By JAYCEE DALE
After winning its first two games of the season, the Hays High School football team looked to keep the momentum rolling Friday night against Western Athletic Conference foe Liberal at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays.
Hays High was able to do just that with a 27-13 victory.
The Indians started the game strong offensively, scoring on their first offensive possession after a catch and run by Jordan Dale. Jack Fields capped the scoring drive with the PAT kick, making it 7-0 early.
Liberal failed to score in the first quarter but played solid defense, limiting Hays High’s chances. That left the Indians (3-0) with a slim 7-0 advantage entering the second quarter.
The Indians gained a bigger lead with a run by Dylan Dreiling in the second quarter. Fields tacked on the PAT, making it 14-0.
Liberal didn’t back down, scoring with five minutes left in the
half to trim the margin to 14-7.
The HHS defense was determined to stop another touchdown from happening and got a big defensive play by Dalton Dale with an interception with two minutes until half.
The interception allowed the offense to take over in good field position, and Jordan Dale capitalized on a quarterback keeper for a touchdown.
Bill Scott helped out with an interception to go into the locker room with a score of 21-7.
Both teams struggled some in the third quarter. But HHS got a late touching in the period by Dreiling, pushing the lead to 27-7.
The Indian defense was determined to not let the Redskins score in the last minutes of the quarter, and that’s exactly what the Indians did.
Liberal tried to make it a game in the fourth quarter but struggled against the Indian defense. The Redskins pushed the ball up the field and scored in the waning minutes of the game.
But when the Indians got the ball back, they were able to kneel it to secure the win.
Hays High is now 3-0 on the season, which hasn’t happened in years. The Indians are on the road next week, facing Garden City in another WAC contest. HHS is 2-0 in WAC play.
