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Otis-Bison Cougars head to Dighton
Otis Bison

BY JIM MISUNAS

jmisunas@gbtribune.com


OTIS — The Dighton Hornets are probably tired of seeing Otis-Bison quarterback Anton Foust. Ditto for Cougar coach  Travis Starr when he sees Dighton’s twin threats Blair Hoffman and Dalton Hoffman.

The teams will meet at 7 p.m. Friday in Dighton for the 8-man Division 2 quarterfinals. The game will be aired live (openspacessports.com)

Otis-Bison roared past Dighton 54-8 last year after the Hornets surprised the Cougars 36-30 two years ago.

“We’ll be focused and ready to go,” said Otis-Bison coach Travis Starr. “We’re a confident football team.”

Dighton’s Blair Hoffman has completed 95 passes for 1,369 yards with 33 touchdowns. RB Dalton Hoffman has 778 yards and nine scores, while Blair Hoffman has 725 yards and 10 scores. 

Foust has rushed for 1,113 yards and 20 scores and thrown for 596 yards and 21 touchdowns. Luke Higgason owns 12 tackles for loss and six sacks.

“It’s a nice luxury to have a quarterback who can engineer two- and three-play scoring drives,” Starr said. “We’ll run something until someone stops it.”

TE Maitland Wiltse has eight TDs and 251 yards receiving. Seth Hoopingarner has scored 10 TDs with 332 yards rushing and 194 yards receiving. 

The Cougars average 51 points despite just three complete games. The Cougars’ defense has yielded 11 ppg.

Dighton lost Hodgeman County and 50-20 to St. Francis. 

“The advantage we have is we know the other team’s strengths and weaknesses,” Starr said. “Quarterback Blair Hoffman throws it great and runs in open space. He’s a pure tackler. Dalton Hoffman is fast and makes tacklers miss.”  


OTIS-BISON (9-1-1)—L—Victoria 14-28; W—Bucklin 50-0; W—Stafford 50-0; W—Satanta 46-0; W—Minneola 58-12; T—South Barber 36-36; W—Chase 70-6; W—Ingalls 56-6; W—Pretty Prairie 60-12; W—Central Christian 66-52


DIGHTON (8-2)—L—Hodgeman Co. 12-38; W—Oberlin Decatur 46-0; L—St. Francis 20-54; W—Greeley Co. 62-3; W—Triplains Brewster 47-0; W—Wallace Co. 48-0; W—Quinter 50-0; W—Wheatland 67-8; W—Thunder Ridge 48-12; W—Northern Valley 52-6


RUSHING—OB—210-2,222; Anton Foust 71-1,113, 20 TDs; Bevan Gradig 46-392, 4 TDs; Seth Hoopingarner 35-332, 5 TDs; D—Dalton Hoffman 87-658, 8 TDs; Blair Hoffman 121-619, 7 TDs; Marcus Rowe 29-156, 2 TDs


PASSING—OB—A. Foust, 35-62-0, 596, 21 TDs; D—Blair Hoffman 83-120-2, 1,249, 31 TDs 


RECEIVING—OB—Maitland Wiltse 14-251, 8 TDs; Hoopingarner 10-194, 5 TDs; Gradig 6-88, 5 TDs; D—David Cramer 42-749, 17 TDs; Kaden Bradstreet 14-203, 7 TDs; Rowe 14-144, 4 TDs;  Dalton Hoffman 13-156, 2 TDs


OTIS-BISON OFFENSE—WR—7 Kaden Foust; QB—17 Anton Foust; TE—20 Bevan Gradig; RG—52 Luke Higgason; LG—55 Hunter Mitchell; RB—80 Seth Hoopingarner; TE—87 Maitland Wiltse; C—94 Kendall Steinert


OTIS-BISON DEFENSE—CB—7 Logan Thille; OLB—20 Bevan Gradig; OLB—17 Anton Foust; DE—52 Higgason; DE—55 Mitchell; MLB—80 Hoopingarner; CB—87 Wiltse; NG—94 Steinert


DIGHTON OFFENSE—QB—7 Blair Hoffman; WB—9 Marcus Rowe; WR-TE—10 David Cramer; TB—11 Dalton Hoffman; LG—20 Tyler Walker; C—60 Ariel Arevalo; WR-TE—87 Kaden Bradstreet; RG—99 Donte Hudson


DIGHTON DEFENSE—OLB—7 Blair Hoffman; S—9 Rowe; LB-TE—10 Cramer; LB—11 Dalton Hoffman; LE—20 Walker; RE—60 Arevalo; MLB—87 Bradstreet; NG—99 Hudson