Firebirds eliminated in state semifinals

Free State senior Joel Spain gets held up by Hutchinson's Gabe Ragioza on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014.

Free State High’s football players knew they needed to limit Hutchinson senior running back Blaik Middleton to reach the Class 6A state championship game.

It didn’t happen.

The Firebirds’ run through the playoffs came to a screeching halt on Friday, a 42-14 loss to Hutchinson in the state semifinals at FSHS. The Salthawks advanced to their 10th state title game in the last 12 years.

Middleton, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound back with speed and power, just kept finding holes to the end zone, as he’s done all season. He finished with 353 yards and six touchdowns on 21 carries.

It also didn’t help that little went right for Free State in the first quarter. After the Salthawks converted a fourth down at midfield on their first drive, Middleton ran for a 54-yard touchdown on the next play.

On the Firebirds’ first play, they lost the ball on a fumble. One positive was they prevented another Hutchinson score when senior linebacker Carson Bowen intercepted a pass in the end zone. But once the Salthawks got the ball back, Middleton worked his magic again for a 38-yard touchdown run, breaking several arm tackles on his way to the end zone.

“He’s the best running back we’ve played in probably the past three years,” senior lineman Shane Hofer said.

Once the Firebirds finally got some momentum, Middleton was there to steal it right back. Bowen scored on a seven-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, and Middleton answered on the next play with a 66-yard touchdown bolt on the left side of the field.

Free State punched back, as junior quarterback Bryce Torneden and sophomore receiver Zack Sanders had long runs to set up a 13-yard touchdown run by Bowen. But just two plays later, there was Middleton, streaking past defenders for a 57-yard touchdown.

“(Middleton) is the real deal,” FSHS coach Bob Lisher said. “You don’t rush for 2,300 yards like he has, and not be pretty good. He showed why he’s got all those yards. He’s got a big offensive line in front of him, but a lot of those yards were on his own. He was breaking tackles, making our guys miss.”

The Firebirds nearly answered before halftime, after Torneden tossed a few long passes to senior receiver Joel Spain, but Sanders was tackled after making a catch at the three-yard line on fourth-and-goal.

In the second half, Hutchinson made Free State pay for an interception in the red zone, as the Salthawks marched down the field on an eight-play, 41-yard drive ending with a two-yard touchdown run by Middleton. He’s rushed for more than 2,600 yards this year, a single-season school record.

“They got a great line. They got a good push on the ball,” Spain said. “Blaik Middleton, he’s a great running back. He knows how to hit (holes), he’s real fast and he’s hard to take down, so credit to them.”

The Firebirds, who finished the year with an 8-4 record, did have their chances, with two drives ending with a turnover on downs inside of the three-yard line, and an interception at the 10.

They also tried to make adjustments throughout the game to stop Middleton. They added defensive players in the box, did some different things with cornerbacks and linebackers, but it seemed that every time they made a tackle in the backfield, he would respond with a big play.

“He’s a good running back,” said Bowen, who ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns. “We knew it when we came in. He did what we thought he would do. We wanted to stop what he’s done against other teams but we couldn’t.”

There were a lot of tears and disappointed Free State players afterward, as they imagined their spot in the state title game next week. But they also were able to recognize what they accomplished during a six-game win streak before Friday.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Lisher said. “Not a lot of people thought we would get through the district, let alone semifinals. What we did, it’s going to hurt for a day or two. But these guys had a great season.”

Hutchinson (8-4) will face Shawnee Mission East (12-0), which beat Olathe North 36-35 in double overtime, in the 6A state championship next Saturday in Emporia.

HT FS

First downs 10 14

Rushes-yards 50-504 35-187

Passing yards 2 106

Total offense 506 293

Return yards 20 43

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1

Penalties-yards 1-10 1-5

Score by quarters

Hutchinson 14 14 7 7 — 42

Free State 0 14 0 0 — 14

Individual statistics

Rushing

FS: Khaury El-Amin 1-6, Bryce Torneden 21-87, Carson Bowen 11-80 2 TD, Zack Sanders 2-14.

HHS: Jacob Hardenberger 15-37, Blaik Middleton 21-353 6 TD, Turner Wintz 10-101, Josh Patterson 1-0, Canyon Maldonado 2-6, Ruben Benitez 1-7.

Passing

FS: Torneden 8-14-106 3 INT.

HHS: Wintz 1-4-2 INT.

Receiving

FS: Sanders 3-22, Joel Spain 3-43, Andrew Keating 1-18, Darian Lewis 1-10.

HHS: Marques Tafolla 1-2.

HOW THEY SCORED

First quarter

9:59 — Blaik Middleton 54 run. Bryce Culley kick good. (HHS 7, FS 0.)

0:57 — Middleton 38 run. Culley kick good. (HHS 14, FS 0.)

Second quarter

7:54 — Carson Bowen 7 run. Daniel Clarke kick good. (HHS 14, FS 7.)

7:37 — Middleton 66 run. Culley kick good. (HHS 21, FS 7.)

5:05 — Bowen 13 run. Clarke kick good. (HHS 21, FS 14.)

4:13 — Middleton 57 run. Culley kick good. (HHS 28, FS 14.)

Third quarter

6:38 — Middleton 2 run. Culley kick good. (HHS 35, FS 14.)

Fourth quarter

6:32 — Middleton 29 run. Culley kick good. (HHS 42, FS 14.)