Bullpups defeat Derby for first time since 1985
By STEVE SELL, Sentinel Sports Editor
Saturday, September 17, 2005 8:37 AM CDT
Staff Photo by Steve Sell McPherson High receiver James Anderson gets a hug after scoring the winning touchdown here Friday night.

This was for every McPherson High football player for the last 20 years, but especially for the 2004 Bullpups who had to suffer through the humiliation of being rung up for 70 points.

The Bullpups partied like it was 1985 here Friday night, as they stopped Derby on the 3-yard line on the final play of the game to secure a 26-20 victory over one of Class 6A's greatest programs over the last 25 years.

Not since 1985 had the Bullpups been able to claim a victory over the Panthers, that being a 6-3 decision at Derby, no less. In fact, it was only MHS' third win ever over the Panthers, as the other occurred in the Bullpups' very first game when it joined the old Ark Valley League in 1978.

As you would imagine, the scene after the game was reminiscent of state championships won by other sports at MHS. Fans poured on to the field and the party, in fact, might still be going on.

It certainly was the biggest win for MHS coach David Payne in his six years, especially since Derby humbled the Bullpups 70-14 last year, which included an onside kick with the score 42-0.

"Biggest win," a breathless Payne said. "The kids just played phenomenal. They executed the game plan well. The defense stepped up and the offense made big plays."

The Bullpups, coming off last week's triple-overtime heart-break, nearly saw the victory slip away. They had taken a 26-20 lead on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Tucker Hawkinson to James Anderson with 1:25 left in the game, only to see the extra point block.

Derby stormed down the field behind the passing of David Dawdy and went 69 yards in 81 seconds, but on the final play, Dawdy's pass in the right corner was short and it set off a celebration not seen at McPherson Stadium perhaps ever.

"I was nervous," Payne said. "Not nervous for any other reason just that I thought we deserved to win. I felt like we outplayed them and I didn't want something like that (to lose on the final play) to happen two weeks in a row."

Sure, Derby came into the game 0-2, but it had a huge size advantage over the Bullpups and tradition on its side.

But this was no fluke. The Bullpups moved the ball at will all night, piling up 349 yards of offense, including 221 through the air by the emerging Hawkinson, who was 16 of 25 without an interception. Anderson caught 6 for 128 yards.

And the Bullpups never trailed. They took a 7-0 lead on sophomore Blake Tillman's 5-yard run, which completed a 78-yard drive in the first quarter.

Derby pulled within one in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Dawdy, who was tremendous all night with 155 yards rushing and he threw for 193 more. However, the extra point was blown, leaving the Bullpups up by one.

It appeared the half might end up that way, but the Bullpups' Sam Wentling recovered a fumble with 1:33 to go, and MHS roared down the field, capped by an 8-yard pass from Hawkinson to Tillman. The extra point was missed, leaving MHS up 13-6 at recess.

The Bullpups pushed it to 20-6 late in the third quarter when they went 66 yards on the passing of Hawkinson, who had four completions on the drive. Tillman wound up pounding it in from the 4, his third score of the game and his sixth in three games.

You knew Derby was too proud to fold and it didn't. Dawdy coolly led a long TD drive, a 15-play, 80-yarder, that was capped by his plunge from the 1. But the extra point again failed, making it 20-12.

On the Panthers' very next possession, Dawdy's first pass was a simple out to Tommy Brumbelow, who turned it into a 73-yard score, and a 2-pointer by Jake Wayman tied it with 4:40 to go. You could just sense the Bullpups were getting set up for another reservation at the Heart-Break Hotel.

But Hawkinson wouldn't let that happen. MHS took over at its own 22 and overcame an early penalty to plow through the Derby defense. He hit on five pass plays on the drive, including a 26-yarder to Anderson and the payoff a 30-yarder by that same duo that was as pretty a play as you'll ever see. But Derby blocked the PAT and with 1:25 left in the game, the Panthers had life at 26-20.

Dawdy and Brumbelow hooked up three times on the final drive, but the MHS defense came up with one final stand to erase 20 years of bad memories.

Tillman augmented the passing game with 78 hard-earned yards on 18 carries. The offensive line, despite being outmanned, gave Hawkinson a wall, allowing him to pick the Panthers apart.

Michael Barrow led the defensive effort by picking off two passes. The MHS defense, for the most part, did a good job of not being fooled by the deception of the Panthers' single-wing offense, except for a couple of occasions.

MHS must now gear up because it goes up against arguably the state's best team Friday, as it travels to Salina Central. The Mustangs, coming off an emotional win over Salina South, crushed Class 6A's top-ranked team on the road, Hutchinson, 42-14.

STATISTICS

MHS Listed First

First Downs -- 20, 19. Rushes-Yards -- 32-118; 38-195. Passing -- 16-25-0-221; 13-26-2-193. Punts-Avg. -- 2-42.5; 1-39.0. Fumbles-Lost -- 5-3; 3-2. Penalties-Yards -- 9-69; 8-61.

INDIVIDUAL

LEADERS

Rushing

MHS -- Anderson 3-12, Thissen 3-17, Tillman 18-78, Tu. Hawkinson 7-8, Payne 1-3.

Derby -- Dawdy 21-155, Diaz 11-21, Wayman 5-19.

Passing

MHS -- Hawkinson 16-25-0-221.

Derby -- Dawdy 13-26-2-193.

Receiving

MHS -- Anderson 6-128, Tillman 4-33, Dahlstrom 3-30, Ta. Hawkinson 1-13, Pavlovsky 1-11, Thissen 1-6.

Derby -- Brumbelow 6-105, Wayman 5-56, Stubby 1-17, Stanton 1-14.

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.

Comments or suggestions? Contact the Webmaster