The Owls pulled out an outstanding win against no. 2 ranked Centralia Panthers (35-6). Centralia, a 1A powerhouse, struggled to get anything going on offense. A first half 21-0 lead was extremely demoralizing to the Panthers.
Senior star running back Gage Lee had another big game Friday night. Coming off of a record setting performance against the Haven Wildcats, he looked to repeat it against Centralia. Lee found the endzone two times, and made many big plays on the defensive side of the ball. The two-way starter was a big piece in the Owls beating the Panthers.
Garden Plain is definitely not the biggest team, so getting to play against a smaller opponent like Centralia was a nice change. The lineman had a big night, and were able to create an outstanding surge to create running lanes for the Owls.
The Owls got to participate in a unique experience leading up to the game Friday. Garden Plain got to make a stop at Bill Snyder Family Stadium (Home of the Kansas State Wildcats). They completed a walk through, and went over their game plan in the campus’s indoor football facility. After their warm up, the team got a chance to be on the field that the Wildcats play on.
Garden Plain also traveled on a charter bus. The players thought this was a pretty unique experience, and felt like it was a way more comfortable way to travel. Some players even tried to plead their case with coaches to buy one for the school.
The win Friday was a big momentum boost, and can help them find another level of confidence. Taking on Douglas this week, they add to their dominating win streak.
Last season, the Owls went with a sub par 4-5 record. This year, the Owls find themselves with a 5-1 record and in the driver’s seat of their district. A win this week in Douglass would set up a must win game against Kingman on Senior Night.
Douglass is a team that runs a wide variety of plays and formations. While they haven’t won yet, they are not to be taken lightly. “Anything can happen on a Friday night,” says two-way starter Jaxen Bolinger, “and we have to be ready for whatever they throw at us.”
This team has been turned around in two years by head coach Todd Rice. In just his second year at the helm, you can already tell a difference. The team is not only winning games, but having fun doing it. The energy is definitely up from last year to say the least.
Garden Plain is a team to watch out for according to Sports in Kansas. Their methodical offense makes their opponents feel rushed to make up for lost time. This causes crucial mental mistakes, and has been a big key in the Owls success the last couple weeks.
A win this week against district opponent Douglass would be huge for the Owls. A five game win streak would be nice to have going into their week 8 matchup, against the 2022 State Runner-Up Kingman Eagles.
