Photo Credit: Justin Flor/PrepsKCPlaying with fire in their eyes, Lansing gave DeSoto one big scare to start the 2022 Kansas high school football season. But Brian King’s Wildcats came out in the second half and played stone cold, takeaway defense to rebound for a 27-21 come-from-behind win to open the season and United Kansas Conference play 1-0 Friday in Lansing.
Trailing throughout most of the first half and for the first eight minutes of the second half, De Soto fought back with a bend but don’t break, create turnovers type of defense to pitch a second half shutout, score twice to go up six and hold on for the win.
“Number one. Lansing played really, really well,” King said following the game. “They played their hearts out and they’re really good. We are young and inexperienced, and we need some reps. We knew there were going to be points in the game that were going to get a little ugly, but we just needed to stay composed. I’m just really proud of our kids for persevering and finding a way to win that game.”
De Soto senior Brody Eaton took delight in the season-opening win as well.
“Oh, yeah this is big,” he said of the come-from-behind triumph. “First game of the year. We had to get this. It feels great.”
Trailing 21-13 at intermission, King and his staff stepped back in time in reassuring the Wildcats they were on the right path.
“I just reminded them that we were in this same boat before,” King said in reference to De Soto’s narrow 40-35 win over Lansing in 2020. We told them we just have to keep trusting what we are doing through every snap, and we’ll make the adjustments along the way and earn that DeSoto on our chest.”
De Soto’s physical win was a typical first game with plenty of yellow flags and turnovers. In the second half alone, the Wildcats and Lions combined for five turnovers. Christian Ramirez and Luciano Riggi recovered second half fumbles for Lansing while Cole Heittmann and Eaton recovered fumbles in the second half for the Wildcats. Charlie Tadlock picked off a Lansing aerial with 1:37 left in the contest to end the Lion upset bid.
“Their offensive line was getting tired,” recalled Eaton of his drive stopping heroics. “I was set up in a five. I faked them inside, cut out and was wide open to fall on the fumble.”
The offense and defense worked hand in hand for Rick Pollard’s club as the Lions opened up an advantage that grew to 15-6 early in the second quarter. Jamale Williams recovered a DeSoto fumble at the Wildcat 49-yard line to set up the game’s first score.
Back-to-back negative plays forced Lansing into a 3rd-and-18 situation. But the Lions didn’t flinch and receiver Caden Howell took a Dalton Jorgensen pass and raced 40 yards for a first down at the Wildcat 17-yard line. Two plays later, Howell reeled in a Jorgensen aerial for a 14-yard score and an 8-0 advantage with 6:27 left in the opening quarter.
DeSoto responded when Cole Heitmann picked off a Jorgensen pass, allowing the Wildcats to take over at the Lansing 41. Seven plays later, Austin Lindsay carried the ball over the goal line from two yards out to cut the deficit to 8-6 with 21.1-seconds left in the opening quarter.
Thirty-two seconds later, Tyrone Butler grabbed a Jorgensen aerial and raced 70 yards down the right sideline to stretch the Lions advantage to 15-6.
King’s squad fought back on its next possession, however, grinding out a score on a 12-play drive that lasted 5-minutes, 41-seconds. De Soto quarterback Carson Miller faked a handoff on the series' second play and raced 26 yards to the Lion 49. Later in the drive Amarion Green spun out of trouble twice on his way to a 24-yard gain to the Lion one-yard line before scoring on the next play to pull De Soto back to within 15-13.
Howell picked off a Miller pass on De Soto’s next possession and raced 39 yards to the Wildcat four-yard line. Tyrone Butler did the rest, scoring on the next play and stretching Lansing’s lead to 21-13 with 4:19 left before intermission.
De Soto threatened to tie the game moments later when Jordan Langford returned the ensuing kick 35 yards to the Lion 48-yard line. Green picked his way through the line for 21 yards to the Lansing 25. A defensive pass interference call against the Lions later in the drive gave De Soto the ball at Lansing’s 11. But the Lions held on downs and took over at their own six before running out the first half clock.
Green tied the score at 21 when he raced up the middle for 14 yards to paydirt with 4:12 left in the third quarter. Wildcat running back Braden Griggs then scored the game’s winning points when he juggled a Miller pass before hauling it in and racing down the right sideline for 41 yards and the game’s final points.
De Soto (1-0, 1-0 UKC), who has won all five battles with the Lions since the United Kansas Conference began play in 2018, hosts Washburn Rural next Friday before facing Topeka West at home on Sept. 16. Lansing (0-1, 0-1 UKC), meanwhile, travels to Shawnee Heights next week before hosting Leavenworth during third week action.
