Story by MAYAN PAZ Photos by RORY MOORE and PARKER NISBETH
On a beautiful Saturday evening, Lewis Field Stadium was packed with fans to watch No. 24 Fort Hays State University and Missouri Western State University clash on the gridiron. Both teams entered the game with a week-zero win under their belts. FHSU hadn’t defeated the Griffons since 2017; however, on Saturday, the Tigers broke the streak with a 30-16 win.
FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown addressed the sweet feeling of a first victory in seven years against the Griffons.
“It’s great to get that monkey off our backs,” he said.
Brown addressed some specific issues from the team’s performance as well.
“We gave away too many yards on defense; we need to be more patient and read the plays before attacking,” he said. “Overall, I am proud of the players and the way they played. We have a 2-0 start, and that’s great, but we have to stay humble, focused, and keep working hard each week.”
Shane Watts led the Tigers (2-0, 1-0), rushing for 161 yards with one touchdown and adding 34 receiving yards. On the defensive side, it was Mason Perez, who led the charge with a total of eight tackles.
Before the game, Watt told the media the team would try to run the ball against the Griffons, and with him leading the group, they did exactly that.
“There is always an improvement from week one to week two,” Watts said. “And the offensive line did a wonderful job blocking and clearing routes for me. I’m very proud of and happy of the team and my performance, but we are taking it one game at a time.”
Fort Hays started the game with a quick four-play drive that was bookended by plays from Jabari Lewis. Lewis took the opening kickoff 32 yards and finished the drive less than two minutes later, hauling in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jack Dawson.
FHSU’s defense forced MWSU (1-1, 0-1) into a punt on their first offensive possession and the Tigers once again put themselves in positive territory after a 20-yard run by Watts. MWSU was able to halt the Tiger drive with a sack, and FHSU missed a 38-yard field goal on fourth down.
On their next drive, MWSU running back Brandon Hall broke the ice for the Griffon offense with a 24-yard rushing play into the Tiger’s territory for the first time. Quarterback Kane Donovan completed some nice passing plays and one important run, setting up an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jake Berrey, tying the score at 7-7.
Fort Hays got the football back and rode Watts on the ground time after time while MSWU’s defense struggled to stop him. After a six-minute drive, Carson Arndt kicked a 19-yard field goal, giving FHSU a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was disorganized by both teams, exchanging the football without making an actual threat. After a solid first quarter, Dawson found himself unable to move the team forward and faced a lot of pressure from the Griffon’s defenders. On the other end, MSWU found their ground game and started to establish longer possessions.
With seven minutes to go for the second quarter, FHSU DB Kobe Rome intercepted a Griffon pass attempt at the Griffon’s 24-yard line, but on the very next play, Dawson found the wrong hands in the endzone as MWSU’s Antonio Taylor intercepted Dawson’s pass.
MWSU made a change at quarterback, replacing Donovan with Branden Berwald, their third-string quarterback. Once Berwald steeped into the field, the Griffon’s offense looked a lot better. Berwald showed an ability to be mobile outside of the pocket with 92 rushing yards in the game, leading the entire Griffon’s offense. With him in charge, MWSU found the endzone after a 17-yard pass to Michael Haggerty with just under two minutes before halftime. However, Cody Watson missed the extra-point attempt, and the Tigers went into halftime with a three-point deficit.
A different Fort Hays team came out of the locker room, taking advantage of a dropped ball by MWSU’s returner on the kick-off, and kicked another field goal to tie the game, this time from 30 yards. Berwald continued to impress on the ground, earning two first downs by himself, but then fumbled the ball at his own 43-yard line after FHSU’s Myles Menges jarred the ball loose, and Garrett Bishop jumped on the ground to get the ball and give the Tigers the possession.
With the ball in their hands, the Tigers continued to use Watts to move forward, but Dawson was sacked once again, and Fort Hays settled for another Arndt field goal, which he capitalized on from 35 yards and gave the Tigers the lead back, 16-13.
Fort Hays’s defense kept smothering the Griffons, forcing another three and out, which gave the ball to the Tigers for the closing minutes of the third quarter. This time, Watts and Dawson each shined on the drive. With the final play of the third quarter, Watts found a breach in the Griffon’s defensive line and went on a 42-yard sprint straight into the endzone, giving the Tigers a ten-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
Berwald started the final quarter with a couple more first downs on the ground and brought his offense to the FHSU 31-yard line, but Kobe Rome deflected a third-down pass to force a field goal from 48 yards out. Griffon’s kicker, Cody Watson, scored from that distance and got MWSU within one possession.
The two sides continued to exchange unsuccessful drives, but a perfectly executed punt by Parker Janky downed the ball at the Griffon’s 1-yard line. After MWSU was unable to move the ball and was forced to punt, on the Tigers’ ensuing drive, Watts kept getting the ball and pushed the Tigers almost the entire way to the endzone. The final play that got the winning stamp for Fort Hays belonged to the reserve quarterback Caleb Heavner, who executed a play-action play for a 1-yard rushing touchdown that determined the game’s final score, 30-16.
The Tigers ran for 179 yards and passed for 158 yards while holding the Griffons to 112 yards in the air and 208 on the ground. Dawson finished the game 13-26 for 158 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. Dawson gained 55 yards on the ground; however, he was sacked five times, losing 33 yards for an 18-yard net gain on the ground.
FHSU will next play Northwest Missouri State on the road. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday in Maryville, Mo.
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