photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora sophomore Sy Thomas makes a shovel pass against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

Eudora football’s season ended at home on Friday, as Bishop Miege routed the Cardinals 52-14 in the 4A sectional playoff game.

The Stags started fast and never slowed down, while the Cardinals struggled with turnovers and missed opportunities. Once the Stags scored their opening drive touchdown, they held the lead the entire way.

“Miege is a good football team… we played really well for a while, but some mistakes happened,” Eudora coach Drew Steffen said. “That’s what good football teams do: They capitalize on it.”

Bishop Miege started the game with a big return that was ultimately brought back to the 18-yard line with a holding call. After a 9-yard run on first down, the Eudora defense forced a third-and-1, but a short run gave the Stags the first down.

After that, the Stags drove down the field with ease. Junior quarterback Landon Cole hit junior tight end Michael Blout for a deep pass that gave the Stags a first down at the 41. The Stags finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Blout from 13-yards out.

Eudora stuck to its ground game on the first drive, and junior running back Grayson Moody picked up Eudora’s first first down with a 9-yard run on third-and-5. Two plays later, however, the drive ended as a fumble gave the Stags the ball at the Eudora 38.

Cole started the Bishop Miege drive with a 24-yard throw to junior tight end Thomas Hays, which put the Stags in the red zone. After a declined holding penalty on first down, the Stags found the end zone again as Cole hit senior receiver Jeremiah Johnson for a touchdown over the middle of the field.

Eudora started with a 9-yard loss on first down but recuperated with a 15-yard throw from junior quarterback Sy Thomas to sophomore fullback Keelyn Duncan. Moody picked up the first down with an 11-yard run to get the team to midfield.

The Cardinals turned the ball over on downs after failing to get positive yards on a fourth-and-2 at the Bishop Miege 44-yard line.

The Stags drove down the field and were aided by a facemask penalty on the Cardinals on a third-down scramble. The Cardinals stopped the Stags there, with a fourth-and-2 inside run that didn’t go anywhere for the Stags.

Eudora took over deep in its own territory but finally got its rush offense in gear as the game flipped to the second quarter. The Cardinals had runs of 14, 12 and 17 yards in a row to get into Bishop Miege territory. Junior quarterback Houstyn Carnagie hit senior receiver Bryce Mulvihill for a 29-yard pass, which set up Moody to run it in for a touchdown three plays later.

Bishop Miege quickly went three-and-out, but a rolling punt flipped the field and put Eudora deep in its own territory inside the 5-yard line. The Cardinals started to move the ball, but a 13-yard sack on third down put the Cardinals back at their own 5-yard line.

A short punt of 20 yards gave the Stags excellent field position, and they took advantage on the first play. Cole dumped the ball off to junior running back Vinny George, who ran it the rest of the way through contact to score the Stags’ third touchdown of the game.

Bishop Miege’s passing attack led the way for the Stags, and the Cardinals struggled to stop it.

“We did a good job in the run game, they had a screen or two that did well, but I think we just had some bad eyes in the secondary,” Steffen said. “We’re young back there. We have one senior in our secondary and the rest are sophomores with one junior. You have to be really disciplined, and we didn’t do a good enough job with it.”

Eudora got the ball with just over three minutes left in the half and drove down to the Bishop Miege 31-yard line to attempt a last-second field goal. The kick was no good, leading the Stags to take a 21-7 lead into halftime.

The Cardinals started the second half with a healthy dose of Duncan, and he picked up first downs with runs of 12, 13 and 16 yards, which put the Cardinals around midfield. But the drive quickly stalled after that, as a false start put the Cardinals in a fourth-and-11. Thomas picked up a couple yards on a scramble, but the Cardinals turned it over on downs on the first drive of the second half.

“We probably should’ve had (Duncan) touch it in the first half more,” Steffen said. “I knew we were asking quite a bit of him on defense, so my thought was, if we could use him a bit on offense and get him going in the second half… and we had a chance at that, but we just didn’t get that thing close enough to do it.”

Cole and the Stags immediately cashed in on the field position. Cole hit Johnson for a second touchdown pass, this time from 44 yards out. That gave the Stags a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

The next two drives ended in three-and-outs for both teams, as Bishop Miege punted deep in its own territory. The punt bounced twice around midfield before Duncan picked it up and turned upfield, weaving through traffic for a 50-yard punt return touchdown.

Despite trailing for almost the entire game, the Cardinals continued to punch back at Bishop Miege, particularly in the first three quarters. Steffen said he was proud of how his team battled, and that the Cardinals had a few different opportunities to bring the game within reach.

“We just have to be better, but I thought our kids did a fine job,” Steffen said.

Eudora’s defense made plays and came close to forcing a punt, but the Stags consistently converted on third or fourth downs. When the Cardinals would get the Stags behind the sticks, the Stags would get right back into short yardage.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Cole hit junior receiver Wesley Walsh for a 9-yard touchdown pass, giving the Stags a 21-point lead.

Eudora turned it over after reaching midfield with a fumble from Duncan on a first-down carry. The Stags scored on a 23-yard pass play from Cole to junior receiver Jayden McDaniel to take a 42-14 lead.

The Cardinals quickly turned it over after a fourth-and-6 run play went backward for 4 yards. The Stags didn’t go far before settling for and hitting a 45-yard field goal with a little over six minutes left.

Eudora started to drive with a successful passing attack, but Carnagie threw a pass that was tipped and intercepted by senior defensive back Pierce Butler. Butler ran it over 60 yards for a pick-6, giving the Stags a 52-14 lead.

The Cardinals added another score with under a minute left as Moody ran for a 2-yard touchdown. He finished with 161 yards on 26 carries.

After the kickoff, Bishop Miege kneeled out the game, securing the 52-21 win over Eudora. It was the first 4A loss of the season for Eudora, as the Cardinals came in with a nine-game win streak after losing the season opener to 3A Hayden. The Cardinals finished 9-2 on the season and have built a sustainable winning team in the four years under Steffen.

“Winning nine games — that’s a big accomplishment,” Steffen said. “A lot of our kids who have the touchdowns and the passes are our younger kids, but we’re going to have to replace some guys up front… Guys will have to step up, and that’s what they do. Two or three sophomores don’t know it, but they’ll be the guy next year. That’s part of it, that’s high school football.”

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora senior Cage Crabill leads the team on to the field against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora sophomore Keelyn Duncan misses a catch against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora sophomore Dez Hoobler hangs his head after after a Bishop Miege touchdown on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora senior Leland Bradshaw tackles Bishop Miege junior Vinny George for a loss on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora sophomore Sy Thomas yells out in frustration after being sacked against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora sophomore Keelyn Duncan pulls in a catch against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora sophomore Sy Thomas releases a pass against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora head coach Drew Steffen looks on against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora junior Houstyn Carnagie looks to the sideline after being sacked against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Eudora head coach Drew Steffen paces the sideline before the game against Bishop Miege on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in Eudora.

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