There have many so many times in big games that I’ve seen a team go away from their strengths when they face a big deficit and time isn’t on their side. The Eudora football found itself in that predicament on Friday against Piper in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs, but coach Sean Hayden wouldn’t let the Cardinals stray away from their game plan.
The Cardinals ran 36 plays in the first half compared to just 15 for Piper, so they had every reason to be frustrated when the scoreboard read Piper 15, Eudora 0. As the score stood throughout the third quarter, Hayden kept reminding his players that they were just a couple of plays away from taking the lead.
The Eudora defense had the tough task of preparing for two Piper quarterbacks in Cory Macon and Logan Ladish, as they’ve split time throughout the season. Macon has shown the ability to make plays with his feet, but the Cardinals limited him to just six carries for 13 yards and a touchdown. Eudora had Macon on the ropes late in the first quarter with a 4th and 8 from the Eudora 28, but the senior quarterback stepped back and tossed a perfect 25-yard pass to Malakhi Kennon to set up his 3-yard touchdown run.
Despite the one big fourth down play, the Cardinals still only trailed 7-0 with just more than two minutes to go in the first half. That’s when Ladish threw a strike to Kennon over the middle and the speedy Piper wideout broke a couple of tackles on his way to an 80-yard touchdown. Ladish found tight end Lance Bassett for the 2-point conversion, but those back-to-back completions were all the Cardinals allowed for Piper’s prolific passing quarterback.
As the defense stood pat aside from the two long completions to Kennon, the Eudora offense controlled the clock with their running game that was highlighted by junior Brayden Beerbower. The Cardinals rushing attack was extremely effective, but their opening drive stalled at the Piper 35-yard line after it appeared Beerbower had picked up a first down on 4thand 2. He was ruled short, though, and the Cardinals turned it over on downs.
That drive was a good indication of how the next two quarters would go for the Cardinals. Following Macon’s touchdown run, the Cardinals used nearly a full quarter of clock on their second drive. Eudora had a 1st and goal from the 9-yard line, but a penalty pushed them out of the red zone. Their second drive ended at the Piper 14-yard line after Eudora turned it over on downs again.
The Cardinals had an even better chance to break through on their first drive of the second half. Eudora had a 4th and 1 from the Piper 5-yard line, but the Cardinals came up just inches short of the first down. However, the Eudora defense did its job to keep Piper pinned deep in its own territory and forced the Pirates to punt. The Cardinals took over on the Pirates’ 30-yard line, but couldn’t capitalize.
So through three quarters, Hayden had plenty of proof to back his claim that the Cardinals could’ve easily been up 15-0 rather than the flip side of that score. Hayden got the first big play he was looking for when sophomore Kale Hammerschmidt jumped a route deep in Piper territory and returned it to the 5-yard line. Hammerschmidt’s interception set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Zeke Reazin and Beerbower followed with a 2-point conversion. All of a sudden, it was a one-score game at 15-8.
Beerbower’s bruising running style can easily wear down opposing defenses, so kudos to Hayden for sticking to his game plan rather than panicking with more passing plays when they trailed by two scores. Hayden had a hunch that Beerbower was due to break a long run, and he did exactly that when he rumbled for a 57-yard run with just under three minutes remaining. It was only appropriate that Hayden rewarded his physical running back for his tough running between the tackles by calling his number twice in the final minute. Beerbower’s 1-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds to go cut the deficit to 15-14 and his second 2-point conversion run gave the Cardinals their first lead.
Back in August, I was wondering if I’d be covering any football games this fall due to concerns over COVID-19. I’ve been unbelievably blessed to not only still report on high school football this fall, but to cover three games that have been decided by 2-point conversions in the final minute.
After seeing Shawnee Mission Northwest go for two and come up short against St. Thomas Aquinas and Olathe North do the same against Lawrence High, the third time was apparently the charm with Eudora converting against Piper. I 100% agree with Hayden, SM Northwest coach Bo Black and Olathe North coach Chris McCartney on their calls of going for two in the final minute and giving their respective teams a chance to win it.
The Cardinals have another tough matchup on the docket as they prepare to play Basehor-Linwood on Friday in the regional round, but if they stick their guns with their physical running game and keep playing fundamentally sound defense, they’ve proved they can play with anyone. Just ask top-seeded Paola, who edged Eudora, 31-26, in Week 7 or Spring Hill or Louisburg, who the Cardinals also played to one-score games. The Cardinals have also clashed with St. James and Tonganoxie, both of which advanced to the 4A regional round with wins on Friday.
As we all know in the playoffs, crazy things can happen. The Cardinals claimed their first playoff win in five years on Friday. If they battle it out until the end like they did against the Pirates, we could have a Cinderella story in the making with the 12th-seeded Cardinals.
