JASON EPP

    • Leader & Times           

The Turpin Cardinals took down another foe in mercy-rule fashion, defeating county rival Balko-Forgan 56-6, Thursday night. Turpin racked up 384 yards on just 32 offensive plays and held the Bulls to just 139 yards of offense.

Cesar Quintana was 8-10 passing for 186 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 43 yards and a touchdown. Saul Alvarado ran for 128 yards and four touchdowns on just nine carries; Max Garza had a 93-yard touchdown catch, Mason Barnett caught five passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns, and Aaron Gandarilla caught two passes for 40 yards.

By EARL WATT

Leader & Times

Facing the toughest stretch of the schedule, the Redskins couldn't pull of the upset Friday against the undefeated Kapaun Crusaders in a 49-7 loss.

Kapaun moved the ball at will against the Angry Red defense in the first half even when the Redskins had chances to end drives. The Crusaders converted a fourth and goal for a two-yard touchdown and converted a third-and-eight to keep another scoring drive alive.

Kapaun jumped out to a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter on a drive that converted a third-and-nine.

Liberal didn't get a first down until midway through the second quarter when Bren Kappelmann had a seven-yard run on second down, but the drive ended in a punt.

The Crusaders only needed four plays to get back to the end zone to extend the lead to 35-0, and after another three-and-out for the Redskins, Kapaun put together a 10-play drive before half to score a sixth touchdown for a 42-0 lead.

Kapaun received the second half kick and drove it 61 yards for a touchdown and a 49-0 lead.

The Crusaders started to substitute the rest of the way, and with less than two minutes to play, the Redskins reached the end zone with a 23-yard pass from Darion Denton to Max Holman, and Liberal avoided the shutout in a 49-7 loss.

"We found out who the No. 1 team in Kansas is," Liberal coach Marc Svaty said. "The only time I was really frustrated, their JV offense came out and got a first down against us. We took a time out and got that taken care of."

The offense struggled against the Kapaun defensive front.

"It was very difficult to move the football," Svaty said. "We got beat up front. Their defensive line was better than our offensive line. We did have some perimeter plays from time to time. And Kapaun made a very good defense look like a bad defense."

There were some standouts.

"Josue (Casteneda) got better, Landry had a good game," Svaty said. "It was just a wave of white at times."

It was the second start for quarterback Denton, both against some of the top teams in Kansas.

"We got another game under Darion's belt," Svaty said. "It's never easy against teams like that. He played well at times, made plays with his legs. The more he plays the more confidence he will have. He is still brand new to football in a lot of ways. We need to do more things to help him get the ball to the perimeter."

Protecting Denton was a problem against the Kapaun rush.

"We were calling our strength to No. 14, and they were through the line of scrimmage pretty quick," Svaty said. "We added a couple stunts in there."

Svaty also wanted to get more of his players some experience later in the game.

"Alan Padilla got on the field and made a couple tackles. We tried to keep our older kids on the field a little longer. But it was already 49-0. It was already a little bit embarrassing, I didn't want to make it any worse."

Liberal (3-4) will finish the regular season at Hays (6-1) Friday. Seedings for playoffs will be detemrined after Friday's games.

EARL WATT

   • Leader & Times

The annual Crosstown Clash between the Eisenhower Middle School Warriors and the Seymour Rogers Apaches took place at Redskin Field, and each side was able to claim a victory.

The seventh grade Warriors started the season 2-0 but dropped four straight before facing their in-town rival in the newly titled Dustbowl Showdown. The Warriors were able to move the ball with ease and took a 22-0 halftime lead, and with the winds at their backs in the third quarter, they were able to keep the momentum going in the second half.

The Apaches struggled to move the ball, and the Warrior defense prevented the Apaches from gaining a first down.

The Warriors added three more touchdowns in the second half to come away with a 41-0 win.

sewardsaints.com

Seward women's tennis student-athletes Mishel Lobotenko and Apolline Duclos have qualified for the 2026 ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia, after strong performances at the ITA Central Regional Small College Championships in Pratt.

Formerly known as the National Small College Championships, the ITA Cup is a premier annual collegiate tennis tournament administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The 2026 event will be held at the Rome Tennis Center, with play beginning Thursday and concluding Sunday. The ITA Cup serves as the premier national event of the fall season, while the NJCAA Championships will be contested in the spring.