andrew recovered a THS fumble. Moments later, Gimzo scored and PLHS had an early 7-0 lead after senior kicker Chakkaphong Artwichai’s extra point was successful.

The two teams traded punts in the next two series, but on Perry-Lecompton’s next possession, the Kaws capped a nine-play, 59-yard drive with a 1-yard Gimzo run.

Tonganoxie got right back in the game on the ensuing kickoff return when THS sophomore Jeremy Carlisle returned the ball 95 yards, streaking down his team’s sideline. Zack Robinson’s extra-point cut Perry-Lecompton’s lead in half, but the Chieftains got no closer. The Kaws rattled off 42 straight points and improved their Kaw Valley League record to 2-0.

THS, meanwhile, dropped to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

“This game wasn’t won tonight,” THS coach Mark Elston said. “It was won in January, February, March, April, in the weight room and in summer camps.”

Elston said his squad’s “youth was exposed tonight” against a Perry-Lecompton squad that boasts 17 seniors.

THS didn’t help its own cause either, as the Chieftains turned the ball over seven times.