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BUCKLING DOWN
Area teams set to square off in first-round action
spt kp Oilers Crites
Central Plains High School quarterback Braeden Crites (10) and company are set to host Coldwater-South Central for the first round of the Eight-Man Division-I state playoffs tonight at 7 in Claflin. - photo by Kevin Price Great Bend Tribune

The Central Plains High School football team has strolled through the regular season.
Riding an offense that has scored 40 points or more in seven of their nine games this season, the Oilers have reached an 8-1 record.
Their one loss?
A 66-28 setback against undefeated Victoria, which is ranked No. 4 in Eight-Man Division-II.
Now, the Oilers are set to host Coldwater-South Central tonight at 7 in the first round of the Eight-Man D-I state playoffs.
A balanced offensive attack has been Central Plains’ secret in the run-happy Eight-Man class.
Oilers running back Colton Zink has 449 rushing yards and six touchdowns, but quarterback Braeden Crites is the team’s offensive leader.
Crites has a team-leading 607 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
The sophomore slinger has completed 89 of 161 passes (55.3 percent) for 1,796 yards and 32 touchdowns. He only has four interceptions.
Junior Layne Bieberle has dominated at receiver with 982 yards (109.1 yards-per-game average) and 21 touchdowns.
Stopping South Central’s offense starts with quarterback Stetsen Underwood.
The senior has completed 41 of 70 passes for 609 yards and 11 touchdowns, but also has a team-leading 1,635 rushing yards and 27 scores.

Stafford (7-2) at Waverly (8-1)
Stafford road the running prowess of senior Tristin Paulsen and junior Ethan Johnson to a 7-2 record in the regular season, including a 3-1 Eight-Man D-II District 4 mark.
The Trojans finished as runners-up in their district, earning them a playoff spot for the first time since 1991.
Tonight’s playoffs matchup with Waverly starts at 6.
Waverly went 4-0 in District 3 to earn a championship.
The Bulldogs’ only loss is on the road against Marais des Cygnes Valley, a 50-0 setback. They responded with three straight shutout victories.
Waverly averages 41.2 points per game. It allows an average of 21.1.
Stafford is led by Ethan Johnson, who has 1,227 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.
Paulsen is right behind him with 1,218 yards and 21 TDs on the ground.
Waverly is led by Bailey Austin, who has 756 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Larned (7-2) at Andale (9-0)
Larned has its hands full tonight at 7.
Andale is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A behind Holton.
Andale scores 49.1 points per game, while allowing a measly 10.1.
Larned, fresh off its come-from-behind victory over Pratt to earn its playoff berth, averages 31.2 points per game.
Larned, which is making its first foray into the postseason since 1985, allows 18.3 points per game.
Larned quarterback Easton Palmer is coming off a solid performance against Pratt, completing 6 of 9 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown, a 31-yard completion to Brayden Smith that started the comeback.
Jeromy Bartz and Palmer each had 83 rushing yards.

Hoisington (4-4) at Holcomb (6-3)
Hoisington hit some rough patches early on in the regular season.
The Cardinals, who faces Holcomb at 7 tonight, opened the season with a 35-7 loss at Great Bend, followed by a 34-18 setback at home against La Crosse.
After a win against Ellinwood, Hoisington lost on the road at Phillipsburg to start the season 1-3.
Since then, the Cardinals have turned things around.
Hoisington defeated Larned before heading into the 3A District 15 part of its schedule.
The Cardinals rebounded from a loss against Scott City to go 2-1 in district play, as well as secure the final Mid-Central Activities Association title.
Hoisington junior running back Nolan McCurry has rushed for 1,191 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Senior middle linebacker Avery Urban leads the defense with 76 tackles.
Holcomb quarterback Heath Tucker has completed 53 of 92 passes for 907 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 850 yards and 11 TDs. He has thrown nine interceptions.
The last time Hoisington went to the playoffs?
A 2012 loss against Holcomb 28-7.