Two minutes after Washington broke a scoreless tie against Kansas City Atchison League rival Schlagle, the Wildcats recovered a fumble in Stallions’ territory near midfield.
Only 4 minutes, 27 seconds remained in the second quarter. The teams had traded blows and turnovers up to that point. An 8-yard touchdown run by Blake Mullikan put Washington on the scoreboard first as they tried to capitalize on the subsequent turnover and momentum.
But the Wildcats came up empty, nursed a 6-0 lead at the break and came out in the third quarter ready to take control of the game, which they ultimately did.
Washington blanked the Stallions 22-0 Friday at home in the Dipasquale-Moore Law Metro Matchup of the Week. The Wildcats are 2-0 after two games. Schlagle dropped to 0-2
"They showed me last week (in a 16-14 win over Sumner Academy) that they had that dog in them," Wildcats head coach Camron Smith said of his squad.
Miscues threatened to derail Washington's night. But its defense created enough havoc to keep things close. Eventually, the Wildcats' punishing aggressive style wore on their crosstown nemesis.
"What they showed us is they've got the heart," Smith said. "As long as you've got the heart… they're going to fly around and do what they've got to do."
Schlagle's defense was a problem for Washington. The Stallions' defense flew around the ball all evening and brought their hats with them. Defensively, Schlagle forced multiple fumbles and recovered two. Offensively, well that was a different story. The game was the second straight without a point scored for Schlagle.
"Hats off to the defense," Stallions’ head coach Cernyn Macon said. "They did a wonderful job. Towards the end our kids got gassed and cramped up a little bit. But no excuses."
The struggles Schlagle endured Friday were mainly self-induced, Macon said. A reset is in order next week.
"We've got to get better, and we will," he said.
Nearly three quarters passed before something clicked for Schlagle's offense. The Stallions' drove to Washington's 10-yard line and looked to tie the score late in the third. On a first and goal from the 10, Schlagle went backwards. On 4th and 20 from the 20, Schlagle's quarterback was picked off at the 1.
Halfway through the final quarter it looked as if Schlagle had stopped Washington on fourth down near the Stallions' goal line. But a questionable targeting penalty on a big hit gave the Wildcats a first and goal from the 1.
Quarterback Savyan Powell scored two plays later and tacked on a two-point conversion run to account for a two-touchdown advantage for the host.
After a turnover on downs, Powell capped the scoring with a 29-yard TD run with just under one minute left in the game. Naturally, Powell converted the two-point run that followed, cementing the Wildcats' shutout win.
"We've been waiting a long time for this," Powell said. "It feels good."
