By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
RIVERTON, Kan. — Riverton built a 32-0 halftime lead in dispatching Southeast 52-12 in the first round of the Kansas Class 3A prep football playoffs on Tuesday night at Wyatt Laughlin Stadium.
The Rams, improving to 10-0, rushed for six touchdowns in ending the Lancers’ season at 5-5 in their first meeting of the campaign.
The Rams will entertain Richmond Central Heights on Saturday in the second round. Central Heights beat Wellsville 34-20 on Tuesday.
“Southeast gave us some fits on defense,” Riverton coach Cory White said. “They initially created some havoc.
“We opened up the passing game,” White said. “It was effective. That loosened things up and allowed us to get to the edge more with our running game.”
The Rams’ Brenton Cates, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound senior, gouged the Lancers for three rushing touchdowns and 222 yards on 18 carries. The scoring distances were 90, 19 and 13.
“The line did all the work,” Cates said. “I just ran to the holes.”
A safety — the ball was snapped over the head of the Southeast quarterback into the end zone — put Riverton on the scoreboard at 7:44 in the first quarter. Then a 59-yard run by Chase Mead on the Rams’ second possession and quarterback Kaleb Clark’s conversion run made it 10-0.
Cates’ 90-yarder came on the Rams’ next possession and Clark ran for the conversion to make it 18-0.
Clark’s 29-yard pass to tight end Brad Hefley and Cates’ 19-yard run — plus his conversion run — secured the halftime bulge.
“We came out mentally prepared,” Cates said.
Clark, a junior, finished 7-of-12 for 72 yards.
Southeast’s Zach Dainty dashed the shutout hopes of the Rams by scoring on a 2-yard run on the Lancers’ first possession of the second half. The senior combination of quarterback Toby Ulery and Ryan Martin keyed the 61-yard march.
Cates answered with his 13-yard scoring run and Clark tacked on the running conversion.
Mead, a junior, and freshman Julian Hudson had scoring runs of 8 and 72 yards in the fourth period before Southeast’s Dainty closed out the scoring with a 17-yard run.
Dainty, a 185-pound senior, rushed for 108 yards.
“They (the Rams) were physical and quick,” Southeast coach Bryan Burdette said. “We could have played a little better. We had too many mistakes.
“Our kids played hard, though, and I’m proud of them,” Burdette said. “They played with all their heart.”
