By JAYCEE DALE
GREAT BEND — In a rivalry game Friday night on the road, the Hays High School football team ran wild against Great Bend in Western Athletic Conference action to claim a 43-14 win.
Hays High (2-0) started the offensive firepower early when Jaren Kanak scored on a long run on the Indians’ first offensive play of the game. Dalyn Schwartz caught a pass for the two-point conversion, giving HHS an early 8-0 advantage.
Then the night belonged to backup quarterback Jordan Dale. The junior bolted down the sideline for a long TD run on the Indians’ next possession. The PAT kick by Jack Fields made it 15-0 before the second quarter.
Running back Roy Moroni got into the endzone a few minutes later for HHS, but a holding call negated the score.
That didn’t stop the Indians from scoring, though. On the next play, Dale found paydirt once again, and the PAT by Fields made it 22-0 in the first quarter.
An interception by HHS’s Brett Orth gave the ball back to the Indians at the beginning of the second quarter. But Hays High threw an interception to give the Panthers (0-2) the ball back with nine minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Great Bend finally found some offense, scoring twice before halftime to make it 22-14 entering the break.
Coming out of halftime, Dale didn’t slow down, scoring on another quarterback keeper on the team’s first possession of the third quarter. Fields’ PAT made it 29-14.
Dale then showcased his throwing skills, connecting with Carson Kieffer for a 65-yard catch and run to make it 35-14 early in the fourth quarter.
Dale put the game out of reach with a 40-yard scoring scamper in the final period as well. The PAT by Fields was good, making it 43-14.
Dale finished with 229 rushing yards and four touchdowns, as well as the passing TD to Kieffer.
Hays High finished with 406 total yards of offense as a team.
The Indians will play their first home game of the season Friday when they host Liberal in a WAC contest.
