LARNED—The Larned Indians jumped on the winless Lyons Lions early and often Friday as they won the first 3A District football game 46-0.
Larned played without leading rushers Anthony McConnell and Davis, but it didn’t show as they dominated the Lions from the first possession.
Larned’s Shevin Martin rushed for 130 yards and DaMontay Phillips gained 112 yards. Mason Burris added 42 yards. Larned intercepted two passes for touchdowns.
Larned (3-4, 1-0) plays at Hoisington (5-2, 1-0) next Friday with the winner qualifying for the playoffs. Hoisington (5-2, 1-0) defeated Ellsworth 45-8. Hoisington and Larned captured playoff berths last year. Lyons (0-7, 0-1) plays Ellsworth next week.
The stout Larned defense held the Lions to minus 48 yards rushing due to several tackles for losses. Lyons completed five passes for 61 yards.
Larned took the opening kickoff and behind the running of Martin, Phillips and Burris, quickly moved down the field. Martin danced 21 yards for a touchdown at the 11:02 mark for a 6-0 lead. Larned’s Mason Perez intercepted a Terek Smith pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. Perez scooted around end for the 2-point conversion for a 14-0 lead at the 1:37 mark.
Spurred by a couple of short-yardage scores by Larned quarterback Carson Smith, the Indians would extend their halftime lead to 33-0 and all that was in doubt was whether or not there would be a running clock in the second half.
Larned piled up 312 yards of total offense in the first half while holding Lyons to minus yards and Lions had six straight possessions without a first down. Only a late surge of two pass completions by quarterback Nick Duntz for 23 and 28 yards enabled the Lions to gain 39 yards.
The second half was played with a running clock and Larned substituted liberally. With 8:23 remaining in the third quarter Larned’s Jacob Smith raced for eight yards and a touchdown, his first of the season..
The final score of the evening was a result of a couple of Lyons errors.
A bad snap to quarterback Nick Duntz rolled into the Lions’ end zone and that was complicated when Duntz tried to pass the ball while being tackled. The ball was tipped into the air and Larned’s Jordan Taylor had it fall into his hands as he stood on the goal-line. The interception was good for a touchdown and following a successful conversion kick by Logan DeMond for a 46-0 victory.