OTIS — Senior tailback Dylan Wissman is the workhorse for the Otis-Bison High School football team.
Wissman has rushed for 1,158 yards and 23 touchdowns this season.
He is averaging almost 30 carries per game, though according to Wissman, it’s only about one number — the number in the win column.
“To be honest, yards and touchdowns don’t mean too much to me,” Wissman said. “You know, 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns are nice, but we need the win more.”
Wissman, who also has 48 tackles from his outside linebacker position, said that he just tries to run the ball as hard as he can.
“I run my hardest,” Wissman said. “I try to make multiple defenders tackle me, not just one guy.
“When it comes to offense, I try to score on every play. That’s kind of my motto.”
Otis-Bison (5-1 overall, 2-0 Eight-Man Division-II District 7) travels to Western Plains (2-4, 0-2) tonight at 7.
“They run a lot of different formations, and they get off the ball well,” Otis-Bison head coach Travis Starr said of Western Plains.
“We need to be assignment-sound. We have to be ready to block anything that they run at us.”
The Eagles have averaged 25.3 points per game, while allowing 36.3 points per game.
The Cougars’ lone loss came against Hoxie, 56-22, in Week 3.
Wissman said he believes that it helped focus the team.
“That one stung a lot,” Wissman said. “We just got outplayed. They played harder than us. After that, we knew we had to play our best every night.”
Starr, whose Cougars have advanced to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, captured a state runner-up finish in 2010.
Starr, who is in his eighth year at Otis-Bison, said he believes that things finally started to fall into place last week, during a 44-12 drumming of district and Central Prairie League foe Victoria.
“Victoria was when we got it all together,” Starr said. “We weren’t ready to go on the road against Hoxie. Against Victoria, it’s a big-time game, and we were starting to hit our stride.”
Starr said making the playoffs has become an expectation among the team and its fans.
“At the beginning of the year, we set high goals for ourselves,” Starr said. “Anything less than the playoffs would be a major disappointment.”

Medicine Lodge (0-6, 0-2)
at Ellinwood (0-6, 0-1)
Ellinwood is staring down its final three Class 2A District 5 games, starting with Medicine Lodge tonight.
The winless Indians are coming off a 50-22 district game against Sterling.
Medicine Lodge uses two quarterbacks. It is led by Bryant Wornkey, who has rushed for 240 yards and two touchdowns. He has also completed 15 of 34 passes for 159 yards.
Scott Beecher has completed a team-leading 18 of 39 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns.
Medicine Lodge averages 8.5 points per game, while allowing 31.3.
Ellinwood’s first district game came in Week 5, against Sterling, a 58-18 setback.

Hoisington (3-3) at Scott City (6-0)
Hoisington started the season against 5A Great Bend and followed it up with a matchup with last season’s 2A state runner-up, La Crosse.
Now the Cardinals will look to reap the benefits against undefeated Scott City to start their 3A district schedule.
Running back Dalton Buehler leads Scott City with 810 yards and 10 touchdowns on 83 carries.
Senior quarterback Brett O’Neill has completed 60 of 87 passes for 901 yards and 13 TDs.
Cardinals quarterback Hagan Hanzlick has rushed for 854 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Larned (3-3) at Ulysses (3-3)
Larned challenges Ulysses to start its 4A district run.
Brady Keith leads the Indians with 885 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
Quarterback Easton Palmer has completed 52 of 98 passes for 850 yards and four TDs.
Ulysses freshman Ian Rudzik has rushed 99 times for 720 yards and eight scores.
Tigers quarterback Alec Meierhoff has completed 32 of 74 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns.

St. John (5-1, 3-0)
at Pratt-Skyline (0-6, 0-3)
St. John is tied with Fairfield at the top of the Eight-Man Division-I District 6 standings, while Pratt-Skyline is at the bottom.
Schuyler Brown rushed for 185 yards in last week’s 60-22 Tigers win over South Central.
Senior quarterback Spencer Nusser threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
Thunderbirds running back Brandon Baird rushed for 420 yards and four TDs.

Central Plains (2-4, 1-1)
at Lincoln (3-3, 0-2)
Central Plains currently sits fourth in its district standings — trailing Solomon, Pretty Prairie and Little River.
Oilers quarterback Bryce Steiner threw for a pair of touchdowns last week in a 38-14 loss with Pretty Prairie.
Running back Chris Woolf caught one pass for an 18-yard score, and Layne Bieberle reeled in a 14-yard pass.
Quarterback Dayton Walter leads Lincoln, completing 35 of 70 passes for 576 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Macksville (2-4, 1-2)
at South Central (3-3, 1-3)
Macksville quarterback Tanner Tranbarger has rushed for 829 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The Mustangs are fifth in their district standings.
South Central averages 39 points per game, while allowing 25.6.
The Timberwolves are sixth in the district.

Stafford (3-3, 1-2)
at Norwich (2-4, 2-1)
Stafford is coming off a 52-0 shutout win over Argonia.
Ethan Johnson leads Stafford with 497 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Tristin Paulsen has rushed for 494 yards and seven TDs.
Norwich freshman quarterback Jacob Norris has rushed for 533 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also completed 35 of 80 passes for 431 yards and seven touchdowns.