MORAN — In a battle of old rivals, Crest High’s Lancers turned to an old standby — defense — to pull in a hard-fought victory against Marmaton Valley.
Crest limited the Wildcats to 25 yards rushing. And while Marmaton Valley broke through with some big plays through its passing game, those yards came at a cost — four turnovers.
The Lancers, meanwhile, steamrolled their way to 305 rushing yards in a 42-23 win.
The victory keeps Crest in line for a potential playoff berth at 3-0 in Kansas Eight Man I, District 2 (6-1 overall). Marmaton Valley falls to 1-2 in district play and 3-4 overall.
“The kids really came out and played some solid defense,” Lancer head coach Brent Smith said. “We knew what was on the line, and in a rivalry game, where you get the best effort out of both teams.”
“Their defense beat us off the ball on almost every play,” Wildcat head coach Kent Houk said. “You can’t run the ball when that happens.”
The Wildcats took advantage of an early Crest fumble on a punt return, converting the turnover into a 35-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Lewis to Daylen Houk.
The 7-0 lead stood until Crest’s Kyle Hammond scored on a 28-yard run late in the first period. Hammond opened the second quarter in similar fashion, breaking through the line of scrimmage and zipping his way for a 46-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead.
Marmaton Valley’s Landon Hammond gave the Wildcats a 15-14 advantage when he scored on a two-yard run, followed by two-point conversion pass from Lewis to Gage Stewart.
But Kyle Hammond gave Crest the lead for good at the 5:40 mark of the half with a four-yard run. Kyle Hammond then found Dexter Wiley on a 16-yard touchdown pass to lead 26-15. Houk returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards for the Wildcats’ final touchdown of the game to close the gap to 26-23.
But Crest’s defense stiffened from there. The Lancers scored again with 3:15 left in the game on a four-yard run by Dakota Ramsey. Wiley picked off a Lewis pass a short while later and raced 28 yards for the final touchdown.
Kyle Hammond rolled up 177 yards on 28 carries, while completing 2 of 6 passes for 36 yards, both of which went to Wiley. Ramsey had 57 yards rushing on 16 carries. Jordan Moron rushed 12 times for 59 yards.
On defense, Ramsey had 11 tackles, Thomas Dietrich had nine, Kyle Hammond seven and Wiley six. Ramsey also had two picks, while Kyle Hammond and Wiley both had interceptions. Luke Decker racked up three sacks. Dietrich also had a sack.
Landon Hammond led Marmaton Valley with 22 yards on eight carries, while Lewis connected on 10 of 28 passes for 119 yards. Daylen Houk had 92 yards on six receptions. Landon Hammond also had 15 tackles, nine solo, while half of Stewart’s 10 tackles were unassisted. Jared Kale had five solos and four assists. Landon Hammond also recovered a fumble and intercepted a Lancer pass.
Crest hosts Yates Center, which lost 56-28 to Pleasanton Friday, next Friday. Marmaton Valley travels to St. Paul.
Crest 8-12-6-16—42
Marmaton Valley 7-8-8-0—23
MV — Houk 35 yd pass from Lewis (Hamlin kick)
Crest — K. Hammond 28 yd run (Ramsey run)
Crest — K. Hammond 46 yd run (PAT failed)
MV — L. Hammond 2 yd run (Stewart pass from Lewis)
Crest — K. Hammond 4 yd run (PAT failed)
Crest — Wiley 16 yd pass from Hammond (PAT failed)
MV — Houk 79 yd kickoff return (Stewart pass from Lewis)
Crest — Ramsey 4 yd run (K. Hammond run)
Crest — Wiley 28 yd interception return (K. Hammond run)
Lancers beat Cats in district
