Bullpups to host Hays
By STEVE SELL,Sentinel Sports Editor

McPherson High football coach David Payne says if his Bullpups look into a mirror, the reflection they see might be that of the Hays Indians.
Heading into Friday's season finale for both teams at McPherson Stadium, little separates them other than Hays has one more victory as it's 2-6 to the Bullpups' 1-7.
Thus Friday's outcome figures to come down to which team goes out and plays as if a playoff spot is on the line and which one decides to send it in on a silver platter.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
"We've had a good week of practice," Payne said, noting that sometimes this late in the season teams in MHS' position just slough through. "It's a game between two evenly matched teams and I think we're going to come out and play well."
The Bullpups are coming off a 57-30 loss to Great Bend in which they scored four touchdowns in the second half. Even though some of that output was amassed against the Panther second team, Payne hopes the Bullpups draw off that from an execution standpoint.
"We're going to come out and continue to run our offense," Payne said. "We're going to throw a lot of backs at them and we're going to throw the ball some."
The Bullpups might want to attack the Hays defense on the ground, as Salina South had nearly 500 yards of rushing last week. MHS, though, has struggled on the ground, as quarterback Luke Aitken is the leading rusher at 211 yards. He does have a chance to eclipse 1,000 yards passing for the year, as he has thrown for 905. James Anderson and Britt Dahlstrom have 18 catches apiece for 391 and 251 yards respectively.
Payne said for the most part, the teams are similar in size, which is a rarity for MHS this year, as it's been overmatched physically in nearly every game. The only game where MHS was similar in stature was Arkansas City and, presto, it's the game the Bullpups won in dominating fashion, 45-27.
Much attention has been given to special teams play this week. The Bullpups' punt team has put them in a hole each of the last two weeks, giving up two touchdowns on returns against Salina South and then having the first two punts of last week's game blocked, leading to a 14-0 deficit before the fans were settled in.
The game will be the last for a small senior class that numbers only 12. "I'm proud of those guys who have stuck through the good times and the bad," Payne said. "They've shown a lot of leadership."

McPherson Unified School District 418
514 N. Main
McPherson, KS 67460
620-241-9400
It is the policy of McPherson USD 418 not to discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race,
religion, color, age, or national origin in its educational programs and/or activities, nor in its employment practices.

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