Garden Plain had a dominating win in their week 7 matchup against Douglass (48-7). The outstanding performance improves the Owls to 6-1 on the season, and keeps them unbeaten in District play. This also takes their win streak to five games going into their week 8 matchup against the Kingman Eagles.
Seth Dugan was a huge key to success for the Owls, having four total touchdowns. Dugan, the junior two-way starter, ran for a 21 yard touchdown in the first quarter behind a big block from fellow junior Cooper Scheer. In the second quarter, Dugan caught a 23 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brady Brack. Also in the second, Dugan returned two punts (62 yards, 60 yards).
The Owls sent in their JV team for the majority of the second half. This marks the fourth straight game that the JV has seen playing time on Friday nights. Offensive Coordinator Corey Brack says, “By getting our young players in the game, it gives them a chance to view the game from a different perspective. They are playing in meaningful games, and are experiencing the speed the game is played with at the varsity level. We are also able to evaluate players that we typically don’t get to see on the field on Friday nights.”
Garden Plain is on a tear, winning 5 straight games. 4 of which were won in blowout fashion. The Owls have averaged just over 36 points a game on this run, while only giving up an average of 7.8 points a game. GP has counted on players such as Gage Lee, Pete McGregor, and Seth Dugan to provide the big offensive numbers during their win streak.
Bringing back pretty much their entire starting lineup is a reason for the team’s success this season. By having a second year of experience in head coach Todd Rice’s offense, is another. The Owls were disappointed with last year’s performance and have decided to do something about it. The team has made commitments both on and off the field. They hit the weight room hard this summer, in hopes of beating their league rival Kingman.
It seems like everything is coming together for the Owls at just the right time. This week, they take on last year’s league champion the Kingman Eagles. In their 2022 campaign, the Eagles got the best of the Owls last year 40-7. Kingman eventually went on to make it all the way to the state championship. They came up short in the game however, losing 33-17 against Nemaha Central.
Kingman will be without star wideout and trackster Avery Albright. Running a 10.87 second 100-meter dash, you can see why he was so hard to cover. Even with the Owls athletic secondary they were no match for Albright.
This year however, the Eagles have been looking for new players to step up. Kingman has found themselves without the same offensive firepower they had last season. Thus, the Eagles have been finding themselves in close games. In close games anything can happen, and the Owls have proven they are capable of handling the pressure.
Garden Plain needs a win this week as there are many games going on around the state that can bump them up in the rankings. Undefeated Ellsworth takes on Southeast of Saline. The Owls will most likely run into one of these teams if they hope to make a deep playoff run. Sabetha takes on defending State Champions Nemaha Central. Both teams are undefeated, so this game is very important. The Owls could jump in 2A rankings depending on the outcome of the games outside of their own.
The Owls encourage all of their fans to come out and support the team on Senior night. More importantly, the team wants there to be a hostile environment for the Eagles in what is being considered as the district championship. The “War on 54,” as the rivalry is being called, is sure to not disappoint. Be sure to come out and see the two teams battle it out for all the marbles.
