Perry-Lecompton junior defensive lineman Cameron Jeter (68) lines up in a pregame drill. The Kaws defeated Topeka-Hayden 35-27 on Friday, Nov. 22

Perry — As Hayden senior quarterback Cade Pavlik’s final pass sailed past his receiver in the end zone, celebration erupted from the Perry-Lecompton defense.

“Our kids, they hung in there, they fought back and I’m tickled to death for them,” Perry-Lecompton coach Mike Paramore said. “We have the chance to keep playing one more week and let’s go see what we can get done.”

Overcoming close calls defined Perry-Lecompton’s 35-27 victory over Hayden in the Class 3A sub-state game Friday night.

“This is what we want from a semifinal game,” Paramore said. “It ought to be great like this.”

From the start, the Kaws looked to be rolling as Perry-Lecompton (9-3) immediately drove down the field following a Hayden (10-2) punt. However, Kaws junior quarterback Billy Welch was sacked on third down in the red zone to force a field goal attempt.

However, Kaws sophomore kicker Ticiano Gonzalez missed the 31-yard field goal, leaving the game still scoreless after two drives.

But Hayden responded two plays later, as junior running back Desmond Purnell burst up the right sideline for a 62-yard touchdown run, giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.

The next few drives for Perry-Lecompton was as much a testament to Hayden’s defense as it was Welch not quite connecting with receivers. The Kaws were stopped on a fourth-down pitch to junior running back Thad Metcalfe. On the next drive, Purnell picked off Welch, returning the ball to the Perry-Lecompton 47-yard line.

And once again, the Wildcats capitalized as Pavlik rolled to his left and connected with senior wide receiver Cole Chisham for a 44-yard gain. Purnell then punched in the 3-yard touchdown for his second score of the night.

“I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t worried when we were down 14-0,” Welch said. “We’ve got so many playmakers, that anytime we can go score. Doesn’t matter the distance, we’ve got a chance.”

Even though the Kaws were forced to punt on their next drive, the tides would turn for the home team. Hayden junior running back TC Thompson muffed a punt that was recovered by Perry-Lecompton junior wide receiver Dawson Williams on the 11-yard line.

On the first play of the drive, Welch found junior wide receiver Hunter Hess in the back of the end zone for the 11-yard touchdown. The Kaws were finally on the board with 9:08 left in the first half.

On top of that, junior defensive back Caidon Quinlan picked off Pavlik on the Kaws’ 47-yard line. But Perry-Lecompton was unable to muster much offensively after the turnover.

There was a chance right before halftime for the Kaws to even things up, especially after a 5-yard scramble by Welch got 15 extra yards tacked on thanks to a targeting call. However, Welch couldn’t find a receiver in the end zone, meaning Perry-Lecompton trailed 14-7 at halftime.

Even with the score so close, Hayden’s physical defense wreaked havoc in the backfield, forcing two fumbles, five sacks and an interception in the first half.

“First half, I think they did a really good job disguising their blitzes,” Welch said. It just took me time to know where to step up and where to leak out of the pocket and when to drop it down.”

And Perry-Lecompton looked juiced after the break as Quinlan raced up the right sideline for a 55-yard kickoff return. And the Kaws capitalized, as Metcalfe punched in a 3-yard touchdown run to tie the game up at 14.

“We told our kids, ‘Just keep hanging in there. Keep playing, we’ll find something to hang our hat on,'” Paramore said. “We made a few adjustments at halftime and came out, responded and executed really well.”

Hayden looked a bit rattled, as the Wildcats were slapped with two penalties simultaneously: a personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct. So even though they were moving the ball, the Wildcats were knocked back 30 yards, forcing a punt.

Another unsportsmanlike penalty was then called on the punt, tacking on another 15 yards against Hayden.

The momentum was then emanating from Perry-Lecompton, as the Kaws were able to keep the next drive alive thanks to a Hayden holding call on fourth-and-10. Welch capped off the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Parker Stone to give the Kaws their first lead of the night.

“As long as the clock’s running, we’re going to play,” Paramore said. “And I love our guys.”

But Hayden responded with another Purnell touchdown on the next drive. The Wildcats tied the game back up 21-21 at the start of the fourth quarter.

The two sides then traded scores, with Welch connecting with Stone for a 51-yard score, and Pavlik finding junior tight end Trey Pivarnik. However, the extra point attempt was blocked, with the Kaws clinging to a 28-27 lead.

After a 27-yard touchdown run from Metcalfe, the Kaws gained a bit of insurance.

“Thad is an incredible back,” Welch said. “I don’t think you can give that man enough credit.”

That proved to be enough as the Kaws held on defensively to punch their ticket the state title game.

“When you hear Perry-Lecompton in that final game, it shocks you,” Welch said. “But it doesn’t shock us.”

Perry-Lecompton will take on Andale in the Class 3A state championship game in Hutchinson on Nov. 30.

Perry-Lecompton 35, Hayden 27

PL | TH

First downs 12 | 11

Rushes-yards 30-97 | 37-194

Passing yards 212 | 133

Total offense 309 | 327

Fumbles-lost 3-0 | 0-0

Interceptions 1 | 1

Penalties-yards 6-60 | 7-90

Score by quarters

Perry-Lecompton 0 7 14 14 — 35

Hayden 7 7 0 13 — 27

Individual statistics

Rushing

PL: Thad Metcalfe 18-87, Billy Welch 17-10

TH: Desmond Purnell 19-135, Will DeVader 9-53, Jack Kondrade 4-20, TC Thompson 2-5, Cole Chisham 2-(-5), Cade Pavlik 3-(-14)

Passing

PL: Billy Welch 11-23-212

TH: Cade Pavlik 7-13-133

Receiving

PL: Parker Stone 5-122, Dawson Williams 3-56, Hunter Hess 2-22, Thad Metcalfe 1-12

TH: Cole Chisham 2-51, Desmond Purnell 2-47, Trey Pivarnik 2-22, Jordan Diaz 1-13

HOW THEY SCORED

First quarter

5:07 — Desmond Purnell 62 run. Skyler Specht kick good. (TH 7, PL 0)

Second quarter

10:18 — Purnell 3 run. Specht kick good. (TH 14, PL 0)

9:08 — Hunter Hess 11 reception. Ticiano Gonzalez kick good. (TH 14, PL 7)

Third quarter

10:22 — Thad Metcalfe 3 run. Gonzalez kick good. (TH 14, PL 14)

3:35 — Parker Stone 15 reception. Gonzalez kick good. (PL 21, TH 21)

Fourth quarter

11:24 — Purnell 7 run. Specht kick good. (TH 21, PL 21)

8:09 — Stone 51 reception. Gonzalez kick good. (PL 28, TH 21)

5:04 — Trey Pivarnik 10 reception. Specht kick no good. (PL 28, TH 27)

4:04 — Metcalfe 27 run. Gonzalez kick good. (PL 35, TH 27)