NEWTON — The Hanover Wildcat offense will be a challenge for the Central Plains Oiler defense in Saturday’s Eight-Man I state championship game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Fischer Field.
Hanover has scored at least 52 points in every game. The Wildcats are averaging 60 points per game and yield 15 ppg. Hanover averages 213 yards rushing and 159 yards passing per game.
Hanover quarterback Alex Bruna has thrown for 1,668 yards and 33 touchdowns and rushed for 775 yards and 24 scores. Preston Jueneman has rushed for 934 yards and 19 touchdowns. Receiver Evan Zabokrtsky has 26 catches for 915 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Ness City was averaging 47 points before getting shut out 32-0 by Central Plains in the Eight-Man I state semifinals.
Starting defensively for the Oilers are safety Layne Bieberle, cornerbacks Braedan Crites and Hunter Ingham, linebackers Brady Rugan and Cody Price, ends Michael Ryan and Michael Lamatsch and nose guard Trustin Kreft.  
Price has a team-leading 122 tackles and Lamatsch has 95 stops. Ryan has a team-leading 14 tackles for losses and Lamatsch has 13 tackles for losses. Kreft anchors the line for Eight-Man’s top defense that yields 8.5 ppg.
Central Plains coach Chris Steiner said Hanover features speed and balance.
“They’ve got a ton of offensive weapons and their whole team is fast,” said Steiner, who won two state titles as a player at Claflin High School. “Their quarterback is a good passer who will run option, so we’ve got to tackle him every time. You’ve got to play their whole offensive game.”
The Oilers’ best bet is to play an attacking defensive style.
“We’ve got to bring pressure and create turnovers,” Steiner said. “If we play well and make things happen on defense, we’ll play well.”
The Oilers average 155 yards passing, 130 yards passing and 51 ppg per game. Junior quarterback Braedan Crites has thrown for 1,846 yards, 36 touchdowns with five interceptions. Jacob Warnken has rushed for 561 yards and Crites 495 yards.
Bierberle is the Oilers’ wild card athlete with big-play potential. He has gained 1,701 all-purpose yards, with 1,013 yards receiving and 25 touchdowns.
“If we give our quarterback time, we’ll make some plays,” Steiner said. “Their tendency is to play man-to-man pass defense. We’ll have some opportunities.”
It’s perceived that Hanover gets the edge, which is fine with Steiner. He wants his team to be prepared emotionally and compete with discipline.
“We play every game like we’re playing the best team in the state,” he said. “We’ve played our best when we’re fired up, but under control. I know our kids will play hard. Anytime, we think we’re the underdog, it fuels our kids.”
The consolidated school district has won six state football championships. Claflin owns five state football titles in 23 playoff appearances. Quivira Heights won the 1983 Eight-Man championship in 12 playoff trips.